Highlights:
- Tourism Ministry ready to revise ‘Visit Malaysia 2020’ logo
- Indian restaurant owners want hiring of foreign workers simplified
- Alibaba Group launches Malaysia Week campaign
- Melaka to focus on attracting investments from China
- Cyberview Living Lab Accelerator Programme Focuses on Fintech, IoT, and Robotics
- Thai cave rescue: Diver dies after delivering oxygen tanks to cave complex
Tourism Ministry ready to revise ‘Visit Malaysia 2020’ logo
The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry is ready to revise the design of the Visit Malaysia 2020 logo if required. Its Minister, Mohammadin Ketapi said, “In fact, we have a long time before 2020 to improve on or touch up the existing design if necessary.” The Visit Malaysia 2020 logo launched in Chiang Mai, Thailand, by former Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz in conjunction with ASEAN Tourism earlier this year, drew flak from netizens for its seemingly ‘poor design’.
Indian restaurant owners want hiring of foreign workers simplified
The Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association (PRIMAS) has asked the government to consider simplifying the process of hiring foreign employees to help ease the acute shortage of labour in local eateries. The proposal was some of the recommendations brought up by its president T. Muthusamy during a meeting with the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) today. According to Muthusamy the government’s policy to priorities local workers and reduce the number of foreign workers has become a problem for local eateries with some of them expected to close down due to the shortage of workers. “The industry is facing a shortage of workers especially in the Indian restaurants where the shortage is acute, we can see many closures, downsizing and some of them having to reduce the operating hours due to the insufficient number of workers. “I am here today to ask the government to find a new mechanism, to simplify the process and reduce the cost of hiring foreign workers to help our local eateries,” he told reporters after the meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
Alibaba Group launches Malaysia Week campaign
Alibaba Group launched a ‘Malaysia Week’ campaign today, an eCommerce milestone, under the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) initiative. The campaign, which ends on July 12, aims to attract Chinese consumers to buy Malaysian products through its online marketplace as part of Alibaba’s continued commitment to Malaysia, the tech giant’s first Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) hub outside of China. The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Chief Operating Officer Datuk Ng Wan Peng said the Malaysia Week initiative offered an array of eCommerce opportunities. Speaking to reporters in Hangzhou, she said Malaysia Week would showcase more than 100 Malaysian brands and more than 800 products not only to China’s market, but also to global markets. “Malaysian eCommerce, SMEs and the tourism industry are set to reap the benefits from Malaysia Week.
Melaka to focus on attracting investments from China
The Melaka state government aims to attract investments from China for its tourism, industrial and port sectors. Chief Minister Adly Zahari said an estimated 17.8 million tourists were expected to visit the state this year, thus creating numerous opportunities for Chinese investors. “Chinese tourists account for the biggest number of visitors to Melaka, followed by Singapore and Indonesia. So, looking at the vast investment opportunities, I believe that we should make it easier for them to invest,” he said. Earlier today, the Chief Minister received 80 Chinese delegates, comprising members of the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) and industry players from the country. According to the MCCC, the number of Chinese visitors had more than doubled over the past five years, from one million recorded in 2012 to 2.2 million visitors last year.
Cyberview Living Lab Accelerator Programme Focuses on Fintech, IoT, and Robotics
Cyberview Sdn. Bhd., the company leading Cyberjaya’s transformation into a Global Technology Hub has shortlisted five startups to participate in the latest installment of the Cyberview Living Lab Accelerator (CLLA) Programme. The five startups have been working out of CoInnov8, Cyberview’s collaborative smart city space for a little over a month now and will be plugging in four more months of intensive work under the programme. The accelerator offers participants a programme value up to RM100,000 which comprises resources, facilities, mentorship, networking, market access opportunities, and other assistance. The five startups participating in the latest installment of the CLLA Programme are Fintech players EPC Blockchain, MEDKAD, and CheQQme; IoT solutions provider Touchless; and Ideasparq Robotics, an automation company which provides robotics solutions.
Thai cave rescue: Diver dies after delivering oxygen tanks to cave complex
A former Thai military diver involved in operations to rescue 12 boys trapped in a cave in northern Thailand has died. The diver, identified as a retired Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Saman Kunam, died on his way out of the Tham Luang cave complex after going in to supply one of the chambers with oxygen tanks at around 2am on Friday morning. Chiang Rai deputy governor Passakorn Boonyaluck maintained that the casualty has not dampened the morale of the rescuers. “Under irregular circumstances like these, anything can happen,” he said. “Still, everybody in the rescue operation is absolutely in good spirits. Our morale is great and we’ll continue our mission until we achieve our goal.”
