the 4th Asian Vegetarian Congress

Author:,Post Time:2008/12/18 9:58:45

 
History of Asian Vegetarian Union and Its Congresses

The Asian Vegetarian Union (AVU) is an offspring of the International Vegetarian Union (IVU). The IVU itself represents a union of all vegetarian societies around the world. It was founded at its first meeting in Dresden, Germany, in 1908.  The 38th World Vegetarian Congress carrying the banner " 100 Years of Food Revolution" was held in Dresden, Germany, from 27 July 27 to 3 August 2008.

The Asian Vegetarian Union was founded in 1999.  The first president of AVU was the late Mr. Shri Jashu Shah.  The current president, Prof. Dr. Maitree Suttajit, was elected at the Third Asian Vegetarian Congress in Kaohsiung in November 2007.

The First Asian Vegetarian Congress with the theme "Universal Health, the Vegetarian Way" was held in Goa, India, 14-20 October 2001.

The Second Asian Vegetarian Congress with the theme "The Vegetarianism for Health, Environment and Peace" was held in Bangkok, Thailand, 19-21 March 2006.
The Third Asian Vegetarian Congress with the theme "The Spiritual Perspectives on Vegetarianism" was held in Kaohsiung, 3-7 November 2007.
The Fourth Asian Vegetarian Congress with the theme "Vegetarian: Healthy and Eco-friendly for All" is an upcoming agenda, and is to held in Batam Island, Indonesia, 6-10 November 2009. A bit different from the previous events, this time the organising committee has proposed to commit itself to the inclusion of not only theoretical talks at the upcoming congress but also discussions on technical issues in promoting vegetarianism from various angles more efficiently and more effectively. This will be the area the Asian Vegetarian Union wants to highlight.
PROGRAMMES
  • Scientific Presentations and Discussions
  • General Meetings
  • Arts Performance Evenings
  • Downtown Shopping and Sunset Dinner
  • Island-to-island Tours (incl. Ex-UN’s Vietnamese Refugee Camp)
  • In-Singapore Tours
- THE ITINERARY -
Date
Time
Programme
Remarks
6-Nov-09
06:30 - 07:30 pm
Welcome Gala Dinner
 
 
07:30 - 09:30 pm
Arts Performance and Official Opening
 
 
 
 
 
7-Nov-09
07:30 - 08:30 am
(Breakfast at respective hotels)
 
 
08:30 - 08:50 am
(Proceeding to congress venue)
 Hotel Novotel
 
09:00 - 09:45 am
Keynote Speech 1
 
 
09:45 - 10:30 am
Keynote Speech 2
 
 
10:30 - 10:45 am
(Tea break)
 
 
10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Symposium 1, 2, 3
 
 
12:00 - 01:00 pm
(Lunch break)
 
 
01:00 - 02:15 pm
Symposium 4, 5, 6
 
 
02:15 - 03:30 pm
Symposium 7, 8, 9
 
 
03:30 - 03:45 pm
(Tea break)
 
 
03:45 - 05:00 pm
Symposium 10, 11, 12
 
 
05:30 - 06:30 pm
Dinner + Arts Performance
 
 
06:30 - 07:00 pm
(Back to respective hotels)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8-Nov-09
07:30 - 08:30 am
(Breakfast at respective hotels)
 
 
08:30 - 08:50 am
(Proceeding to congress venue)
 
 
09:00 - 09:45 am
Keynote Speaker 3
 
 
09:45 - 10:30 am
Keynote Speaker 4
 
 
10:30 - 10:45 am
(Tea break)
 
 
10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Symposium 13, 14, 15
 
 
12:00 - 01:00 pm
(Lunch break)
 
 
01:00 - 02:15 pm
Symposium 16, 17, 18
 
 
02:15 - 03:30 pm
Symposium 19, 20, 21
 
 
03:30 - 03:45 pm
(Tea break)
 
 
03:45 - 05:00 pm
Symposium 22, 23, 24
 
 
05:30 - 06:30 pm
Dinner + Performance Arts
 
 
06:30 - 09:00 pm
Official Closing (followed by Arts Performance)
 
 
09:00 - 09:30 pm
(Back to respective hotels)
 
 
 
 
 
9-Nov-09
07:30 - 08:30 am
(Breakfast at respective hotels)
 
 
08:30 - 10:00 am
(Excursion to Melur Beach)
 
 
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Picnic (incl. lunch break) at Melur Beach
 
 
12:00 - 12:10 pm
(Excursion to Ex-UN Vietnamese Refugee Camp)
 
 
12:10 - 01:30 pm
Sightseeing at Ex-UN Vietnamese Refugee Camp
 
 
01:30 - 02:00 pm
(Excursion to Barelang Bridge 1)
 
 
02:00 - 02:30 pm
Picture-taking at Barelang Bridge 1
 
 
02:30 - 03:15 pm
(Excursion to Nagoya Hill)
 
 
03:15 - 05:15 pm
Shopping at Nagoya Hill
 
 
05:15 - 05:35 pm
(Excursion to KTM Resort)
 
 
05:35 - 07:30 pm
Sunset Dinner at KTM Resort
 Facing S'pore
 
07:30 - 08:05 pm
(Back to respective hotels)
 
 
 
 
 
10-Nov-09
 
Tour in Singapore
 
 
06:30 - 07:00 am
(Excursion to Harbour Bay)
Indonesia time
 
07:15 - 07:30 am
(1st ferry check-in and boarding)
 
 
07:40 - 08:30 am
(Excursion to Singapore)
 
 
09:30 - 10:00 am
(S’pore Immigration Check Point)
Singapore time
 
10:00 am - 07:00 pm
(Tour around the island city)
 
 
Participation Fees of the 4th Asian Vegetarian Congress
Description
Hotel 89
   Registration Fee
 USD  100
   Hotel Accommodation, Meal, Transportation, Inbound Tour
 USD  315
   Ferry Ticket & Seaport Tax (Round Trip)*
 USD   55
TOTAL  
USD  470
Welcome to Indonesia
As President of Indonesia Vegetarian Society (IVS), a member of Asian Vegetarian Union (AVU) and International Vegetarian Union (IVU), it brings me great pleasure that our country will have the opportunity to host the 4th Asian Vegetarian Congress in 2009. Enthused and motivated, our team has already begun the planning and preparation for the upcoming congress in Batam, and we are all very hopeful of the event’s success.
As always, we are confident that IVS events such as the 4th Asian Vegetarian Congress will fruitfully increase global awareness on the multi-faceted benefits reaped from a vegetarian lifestyle. Locally, IVS has been extremely active in holding events throughout the country, and promoting the merits of vegetarianism. Our branch offices in the smaller cities outside Jakarta have been contributing to our organisation’s mission of promoting a healthier way of living.  
The world has clearly shifted its focus on becoming pro-green, and it is comforting to know that more and more global citizens are turning environmentally friendly. The high frequency of natural disasters prevailing in the past decades, the continuing deforestation of the world’s rainforests, and worries of the supply of sources for energy, are a few examples of the worsening condition of our Planet Earth. What will happen if this all continues? The answer is not a pretty sight: possibly more natural disasters, the extinction of animal and plant species which may potentially be valuable sources in curing diseases, and continued world hunger and famine. We all need to realize that living a vegetarian lifestyle will help our Planet Earth. For example, remember that every time one consumes beef, one is supporting the deforestation of our rainforests as cow-grazing requires acres and acres of open land-space. The environmental merits of vegetarianism will most definitely be a highlighted topic in the 4th Asian Vegetarian Congress in 2009.
Once again, we are proud to have the opportunity to host the 4th Asian Vegetarian Congress. Along with our entire team, we are looking forward to meeting old friends, meeting new faces, and making new friends, all for the common goal of promoting a better way of living. 
Respectfully,
Bambang Sumantri
President of Indonesia Vegetarian Society

Dear friends around the world
Global warming. Probably, the issue has gained the greatest global concern and fear ever in human history. Its definite force of massive destruction is real, inconvenient and menacing from moment to moment. But, to those advocating vegetarian lifestyles, the issue is fundamental. It is not the fear. It is the urging necessity to promote a change in human lifestyles, a situation explicitly conjured by Albert Einstein over half a century ago.
Vegetarianism is basically a universal lifestyle of harmony. But it also represents the basic knowledge and the actual science of living harmoniously in the universe, which is all the actualisation of love for life. The motivation, the spirit and the determination of people going vegetarian are very clear, definite and firm: to bring health, welfare and harmony to life and Planet Earth.
To serve the purpose stated above, the Organising Committee underlines the importance of developing more discussion on issues of information and education systems at the congress this time. We believe it is urgent to establish better-organised systems to develop vegetarianism as a basic need for the sustainability of life and the environment in the world’s largest and most-densely populated continent Asia. Considering the strong traditional beliefs of Asian people in meat-consumption, let’s work out actual programmes to help them understand the benefits of going vegetarian, particularly for the reasons of health and environmental protection. Now is also the time for the Asian Pacific vegetarian societies to begin establishing communication and friendship with health and environment groups in other parts of the globe, which is also an indispensable issue.
I believe it is our hope that the forum can be a good opportunity for everyone to share their concern, experience, motivation, knowledge and expertise for the sake of the world. But the event can also be everyone’s joy in knowing one another from other parts of the planet.
It will be our timeless memory to see you all coming together to the 4th Asian Vegetarian Congress to give the world a true helping hand.
Warmest regards,
Susianto Tseng
Chairman Of the Organising Committee
ISLAND OF FORTUNE
 
Batam Island is the country’s fastest-developing industrial island in the province of Riau Islands. It lies 20 kms south of Singapore, and is conveniently reachable in 45 to 60 minutes from Singapore’s Harbourfront Centre by ferry. It is one of the country’s three busiest international gateways.
 
Populated by around 853,408 people, the island is known for its multi-ethnics such as Malays (the indigenous), Chinese, Javanese and many other ethnics from all over the country. Besides Malay and Indonesian, most Chinese in Riau Islands speak Teochew, Hokkien, Hakka and Mandarin. Being close to Singapore and Malaysia, and being inhibited by thousands of expatriates and overseas tourists, the island is perhaps the country’s best place for people speaking English in its various accents. But Singlish seems to be the most popular here.
 
Batam Island has been growing as the main destination of foreign investments in Indonesia. Together with Karimun Island and Bintan Island (the latter is where the world’s largest Singapore-managed golf course and white-sand beach resort area is located), the 415 km2 island forms the largest free trade zone in the country. It has several business districts such as Nagoya, Batam Centre, Jodoh and Sungai Panas. There are over 20 industrial parks and over 50 shipyards operating across the province. But Batam Island has remained the main such investment area since 1970.