SINGAPORE, March 24: Concerns over personal security have deepened among foreign business executives in India, Indonesia and the Philippines partly due to crime and a rise in religious militancy after September 11, a regional survey showed.

Housing has improved in China and Vietnam as quality homes are built to meet the demands of expatriates, the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) said in its latest survey of the quality of life among foreign executives in the region.

There remained a dearth of Broadway plays and rock concerts in Asia, but this is offset by the region’s rich indigenous culture, it said in the survey of 1,000 expatriate business people.

The quality of healthcare has improved since last year in such countries as China, India, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.

Respondents rated the quality of primary schools as good in most of the 12 economies surveyed, but “very few” were perceived to offer university-level educational opportunities aside from Hong Kong, Singapore, and lately China.

Overall, Singapore was voted the country offering the best quality of life for expatriate families for the second year in a row since wresting the title from the Philippines.

On a scale from zero to 10, with zero the best possible grade, Singapore got 2.26.

Thailand came in second 3.45, followed by China 3.76, Malaysia 3.84 and Taiwan 3.98. Hong Kong was in sixth place with 4.04, trailed by South Korea 4.09, Japan 4.14, the Philippines 4.84, and Vietnam 5.42.

India at 5.68 and Indonesia 6.59 rounded up the last two places.

All 12 economies were graded on the basis of a slew of variables including how the expatriates viewed the quality of housing, education, health care, personal security and entertainment in their places of residence.

PERC noted that the most notable decline was in the area of personal security, due to heightened concerns after suspected Muslim militants hijacked passenger planes and rammed them into buildings in New York and Washington last September 11.

India, the Philippines and Indonesia — where PERC said Islamic activism has increased as a problem — saw their grades worsen the most.

“Expatriates living in these countries do not feel as safe as they did before,” the Hong Kong-based PERC said. “In most cases, social unrest has been aggravated by other problems as well, including basic crimes against persons and property.”

In contrast, executives said they felt more secure in countries that took tough action on the problem when it occurred, among them China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Perception of the standards of Indonesia’s international schools have been weighed down by security concerns among parents.

“Simply getting to and from school is perceived to be more dangerous today that it was during the Suharto days,” PERC said, referring to the former Indonesian president who was toppled in 1998.

Like Indonesia, personal security worries are beginning to adversely affect expatriates’ perception of the Philippines, which had been voted as the best place to be 1999 and 2000.

While the quality of expatriate housing remains comfortable in Manila, “neighbourhoods need to be particularly careful about security,” it said.

International schools in Manila have also received good grades, but parents have to worry about the threat of kidnappings, PERC noted, adding the same is true for the country’s excellent resorts.

For India, “recent bombings and talk of war on terrorism have apparently made expatriates feel a bit uncomfortable,” PERC said.

Five of the six best-ranked countries in terms of personal security were all in East or Northeast Asia, with Southeast Asian city-state Singapore the only exception, PERC noted.

“This is a disturbing trend,” it said, adding that if this is not reversed “it will be another factor that scares away foreign direct investment from South and Southeast Asia.”—AFP