Golden opportunity for photographers of South-east Asia

If you are an ardent photographer residing in south east Asia, then you just have this whole month to prove your caliber with some ultimate photography skills. The Second Annual FCCT Photojournalism Awards is here again to acknowledge both the pros and amateurs for whom clicking snaps is both a profession and passion…and what’s more…you don’t need to be a member with the FCCT to participate!

There are precisely 4 categories for which you can send in your entries. They are:

* Spot news - for the best photos taken at news events in Asia
* Feature photography - for the best non-news “feature” photos taken in Asia
* Photo essay - for the best collection of up to 12 photos on a single topic taken in Asia.
* “Environmental” photography - for the best photos focusing on the environment, climate change or natural resources in Asia

Photos must be submitted in compact disc or DVD to FCCT by Oct. 1, 2008. Winners will be announced in late 2008. Submissions can be published or unpublished work taken over the last year.

Now the most vital question, what do you get if you win?

Well here’s your answer

Photo of the year winner gets a new Canon EOS SLR camera (with lens kit), a $1,000 cash prize sponsored by Toyota, and a voucher for a 2 night stay in a luxurious Anantara Pool Villa at the soon to be opened Anantara Phuket Resort & Spa on Mai Kao beach in Thailand.

First-place winners in each category get a new Canon CP 760 mobile printer, a $250 cash prize sponsored by Toyota, and valuable vouchers for free dining at The Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.

Selected winners will also receive round-trip tickets for economy-class air travel in Asia, courtesy of Star Alliance, the global airline network whose members include Thai Airways and other international carriers. For further information contact The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand at:

Penthouse, Maneeya Centerive
518/5 Ploenchit Road, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330 Thailand.

Situations worsen - Tough time for Thai currency

It is tough time for Thailand. With the political situations at a turmoil, the Thai currency, Baht, fell to its lowest level in more than a year and shares dropped to a 19-month low as investors fled to the safety of government bonds. So grave is the situation that Thailand’s central bank has been forced to intervene in the foreign exchange market to support the country’s currency, the baht.

It happened after emergency rule was declared in the capital Bangkok following a week of anti-government protests. The People’s Alliance for Democracy is seeking Mr Samak’s resignation.

The Bank of Thailand said the domestic currency had slipped during morning trading after the Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej invoked the emergency decree. The deputy governor Atchana Waiquamdee said that the economy would doubtless be affected by the ongoing political turmoil in the capital but could not predict to what extent until the situation had unfolded further.

The violence has raised the probability of a negative action on the country’s credit ratings, Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Kim Eng Tan said in a report. The debt is rated BBB+, the eighth highest investment rating, with a stable outlook.

With the situation as this, it is quite likely that tourism and foreign investment would decline very much giving a further blow to the country’s economy.