SOUTHEAST ASIA'S LARGEST BANKS

Our banking system has changed a lot since the Asian Crisis of 1997. We saw numerous mergers, hostile take-overs, consolidations and re-packaging to ensure their survival, growth and of course, domination.

Our region’s 10 LARGEST BANKS Ranked in Total Asset




1. DBS Bank, Singapore
$88 Billion




2. United Overseas Bank, Singapore
$80 Billion




3. Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp., Singapore
$68 Billion




4. Malayan Banking, Malaysia
$66.7 billion




5. CIMB Bank, Malaysia
$53 Billion




6. Bangkok Bank, Thailand
$43 Billion




7. Krung Thai Bank, Thailand
$28 Billion




8. Bank Mandiri, Indonesia
$25.2 Billion




9. Thai Farmers Bank, Thailand
$23 Billion




10. Siam Commercial Bank, Thailand
$21 Billion

*** Banks of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand would dominate the list if we continue to Top 20.

The largest bank in the Philippines is Metropolitan Bank with $13 Billion in total asset. Vietnam Bank For Agriculture is the largest bank in Vietnam with $3 Billion. Burma's Kanbawza Bank, the country's biggest bank (after the closure of Asia Wealth and Mayflower) with $3 Billion. The biggest bank in Laos is Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao with $194 Million total asset. The largest bank in Cambodia is Canadia Bank with $190 Million total asset.

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--Pisanu

OF THE WORLD’S MOST INSULTED COUNTRIES

The name of our country represents us. It is the one single word we are proud of and held *almost* sacred. We make sure it is respected and we don’t tolerate insults. But what if our country name always gets misspelled, mispronounced and misrepresented? Won’t we take it as an insult? *I would!*

If that is the case; SE Asian countries I’m afraid, are some of the world’s most insulted countries.

Laos has to be the most mispronounced country name in the whole world. The French f*cked it up! They spelled the name of the country the French way when they colonized in the 1600s and didn’t correct it when they left – the “S” is silent. Now the world read it as LAH-‘OS or sometimes with too much American twang “LAY-‘OHS”. *Pffft!* The proper way to say Laos is without the “S” – LAO, as simple as that.

Now, how many books, magazines and other printed medium misspelled the word “Philippines”? It has to be the most maligned country name in the world. I have seen variations of “Philipines”, “Phillipines”, “Phillippines”, “Philipine”,”Philupins” written in the English context. They can’t seem to decide if it’s a double “L” or a double “P” or just double everything altogether! And not too many people know that they don’t have to put the “S” at the end all the time, ex. "Philippine Republic" and "Republic of the Philippines".

Thailand doesn’t have any problem with the spelling -- but a lot of people pronounce it as “THIGH-LAND”. *Whadda’?!!* This is not the "Land of Limbs and Lower Extremities” for christssake! It’s “TAI”. Although we love to put “H” on just about any English transliteration of our proper names, its not included in the pronunciation just as Phuket is not “Foo-ket”. Ha!

I don’t know how the Bruneians feel whenever their country pronounced as "Broo-neigh". Or maybe written without “Darussalam”. The proper pronunciation is "Broo-nai".

Honest mistake or not – it’s still a mistake and needs to be corrected. Now that you know; once is ok, twice is forgivable and the third is asking for war.*just kidding*



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BOOST YOUR PAGE RANK

Google would be releasing their PageRank updates very soon. And there are hundreds of link trains out there -- just add your site and five others -- (and hopefully) your readers will do the same. The more bloggers we get invovled the more links we would get and boost our page rankings on Google. What are you waiting for? Let's go for it!



** Start Copy Here **

We all know how important getting link backs is and with this chain, you can get the ball rolling! You don’t have to be an established blogger to take part in this chain.

Here are the rules:

1. Copy this post from the point where it says “Start Copy Here” to the point where it says “End Copy Here”

2. Add yourself and 5 of your favorite bloggers to the end of the list.

3. Post this on your blog.


Windows Tips, Tricks and Hacks | Enkay Blog | Ms. Danielle | Cash For Comments | BetShopBoy | JohnCow | Mr.Gary Lee | Jon Lee | Dosh Dosh | Some Make Money | The King Kong Blog | RomanDock | Michael Kwan | Ed Lau | Jane May | Sam Breadstone | ProBlogger | The Beef Jerky Blog | The Prize Blog | Online Coupon Codes | digitalnomad | 2Perfect | Derek Semmler dot com | Everyday Weekender | iffect | B I S E A N | The Lost Boy | Bangkok Mom | Oh See What the Cat Drags In | I'm Sanne | Dummies Guide to Google Blogger | Bangkok Bugle



**End Copy Here**

PERFECT SPECIMEN Revisited: Chin Indracusin

Latest photo spread of Chin on IMAGE Magazine July 2007 Issue.

Chin is a Thai-French recording artist and was first featured here on 11 Jun for BISEAN's Perfect Specimen Series.

(Click image for larger pic.)



Eurasians are the hottest people on Earth.



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PERFECT SPECIMEN Revisited: Paula Taylor

Latest photo spread of Paula for ARENA Magazine July 2007 Issue.

Paula is a Thai-English model/presenter and was first featured here on 05 Jun for BISEAN's Perfect Specimen Series.

(Click image for bigger pic)

Eurasians are the most beautiful people on Earth.

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BEST CLUBs in SE ASIA: Q Bar Bangkok

If you’re stunningly chic and gorgeous and want everybody to see how fabulous you are, here is where you must go. Q Bar Bangkok is an upscale New York-style lounge and the first international night club in the city.

There are 2 bars – one upstairs with a terrace where you can mingle, flaunt or just chill out and one on the main floor where the main dance floor is. It can get really crowded on weekends and navigating your way to the bar or to the loo is seemingly impossible.*ha!*

The music is up to date (electronica, hip hop, you name it) and the sound system is state of the art. International DJs spin here monthly and the in-house ones are the best in Bangkok *DJ Joeki rules! Sean rocks!*. Check out their website below to see which guest DJ is in town.

Bar opens at 8pm. Entrance cost is between 600-800 Baht, depending on days and events. It would usually get you 2 drinks. Booze selection is huge but we would recommend their wine list.

Whether they admit it or not, Q Bar’s biggest attraction is the crowd. Bangkok’s finest, moneyed, slim-gorgeous, just-got-off-the-catwalk young people populate the club *except for some "spectators"*. Designer-label is the only way to go but I have seen jeans-wearing, Giordano clad people managed to get it. *frowns*

AND (for christssake) whatever you do, never come on your sandals – even if you managed to trick the doorkeepers and got in, your toes would be totally mutilated on the dance floor when the crowd starts dancing on their Blahnik, Dingman, Prada or Ferragamo shoes.*consider yourself warned*

Located on the posh Sukhumvit Soi 11, practically any taxi jockey knows where it is, so don’t fret. I don’t think you’ll be taking the bus or the train to get there so let’s spare the blog space shall we?

Q Bar Bangkok has raised the standard of clubbing in Southeast Asia. There is simply no other place like it – one of SE Asia’s best clubs.


*photo credit: Q Bar Bangkok

http://qbarbangkok.com/

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RENEWING PLEDGE TO UNITED S.E.A. BLOG

As you may already know, BISEAN is a contributor to the newly formed bloc of Southeast Asian bloggers called United SEA. It aims to unify the budding bloggers of our region and possibly arrest what the blogosphere has become.

It's a commendable act. Many pledged support but the blog, on it's initial launch, isn't sizzling very much mainly because of the lack of posts. I just thought that a blog with more than 10 contributors would fill our thoughts, invoke sentiments and entertain with lots of posts.

But we here at BISEAN will not give up on it. We pledged support and we Thais do keep our word.

We recently posted a short article there, kindly go through it and if possible, leave a response. We would appreciate it very much.




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The ASEAN and the Rhinopithecus roxellana

The Philippines holds the current chairmanship of the ASEAN. Actually, it's supposed to be Burma's turn, but they were BULLIED last year to give up the priviledge (mostly by the West). Poor Burma.

The ASEAN will celebrate its 40th Anniversary on 8 August, prior, the 40th Ministerial Meeting and the 14th ASEAN Regional Forum will be held on 29 July - 02 August in Manila.

The Ministerial Meeting focus mainly on specific topics such as defense, environment, fisheries and other minor agenda and mainly attended by ministers, not by Head of States like the ASEAN Summit.

The ASEAN Regional Forum is an informal multilateral dialogue in the Asia Pacific region. They talk about...stuffs, that "apparently" will help the region boost confidence with each other whatever. It is mainly attended by super-countries who would like to maintain ties with the ASEAN.

Political Analysts, newpapers and other nosy people are shaking heaven and hell to the news that Condoleezza Rice, The U.S. Secretary of State, will not attend the meeting.

Is she snubbing the ASEAN?... I say...

So what?!

Golden Snub Nosed monkey.

(Rhinopithecus roxellana)

PERFECT SPECIMEN: Mike Lewis

Pretty face. Superb body. Killer smile.

Mike is a model in Indonesia. He is one of Cosmopolitan Indonesia's Hunks. His mom is Indonesian and his dad is Canadian. That's all we know of him, freckles and all.


Great people of Indonesia, would you mind giving more info about him please? Thanks.





Here's more of Mike...

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