THAILAND

Nakilala ang Thailand bilang Siam, na naging opisyal na pangalan hanggang 11 Mayo 1949.
Nangangahulugang "kalayaan" ang salitang Thai () sa wikang wikang Thai. Dahil sa heograpikal na
lokasyon, ang kultura ng mga Thai ay labis na naimpluwensiyahan ng Tsina at ng India. Subalit, marami ring
mga kakaibang mga kultura na umusbong sa Thailand simula noong nagsimula ang kultura ng Baan Chiang.

Politika at Pamahalaan

Ang Hari ay may kaunting direktang kapangyarihan ayon sa konstitusyon; subalit, bilang hari, siya ay simbolo
ng pambansang pagkakakilanlan at ang napiling nakapagtanggol ng Budhismo sa Thailand. Ang pinuno ng
pamahalaan ay ang Punong ministro, na pinipili ng hari mula sa mga kasapi ng mababang kapulungan ng
parliyamento, na kadalasang pinuno ng partido ng mayorya. Kadalasang tinatalaga ng Punong Ministro ang
gabinete. Ang Thailand ay nahahati sa 75 mga lalawigan ( , changwat) na pinagsama-sama sa limang
pangkat ayon sa lokasyon.

Politika at Pamahalaan

Ika-49 pinakamalaking bansa sa buong mundo ang Thailand na may kabuuang sukat na 513,000 km. Maaaring
ihambing ito sa laki ng Espanya, at may kalakihan lang ng unti sa estado ng California ng Estados Unidos.

Edukasyon
Mataas ang antas ng kamuwangan sa Thailand, at ang edukasyon ay naibibigay ng isang maayos na sistemang
pam-paaralan ngkindergarten, mababang paaaralan, mababa at mataas na sekondarya, maraming dalubhasaang
bokasyunal, at mga pamantasan. Ang pribadong sektor ng edukasyon ay mahusay ang pagkakabuo at malaki
ang naitutulong sa pangkalahatang pamamahala ng edukasyon kung saan hindi kayang maibigay ng pamahalaan
sa mga mga pampubliko nitong paaralan. Ang edukasyon ay sapilitan hanggang ika-9 na baitang, at ang
pamahalaan ay nagbibigay ng libreng edukasyon hanggang ika-12 Baitang.

Pamumuhay
The Thai have always been an agricultural people of the lowland valleys and intermontane basins, where they
cultivated wet rice with the use of water buffalo and harvested a wide range of fish and shellfish from the rivers
and the sea. These occupations were often supplemented, especially in the north and northeast, by the collection
of forest products, ranging from timber, such as teak and bamboo, to foods stored for consumption during the
dry season. Favorite Thai foods include salads of meat, fish, and vegetables; soups; curries (stews flavored with
a blend of ground spices); and tropical fruits.

Thailand faces a number of social problems. Corruption affects government, business, and even the Buddhist
monkhood (known as the sangha), and the press frequently reports scandals. Drugs and drug trafficking are
ongoing concerns. In rural areas, many tropical diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, and cholera, remain a
threat. Wide social gapsbetween rich and poor, city and countrysidecompound these problems. Encarta

SINGAPORE
Matinding kompetisyon ang kaharap ng mga mag-aaral sa Singapore sa pagpasok pa lamang sa mga
pamantasan.Ito ay sa kadahilanang ang pagpasok at pagtatapos sa mga unibersidad ay nangangahulugan ng
kaginhawaan sa buhay ng mga mag-aaral. Ang edukasyon ay tumitiyak na ang isang indibidwal aya makaaangat
sa buhay.

Marahil isang malaking pagbabago sa sistemang edukasyunal ng Singapore ay ang pagpapahintulot sa mga
pamantasan mula sa United States at Europa na makapagpatayo ng kanilang institusyon sa bansa. Ilan sa
halimbawa ng mga pamantasang nagbukas bunga ng kapahintulutangn ito ay ang Massachusetts Institute of
Technology at Johns Hopkins University. Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and
Tamil.
[161]
English is the common language, and is the language of business, government, and the medium of
instruction in schools.

Singapore is one of the world's major commercial hubs, with the fourth-biggest financial centre and one of the
five busiest ports. Singapore is a parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary
government representing constituencies. Executive power rests with the Cabinet of Singapore, led by the Prime
Minister and, to a much lesser extent, the President.
[23]
The President is elected through a popular vote, and
has veto powers over a specific set of executive decisions, such as the use of the national reserves and the
appointment of judges, but otherwise occupies a largely ceremonial post. Singapore has the world's highest
percentage of millionaires, with one out of every six households having at least one million US dollars in
disposable wealth (excluding property, businesses, and luxury goods, which if included would increase the
number of millionaires, as property in Singapore is among the world's most expensive).
[99]
Singapore does not
have a minimum wage, believing that it would lower its competitiveness. It also has one of the highest income
inequality levels among developed countries, coming in just behind Hong Kong and in front of the United
States.

Relihiyon
Buddhism is the most widely practised religion in Singapore, with 33% of the resident population declaring
themselves adherents at the most recent census. The next-most practised religion is Christianity, followed
by Islam, Taoism, and Hinduism. 17% of the population did not have a religious affiliation. The proportion of
Christians, Taoists, and non-religious people increased between 2000 and 2010 by about 3% each, whilst the
proportion of Buddhists decreased. Other faiths remained largely stable in their share of the population.
[155]
An
analysis by the Pew Research Center found Singapore to be the world's most religiously diverse nation.

Attitudes and beliefs
Singapore, as a country, in general is conservative socially, but some liberalisation has occurred. At the national
level, meritocracy, where one is judged based on one's ability, is heavily emphasised.
Racial and religious harmony is regarded by the government as a crucial part of Singapore's success, and played
a part in building a Singaporean identity. Singapore has a reputation as a nanny stateThe national flower of
Singapore is the Vanda 'Miss Joaquim'. Many national symbols such as the Coat of arms of Singapore and
the Lion head symbol of Singapore make use of the lion, as Singapore is known as the 'Lion City'.Public
holidays in Singapore cover major Chinese, Western, Malay and Indian festivals.
Singaporean employees work an average of around 45 hours weekly, relatively long compared to many other
nations. Three in four Singaporean employees surveyed stated that they take pride in doing their work well, and
that doing so helps their self-confidence.
[


LAOS
Ang Laos opisyal na tinatawag na Lao People's Democratic Republic o Demokratikong Repuklika ng mga
Lao. Ang Laos ay isang walang baybaying bansa sa Timog Silangang Asya at ang magubat na lupain nito ay
halos binubuo ng matatarik na kabunduka A third of the population of Laos live below the international poverty
line which means living on less than US$1.25 per day.
[9]
Laos is a low income economy with it having one of
the lowest annual incomes in the world.

Pamahalaan at Politika
Ang Laos ay isang solong partidong sosyalistang republika. Ang nag-iisang legal na partidong pampolitika ay
ang Partidong Rebolusyunaryo ng mga Mamamayang Lao (LPRP). Ang pinuno ng estado ay si
Pangulong Choummaly Sayasone, na siya ring kalihim-panglahat (pinuno) ng LPRP. Ang pinuno ng
pamahalaan ay si Punong ministro Bouasone Bouphavanh. Ang mga alituntunin ng mga pamahalaan ay
ginagawa ng partido sa pamamagitan ng makapangyarihang siyam na kasapi ng Politburo at ang 49 kasapi ng
Kumiteng Sentral. Ang mga mahahalagang desisyon ng pamahalaan ay sinusuri ng Konseho ng mga Ministro.