News roundup: Sabah committed to protect its gentle giants, plus more headlines

For PropertyGuru’s news roundup, Sabah’s government is committed to protecting its ‘gentle giant’ – the Bornean Elephant. In other stories, Cambodia is reshaping its image for tourism. And Melbourne office workers are having their office movements tracked and analysed by artificial intelligence.

Sabah committed to protecting Borneo’s ‘gentle giants’

The Sabah government is committed to protecting the Bornean Elephant, ensuring that these gentle giants are preserved for future generations and remain an indelible heritage of the state, Bernama reports.

Sabah Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew highlighted the alarming classification of the Bornean Elephant as endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and emphasised that all efforts are being made to protect this beloved species. According to IUCN, there are approximately 1,000 Bornean elephants, with about 400 being breeding adults.

Memories and modern realities: Reshaping Cambodia’s tourism image

In 1970, at the age of 10, Johnny Lui fled Cambodia for Hong Kong with his family due to the war in Cambodia. Fifty-four years later, at the age of 64, Lui still remembers that his home was located not far from the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, and he attended a Chinese school in the city.

In late June, he attended a Laos-China Railway event organised by China Daily and the Mission of China to ASEAN, along with dozens of other ASEAN journalists.

Regarding current affairs in the country, Lui said he only hears bad news which discourages him from visiting his birthplace. He noted that reports of kidnapping, human trafficking and insecurity for tourists, especially in Preah Sihanouk province, are common.

Another journalist from Hong Kong, Gao Peng of the YouTube channel Vlight, has never been to Cambodia but heard that it is a beautiful country. Asked about negative aspects, Gao said she had only heard about security issues. “I don’t know whether or not it is true because I have never been there. No matter which country or city I have been to, security is the most important thing,” she said.

Vilardo Gonzales Gabuang, a reporter at BusinessMirror in the Philippines, who also attended the tour, was asked about his impression of Cambodia. He said he had only heard about the Khmer Rouge, Angkor Wat and the looting of Khmer artefacts.

The closer in proximity one is to a particular country, the better one understands the real situation, as confirmed by Souksakhone Vaenkeo, a deputy editor with the Vientiane Times in Laos.

Prime Minister Hun Manet, in an interview with Chinese media in October last year, said there is no country without crime, but human trafficking and scams do not accurately reflect the actual state of affairs in the country, reports The Phnom Penh Post.

Colliers: Companies are using AI to track how many employees are showing up to the office, and what they do with their day

Melbourne office workers are having their office movements tracked and analysed by artificial intelligence.

Now used by one of the city’s biggest commercial real estate firms, Colliers, the Basking system is analysing where employees spend most of their time around the building — and the days they are most active around the office.

realcommercial.com.au reports that with vast numbers of commercial property leases managed by Colliers, it could soon mean that AI will be advising office managers on whether they can decrease or increase their office footprint.

The Property Report editors wrote this article. For more information, email: [email protected].