Pars Today
The revival of domestic travel in emerging markets is being led by countries that have been comparatively successful in avoiding large-scale outbreaks of the coronavirus, and which rely on tourism for a significant portion of GDP. One such country is Vietnam, which by May 25 had limited COVID-19 cases to 326 and had not experienced a virus-related death. These results are remarkable considering Vietnam’s population of 97 million and its close geographical and economic ties with China.
You’ve probably got a better chance of winning a game than buying face masks in parts of Asia. Conferences have been disrupted from Beijing to Barcelona to Boston. Quarrels in Japan; riots in Ukraine. Rumors that napkins could be used as masks emptied East Asian store shelves of paper goods. Bernie Huang, a high school teacher in Taiwan said “Fear is a very strong emotion, and the prevailing fear over the new coronavirus drives people to do things irrationally without thinking straight.”
Many big Asian cities, including Mumbai, Shanghai, Bangkok, and Jakarta, are coastal and low-lying, making them susceptible to sea level rise and other extreme weather events.
It’s Golden Week again, which means the cities of Southeast Asia are seeing an influx of tourists from China visiting iconic sites, buying souvenirs and tasting local delicacies.
Why did the world’s corporate media highlight the flooded Thai cave story so graphically and why do so many ordinary people respond with such interest – meaning genuine emotional engagement – in this story?
The West, led by the US, which has plunged Myanmar into a crisis by unleashing the genocide of Muslims at the hands of the Buddhists, is now trying to repeat the same scenario in neighbourng Thailand. Here is an interesting feature by Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher Tony Cartalucci titled: “How the West Is Trying to Recreate Myanmar’s Crisis in Thailand.”