ScandAsia December 2019

DEC 2019

Business:

Nordic-Singapore Fintech Partners

Community:

Danish ‘Julebasar’ in Bangkok

ENVIRONMENT:

Circular Economy forum in KL

Visiting

Myanmar

Realise your

ambitions in Asia.

Being the leading Nordic bank in Singapore we understand the unique challenges

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December 2019

24

Helping minorities

in Myanmar

ScandAsia

Stories

8 Norwegian Embassy

planting trees

9 New airline to fly

China-Iceland

14 Nordic Forum in KL

on circular economy

42 New Finnish center

in Bali for seniors

Theme:

Visiting Myanmar

30

Traveling as a tourist

in Myanmar

8

9

10

Nordic participation in

Singaporean fintech event

Portrait: Birgitte

Weeke in Yangon

34

14

42

40

Danish Christmas

Bazaar in Bangkok

4 ScandAsia • December 2019

Editorial

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year.

Back in the Nordics, Christmas is the time for

celebrations and delicious dinners and cozy

evenings indoor. Out here, it is hard to really

get into the Christmas mood, but a little shopping of

delicacies and Gloegg may help.

After Christmas, the Scandinavians suddenly realize,

that there are still at least two months left of the cold,

dark and wet winter. This is when 40 percent of the

Scandinavians are looking to travel south to Sun, Sand and

Sea, according to a survey by the travel agency, Apollo.

For most Scandinavians, the longest vacation is

placed in the summer months, but it is in the winter

months that most would like to go abroad. In the summer,

only 15 percent want to go overseas.

The survey added, that the most popular short trips

would go to destinations like Canary Islands or Dubai

while the longer vacations would go to ”Bali, Vietnam

and Thailand.”

A few years ago, the conclusion would have been

“Thailand, Bali and Vietnam”. And Dubai would have been

nowhere on the list.

Much has been speculated about what seems to be

a decline in popularity of Thailand among tourists from

Europe.

For the last few years, I have become active in the

tourism industry, in a niche market for naturist vacations

to Thailand. Naturist resorts are safely shielded resorts,

where it is frowned upon if you wear any clothes. This

market, which has emerged only during the last ten years,

sees no decline. The increase this year was 25 percent up

from 2018.

In my experience, the vacation that brings naturists

back to Thailand is the vacation that has successfully

managed to create a relationship between the traveler

and the destination and its people. Our returning naturists

do not come back because it is cheap or stay home

because it has become more expensive. They return

because of the nature of our currently eight resorts in

Thailand, where the social nature of these people makes

it easy to form friendship with like-minded ordinary local

people and other guests at the resort. They keep these

relationships warm and try if possible, to coordinate their

returning visits with their newly found local friends.

The locals on the other hand enjoy taking their

foreign friends around to see the real Thailand – and

during summer they frequently also go overseas to visit

their friends back in their country.

This goes not only for the “old market” in Europe

and the US, but also for the emerging markets of travelers

from China, India and the other countries in ASEAN.

So, from being that time of the year, when it was

impossible for me to get into any real Christmas mood, my

Christmas time has increasingly become a heartwarming

period of hosting a great number of returning friends,

hearing about what happened since last time we saw

each other and sharing good time and good food.

I hope your Christmas too will be filled with the

warmth of being together with your friends and family

members from back home.

Warm regards

Gregers Moller

Editor in Chief

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News brief

Consulate General of Finland

announced the latest statement on

free trade agreement with Singapore

ders, digitalisation and renewable

energy,” it says.

“This is the first bilateral trade

agreement between the EU and an

ASEAN country. Its entry into force

lays the foundation for strengthening

the EU’s trade agreement network

in Southeast Asia.”

The agreement will dismantle

technical trade obstacles, remove

customs duties and open opportunities

for both service trade and the

public procurement market. The

parties to the agreement also undertake

to maintain and promote

the norms concerning the environment

and working life.

At the moment, around onehalf

of imports of Singaporean products

to the EU area are duty-free.

As the agreement comes into force,

the EU will immediately exempt 80

per cent of imports from Singapore.

Trade will be exempt from duties

almost fully after the transition periods

of 3–5 years.

Singapore is an open economy,

and it already applies exemption

from customs duty to the majority

of commodities in goods trade.

However, the Free Trade Agreement

guarantees commitment to exemption

from customs duty, in addition

to which Singapore has undertaken

to remove nearly all the remaining

customs duties at the latest within

five years.

The Free Trade Agreement increases

opportunities for market

access by including new procurement

units in the agreement and

by lowering the threshold values

of open tender competitions. The

agreement also improves the transparency

of Singapore’s procurement

procedures.

Norwegian Embassy plants trees

to offset own carbon-footprint

The Norwegian ambassador

together with the ASEAN

green initiative made their

first move on reducing carbon

footprint by planting 500 trees in

Metro Manila on 19th November

2019.

The Embassy has specifically

chosen to plant trees in the La Mesa

Watershed, as this is the carbon

dioxide sink of Metro Manila. The

watershed is also a major source of

water for some 12 million residents

of Metro Manila.

La Mesa Watershed is part of

the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system,

which supplies most of the water

supply of Metro Manila holding over


50 million cubic meters occupying

an area of 27 square kilometers.

Norway is also dedicated

to enable vulnerable countries to

adapt to climate change, prevent

deforestation, reduce harmful

greenhouse gas emissions. By 2030,

Norway is targeting to lower its

own greenhouse gas emissions by

40%. “The Norwegian Embassy

in Manila is constantly looking for

possibilities to reduce our carbon

footprint here in the Philippines,”

said Mr Bjørn Jahnsen, Norwegian

Ambassador to the Philippines.

“By planting 500 seedlings this

year, we are offsetting roughly 74

tons of carbon footprint equivalent

Mr. Ville Skinnari, Minister for

Development Cooperation

and Foreign Trade, Finland,

published an official statement

regarding The Free Trade Agreement

between the EU and Singapore,

which entered into force on

21 November 2019.

“Singapore offers interesting

business opportunities for Finnish

companies’ areas of strength, such

as health care and services for elto

the projected carbon footprint

that the embassy is producing per

year,”

The Royal Norwegian Embassy

in Manila has been actively working

on projects and initiatives to make

its workplace greener. This year, the

Embassy also installed a 16-kilowatt

peak (kWp) solar power system

in the Ambassador’s residence.

preserving biodiversity.

New airline to fly China-Iceland

With increasing number

of Chinese travellers

visiting Iceland, Chinese

Airline Juneyao Air will embark

upon its maiden voyage to Iceland

in March of next year,

The airline plans on flying to

Iceland twice a week. Roundtrip

tickets in economy class will cost

from ISK 68,000 ($550.00/€430.00)

and from ISK 204,000 ($1,660.00/

€1,290.00) in business class.

Juneyao Airlines (“auspicious

airlines”) was founded in 2006 and

operates a fleet of 72 planes. The airline

took delivery of its first Boeing

News brief

787 Dreamliner in October 2018.

It had previously been an all-Airbus

operator.

Xu Xiang - Country Manager

of Juneyao’s Finnish branch - stated

that “the airline intends to embark

upon its maiden voyage from

Shanghai, China to Keflavík Airport,

Iceland, with a stopover in Helsinki,

on March 31, 2020.”

“Today, there are approximately

100,000 Chinese tourists arriving

in Iceland annually. We estimate that

approximately 20,000 passengers

will fly with us to Iceland next year.

We expect a yearly increase of 10%

after that. We want to be the first

airline to offer direct flights between

the two countries,” Xu said.

Xeng Dewei, who will manage

Juneyao in Iceland, hopes that

Icelanders will fly to China, as well:

“It’s important to us. Flights from

Iceland to China are long and we will

offer full service.”

Koenigsegg cooperates with Chinese

investor to expand in electric car market

Koenigsegg, a Swedish supercar

maker together with The

Evergrande group, a Chinese

property development group are

planning to expand together in EV

car productions in 2020-21.

Eariler in January 2019, the

Evergrande group invested over

US$300m in a new venture, acquired

20% of shares with Swedish supercar

maker Koenigsegg, acquired 51% of

shares in National Electric Vehicle

Sweden for US$930m and many

other European car companies. They

also plans to invest US$154m in

a 58% stake in lithium-ion battery

maker Shanghai Center at New

Energy.

Mr. Xu Jiayin, The Evengrande

group chairman, announced last

week at a conference in Guangzhou,

China:

“I wants my company to

become the world’s largest producer

of new-energy vehicles, with annual

sales of over one million units within

five years.”

“The funds will be use to

acquire any core technologies and

companies that require to achieve

these targets, if we can’t buy the

companies we need, we’d like to

join hands with them through

cooperation”

Mr Xu also announced: “my

company plans to unveil its first

electric vehicle, the Hengchi 1, in

the first half of 2020 with mass

production scheduled for 2021.”

“A total of 15 models are

currently under development and

the company has eight plants in use

or under construction - in Tianjin,

Shanghai, Shenyang, Guangzhou and

also in Sweden.”

Some analysts consider

Evergrande’s targets to be extremely

ambitious, especially given the sharp

decline in new-energy vehicle sales

in China in recent months.

December 2019 • ScandAsia 9

Nordic start-up pitches,

Singapore Fintech

Association partnership

As Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) x Singapore Week of

Innovation and TeCHnology (SWITCH) came together for the

first time in 2019 the Nordic countries were present in full force,

including this year also five start-ups from Iceland.

Photos and text: Joakim Persson

Ambassador of Iceland to Singapore, Ms.

Sigríður Á. Snævarr, were in attendance and

also hosted a welcome reception for the

Icelandic companies.

Denmark’s embassy and Copenhagen

Fintech Assocation had their own pavilion at SFF for the first

time, while the Nordic Innovation House Singapore’s (NIH-

SG) pavilion was a joint focal point for the representatives

from the rest of the Nordics.

Sustainability and Climate Change was the overarching

theme of the combined conference, where NIH-SG

showcased Circular Economy and Energy Programmes.

Within Fintech no less than 12 Nordic companies

made pitches at SFF x SWITCH as well as Nordic

Innovation House.

Mats Holmfeldt from Findec shared insights into the

Nordic Fintech landscape.

Nordics - Singapore Fintech

Association partnership

NIH-SG, represented by Community Director Sami

Jääskeläinen and Singapore Fintech Association (SFA),

represented by its President Mr. Hock Lai Chia, announced

an official partnership

SFA is intended as a platform designed to facilitate

collaboration between all market participants and

stakeholders in the Fintech ecosystem.

Mr Hock Lai Chia shared SFA’s details on the

Singapore fFintech landscape, and began by thanking all

the participants from the Nordics.

“I hope that by now you also know we are a global

Fintech hub. Welcome to the largest fintech festival of the

whole world, where we this year have 60 000 visitors from

more than 130 countries,” began Hock Lai Chia.

“In Singapore we have more than 600 Fintech

and blockchain companies, which is about 40 percent of

all such companies in SEA. Comparing to four years ago

when we started our Fintech journey there were then less

than fifty.”

Describing the development since then he outlined

five different factors: talent, access to a huge regional

market, capital, infrastructure, and policy-making.

“Being one of the international financial centres

we have a lot of financial talent in Singapore. In terms

of technology talent we are still trying to resolve that

challenge - so if there’s a lot of technology talent in the

Nordics we welcome you here!”

He added that the hunt for talent is a challenge for

many regions.

Regarding access to markets Singapore is small.

However, for those who are into B2B Fintech there are

good news, as the city state boasts over 200 financial

institutions and with 40 of them having innovation labs in

Singapore.

“Looking at B2C Fintech through Singapore as a

gateway, you can reach out to not just Southeast Asia

but also China and India, and Southeast Asia alone has a

population size of 640 million. The country with highest

population in this region is Indonesia, just a one-hour-flight

away.”

“And we have a very active Fintech association; over

the last three years I could see that Fintech is something

that really cuts across borders. We have more than 50

collaborations internationally in 35 countries. So we can

be a platform to reach out to many other markets in Asia,”

he added.

Fintech investment is record so far in 2019. “In the

first nine months of this year investment in Singapore

already exceeded 1 billion Singapore Dollars, ranking only

behind China and India.”

“We have a very conducive environment for investors.

Many of the venture capitals and private equities set up

their base in Singapore so we have close to 300 such

investors .And we have a lot of programmes that curate

Fintech companies to meet the investors. Singapore could

also be a very attractive place to do your IPO.”


Within infrastructure, Hock Lai Chia mentioned

that they are setting up a number of standards including

allowing non-banks to access their payment systems in

Singapore.

Policy-wise he mentioned the Fintech office in MAS

(Monetary Authority of Singapore) where one can reach

out to find out what kind regulatory licences to apply for.

“And if you have a really innovative business model there is

a regulatory sandbox and also another express regulatory

sandbox whereby if your business model is lower risk you

could get your business model approval within 21 days.”

Fintech pitches

The NIH-SG pavilion hosted Fintech pitches from the

following start-ups: BehavioSec, Covr Security, EdenBull,

Greater Than, Lendela, Mitigram, Unimaze, Wenn and

ZignSec

BehavioSec offers its award-winning, behavioral

biometrics software that uses continuous authentication

to stop the problems created by digital fraud – without

frustrating end users.

“We help our clients verify it is the right person in

a web or mobile application, typically within the financial

sector, like banking,” said Oscar Morén. The end user don’t

know this is in the application itself; it’s how they interact

with the device that we can verify the user to detect fraud.”

Covr Security is the legendary start-up behind

Sweden’s BankID, established over 15 years ago.

“Thanks to that we have taken this technology out

to completely new markets,” explained Victor Waenerlund

about their user-centric mobile security management

platform.

Bank transactions, store purchases, cloud-based

databases, online gaming and even the Internet of Things

can use Covr to ensure 100% protection from ID theft,

phishing, skimming and credit card hijacking.

Erik Ingvoldstad introduced EedenBull by saying that

they are a little bit different from everyone else: “We are as

much Finn as we are Tech; we really focus on the financial

part of it.”

EedenBull is a technology agnostic Fintech innovation

company that helps banks create new products and

services to increase revenue, customer loyalty and brand

affinity.

“We work with banks, do not compete with them,

and have long experience in the payment industry from

all over the world, so we’re a global platform. We deliver

complete platforms, not just technologies and experiences

and we create competitive advantages for our partner

banks.”

Greater Than helps auto insurance carriers improve

loss ratio and car manufacturers with new business – by

making this business sector smarter via AI.

“We do not judge people, we look at a claim

probability patterns so when a vehicle is connected to our

cloud each second we analyse driving and when the drive

is done we will say: the pattern has a claims probability

of 30 % for example. That is the insight we give. Our

technology has proven to reduce claims by up to 40 per

cent,”explained Johan Forseke.

By starting to harness driving data at an early stage

of the Big Data era, Greater Than has gained extensive

experience in using driving data and Artificial Intelligence

to create services that contribute to safer, smarter and

more environmentally friendly driving.

Lendela, based in Singapore, is Southeast Asia’s first

consumer-centric lending platform.

The problem we’re trying to solve is that even though

there is a vast market for loans, including in Southeast Asia,

unsecure lending is 400 billion in this region. There is huge

demand for loans; a lot of people are under-banked and

even unbanked, but the process of applying for a loan is

very cumbersome,” said Nima Karimi

Lendela take care of acquiring those customers, do

the filtering and credit scoring, and on top of that they

match-make by figuring out where a borrower is eligible


for a loan and match to the right lenders.

Since a year ago they have launched in Singapore and

entered Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand.

Mitigram was started in 2014 based on seeing the

need to streamline and augment international trade

by opening up a closed market with transformational

innovation.

Mitigram’s important area of work is within trade

finance – when exporters send goods to overseas buyers,

explained Joshua Cohen and Martin Ritt. Their initial

service was developed in close cooperation with large

Nordic global exporters.

“Workflow efficiency comes from removing the use

of telephones and emails and replacing it with Mitigram.

We force data to go into structured formats, which of

course enable to feed back the structured format in the

form of business analytics – which can help the corporates

as well as the banks understand much better where they

have the opportunity to improve what they’re doing; why

they are missing business and how they could be doing

business at better prices.”

Markus Gudmundsson from UniMaze explained that

they are in Singapore to look for partners to enter Asia.

“Our business is electronic invoicing, automating the

flow of invoices from the supplier to the customer and

other business documents to eliminate processes such as

printing, transportation of the mail etc. There are a lot of

benefits from both the supplier and customer, in reducing

costs, and it’s green as well; we’re saving on paper.”

We work with partners. It’s a cloud-based solution.

We have one platform for clients documenting to the stock

exchange. There are all kinds of business documents that

we exchange. We’re currently working on implementing

an international invoice which will be out later. We also

support procurement.”

UniMaze is already in use in Europe, New Zealand,

Singapore and Australia.

From Wenn Jeevan Gnanam and Rolf Atleseloter

presented their solution that is able to simplify the claims

process for insurance companies – using AI.

“It can understand what kind of vehicle and brand it

is, and also different parts. It can understand live what the

damage ´consists in and with 90 per cent accuracy return

the actual damage estimate.”

“For the user it is able to take pictures and upload

their claim much quicker for a better user experience.”

It also collects better data from the location, they

added.

“We are right now scaling in Europe and looking to

scale in Asia. We have two Proof-of-Concepts with two

very large insurance companies and are going forward with

also processing in automating building damage as well, this

is probably the next phase of our development.”

ZignSec, a regtech company founded in Stockholm

in 2015. is an identity service platform with the mission

to simplify for companies to verify their customers online.

ZignSec offers secure and user-friendly KYC solutions by

collecting all leading digital verification methods globally

under one platform.

“The problem we are solving is that each country is

coming up with its own identity solution nowadays and

they are not compatible to each other; they look different

and you connect to them differently. For any company

working internationally it is not easy to connect to all of

these. Nor is it easy to build the best user experience

and this is what we are solving for our customers. There

are also quite a lot of companies that don’t have an local

identity scheme - where we have a very good online

ID scan scheme. And the big thing is that we do a lot of

recognition – finding out the real problems, such as fake

passports - we can tell that in less than 10 seconds. You

can also automated responses. Where you can see where

it is fake,” explained Jonas Ingelström.


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News Brief

Nordic Forum Circular

Economy, Energy held

in Kuala Lumpur

Text: Joakim Persson

A

Nordic Forum on Circular Economy and

Energy took place in Kuala Lumpur on

9 October featuring prominent Nordic

as well as Malaysian speakers. The forum

was hosted by the Embassies of Denmark,

Finland, Norway and Sweden in Kuala Lumpur, together

with the Honorary Consulate General of Iceland, during

the 10th International Greentech & Eco Products

Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM) 2019.

The Nordic Forum was carried out in collaboration

with GreenTech Malaysia, a government agency, and

supported by the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology,

Environment & Climate Change (MESTECC).

Y.B. Puan Yeo Bee Yin, Minister of Energy, Science,

Technology, Environment and Climate Change, gave a

keynoted speech followed by keynote quest speakers

Ms. Jessica Magnusson from Waste Management

Association of Sweden and Mr. Ernesto Hartikainen

from the Finnish Innovation Fund SITRA, who spoke on

the topic ‘Circular Economy in the Nordics and beyond’.

Ms. Jessica Magnusson representing the Swedish Waste

Management Association, expert on sustainable waste

management, also sharing her experiences of the Nordics

in the field of circular economy.

The Nordic Ambassadors then led the thematic

discussions, concluding with a panel session on the

topic of adjusting to circular economy. The aim of all the

discussions was to enable Nordic experts to connect and

share their best practices with Malaysian authorities and

stakeholders.

Nordic and Malaysian companies in

panel sessions

In the first panel session on ‘A Circular Economy Mindset’


Ms Minna Vilkuna, Vice President, Market Development,

Asia Pacific Region of BMH Technology Oy presented

’Fuelling a Cleaner Future with Sustainable Fuel Handling

Solutions’; Mr David Lantz, Sustainability manager for

Southeast Asia of Scania Scania spoke on the topic ‘From

Waste to Fuel’; Mr Gavin Shen, Project Manager Ductor

on ‘Making Waste Valuable’; and Mr Khalid Bahsoon,

Managing Director Econas covered ‘Steps on how to

contribute towards a Greener Circular Economy in

Malaysia’.

The second session focused on ‘The Shift to

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency’, where Mr

Arnfinn I. Unum, Country Manager Scatec Solar Malaysia

presented ‘Solar Power as a Renewable Energy Source’;

Mr R. Narayanan, Country Manager, ABB spoke on ‘The

Future of Energy - Efficiency, Renewables and Savings’;

Mr Morten Sondergaard, Managing Director of Danish

Energy Efficiency Partners on ‘Building Sector Energy

Efficiency:An Innovative Approach’; Mr Dereck Devlin,

General Manager Atlas Copco Malaysia introduce ‘Energy

Efficiency in Manufacturing’; while Mr Saiful Adib Abdul

Munaff, Head of Division, GreenTech Malaysia covered

‘How to achieve Low Carbon Cities in Malaysia’.

The speakers shared the innovative solutions provided

by their respective companies to achieving sustainability,

introduced and moderated by H.E. Ambassador Petri

Puhakka (Finland) and H.E. Ambassador Jesper Vahr

(Denmark). Malaysian speakers from GreenTech and

EcoNas reflected on the challenges they are facing when

trying to implement sustainable waste management

systems and the transition to circular economy and green

cities.

In the third session a panel discussion about

‘Adjusting to a Circular Economy’ (moderated by Ms

Pamela Qiu, Director South-East Asia, The Economist

Corporate Network Panel), Ms Jessica Magnusson; Mr

Khalid Bahsoon, Econas; and Mr Morten Sondergaard

participated.

Establishing reciprocal relationships

achieved

The aim of the forum over all was to provide a

platform for discussing global challenges related to

e.g. waste management, sustainable economy, clean

energy and energy efficiency. It aimed to create space

for Nordic companies to share their solutions to these

issues, showcasing concrete examples of waste to fuel

technologies, innovations in solar power as well as energy

efficient solutions in manufacturing.

Transition to circular, sustainable economy opens

the way to emerging industries and new jobs with

higher added value. Identifying and advancing these

opportunities is important, where the forum introduced

some of the most cutting-edge innovations and initiatives

in the field, stated the organisers.

“In her opening address Y.B. Puan Yeo Bee Yin

reaffirmed the ambition and commitment of Malaysia for

achieving the sustainable development goals, elaborating

on national policies relating to renewable energy and

waste management. Mr Saiful Adib Abdul Munaff from

Malaysia GreenTech Corporation spoke about ‘How

to achieve low carbon cities in Malaysia’, and Mr Khalid

Bahsoon from the company EcoNas reflected on ‘Steps

on how to contribute towards a greener circular economy

in Malaysia’,” the Embassy of Sweden in Kuala Lumpur

replies to ScandAsia after the event.

“The Nordic embassies are very pleased with

the Nordic Forum. The goals of the Nordic Forum,

intensifying dialogue, exchanging knowledge as well as

establishing reciprocal relationships between Nordic

and Malaysian companies and government agencies

were achieved. The event targeted representatives of

both Nordic and Malaysian companies, government

officials and policy makers. Nordic experiences from

circular economy, green energy and sustainable waste

management raised considerable interest, and the event

was held in a fully booked auditorium with room for

around 160 participants,”

“The speakers shared the innovative solutions

provided by their respective companies to achieving

sustainability. Notably Malaysian participants showed a big

interest in how the Nordic countries have implemented

sustainable waste management systems and energy

efficient solutions. Inquiries regarding how to change the

attitudes of the general public towards recycling also

raised considerable interest. Recycling is a key element in

a circular economy.”

Malaysia aims to lead the way

“A ‘Circular Economy Roadmap’ will be launched in 2020

by the Malaysian government. Y.B. Dr Yeo Bee Yin, Minister

of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate

Change, aims for Malaysia to lead the development of

circular economy in Southeast Asia. According to Dr Yeo

a push for change would in fact spur the local economy as

new solutions were developed to cope with the problem

of waste and limited resources. The Malaysian government

has set out the goal that 20% of its energy consumption

will be renewable in 2025. At the Nordic Forum Dr Yeo

stated that the lack of a functioning system for sustainable

waste management is seen as an area where change is

necessary and that waste is an untapped resource for bio

energy. Energy efficiency as well as further legislation to

preserve natural resources is also high on the agenda for

the government,” the Swedish embassy comments on the

status of Circular Economy in Malaysia.

The Nordics will jointly and in bilateral efforts

continue with Circular Economy efforts in Malaysia:

“The Nordic Embassies hope to see more opportunities

for both joint and bilateral efforts when it comes to

sustainable development and advocating sustainable,

environmental and climate friendly solutions. The first

joint Nordic seminar on this topic was held in April

this year in Kuala Lumpur, the second in October in

connection to IGEM also in Kuala Lumpur and the next

seminar will take place in Penang 10 December this year.”


Unique Yangon

Developing. That would be the best word to describe the largest

city and former capital of Myanmar, Yangon, previously known

as Rangoon.

By Sigrid Friis-Neergaard

Before arriving in Yangon, I didn’t have many

expectations as Myanmar isn’t the top picked

tourist destination in travel catalogues. With

images of the city being slim to non-existent

in my head, I felt like I was about to watch a

movie without having seen the trailer.

Exited and unknowing about what I had signed up

for, I boarded the plane in Bangkok and set off for Yangon.

Seduced by Yangon

From the few things I had heard about Myanmar, I mostly

expected Yangon to be an underdeveloped place with

dirty streets and a lot of noise.

To be honest, that image isn’t far from reality. But the

city is also captivating and charming in a way, you won’t

grasp from photos.

The building style is a fusion between new, old and

colonial. The impressive white city hall stands tall near

the famous Sule Pagoda as a reminder of colonial times,

where Myanmar was under British rule. At the same time,

skyscraping hotels with roof top bars overlook decrepit,

colourful houses.

Webs of tangled telephone wires enclose narrow

streets, where vendors sell anything from books and

phone chargers to fruit and flip-flops.

Everywhere, the streets are splattered by what

looks like blood. It isn’t though. The red spots are from

the stimulant drug betel nuts. The nut is often mixed with

tobacco and folded in a leaf which is chewed for a caffeine

or cocaine-like effect.

The nuts dye the saliva red, which is commonly spat

on to the street. Hence, the blood-looking stains every


few steps. Taxi drivers tend to have an empty plastic

bottle, they can discreetly fill up with beetle nut spit while

driving.

While some people do smoke cigarettes, the dark

red splatters are a more frequent sight than grey smoke.

Skirts for everyone

As Myanmar has been very isolated and stayed

uninfluenced by other countries, entering is like taking

a step back in time in some respects. Though KFC and

The Pizza Company tempt hungry passers-by like in

almost any other city anno 2019, globalisation hasn’t quite

spoiled Yangon yet.

Miniskirts, crop tops and boardshorts are a rare

sight, even though the thermometer shows 35 degrees

and the humidity approaches that of a steam bath.

Instead, women as men wear longyis. A long sarong

or tube-like skirt not ideal for running, which is tied at

the waist. The fabric can be any colour and is of different

patterns dependent on ethnic group.

Though I’ve been told that the Korean K-Pop culture

is highly popular among young people in Yangon, the

conservative way of dressing still wins.

Finding transportation

Arriving from Bangkok, the clothes is not the only thing

that stands out and I try to pinpoint which sound is

missing in the otherwise noisy city. The motorbikes, it

turns out. Apparently, they aren’t allowed in Yangon.

No one seems to know the exact reason behind the

ban, but theories range from the two-wheeled vehicles

posing a threat to public safety to a former military

general’s fear of getting assassinated by someone on a

passing motorbike.

A betel nut station, where the leaf packs are made (left) and betel nut spit on the street as seen everywhere (right).


The only thing certain is, that traffic is bound to

move slower when everyone is in a car rather than zig

zagging between long queues of cars on a motorbike.

Public transportation does exist but as a tourist

it’s not that easy to work out, so taxis seem to be

the solution. Albeit cheap, taximeters are unfamilar

technology in Yangon and there seems to be a foreigner

tax imposed on everyone who can’t say their destination

in Burmese.

This makes the driver service app Grab all the more

tempting as the price does not depend on hair colour or

mother tongue.

Lack of motorbikes, the public transportation and

tourist-trapping taxis are not the most curious things

about transportation in Yangon, however.

Being a former British colony, Myanmar used to have

left lane driving.

In 1970, the then Prime Minister and President

General Ne Win decided to change that rule overnight.

From Sunday 6 December 1970, people now had to

drive on the right side.

The only problem with that is, that most of the cars

are still designed for driving on the left side. Essentially this

means, that if a driver wants to overtake another car, he

and the passengers involuntarily take part in the game of

chicken, where one driver must swerve for the oncoming

car to avoid collision.

Taxed for being a tourist

As mentioned, it is quite the task to bargain down the

price for a taxi if you’re a foreigner. But this is not the only

place in Yangon, blonde hair turns out to have a negative

effect on the wallet.

Entering the top tourist spot in Yangon, Shwedagon

Pagoda, will cost a foreigner 10,000 Kyat (5.8 Euros). If

you happen to be local, you can enter the holy area for

free.


Shwedagon Pagoda before a thunderstorm.

shoulders or shoes. Basically, just cover up as much as

possible to be on the safe side.

The pagoda is not the only place, you will come

across a foreigner charge. The People’s Park offers a great

view of the pagoda but will cost tourists a humble fee of

300 Kyat (0.2 Euros) to enter.

Sule Pagoda in the heart of Yangon.

Having said that, the pagoda is worthwhile a visit.

The beautiful golden stupa rises above many other

buildings in the city and can be spotted from a variety of

viewpoints.

It’s believed to be the oldest pagoda in the world

and contains hair from Buddha himself. Needless to

say, it is a very sacred place for the Buddhist people of

Myanmar and proper dressing is required. This means,

no tight jeans, leggings, shorts above knee-height, bare

Suit up

Before getting too upset about the fees charged for the

mere reason of being a foreigner, it’s worth remembering

that Myanmar is a country which is fairly new to tourists

and vice versa.

Being white, I therefore attracted quite a bit of

attention. Not only in terms of having to pay more as a

foreigner, but also in a rather entertaining way.

I had people wanting photos with me, teenage girls

giggling, children waving, and men approaching me only

to say “hello, how are you?”, in order to practice or show

off their English skills.

You might find that having to stop and pose for

pictures slows down the day a bit, but other than that

there is no reason to feel uncomfortable in any given

situation.

The humid climate isn’t exactly ideal for surprise

photo shoots, though, so leave your vanity at home, pack

your most conservative attire, your wallet, your camera,

your best smile, a little bit of patience and go visit Yangon.


Good advice to being

By Sigrid Friis Neergaard

Did you ever wonder what it would be like

to live in a country that has only recently

started opening up to the world outside

its own borders?

ScandAsia has talked to four people

living in Myanmar about life in the mysterious country.

Norwegian Astri Hole Fredriksen has her own

travel agency in partnership with a local tourist company.

Her job is mainly to attract and guide Scandinavian

tourists. She has lived in Myanmar from 1991 to 1994

and again from 2008 until now, 2019, with her husband

Jørn Kristensen.

Jørn Kristensen is from Denmark and used to work

for the United Nations Drug Control Program. He now

has his own company, Myanmar Institute for Integrated

Development. Among other things, the institute teaches

minorities in mainly the highlands of Myanmar about

nutrition.

Birgitte Weeke first moved to Myanmar from

Denmark in 2013 when she was sent by Carlsberg to be

part of the company’s coming brewery. After two years,

she moved to Malaysia, but is now back in Myanmar.

Finally, Martin Hamann, also from Denmark, has lived

in Myanmar since 2014. He worked for Telenor at the

time. The company launched half a year after his arrival

and a few months later he changed job. Today he’s a

consultant, still working in the rural solar industry.

They all four live in Yangon, the largest city and

former capital of Myanmar.

Good to knows

Transition has happened through the respective time

periods, all four have lived in Myanmar. Sim cards have

gone from being unobtainable at several thousand dollars

to costing one dollar, supermarkets have arrived, the taxi

app Grab is available.

It has also become possible to buy Western food and

go shopping. Yangon is almost like any other metropolitan.

Almost.

Because while the neighbouring countries have

developed rapidly, Myanmar has been a bit slower.

“There’s no way to really prepare for life here

because it’s incomparable to anything else,” says Jørn

Kristensen, who has also lived in several other countries.

Astri Hole Fredriksen.

Photo: Private.

Jørn Kristensen.


an expat in Myanmar

He stresses however, that since Myanmar began to

open up and more foreigners are working and living in

Yangon, life has gotten a lot easier.

But there still are a few things to be aware of.

At the job

Martin Hamann experienced some challenges in

regard to work life, which expats should be aware

of, when they take a job in Myanmar. The working

culture is very different to what he is used to from

Scandinavia.

“In this market, it’s not only about finding the right

solutions and having a rational discussion with your

stakeholders. Here the mechanisms are different. It’s

about hierarchy and making sure no one loses face,”

Martin Hamann says.

After five year, he finally understands the culture a

bit better. He actually finds that expats who don’t abide

by the cultural rules are the ones to cause trouble at

work sometimes.

Birgitte Weeke was also originally sent to Myanmar

by her company, Carlsberg, which she worked for at the

time. Here, the work culture was not like the one Martin

Hamann has experienced.

“We were so few people in the beginning, that we

sat around the table for lunch every day like a family,”

Birgitte Weeke says and goes on to explain that the work

culture was more similar to that in Denmark.

Cover up

In your personal time after work there are also a few

good-to-knows about living in Myanmar.

It’s still a very conservative country in many ways.

While Astri Hole Fredriksen enjoys the respect for the

elderly in accordance with the hierarchical culture, there

are also certain rules one is expected to abide by.

As a tour guide, she always tells her customers

how to dress for Myanmar. It isn’t just any South East

Asian country where mini-skirts and board-shorts are

the norm in the all year round hot climate. In Myanmar,

you are supposed to dress conservatively and cover up.

This applies for both men and women.

Birgitte Weeke.

Martin Hamann.

Photo: Private.


Astri Hole Fredriksen therefore tells her customers

how to act politely and respectfully in the country before

arrival.

Mind the gap

Being an expat in Myanmar has become a lot easier.

When Astri Hole Fredriksen and Jørn Kristensen first

arrived in the early 1990’s there weren’t many of their

kind. Today, expats are a much more common sight in the

streets of Yangon.

“There is a large expat environment. It’s a comfortable

society for foreigners,” Astri Hole Fredriksen says.

There are however still differences between being a

foreigner and a local in some aspects.

All four will have to pay for entering the Shwedagon

Pagoda and other sacred places, while it is free for locals.

When Martin Hamann goes bouldering, he also has to

pay more than locals.

“I feel like the price setting creates an unnecessary

gap between locals and expats,” he says.

However, all four interviewees agree that the local

people are as nice as can be.

“Everyone here is so sweet,” Birgitte Weeke says.



Malnourished

children and

poverty:

Jørn helps

minorities

in Myanmar


No shops, no good restaurants, no super

markets and no private satellite dishes

allowed, so no international news. That

was the reality when Jørn Kristensen and

his wife, Astri, arrived in Myanmar in 1991.

“It was an isolated and broken country in many

ways,” Jørn Kristensen says.

Only few years before his arrival, a devaluation of

the currency along with ethnic tensions had led to an

uprising in 1988. Thousands are believed to have been

killed when the military rolled in.

After the riots, the people of Myanmar were

hoping for a change. Burma became Myanmar and

Rangoon became Yangon. The military regime promised

a democratic election in 1990. But the outcome was not

what people had hoped for.

While the National League for Democracy, the

party of Aung San’s daughter Aung San Suu Kyi, won

the elections by a wide margin, the military refused to

recognise the results and remained in charge of the

country for another two decades until 2011.

Under surveillance

Jørn was the Resident Representative of the United

Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) in Myanmar

from 1991 to 1994.

At the time, Myanmar was the world’s biggest

producer of opium and heroin. Today, it’s the second

largest contributor of the drugs worldwide, only beaten

by Afghanistan.

As part of the Golden Triangle along with Thailand

and Laos, Northeast Myanmar struggled to keep the

production of drugs under control. The UN assisted

by introducing legal agricultural crops to replace the

cultivation of opium.

There was a general interest by the government in

the presence of the UN, yet living under a military regime

brought some changes to Jørn’s life.

“My phone was tapped. I was under surveillance

both privately and at work. There was a curfew from 11

pm to 4 am,” he tells.

Even though life in Myanmar was a step back in

time in terms of privacy, Jørn and his wife adapted to the

situation.

Whenever Jørn had a meeting in Bangkok he

was loaded with shopping lists so he could bring back

whatever wasn’t available in Myanmar.

“Life was simple,” he says.

There was no entertainment, so dinners and

receptions in the diplomatic community made for a social

life. And the weekend schedule almost became a ritual.

Friday, they went to Yangon Sailing Club, a relic from

A woman harvests carrots during a MIID project in Chin

State, which borders India and is the most isolated state in

Myanmar. Photo: MIID


the British colonial period. Saturday, to the American

Club and on Sunday, they went to the Australian Club. At

the American Club they would watch the news from the

previous week that had been flown in on video tapes as

diplomatic post.

“It was a very special life,” Jørn says.

The couple only planned to stay for two years, but

eventually time passed and only after almost four years,

they moved on in 1994.

Returning to Myanmar

In 2008, after postings in Vietnam, Europe, Cambodia

and Sri Lanka, Jørn was asked to come back and assist in

emergency aid after Myanmar was struck by a devasting

cyclone, which claimed the lives of 140,000 people.

Since the 1990 elections, investors and NGOs had

retracted, but now they started to return.

“It provided an opportunity to help rather than

boycott the country,” Jørn says.

But Myanmar was quite the mess and data of the

country was scarce to non-existent.

“We were basically groping in the dark.”

So, Jørn helped coordinate the response to the

natural disaster until 2010, when he decided to change

his path. By that time, the country was starting to open

up, and something that looked like democracy was within

reach.

However, the many ethnic minority populations in

the country tend to fall behind and be forgotten.

That’s why Jørn started the Myanmar Institute for

Integrated Development (MIID). The institute, which Jørn

is still executive director of, aims to assist minorities living

mainly in the highlands of the country.

About one third, equalling 17-18 million people, of

the Myanmar population are minorities. Myanmar has

more than 100 different minorities.

“Minorities have always been the outsiders compared

to the majority,” Jørn says.

“Many people still live very isolated. While there is

progress in Myanmar, many minorities are left behind.”

Padong, an agricultural advisor for Myanmar Institute

for Integrated Development, instructing local farmers in

Myanmar’s Chin State. Photo: MIID

Being left behind refers to poverty most of all. In

poor areas, there is lack of food security and a related

risk of malnutrition. Chicken and fish are more expensive

than rice and there is a general lack of understanding of

the importance of vegetables.

“About 29 percent of children under the age of

five in Myanmar don’t grow as they should due to

malnutrition. Many people remain unaware of what

they should feed their children to secure appropriate

nutrition,” Jørn explains.

MIID’s projects educate minority groups on how to

utilise available resources and farm their land with crops

that can contribute to good nutrition.

A slow progress

Today, Myanmar is developing, albeit not as fast as many

had hoped.

When the military took power in 1962, it strived to

get rid of everything from when Myanmar was a British

colony.

“During the British rule, the management strategy

was very business-minded, based on shipping the rich

resources such as teak timber and minerals out of the

country. Regarding education, Rangoon University was

considered the best in South East Asia,” Jørn explains.

“However, with the military regime taking power,

the country shut itself out. According to the military

dictator (at the time), Ne Win, Myanmar should be selfsufficient

and independent from the rest of the world. It

became a very isolated, poor country,” he continues.

The language of instruction at the Rangoon University

changed from English to Burmese, the best teachers and

professors left. This affected education in Myanmar in a

very negative way, according to Jørn.

“Myanmar got damaged. While the neighbouring

countries in the ASEAN were developing, Myanmar came

to a standstill with no external experience to draw upon,”

he says.

While the country has now reopened to the outside

world and developed technologically since the first

democratic elections in 2010, the same cannot be said

about the political situation.

Even though the elections in 2015 saw Aung San

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy win big, the

military still holds major influence in the political field.

“Myanmar is a fascinating country, but it hasn’t

yet undergone major political changes. Everyone was

hoping for a successful story, but I think some Western

countries somewhat miscalculated the situation. Many

had unrealistic expectations,” Jørn says.

“I’m not surprised. I believe it will take at least

another generation for the change, we are all hoping for.”

However, Jørn also stresses that Myanmar should be

acknowledged for making progress in many fields since

the country was governed poorly by a military regime.

“Earlier, people were afraid and there was always a

feeling of uncertainty. People were nervous. Now, they

are freer and dare express their opinion.”


Uppātasanti Pagoda. At 99 meters it is almost an exact replica of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

An abandoned town

or a capital?


If you drive about 5 hours directly north of

Myanmar's old capital Yangon, you will find a large

city which appears abandoned. You have now arrived

at the country's new capital, Naypyidaw. And it isn't

abandoned, because it was never inhabited in the

first place.

Having rented a private car with a driver for a

weekend, my travel companions and I are eager to visit

the ghost town, we have read so much about.

At first, our driver doesn't even care to stop and

simply drives right past the city, however. This results in

a 45-minute detour, because highway exits are scarce

in Myanmar. He simply didn't believe that we actually

wanted to see a place that no one wanted to live in.

We insist it's worth the longer drive to us and are

taken to the strangest capital, I have ever visited. And I

have been to Canberra in Australia, which is basically just

a cluster of embassies.

One of my travel companions posing for photos before we

get to enter the Uppātasanti Pagoda.


Where is everyone?

At more than four times the size of London, it's no secret

that the capital was meant to attract people. The location

of Yangon was reportedly too exposed, and the capital

was moved to Naypyidaw in 2005. At that time there

barely was a city.

But the government really went all in with Naypyidaw

and the high expectations are spelled out all over the city.

Massive, luxurious hotels, a daunting building for the

Parliament, a 20-lane highway and a replica of the famous

Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon adorn the city.

But while London has a population of almost nine

million inhabitants, Naypyidaw does not even house one

million people. With such an empty city, it almost feels as

if people aren't supposed to be outdoors and we have

missed the memo.

We are taken to one of the massive, luxurious

hotels for lunch. The restaurant inside is just as massive.

It probably seats around 200 people. We are requested

to pick any table, we like as there are no other guests in

sight. We opt for a table outside.

That gives us a view of a lovely garden and a handful

of hotel villas with dining tables and large beds. "The

hotel has no guests at the moment", the answer to our

question sounds.

It makes us wonder how fresh the ingredients are in

the restaurant, but no one got sick after the meal.

Feeling famous

After lunch we head for the Uppātasanti Pagoda.

While the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon will cost

you 10,000 MMK (5.8 Euros) this replica is entirely

free. You just have to follow the dress code: Strictly

conservative.

We discover, that this is where everyone else is.

There is a festival in Myanmar at the time, so local tourists

have rushed to the pagoda for the holiday.

That's unfortunate for us as it takes at least twice as

long to see anything due to a seemingly endless amount

of spontaneous photo sessions with locals persuading us

with hopeful smiles.

It seems the capital isn't overflowing with foreign

tourists, and people from the other side of the pagoda

can easily spot how the sun reflects on our pale skin from

a distance.

School children, parents, grandparents and even

monks approach us to take selfies, and I wonder how

many refrigerators my face will end up on after the trip.

I'm not going to lie, I do enjoy feeling like a rock star

for the first five photos or so. Then I feel happy that my

singing voice wouldn't even make it past the judges on

the first audition of X-Factor.

During breaks from the persistent, albeit polite

paparazzi, the golden pagoda is quite enjoyable and

offers a good view of the surroundings. Mostly jungle,

even though we're in the middle of a very large capital,

areawise.

The view of Naypyidaw from one side of Uppātasanti Pagoda.

The 20-lane highway in Naypyidaw.

Low risk of traffic accidents

After visiting the pagoda, there is just one more stop of

importance on our must-see-as-a-tourist-in-Naypyidaw

list: The famous 20 lane highway which passes the

parliament and leads to … Well, it turns out it doesn't

really lead anywhere. After driving for about five minutes,

the road comes to an immediate stop at a T intersection.

It feels as though we're on a road which has been

cleared for a street race or the film shoot for a zombie

apocalypse movie. Overall, a strange experience and we

aren't the only ones to think so, as the road even has its

own TripAdvisor page for visitor reviews.

On the five-minute drive each way, we pass a total

of three other cars and four motorbikes, making it seem

fairly safe to get out and take a picture. The driver isn't

happy to let us out however. We are after all in the middle

of a highway. Only, one without traffic.

At the end of the road, we are allowed to leave the

car shortly and take a picture as long as we are careful.

We take great care of the one car that passes us during

the time it takes to snap a few photographs. Luckily, it's a

long, wide road with a clear view, so we see the car well

in advance, safely avoid any collision and return to the

car unharmed.

Leaving Naypyidaw city centre, we reach civilisation

again. It appears that while the ghost-like downtown is full

of empty hotels for all the tourists that have yet to show

up, life exists outside the city centre in tin-roofed houses.

For the different experience, I'd definitely

recommend a visit to the peculiar capital of Naypyidaw,

even just for a few hours. Unless you need a break from

other people. Then you have found paradise.


Astri is getting impatient:

When are the tourists

returning to Myanmar?

Entering the Sule Shangri-La Hotel in downtown Yangon,

Myanmar, is overwhelming. The high-ceilinged lobby is adorned

with intimidating columns and large armchairs. An excessive

chandelier lights up the huge room. It bears a resemblance of

colonial times.


This is the place Norwegian Astri Hole

Fredriksen has chosen for the interview.

When she first visited Myanmar in 1983, the

hotel didn’t exist. It was built in 1996. In fact,

not much existed back then.

“It was a little depressing and there wasn’t enough

food. But the people were amazing,” says Astri Hole

Fredriksen about her first impression of Myanmar.

Astri spent a week in Myanmar on the way back to

Norway from working in The Philippines as a consultant

for the United Nations for two years. She holds a degree

in sociology.

She was amazed by Myanmar, but she didn’t imagine

ever living in the underdeveloped country. Yet, when Astri

was 41, she moved to Yangon with her husband Jørn in

1991.

“I was extremely excited about going back.”

The best of both world

After living in Myanmar from 1991 to 1994, Astri and

Jørn moved on to Vietnam where they spent a few years.

They then returned to Europe with their now 25-year-old

daughter for the next adventure. Here, they lived in Vienna

for two years.

“But we longed for Asia.”

The family therefore moved to Sri Lanka followed

by Cambodia before finally returning to Myanmar in 2008.

They have lived there ever since.

Astri has always travelled a lot. She got her curiosity

for different cultures and countries from her parents,

whom have also visited Astri and Jørn, wherever they have

lived.

“When it’s in your blood, you get restless easily,” says

Astri about her fondness of exploring the world.

She’s from the small municipality of Mandal in the

very south of Norway. She and her husband now have

a summer house there as well as north of Aalborg in

Denmark.

They go back every year and enjoy the long

Scandinavian summer nights for a few weeks before

returning to their everyday life in Yangon. This is still where

Astri feels at home.

“We get the best of both worlds,” she says.

Her Norwegian passport reminds her of the safety

of the Scandinavian welfare state, while she still gets to live

an “exciting life” travelling.

“When I’m in Myanmar I don’t think much about

Norway. But when I’m back (in Norway) it feels like the

best thing in the world,” Astri says and adds that her and

her husband are planning to settle in Denmark when they

retire.

Going to Thailand for chicken

Living in Myanmar for many years, Astri has experienced

several stages the country has undergone in the period.

In the early 1990’s she especially had to adapt to the

lifestyle, which was nothing like what she was used to in

Denmark, where she had lived for a while.

“In the beginning, all hotels were state-owned and

there weren’t any restaurants. You wouldn’t hang out with

locals and you wouldn’t go to people’s home. Everything

had to happen in public spaces,” Astri tells.

“The expat environment was also really small, so

everyone knew each other.”

Buying groceries was also a different procedure than

the usual. Not all foods were available, and if the couple

wanted chicken for instance, it meant taking a trip to

Thailand.


ago after she had assisted some friends in extending their

business of cycling tours to Vietnam. It inspired her to start

her own.

“I started it for my own sake,” she says.

Even though she had visited as a tourist herself in the

1980’s, Myanmar wasn’t big on tourism yet. But Astri eyed

the opportunity to introduce Myanmar to Scandinavians.

“Scandinavian tourists are extremely polite and

respectful. They are experienced travellers and they spend

a lot of money when they travel.”

Yet, it appeared to be an easier task than staying up

to date on the news.

“We didn’t know much about the rest of the world

in the 90’s as there were no news in English. But it was

actually quite enjoyable,” Astri says.

Today, globalisation has also reached Myanmar and

everything is available. You can get pizza, cocktails, new

clothes and whatever else your heart desires.

“It’s a different country now. Things have changed so

much,” she says and adds that they can no longer leave the

car unlocked.

She’s happy for Myanmar, that it’s changing, though

she also liked the idyllic picturesque country, she first fell

in love with in 1983.

One thing that has always been the same to Astri,

however, is the level of safety. Even as a woman, she has

always felt comfortable in Myanmar.

“Foreign women are allowed more freedom than local

women. We are not judged, because locals acknowledge

that we are from a different culture.”

Introducing Myanmar

Today, Astri is in the tourist business. She can’t open her

own bureau as a foreigner, but she doesn’t mind. She’s

content being the partner of a local tourist company and

having local colleagues.

Her job for SignatureMyanmar is mainly to attract

Western customers. The majority are couples and families

from Norway and Denmark.

“I know what Scandinavian tourists appreciate. And

they trust me,” Astri says.

She organises longer trips for her customers such as

cruises for smaller groups.

Astri started her career in tourism about 10 years

From boom to bust

By the current decade, when Myanmar held its first

elections in accordance with the new constitution, the

poorly visited Asian country started drawing tourists’

attention.

“Myanmar underwent a positive change and there

was a good atmosphere. In 2011 and 2012 there weren’t

even enough flights for all the tourists,” Astri says.

“Myanmar isn’t designed for mass tourism. Usually a

country chooses which kind of tourism they want to cater

for. Do you want to keep it exclusive for some tourists

such as in Bhutan, or open for everyone like in Thailand?”

But Myanmar never got to choose, because in 2015

the Rohingya refugee crisis started, and tourists hit the

break and reversed.

“The press coverage of the crisis really hurt the

tourism industry. It is such a shame.”

As fast as the boom in the tourist industry had come,

it was over again.

“The travel bureaus used to line up, now there is one

Norwegian left,” Astri says.

“I would have about 1,000 tourists in one season and

sometimes six large groups at once. Now, I get about 100

tourists and mostly just one group at a time.”

To Astri, the tourism downturn is a result of hasty

judgement based on the current political situation.

“People tend to forget that things take time. Industrially,

Myanmar has developed fast, but politically it’s not so fast.

Western people are so naive about how fast change

happens. We take things for granted.”

A future in Denmark

Though she appears young at mind and isn’t ready to quit

working, Astri is turning 70 this Christmas and she knows,

that her husband and her will move back to Denmark

some day.

Their daughter lives in Denmark and so does Jørn’s

children from before the two met. Her social network is

the main thing, Astri misses when being in Myanmar.

“We get visits once in a while, but I miss having more

friends out here from my generation. A lot of our friends

have moved back or to other countries,” she says.

There are perks about being older in Myanmar,

however.

“Being old is not a negative thing out here. In fact, I

get more respect and people don’t object to me,” Astri

says and laughs.


Following the newly

paved tourist path

in Myanmar


Countries undiscovered by average Joe and

plain Jane are a rare site these globalised

days. If you’re not up for paying countries

like North Korea and Syria a visit, it can be

quite the challenge to find a place that isn’t

overrun by large tour groups following tour guides with

umbrellas in the air like herds of sheep.

In 2011, Myanmar started opening up to the outside

world making it easier to visit the large country as a

tourist. Yet, here we are, eight years later, and the only

umbrellas I saw was for the merciless sun and the

occasional downpour.

Tourists are not overcrowding Myanmar. Essentially,

this makes it a paradise for adventurous backpackers

looking for an unexplored and cheap adventure before

the country is spoiled by mainstream tourism.

There are also still areas where tourists can’t and

shouldn’t go, though the country already has tourist

hotspots. Whether you ask Google or other people you

are likely to get two names when asking where to go:

Bagan and Inle.

So, this is where I went.

How to Bagan

There are already a number of ways to get around in the

densely populated parts of Myanmar, which also happen

to be the places well-visited by the few tourists.

From Yangon, you can either fly, sail, take a bus, a

train or a private car to Bagan. All buses and trains were

sold out, due to a festival at the time of my visit. My

travel companions and I therefore opt for the private car

option, as we like to see stuff on the way as well as save

a bit on our private CO2 emissions accounts.

The drive to Bagan is not particularly scenic. The

most thrills come from the tickling feeling of stomach

drops when the bumpy roads are extraordinarily bumpy,

having to swerve for cows and overtaking other cars as

the driver sits in the right side and also drives on the right

side (this is quite common in Myanmar, I discovered).

Upon arrival in Bagan, we tuck in early and set an

alarm for 5am, optimistic that our sunrise prospects

are better than the not so promising weather forecast

predicts.

Because for a not so touristy country, Bagan already

has a quite well-paved tourist path. The guide on how

to Bagan includes: Sunrise, temple-visiting by electrical

scooter and sunset.

Rise and shine

Bagan is an old city and a UNESCO World Heritage

Site. There is an old and a newer city centre as well as

an endless number of temples and pagodas in between.

About 10,000 temples, pagodas and monasteries were

built from the 11th to the 13th century in the area.


Though many of them have been destroyed throughout

time, about 2,000 remain in the 104 square kilometres

large area.

Needless to say, it’s more than one can visit in a day.

Or in a week for that matter.

We make a notable attempt at fitting as much in a

day as humanly possible.

Waking up before the sun does help on this plan

and we head for the entrance to the recommended

viewing point.

25,000 MMK (15 Euros) and a photo for digital use

later, we are allowed to enter. We’re herded to a small hill

to join the hundreds of other tourists, whom have also

read that the sunrise is a must-see when visiting Bagan.

Back to the car and chase another place with fewer

tourists.

We find a spot that appears to be unnoticed by tour

groups. Backpackers on the other hand must have read

about the place somewhere, because the average age of

the 15 other people reveals that the spot is most likely

advertised on some travel blog.

As the sun rises, we thank the tourists who have

splurged on a hot air balloon, so we can get the mandatory

photos of the flying objects floating over the temples with

the orange sun breaking the horizon in the background.

Cruising all day

Back at the hotel, we quickly change into our conservative

Buddhist temple-visiting outfits, covering our shoulders

and ankles. Then we rent electrical scooters for the

remainder of the day to drive around the town of Bagan

and the narrow dirt roads among the temples outside

the city.

Though it seems like every single tourist is at the

temples of either Thatbyinnyu or Ananda, they are both

worth the visit. Here, it’s also possible to buy new flip

flops, if yours happen to break as well. And you can stock

up on water and snacks for the day.

Most of the temples are mainly spectacular from the

outside, so they don’t take long to visit, if you just stroll

by the Buddha figures inside.

After a full day of viewing stupas, temples and

pagodas, I feel full on sacredness and a beautiful sunset

makes for the perfect cherry on top of a long, hot day.

I understand why people spend several days in the

area, but I do think it’s worth a visit even if you just have

a short time.

One of our electrical scooters did take its last

breath of battery about 5 kilometres from the hotel.

However, reaching a top speed of 40 kilometres an hour,

they provide for a good and easy way to leave behind a


Shwe Indein Pagoda, near the town of Indein on Inle Lake.

lot of dry dirt road and sacred historical buildings. They

also have a room under the seat, which is adequate for

water, snacks and sunscreen.

From dry to wet

After driving most of the night, we arrive in Inle and wake

up just in time for renting a boat to take us out on the

lake for yet another sunrise.

As the sun starts peeping up behind the mountains,

leg-rowing fishermen entertain tourists by posing with

one leg on the boat and the other stretching a fishing net

basket up in the air.

They request money for their balancing acts before

we continue our way to a town in the middle of the lake.

It consists of houses elevated on stilts.

Sailing down narrow “streets” between houses and

under power lines hanging above the roofs, we pass

restaurants, private homes and even a library. Boats make

for buses transporting people around the floating city.

Apart from splashing calmly against the houses, the

water unfortunately also makes for the neighbourhood

dump. When I ask for a trash can at one of our stops,

the answer is simply a finger pointing at the water

surrounding the building.

That could help explain the indefinably brown

colour of the water.

Our chauffeur and guide brings us to several


The characteristic long boats used for transportation and

tourism on Inle Lake. Here, at the village of Indein.

places selling bamboo blouses, pants made from lotus,

jewellery and other craftmanship. He most probably

gets a percentage of whatever money the shop-owners

convince us to spend.

Being in the middle of a lake and told to leave the

boat at a shop, we don’t have much of a choice on where

to go, though.

Long necks

After lunch at a floating restaurant, we are brought to

Indein Village from where scooters transport us to Shwe

Indein Pagoda, a complex consisting of 1054 stupas built

in mainly the 17th and 18th centuries.

Though they are not all original, it’s an overwhelmingly

stunning sight as the sun hits the golden constructions.

Careful not to get lost in the mace of stupas we

return to the boat and are taken to our last stop before

the end of the boat ride.

At that stop it’s also possible to buy jewellery, bags,

scarfs and the like, but the main attraction is two women.

They are so called long-necked women. They sit here all

day long with a tower of golden rings around their necks.

One of them making scarfs for people to buy, the other

posing for pictures.

The latter looks like she’s 70 years old and though

she smiles, it reminds me of watching an animal at the zoo.

With 25 rings weighing a total of eight kilos, the woman

can’t turn her neck, and one tourist after the other sits

down next to her for a photo.

The tradition isn’t practiced anymore, and a sign

explains that the rings were traditionally worn by women

to protect against tiger attacks. At the age of nine girls

would start wearing them, albeit much fewer than 25 to

begin with. They also have rings just under the knees.

A scary ride

Sailing back to our car and driver we pass by a floating

tomato garden in the middle of the lake. The bright green

plants make for a beautiful contrast against the brown

water and blue sky.

I feel thankful that we started the tour early and

got the beautiful sunrise, as we pass several boats ready

to start the tour. Many of the tourists hide from the

merciless sun, and thus also the view, under umbrellas,

unaware of what they are missing.

Heading back to Yangon in our car, I realise why I

had such a troubled sleep during the night drive to Inle.

Part of the trip is through the mountains, and as

mentioned, the driver sits in the right side as well as drives

in the right side. Now, imagine a tired driver with a need

for speed driving this road in the dark with other slower

drivers to overtake.

Needless to say, I feel fortunate to be able to write

this article about my trip to Bagan and Inle.



The sun always shines

on Birgitte


Birgitte Weeke might just have the most genuine

smile I have ever seen despite the fact that I’m

late due to Yangon’s morning traffic.

She’s sipping coffee as she sits by the

window in a modern café with cakes and

quiches on display.

“52 this Christmas. Or 53. You would have to ask my

son,” Birgitte laughs when I ask her about her age.

“I live one day at at time. If you live that way you

won’t get stressed,” she explains.

Back to Asia

Having worked for Carlsberg for 20 years, Birgitte

admits that she misses working for the Danish brewing

company.

It was a job that provided her with plenty of

opportunities to satisfy her wish of exploring the world.

About 15 years ago, after badgering her boss for a

posting, Birgitte was sent to Sri Lanka and then Cambodia,

before she returned to Denmark.

The adventure-seeking marketing director from

Lyngby in Northern Sealand got restless after a few

years back in Carlsberg’s home country, however. She

requested another posting and at a dinner party her boss

told her, that she was going back to Asia.

“I had joked about going to Myanmar so when

Carlsberg decided to build a brewery there, my boss told

me to pack my bags,” Birgitte recalls.

That was in 2013.

From horse carriages to pollution

Years before, when she lived in Cambodia, Birgitte had

visited Myanmar with a friend, so she was excited to go back.

“I was impressed by how beautiful the country was.

Everybody was so sweet.”

But it was also a very different country she had

visited as a tourist to what it is today.

“The development has been both good and bad.

It hasn’t been good for the pollution. I’ve had to buy an

air purifier. I just hope that they keep the green areas,”

Birgitte says but adds, that people are just as welcoming

and sweet as she remembered from her first visit.

The tourist-darling of Bagan, the famous area of

innumerable stupas, temples and pagodas could only be

visited by foot or horse carriages in the beginning of the

century. Today, most people opt for electrical scooters.

“People were nervous to talk to us as tourists. They

were scared that we were journalists as they could get in

trouble for talking to the press.”

But Birgitte and her friend still had a few forbidden

experiences such as when they drove close by the house

of Aung San Suu Kyi in a taxi. At the time, the now State

Counsellor was under house arrest, and the driver told

the two tourists to hide their cameras so they wouldn’t

get caught.

On another occasion Birgitte and her friend visited

a temple where a monk was happy to talk to them and

satisfy their curiosity.

“Pretend that I’m giving you a tour,” he had told

the two friends while answering their questions. Again, in

order to not attract unwanted attention.

“Now, women will be pinching and pulling me in a

loving way to show me stuff,” Birgitte says.

Keep quiet

Birgitte’s then husband and two sons have been moving

with her to most of her postings from the beginning.

Today, her sons are young adults, and the oldest has

moved back to Denmark for his studies. The other one

still lives in Yangon with his mother.

Birgitte’s sons have gone to international schools

but most of the students are locals, so they both speak

the language.

“I would like to know the language too, but I can’t

learn all languages,” Birgitte says.

So, she found a solution for a brief period when she

recently went to a temple for an entire week. She was

learning how to meditate.

“Speaking wasn’t allowed,” the talkative Birgitte says.

Ice lollies and beer

Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar. Birgitte has

lived a bit all over Asia.

After working for Carlsberg she was hired by Co-

Ro in Malaysia. She admits that she hadn’t heard about

Co-Ro before and that few people have. But if you’re

from Scandinavia, chances are that you’ve cut your lips

sucking on Co-Ro’s Sun Lollies, a triangular ice lolly, on

warm summer days.

Now, she’s back in Myanmar and unemployed until

she figures out what to do of herself. Likely, she will move

back to Denmark in the near future.

“Denmark feels like home. To me, the sun is always

shining there,” she says, even though it is not the country

itself that’s calling her name.

“I never miss places, only people.”


Martin’s

Myanmar

mission:

Getting a grip on the

work place hierarchy


Martin Hamann in

front of solar panels.

I came too late,” Martin Hamann says about

his arrival in Myanmar in 2014. He felt that it

was too late to experience the real, unspoiled

Myanmar.

‘‘Ifelt

“I guess I had a fear of missing out and

major transitions had already taken place by the time I

arrived. People said expats were rolling in.”

But now, he feels like he hasn’t missed it at all. A lot

has changed from the time he arrived.

“There weren’t even 10 bars expats would go to

(when I arrived), so I always met people I knew. There

was barely any traffic or mobile phones and internet was

something you had at work. Now, it’s easy to get Western

food, clothes, go to the dentist. Getting these things used

to be an adventure,” Martin says.

In need of change

Martin had been with the Norwegian telecommunications

company Telenor for over five years in 2014 when

he thought it was time for a change in environment. The

new environment became Myanmar.

Actually, Martin was supposed to go to Bulgaria, but

that plan went up in air, and Myanmar became the new

destination.

“It was just my luck that I went to Myanmar,” Martin

says.

“I was looking for a personal adventure.”

When the now 41-year-old landed, he learned

that he was the new senior expert and he had three

employees on his team.

“I broke the glass ceiling from employee to

manager,” he says.

That also meant, that he was quite busy in the

beginning and didn’t experience much of Myanmar

outside of work. He would get up at 5 am to be at his

Telenor office from 7 am to 11 pm most days. After five

months he still hadn’t seen much besides the inside of the

office and one visit to the famous Shwedagon Pagoda.

“I was here to work. Now I enjoy living here.

Myanmar has grown on me.”

A new chapter

Half a year before Telenor launched in Myanmar was

when Martin arrived. Back when a sim card would cost

half a fortune, making it a luxury reserved for officials and

business use mainly.

With Telenor (dtac’s sister company in Myanmar) on

the market along with other players, prices dropped and

today it will cost you about 1 USD to acquire a sim card.

It was a quick change from being unobtainable to

a common household item and already on the day of

launching, Telenor sold over 500,000 sim cards.

Martin worked with the company for almost one

year, before he changed his field of work.

At a yoga retreat in Chiang Mai in Northern

Thailand, he received a phone call from Brighterlite, a new


Photo from the day dtac launched in Myanmar in 2014.

company that sold solar power systems to households

in rural areas. The company helped turn on the lights in

the darker parts of the country through small monthly

instalments.

“Those solar home systems should still be working

today,” Martin says.

He headed the company for two years, until

Brighterlite gave up growing to profitable business and

wrapped up the company. Now, he’s a consultant, still

working in the rural solar industry. Furthermore he’s a

mentor for start-ups.

Loss of face

Despite deciding to stay for several years, working in

Myanmar has not always been a smooth ride for the

expat. The culture both at and outside of work in

Myanmar is quite different to that, Martin is used to from

Denmark.

“Here, it’s all about not losing face. If I’m having a

meeting with two people, and I correct one of them,

he will lose face because the other guy is there to see

him get corrected. But the other guy will also lose face,

because he sees the first guy lose face. Then everybody

loses face,” Martin says in a struggle to explain the

principle.

“So, I can’t correct someone in front of other

people. I have to pull them aside after a meeting and tell

them,” he continues.

A monk with a dtac simcard on the day the company

launched in 2014.


I can’t be certain

that I get an honest

answer. You have

to learn how to ask

the questions in the

right way to get

the right answers

“At first, this was strange to me, as I was used to

a more open and direct approach from home. I now

understand that it’s done in this way because the

Myanmar culture so highly values respect for others,

which is actually a nice thing.”

Furthermore, it’s important not to let people of

higher hierarchical status lose face. Another tricky riddle,

Martin has had to solve.

When he was a manager, he couldn’t ask a member

of staff for their honest opinion on something he had

done. It would be rude for them to say that he could have

done something better or different, as he was their boss.

Coming from a Danish culture where direct and

open feedback is much more common, this can be a

challenge.

“I can’t be certain that I get an honest answer. You

have to learn how to ask the questions in the right way

to get the right answers,” Martin says.

“Once you do that, and ask without anyone

being blamed or risking loosing face, you’ll find that your

Myanmar colleagues are just as creative and smart as you

- they just didn’t want to make you look bad, and that’s a

sign of respect for the hierarchy.”

Not the pizza lady

Martin wasn’t prepared for the work culture

from the beginning. He therefore remembers a few

unfortunate episodes at Brigtherlite where he found

himself making mistakes.


Handing out flyers to promote solar power in a Myanmar village.

Once, he asked a secretary to order pizza for an

office party. He asked her during a regular weekly meeting.

“She ordered the pizza, but then she quit. I found

out, that it was degrading for her to order pizza, because

it wasn’t her job to do so. Because I had asked her at the

meeting she had lost face in front of everyone present,”

he explains.

In Myanmar, work roles are very categorised and if

something isn’t part of someone’s job description they

will not do it. It’s part of the hierarchy.

He recalls ordering containers of water for the

Brigtherlite office once, and when the driver called to say

he had arrived with the water downstairs, Martin asked

him to bring it up to the office.

Apparently, this was rude, as it isn’t a driver’s job to

bring the water up to the office. His job is to transport

the water to the building, and then it’s someone else’s job

to take over from there.

“It’s a common mistake that expats make,”

Martin says.

Holding on to staff

Learning how to avoid people resigning is another

challenge because people might not say if they are

unhappy with something.

“Sometimes our rural sales staff at Brighterlite

wouldn’t even quit. They just stopped showing up

for work.”

In Myanmar not many people have experience

working for international companies yet so those that

do and are well-educated are in high demand. They can

therefore easily find another job making it a challenge to

hold on to skilled employees.

Sometimes people resign because they lose face,

but other times it’s because they don’t feel challenged at

work. Either way, Martin most likely won’t know about it,

before it’s too late.

“I always had to be careful that people didn’t quit,

when I was running my own company” he says.

Now, he has somewhat accustomed to the culture

and is starting to understand people better.

Unsure if it’s a good comparison, he explains that

Myanmar is like an onion to him.

“I keep discovering new layers,” he says about both

the people, culture and the country itself.

“The more I see, the better I understand how the

culture is rooted in the ideas of making merit, generousity

to the community and respect for the hierarchy.”

But even though Martin feels at home in Myanmar

and he has stayed longer than initially anticipated, he

keeps an expiration date in the back of his mind. It just

keeps getting pushed.

“I think about Denmark on a daily basis. I don’t know

when I’ll return, but I know that I will.”


Successful Danish

Christmas Bazaar

in Bangkok


On Sunday 24 November,

a very successful Danish

Christmas Bazaar took place

in Bangkok. The organisers,

Danish Women’s Network

and the Danish Church in Thailand, estimate

that about 1,000 to 1,200 guests paid the

bazaar a visit.

One of the guests was Santa Claus

herself to much amusement for the attending

children.

Uffe Wolffhechel, Danish Ambassador

to Thailand declared the bazaar officially open

at 11.15 am, – and then the fun began..

There was a traditional Danish Lucia

Parade twice and children could play, get

creative and watch films all day in the

children’s corner.

Guests could indulge in delicious Danish

food, cold beer and sweets before being

tempted by beautiful crafts and designs.

Attendees could also purchase raffle

tickets for the chance to win luxury prizes

and Santa’s chair was even up for grabs for

one fortunate winner of the lucky draw.

The opening of the bazaar. From left to right: Patrick Martens, director

of Food & Beverage at Gaysorn Urban Resort; Kit Danielsen, Danish

Chairwoman of Danish Women’s Network; Christa Lund Herum, Pastor

at the Danish Church in Thailand; Uffe Wolffhechel, Danish Ambassador

to Thailand.



News Brief

Finnish senior activity centre opens

on Bali

H.E. Jari Sinkari, the Finnish ambassador to Indonesia and Vice Governor of Bali,

Mr. Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati and Mr. Jussi Peltonen, CEO of Hovi

Group at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

H.E. Jari Sinkari, the Finnish

ambassador to Indonesia

and Vice Governor of Bali,

Mr. Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana

Sukawati led the opening ceremony

of “Teuku Umar Hovi Club” - a brand

new Senior Activity Center in Bali,

Indonesia - on 7th November 2019.

The Senior activity centre is a

cooperation between the Finnish

Hovi Group and Balinese Kasih Ibu

Hospital Group. This Teuku Umar

Hovi Club contains Finnish researchbased

know-how and health tech

to activate seniors in physical and

mental exercises.

CEO of Hovi Group, Mr. Jussi

Peltonen announced during his

speech , that he sees the need of

similar activity centres in Indonesia

and elsewhere in South East Asia.

KIS International School Scholarship

KIS International School,

Bangkok, is inviting ambitious

students to apply for the

coveted IB Diploma academic

scholarship, also known as the

“One Million Baht Scholarship”,

for the academic year 2020-2021

onward. KIS scholarships are well

respected in the international

school community and are awarded

in order to recognize academic

excellence and open up the world

of the International Baccalaureate

(IB) to deserving candidates.

The IB Diploma scholarship

winner will be granted full tuition

for the duration of the two-year

IB Diploma programme, valued at

around 1.8 million Baht.

KIS Int. School

KIS scholarship students achieve

high IB Diploma scores and go to

excellent universities in the US, the


UK, Europe and elsewhere, often

receiving university scholarships too.

The “One Million Baht”

scholarship is open to applicants of all

nationalities who are fluent in English

and currently in Grade 10 (Year 11).

Applicants should be academically

strong and well-rounded. Candidates

may be eligible for a partial scholarship.

Students may apply now and the

last day for the scholarship testing is

March 16, 2020.

Academic scholarships for

other secondary school grades are

also available.

If you would like to be a part

of our inspiring community please

request full conditions and details of

the scholarships from the admissions

office admissions@kis.ac.th. More

information about KIS is at www.kis.

ac.th

ScandAsia December 2019

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