Broadsights (March 2014)

March 2014
Issue no. 10
SUSTAINABLE

G
eneric
Insight
Individual Social
Responsibility
Sustainability
C O N T E N T
BANGKOK SHUTDOWN : IN
BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE7-10
The National Economic and Social Development Board
(NESDB) and The University of the Thai Chamber of
Commerce (UTCC) are two institutions that have released
reports where the economical outlook has signiﬁcantly been
adjusted for the impact of the political turmoil.
GREEN LUNGS OF BANGKOK:
THE BANGKOK TREE HOUSE
Bang Krachao is maybe the last area in Bangkok with wild
nature, animals and clean air.
GREEN GADGET:
HOW TO CHARGE YOUR
PHONE WHENEVER YOU ARE
14
With warm and sunny weather across Southeast Asia, its time
to explore some wild excursions!
15
>> p. 5-6
>> p. 17-19
>> p. 15
INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY :
MUAY THAI
11-13
Muay Thai has a very long tradition in Thailand and has its roots
many centuries ago.
PLASTIC BAG:
WHO CARES?
Many initiatives have been enterprised in recent months in
Thailand, and even if the current political situation in the country
tends to make it a smaller problem
17-19
NEWS REPORT:
ASEAN NEWS4
BROADGATE:
WHY SOUTHEAST ASIA
5-6
Develoment News in ASEAN
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), created in
1967, has developed successful trade partnerships among
Southeast Asian countries

E D I T O R I A L
March 2014 - Issue no. 10
Copyright © 2014 Broadsight - A Broadgate Initiative 3
Ken Jayaphorn
Dear Readers,
It is a great pleasure to be part of this issue of
Broadsight especially with the new exciting interactive
design that makes reading much more enjoyable.
Since the start of 2014, there had been many
challenges for Broadgate primarily with political
instability and we have made some exciting changes
concerning the focus of our projects for the rest of the
year. These changes will be officially announced in the
next monthʼs foreword.
In this March issue of Broadsight we continue to bring
insightful and innovative stories regarding
sustainability. One of the articles in this issue I find
exceptionally interesting is about plastic bags reduction
initiatives executed by Tesco Lotus, and Seven-Eleven.
The overconsumption of plastic bag issue is long over
due in Thailand and it is nice that big companies like
these are doing something about it. However, it is
disappointing to still see that when I go to Seven-
Eleven they are still giving me plastic bags without
asking if I wanted one.
The key to sustainability is the change in peopleʼs habit
from overconsumption to optimal consumption. We can
see that more and more companies are becoming
“greener”, which I am not sure about their incentives. Is
it purely for brand image purposes? It seems that many
are too focused on publicizing their initiatives to their
customers but not so much have changed from their
own employees. How can a company convince the
society if they do not change themselves? I believe that
an initiative can only do so much if not executed
properly.
Nonetheless, there is always hope as I can see people
are becoming more and more aware of the issue we
have with sustainability. We can see initiatives being
done, new and more efficient technologies being
created and even our Broadsight readership is
increasing exponentially.
Before I leave you today to enjoy your “Next Level
Reading”, here is a quote by Eric Lowitt that I find
inspiring,
“Inaction is no longer acceptable.”
E d i t o r i a l
Vincent Houzet
vincent@broadgatefinancial.com
Christoffer Axelsson
christoffer@broadgatefinancial.com
Muhammad Farhan Azama
muhammad@broadgatefinancial.com
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Baptiste Laborde-Balen
baptiste@broadgatefinancial.com
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Valentin Fischer
valentin@broadgatefinancial.com
Prompairoj Ken Jayaphorn
Prompairoj Ken Jayaphorn
Vice President Business Development

E D I T O R I A L
© Broadgate - A Broadgate Initiative 4
LAOS - Villagers living near the site of the
planned Don Sahong dam on the Mekong River
in southern Laos have been barred from ﬁshing
Source
MALAYSIA - Are you going to dump
your old milk jug into the trash can
again?
Source
VIETNAM - More than 35 years
after the end of the Vietnam War,
Washington and Hanoi launched a
joint project Thursday to clean up
remnants of the toxic defoliant
Source
MYANMAR - Journalists say the Burma government
is imposing new visa restrictions that will make it
difﬁcult for them to remain based in the country full
time.
Source

E D I T O R I A L
“Every Asian country has a really rich
culture, with deep history, outstanding
cuisine and great people”
Fast-growing economy
! ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), created in 1967, has developed
successful trade partnerships among Southeast Asian countries thanks to their geographic
proximity and cultural similarities.
! Countries like Indonesia, Philippines or Thailand have driven ASEAN's economic growth
and it became one of the biggest consumer markets in the world, offering many opportunities
for entrepreneurs. In addition to that, investor friendly government policies have drawn many
foreign businesses to Southeast Asia.
! Considering ASEAN's free trade agreement, the abundance of natural resources and
low-cost skilled labour, Southeast Asian countries are attractive in many different areas like
technology, logistics, oil and gas, agri-food
WHY
SOUTHEAST
ASIA

E D I T O R I A L
Largest cities in Southeast Asia like Jakarta,
Bangkok or Singapore are very dynamic
metropolises, where you will always find
something exiting to do. Everything is about
conveniency: it's easy to find an
accommodation, there are many ways of
transportation and you can eat at any time of the
day/night. In most of these cities you will be able
to enjoy at the same time modern skyscrapers
with innovative architectures and old religious
monuments. This parallel between modernity
and tradition is also what makes Asian
megacities so special and attractive.
!
Every Southeast Asian country has a really
rich culture, with deep history, outstanding
cuisine and great people. Using cultural
experience, uncommon language skills will
be also a very efficient way to differentiate
your resume for your future job applications.
Aside from work experience, cross-cultural
knowledge is also very important for
professional life.
! The Southeast Asian low-cost
everyday life is very interesting for young
individuals and student. Even in biggest
cities, you will be able to eat for less than 2$.
Accommodation and transportation costs are
also incomparable to the European/American
ones.

R O A D G A T E
Bangkok
A Business Perspective
“Polticial unrest -The new
normal forThailand”
In 2013 Bangkok was ranked as the top visited destination
by international visitors, according to the Mastercard Global
Destination Cities Index. Between the 13th of January and
3rd of March Bangkok was under siege by antigovernment
protesters under the manifestation “the Bangkok
Shutdown”. Altough the intentions of the protesters might
have been purely political, the economical impact of such
an action is unavoidable. Many domestic businesses
experienced difﬁculties.
“Economic losses from
the"Bangkok
shutdown" is estimated
by UTCC to between
700 million Baht to 1
billion Baht a day”
SHUT DOWN

B R O A D G A T E
The National Economic and Social Development
Board (NESDB) and The University of the Thai
Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) are two
institutions that have released reports where the
economical outlook has significantly been
adjusted regarded to the impact of the political
turmoil
Economic losses from the "Bangkok shutdown"
is estimated by UTCC to be between Bt 700
million and Bt 1 billion a day where the tourism
industry is predicted to be hit the hardest.
Tourism revenues account for 10 percent of
GDP, so any impact on the sector "should be
significant to economic growth," said Pimonwan
Mahujchariyawong, an economist at Kasikorn
Research Center.
Economic losses from the "Bangkok shutdown"
is estimated by UTCC to be between Bt 700
million and Bt 1 billion a day where the tourism
industry is predicted to be hit the hardest.
Tourism revenues account for 10 percent of
GDP, so any impact on the sector "should be
significant to economic growth," said Pimonwan
Mahujchariyawong, an economist at Kasikorn
Research Center.
Another important factor to economic growth that
has been stalled due to the turmoil is government
investment. After last election in 2011 the
government ambitiously planned to implement
several infrastructure projects by borrowing over 2
trillion baht. This large borrowing bill was never
fully decided upon since it met political objections
from opposing parties. To continue with the legal
proceedings and the process towards a decision a
fully functioning political system is required,
something which now isnʼt expected until the
second half of 2014.
But while one manʼs joy is another manʼs sorrow
some Thaiʼs entrepreneurial qualities were shown
at the protester sites where these business owners
showed quick adaptation to the circumstances.

N E W S R E P O R T
These were losses estimated at the beginning of the turmoil, at the same time Thanavath Phonvichai at
UTCC expressed his concern about the future and said that “What is worrisome is that if the situation
doesn't end soon”.
In order for Thailand to sustain potential growth over the long run public investment is a dire need, but
before any decision about such things can be made, there has first to be a fully functioning government,
something which Thailand lacks at the moment.
It should be considered that itʼs not the first time Thailandʼs political system is experiencing difficulties
and that Thailand has due to previous resilience against past unrest been nicknamed “Teflon Thailand”,
an economy seemingly impervious to any long lasting effects from regular political unrest.
The future will tell whether “Teflon Thailand” actually has taken a hit this time, or if it more likely will be
“same same but different”, and business as usual.
Printed Sources:
Bangkok Post Year-end review | Turning points 2014
Christoffer Axelsson

N E W S R E P O R T
Child abuse, or way to get out of poverty?
Muay Thai has a very long tradition in Thailand
and has its roots many centuries ago. It started
out as a way to defend oneself against
foreigners entering from neighboring countries.
The increasing popularity over the last
decades has made it a very lucrative business.
Today, top Muay Thai fighters in Thailand have
a status comparable to soccer players in the
western world. While the prize money within the
sport varies greatly, depending on the
proficiency of the fighters, it can reach up to
300,000 baht a fight.
For that reason many poor families send their
children to Muay Thai camps to provide their
child and themselves with an opportunity to get
out of poverty.
They are provided with food, shelter and the
possibility of education. In return the children
are required to dedicate themselves to the
lifestyle of Muay Thai.
But the fighters arenʼt the only ones that profit
from the money in the game.
Who else is getting a piece of the cake?
-The gym
-The professional gamblers
-And the fighterʼs families.
THERE ARE TWO SIDES
TO EVERY COINS

All of them try to make money by
placing huge bets on their
fighter. Even for the battles
between the youngest fighters
huge amounts of money can
trade hands. The bets can range
from 100 baht up to 50,000 baht
for a child fight.
If lucky, child boxers can earn as
much in a night as their parents
do within a year by growing their
rice.
Impact on Society
From a societyʼs point of view it
is questionable if the practice is
really value adding in terms of a
social benefit to the poor. As the
betting is a zero-sum game,
some families win while others
lose. Finally, only a small
fraction of the fighters can make
a decent living out of it.
In addition to that, Professor
Sombat Ritthidetch from
Ramajitti Institute pointed out
that many kids were often
absent from school due to their
long hours of training. This can
lead to the problem that many
teenagers who do not make it
pro, end up on the streets again,
with no important skills to show
for.
In the year 2012 the Child Safety
Promotion and Injury Prevention
Research Center (CSIP)
arranged a check-up for 40 long-
term child boxers. They werenʼt
able to detect any physical or
mental impairment attributable to
boxing. But one has to mention
that very little research has been
done about this so far. Partly,
because the publication of
critical research of child boxing
displeases many people in the
business.
The pro child boxing community
argues that with proper training
and execution children wonʼt get
harmed.
What about western
countries?
While the Muay Thai can be an
escape from poverty for children
in Thailand, it is being used in
the west to prevent teenagers
from getting into criminal
activities.
Christoffer Axelsson, one of our
associates at Broadsight, is
managing a Muay Thai gym
back home in Sweden.
Teenagers in the “risk zone” (on
the edge of getting into criminal
activities) are attracted by
Martial Arts. They associate it
with “cool”, “tough” and “violent”
qualities.
Christoffer told me that most of
them arrive with the aim to learn
how to fight, so they can use this
later on the street. But
Christoffer and his team instead
try to encourage them to
internalize the values behind the
sport such as empathy, respect
and discipline.
“Open classes”, meaning free
training where everyone is
welcome to join are supported
by government funds. ”We get
funded based on how many
youngsters we manage to
attract, but itʼs nothing like an
income, it all goes into paying
the rent and worn out material”,
says Christoffer.
The gyms that participate in
the government model
become important
institutions in the society to
provide teenagers with
meaningful opportunities
aside from hanging out in the
streets. These institutions
depend on the people behind
them, people like Christoffer
Axelsson who are devoted to
the values of the sport and
get along well with
youngsters.
To get a better picture of the
sport Christoffer took me to
Meenayothin Gym in
Bangkok. He spent several
months there, training twice
a day to improve his Muay
Thai. Christoffer also fights
for the Meenayothin Gym
under the name Kriss
Meenayothin.
There I found myself in a
very relaxed atmosphere.
Farangs and Thais were
training together, supporting
each other and joking
around. After the training
they all sat down on the floor
and enjoyed dinner together
like a big family.
“The youngest fighters are 7 years of age”

To get a better picture of the
sport Christoffer took me to
Meenayothin Gym in
Bangkok. He spent several
months there, training twice
a day to improve his Muay
Thai. Christoffer also fights
for the Meenayothin Gym
under the name Kriss
Meenayothin.
There I found myself in a
very relaxed atmosphere.
Farangs and Thais were
training together, supporting
each other and joking
around. After the training
they all sat down on the
floor and enjoyed dinner
together like a big family.
Valentin Fischer
Record bet on a Lumpini
fight was 6 Million baht
It is estimated that more
than 30,000 child boxers
kick and punch in rings
across Thailand
ON THE COUCH WITH
Valentin
BROADSIGHTAUTHOR, VALENTIN FISCHER
ASKING THE TOUGH QUESTIONS
ANEW SERIES TO BROADSIGHT
COMING SOON

S E Q U O I A C L U B
charge your phone
where ever you are
?
With warm and sunny weather across Southeast
Asia, its time to explore some wild excursions!
Despite the beauty of nature and the inappropriate
place for high-technology devices, who does not
use a smartphone at all in this kind of situation?
Nowadays, even for a few days trip, being
disconnected so long seems an eternity.
As new devices are very well-known to consume more and more electricity, it does not take long
to drain the battery. So after a full day of trekking, how could it be possible to watch a movie in
the tent with no worries?
For less than $130.00, BioLite offers you a
clean and innovative solution for all your
electronic needs. To crown it all, it wonʼt take
any additional space in your backpack bag as
its original use is to burn everything you can
ﬁnd, such as tinder in order to heat your
meals. BioLite BaseCamp, is a simple
concept to perfectly reconcile nature lovers
and mobile devices addicts.
Vincent Houzet

Also known as the "Green Lungs" of
Bangkok, Bang Krachao is maybe
the last area in Bangkok with wild
nature animals and clean air.
As this part of the capital is
unknown by most people living in
Bangkok and even less by foreign
people, Joey Tulyanond has
created a fully sustainable hotel in
this untouched area to increase
awareness and preserving it at the
same time.
Few examples of his sustainable
solutions are that they:
• Remove one kilo of trash from the
river for every booking
• Use solar cookers, cook only
organic and in-season food.
• Only hire locals living near the
Tree House.
• Use wind and solar energy to
power 100% of outdoor lights
• Have developed natural cleaning
products.
INTERVIEWWIITHJOEYTULYANOND
For more information please visit their website:
http://www.bangkoktreehouse.com/index...
Many thanks to Joey Tulyanond.
The Bangkok Tree House
GREEN LUNGS OF BANGKOK
As we at Broadsight share the same passion for
sustainability, we went to the Tree House to interview Joey
Tulyanond and learn more about his idea of running a
green hotel.

A N A L Y S I S O F T H E M O N T H
February 2014 - Issue no. 9
APPLY NOW WITH ASIA
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
InternsInAsia.com
info@internsinasia.com
+66 2264 5706

N E W S R E P O R T

17
Many initiatives have been enterprised in recent months in Thailand, and
even if the current political situation in the country tends to make it a
smaller problem, the soonest is always the best time to act. Most
expatriates in Bangkok are extremely skeptical about the success of these
recent campaigns as we can read in the main English-speaking forum on
Thailand : (bubbles or other)
Before taking sides, letʼs analyse what has been made of their impact, and
the reason to hope for a greener future in the Land of Smiles.
PLASTIC BAGS
WHO CARES?
Next gimmick please...
Forgotten in 2 Minutes!
Thailand will adopt this...in time

Tesco Lotus Action Plan : Less
Bags, More Baht
It is easy to guess that money is what incentiﬁes most
people to give up their old habits. Something that this
company understands well, so letʼs now see the two
different money savings proposed :
Clubcard points and advantages;
Tesco Lotus offers 20 clubcard points to every one of its
33 million monthly customers for not using one plastic bag
in their basket, even 40 points if they donʼt use any at all.
What does this mean in a customerʼs point of view? 1000
points allows customers to receive 10 THB in a cash
coupon and the purchase of a Tesco plastic bag a bonus
of 500 points, the ﬁrst month of this green behaviour is
potentially synonymous of an extra 10 THB in addition to
all the points they already make with their purchases.
In comparison, if every commercial establishment would set up the same kind of campaign, the
saving would reach over 4 billion tons of plastic yearly and reduce by 40 million THB the budget
for the Thai government to collect them.
The cost of the clubcard points given to customers seems to be largely compensated both by
operational cost reduction and the commercial advantage over their competitors who donʼt have
this kind of discount attribution system.

Recently two Tesco Lotus Express stores decided
to set up this initiative that provides reusable bags
and cardboard boxes for free or, a shopping bag
for 25THB. On the other hand, they totally banned
plastic bags from their stores and even when the
ﬁrst few days was the scene of many complaints,
people quickly got used to it in so far as they now
donʼt even notice it, three months after the
starting date of the initiative.
The results are very encouraging in so far as 10
000 bags for each of store has been saved within
just two months! Lets imagine the potential if all
the 1 100 Tesco Lotus Express took the same
direction: 66 million less bags every year so
almost 600 tons of plastic for one single brand, a
clear message to 7-Eleven and its 6800 stores?
Results for Tesco Lotus “Green campaign”?
In other words, this kind of initiative is not only a
money gain for their loyal customers but also an
advantage for the supermarket against its
competitors. In addition, a better company image
towards all people concerned in sustainable
development. An even more attractive payoff
would be warmly welcomed to substantially cut
plastic bag usage and could open the door to
more eco-initiatives in Thailand.

S E Q U O I A C L U B
7-Eleven Prevention campaign
Since the end of last January, 600 000 daily passengers are witnessing unusual advertising in the
screens of the Bangkok Skytrain System (BTS): 7-Eleven, the most popular minimarket brand
and also probably the biggest buyer of plastic bags is promoting a wiser use of them, particularly
for the smallest that people could easily dispense with.
Accompanied by an emotional song, the video clip is edgy, educative and has the ambition to
change hundred years of habits in Thai households.
This ambition would have looked surely more credible if it would have taken place with concrete
action like introducing payable bags or senior management teaching their staff members not to
waste them, but the educative side of it will hopefully echo in the ears of the younger generation.
And you, do you say “No” to plastic
bags when you buy just a lollipop
or when the cashier has already
wrapped your purchase in it?
“
“

F U N G A T E
The web is full of auto-proclaimed experts who
do not hesitate to advise the best solutions to
fix the environmental problems faced by
Thailand and more globally Southeast Asia.
One of the most popular ideas we can read in
the comments is the use of bioplastics,
described as a more realistic option than
changing old and entrenched habits of Thai
nationals.
B i o p l a s t i c s a r e i n d e e d i n t h e o r y
biodegradables and disappear naturally only
within 180 days, against 420 years for a
classic plastic material. Well, that is a huge
difference and as it does not require any
change for local customers, it looks more and
more a credible alternative. In addition to that,
their costs become competitive due to the
increasing price of crude oil necessary for the
production of regular plastics. From this point
of view, it sounds quite difficult to deny the
quality of the suggestion!
But there is a controversy about this,
defending the idea that bioplastics are a lure
from plastic production companies to keep
their businesses growing. What is not very
well-known from people is that depending on
the biosources used to make it, the plastic bag
will require specific industrial composting
conditions to be fully biodegradable, which is
of course is not the case in water or in soil!
Some bioplastics made of polymer materials
will split into very small pieces while the plastic
will remain in nature, which could even be
worse if we consider how harder it is to collect
them later and their ability to be infiltrated in
the environment.
Even if the concept of bioplastics sounds
good, the chemical process still has to be
improved before taking it as a sustainable
alternative. As Xonax, a thaivisa.com member
said in their forum:
“Plastic-bags can be recycled. Plastic bags
are only a problem if the consumer litters
them. So why not instead teach Thais not
to just throw the plastic bags anywhere but
put them in the garbage bin, or if no bin
nearby, put them in a bin at home? “
Vincent Houzet

F U N G A T E

Broadgate Consultants
(Thailand) Ltd.
2811, Level 28,
The Ofﬁces at Central World,
999/9 Rama 1 Road, Patumwan,
Bangkok
10330 Thailand
+66 2264 5706
+66 2646 1004
info@broadgateﬁnancial.com
13.4.2014

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