Sihanoukville, Cambodia — In 2005, the Department of Tourism had high hopes for Sihanoukville becoming a prime tourist destination. "We need to get the upper and middle class crowd to visit more often because they're the ones who can pay more for the services. Right now, there are a lot of tourists coming in, but only a few are staying in high-end resorts," expressed then DOT Deputy Director Tang Socheat Kresna. Sihanoukville's only 5-star hotel at that time, the Sokha Beach Resort, was only sparsely occupied. Three years later, investors are scrambling to have a piece of Sihanoukville.

Chonburi, Thailand — The Provincial Government of Chonburi (Thailand) and PEMSEA signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the Scaling up of ICM Implementation in Chonburi Province on 6 October 2008 at the Chonburi Provincial Administration Office. The MOA was signed by Mr. Pracha Taerat, Governor of Chonburi Province, and Prof. Raphael P.M. Lotilla, Executive Director of the PEMSEA Resource Facility.

 

Vung Tau City, Viet Nam — The respective national authorities of Cambodia, Thailand and Viet Nam have recently adopted a three-year work programme to strengthen oil spill preparedness and response in the Gulf of Thailand (GOT) on 3 October 2008 in Vung Tau City, Viet Nam. Proposed activities at the subregional level include the development of a subregional guideline on the use and application of chemical dispersants for oil spills, development of a simplified coastal sensitivity map for the Gulf of Thailand subregion and a joint oil spill exercise among the three participating countries.

Quezon City, Philippines — Growing populations and their migration to coastal areas, along with extensive industrial activities and rapidly increasing shipping traffic exert tremendous pressure on East Asian region's coastal and marine environment and natural resources. Studies show that over 80 percent of all marine pollution originates from land-based sources while continued discharge of industrial wastes result in toxic accumulations in the marine food chain.

Shanghai, PR China — PEMSEA shared its experiences in integrated coastal management programme development and implementation during the EMECS-8 International Conference on 27-30 October 2008 in Shanghai, PR China. The Conference was organized by the International Center for the Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas (EMECS)."Lessons and Experiences of PEMSEA as a Regional Partnership Mechanism in Integrated Coastal Management program development and implementation" was delivered by Ms.

Philippines — "ICM is about changing the mindset." This was the focus of the presentation by Dr. Luky Adrianto of Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia, during the ICM Level 1 Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop held in Manila and Batangas, Philippines, last 21-29 October 2008. Dr.

Quezon City, Philippines — PEMSEA has once again engaged another academic institution to broaden the ICM capacity-building and advocacy base through the establishment of learning centers. The De La Salle-Lipa University in Batangas province has committed to providing space and manpower for an ICM learning center that could serve the coastal municipalities and cities in the province and across the country. De La Salle-Lipa University President, Br. Manuel Pajarillo, FSC, PhD, and PEMSEA Resource Facility Executive Director Raphael P.M.

Quezon City, Philippines — Fond of taking pictures around your community? Hone your hobby by joining the East Asian Seas Congress Regional Photo Contest.Showcase your local environment initiatives and get a chance to win a week's stay in the culturally rich and lively metropolis of Manila in the Philippines.With the theme "The Coast, The Ocean, My Community," the Photo Contest emphasizes the importance of turning knowledge and concern about the coastal and marine environment into on-the-ground actions.

Jeju, RO Korea — The Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) has organized and participated in various activities including the 13th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting and a training course on remote sensing data analysis.The Second NOWPAP training course on remote sensing data analysis was organized jointly by the NOWPAP Special Monitoring and Coastal Environmental Assessment Regional Activity Centre (CEARAC) and the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) at Cheju National University (Korea) on1-5 November 2008.The training course was conducted for 23 selected trainees, includ

Xiamen, PR China — The Xiamen Municipal Government, in coordination with the State Oceanic Administration, PEMSEA and the United Nations Development Programme (PR China), has successfully organized and conducted the 2008 World Ocean Week in Xiamen (XWOW).