Asean Morning News For January 17

Asean Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Russia courts Southeast Asian partners with authoritarian streaks
A quarter of a century after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia is back in Southeast Asia, where creeping authoritarianism is giving Moscow room to maneuver.
— Nikkei Asian Review

ASEAN parliamentarians slam SEC ruling vs Rappler
Parliamentarians from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) slammed the ruling of the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revoke the license of social news network Rappler.
— Rappler

IT Priorities 2018: Growing interest in hybrid IT in ASEAN
Organisations in Southeast Asia are looking to augment their on-premise datacentres with cloud-based resources in an increasingly hybrid IT landscape in 2018, a new survey has revealed.
— ComputerWeekly

US list hails Asean ‘safety’
Most of Asean has been given reason to celebrate as a bizarre list by the US State Department on travel safety puts eight of its 10 members among the safest countries in the world to visit.
— Asean Economist

India could wind up leading ASEAN’s clean coal charge
Anniversaries are always a time for both reflection and preparation, and India’s 69th Republic Day will be no different. On January 26, all 10 ASEAN members will attend a major summit in New Delhi to celebrate seven decades of Indian constitutional democracy. All sides will, of course, celebrate that past with one eye firmly set on their own present and future interests.
— Asia Times

South East Asia Synthesis Gas Market – Segmented by End-User Industry, Application and Geography – Trends and Forecasts 2017 – 2022
The new report from Energy & Natural Resources Market Reports has been published today. It provides updated in 2018 year analysis of energy & natural resources industries.
— Military-Technologies

Tencent, Alibaba take e-wallet wars to Southeast Asia
With a population of 600 million, and good mobile saturation, Southeast Asia is becoming a battleground for e-wallet companies from China.
— Nikkei Asian Review

SE Asia Stocks-Philippines, Thailand set fresh records; Vietnam falls
Philippine and Thai shares climbed to all-time highs on Tuesday, while most other Southeast Asian stock markets trod water in line with broader Asia as caution set in after the previous session’s record-setting gains.
— Tuoi Tre

Malaysia, Singapore sign bilateral transport pact
Malaysia and Singapore Tuesday signed a bilateral agreement to build and run a Rapid Transit System Link, advancing an initiative to boost connectivity between the two Southeast Asian nations.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Thailand ready for ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2018 in Chiang Mai
Thailand is ready to host the 37th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF 2018) between 22-26 January, 2018, at the Chiang Mai Exhibition and Convention Centre (CMECC) under the theme “ASEAN-Sustainable Connectivity, Boundless Prosperity”.
— Travel Daily News

Laos assures riverside Thais on dam impact
Laos has assured the Pak Beng hydropower dam that is to be built on the lower Mekong River will have no adverse impact on local people living on the Thai side of the river.
— Bangkok Post

Thai farming lags behind its Asean peers
THE FARM sector has shown sign of weakness as competitors in Asean, such as Vietnam, starts to do better in many products, warn researchers at Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).
— The Nation

Southeast Asian plastic recyclers hope to clean up after China ban
When Seah Kian Hoe was just 10 years old, he would jump on the back of his parent’s small truck during school holidays and help them collect scrap, going door-to-door around neighbourhoods in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor.
— Thomson Reuters Foundation News

Deepening Singapore-Malaysia ties spawn transit link
Malaysia and Singapore are set to add a new cross-border commuter connection, as the countries’ leaders further deepen a relationship that has not always been cozy.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Assam Plans To Subsidise Airfares To Southeast Asia
Travelling to Southeast Asia is likely to get cheaper for those who are ready to fly out of Guwahati, as Assam has made a proposal to subsidise the airfare.
— Defence Aviatioin Post

ASEAN Tourism Forum to be held in Quang Ninh in 2019
Leaders of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism and Quang Ninh Province organized a meeting on the organization of these two events.
— VIETNAMNET Bridge

Cambodia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Cambodia government to reduce foreign debt
The Cambodian government plans to reduce its foreign debt and raise capital through the issuance of bonds, a representative of the Ministry of Economy and Finance has unveiled.
— Bangkok Post

Over 420,000 Vehicles Registered in 2017
In 2017, Ministry of Public Works and Transport had registered 423,652 vehicles, of which 364,343 are motorcycles and 59,309 are cars, according to Sun Chanthol, Minister of Public Works and Transport.
— Fresh News

Cambodia Issues Health Warning Over Bird Flu Outbreak in Phnom Penh
Officials were quick to clarify that no humans had been found to have been infected by the H1N1 virus.
— VOA

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Indonesia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Government Issues Permit to Import 500,000 tons of Rice
The Trade Ministry has officially issued the permit to import 500,000 tons of rice which will be effective until February 28.
— Tempo

2018, Investment in Chemical, Textile and Miscellaneous Industry Expected to Reach IDR117 Tln
The Ministry of Industry targets the investment value in the chemical, textile and miscellaneous (IKTA) sectors in 2018 to reach IDR117 trillion, up from the 2017 realization that is expected to reach IDR94 trillion.
— Netral News

Gov’t Issues New Rules on Natural Gas Pricing, Transmission
The government capped natural gas trader profit margins at 7 percent in rules released this week by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, which companies will have up to 18 months to adopt.
— JakartaGlobe

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Lao PDR Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Govt, UNDP assess progress towards development goals
The Ministry of Planning and Investment in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) yesterday held their annual review meeting on the Support Programme for NSEDP Implementation towards Least Developed Country (LDC) Graduation, Middle Income Country (MIC) Transition and SDG Achievement (2017-2021).
— Vientiane Times

Lao gov’t to improve investment climate
The Lao government is streamlining procedures in a bid to improve ease-of-doing business (EDB) as Laos’ international ranking in this area deteriorates.
— Xinhua Net

Myanmar plans purchase of Lao hydropower
Office Head of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Dr Daovong Phonekeo, told Vientiane Times on Monday the two sides will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this week, which will allow Myanmar authorities to initiate a feasibility study.
— Eleven Myanmar

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Malaysia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Telekom inks MoU with TNB to deliver Nationwide Fiberisation Plan
Telekom Malaysia Bhd and Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) have teamed up to develop a plan to expand the availability of high speed internet access in the country and bring down the cost of the service.
— The Star Online

Malaysia advances in STEM industries, prepared for Industry 4.0, says government rep
Malaysia has successfully developed science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) industries, a scientific advisor to the Prime Minister said today.
— Malay Mail Online

BMW delivers 12,681 vehicles in 2017
BMW Group Malaysia achieved its finest performance with a total of 12,681 units of BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad vehicles delivered last year.
— New Straits Times

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Myanmar, Bangladesh reach agreement to complete return of Rohingya Muslims within two years
Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed to complete within two years the return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who fled an army crackdown last year in Myanmar.
— ABC

Rohingya insurgents on the move in Myanmar
An attack by Rohingya militants in western Myanmar in the opening days of the New Year – their first military activity after a protracted three-month hiatus – provided a glimpse of the direction in which the conflict is likely headed in the coming year.
— Asia Times

MOEE to provide 3,600 MW of additional power in four years
The Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE) has pledged to provide an additional 3,600 megawatts of electricity within the next four years, Deputy Minister Dr. Tun Naing said in Parliament Monday.
— Myanmar Times

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Philippines Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

DOJ looks into criminal aspect of Rappler case
In accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s decision revoking Rappler’s corporate registration, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Tuesday said his office had started looking into the criminal liability of the news website.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sanofi to refund Philippines for $28M unused Dengvaxia doses
Facing growing demand from officials and lawmakers, Sanofi Pasteur agreed to refund the Philippine government for unused Dengvaxia doses worth about 1.4 billion Philippine pesos ($28 million). But safety questions continue to swirl after preliminary autopsy results came out from children who died after receiving Dengvaxia, though no causal link has been proven.
— Fierce Pharma

3 million senior citizens get TRAIN subsidy
Some three million senior citizens are qualified to receive an additional P200 per month this year as part of the tax reform law’s unconditional cash grant for poor Filipinos.
— Philstar

See here for more of today’s Philippines Morning News

Singapore Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Singapore’s exports growth slows further as electronics decline
The growth of Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports (NODX) slowed further in December as sales of electronics cooled, official data showed on Wednesday (Jan 17).
— Channel NewsAsia

Tax e-commerce instead of raising GST, say firms here
Ahead of Budget 2018 which will be delivered next month, the business community here has urged the Government to impose a tax on e-commerce to “level the playing field” — a call backed by a KPMG report which said such a move makes “for far better math” compared with raising goods and services tax (GST) across the board.
— Today Online

Singapore, Malaysia sign bilateral agreement on JB-Singapore Rapid Transit System
A legally binding agreement between Singapore and Malaysia brings the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) one step closer to fruition.
— Channel NewsAsia

See here for more of today’s Singapore Morning News

Thailand Morning News

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Smart visa available from February 1
The Thai Cabinet has approved a new “smart visa” to lure specialists to work in 10 targeted industries.
— Phuket Gazette

Thai export growth forecast to reach 6.3% this year
The Center for International Trade Studies of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce has estimated that Thai exports will likely expand by 6.3% this year in line with the global economic recovery.
— NNT

SCBT forecasts 4.3% GDP growth for 2018
Thailand’s economic growth outlook is expected to remain bright this year, with a 4.3% forecast attributed to improvement in manufacturing, services, and agricultural sectors, says Standard Chartered Bank Thai (SCBT).
— Bangkok Post

See here for more of today’s Thailand Morning News

Vietnam Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Mining sector gains record VND2.5 trillion profit in 2017
Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) earned a record profit of more than VND2.5 trillion (US$110 million) in 2017, an increase of approximately VND1.5 trillion compared to 2016.
— Nhan Dan Online

Foreign-invested convenience stores seek to find firm niche in Vietnam
With huge investment, commodities suiting all tastes, ages and income levels, and round-the-clock services, convenience stores could make a splash in the Vietnamese food and beverage market.
— VietnamPlus

Hanoi will now start using QR codes to trace fruit
According to a plan issued by the Hanoi People’s Committee, starting this year the city of Hanoi plans a pilot programme on using technology to trace the origins of agricultural products.
— Fresh Plaza

See here for more of today’s Vietnam Morning News

Asean Morning News is the most comprehensive selection of reports on what you need to know from around the Asean Economic Community (AEC) published. All articles are hand curated by the team at AEC News Today. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.