Asean Morning News For January 30

Asean Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Air conditioning sends ASEAN electricity demand soaring
Rising use of air conditioning among increasingly affluent populations in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is causing demand for electricity to soar, threatening the environment with increased carbon emissions, according to a report by Eco-Business Research.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Southeast Asia’s top drugmaker sets its sights on consumer market
A glimpse of the future of health care that Kalbe Farma, Indonesia’s largest pharmaceutical company, envisions can be seen in shopping malls, rather than hospitals.
— Nikkei Asian Review

ATIGA regulations worry local sugar manufacturers
The implementation of tariff reduction to zero percent under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) from January 1, is an obsession with the Vietnamese sugar industry.
— VietnamPlus

Shivering in the tropics: Southeast Asia faces ‘cooling crisis’
Southeast Asia faces a “cooling crisis” as more and more people crank up inefficient air-conditioning to cope with rising temperatures and worsening air pollution, researchers said.
— Reuters

ASEAN chief says ASEAN attaches importance to China’s regional role
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) attaches utmost importance to China’s key role in upholding peace and stability as well as promoting development and prosperity in the region, ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi said here on Monday.
— Xinhua

Arla to boost South East Asia presence through Indonesian joint-venture
Arla Foods expects to expand its position in South East Asia through a joint-venture with one of Indonesia’s leading dairy players.
— Foods Navigator

On the move, call Ninja Van
Southeast Asia delivery company Ninja Van has announced a new and huge injection of cash thanks to exponential growth so it can become bigger and better in its markets in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
— The Nation

Bandung wins ASEAN CleanTtourist City Award
Bandung City has won the Asean Clean Tourist City award at the 2018 Asean Tourism Award (ASANTA), which took place in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
— Antara

ASEAN-India bonhomie seeks to balance power of China
Unprecedented in India’s history, leaders of all 10 ASEAN members on Friday attended the country’s 69th Republic Day parade as chief guests. The gathering of the leaders of the group is regarded as showing India’s implementation of its Act East policy and Indo-Pacific strategy.
— Global Times

Thailand hosts Asean Cooling Summit
Thailand is hosting the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) Cooling Summit on January 29 in Bangkok.
— The Nation

ASEAN Single Window and the Electronic Transmission of Form D among Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam
Businesses in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam (Participating Countries) are all moving toward the electronic filing of the Form D, also known as the certificate of origin, under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (e-ATIGA Form D).
— Lexology

India moves to deepen engagement with ASEAN nations
India rolled out a red carpet welcome to leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to mark 25 years of New Delhi’s ties with the ASEAN bloc, as part of India’s “Act East” policy.
— Al Jazeera

ASEAN promises still to keep
India celebrated its 69th Republic Day with fanfare and a lot of international attention. Inviting the heads of state of the ASEAN was a remarkable feat, especially on the logistics and security side. India has not invited so many heads of state ever for the Republic Day.
— Indian Express

Sniffing out the rich odours of Southeast Asian languages
We Filipinos pride ourselves on the many “smell” words we have in our languages, but it seems this phenomenon is common to tongues across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
— The Nation

Southeast Asia Refractory Metals Market Growth Opportunities By Regions, Type & Application; Trend Forecast To 2022
Southeast Asia Refractory Metals Market report gives key measurements available status of the Southeast Asia Refractory Metals Manufacturers and is a significant wellspring of direction and bearing for organizations and people inspired by the Southeast Asia Refractory Metals Industry.
— Satprnews

Southeast Asia-US aviation market: Thai Airways and Vietnam Airlines to enter, following FAA upgrade
In late 2017 the US FAA conducted safety audits of Thailand and Vietnam. The agency is expected to assign both countries a Category 1 rating within the next few months, which will enable airlines from Thailand and Vietnam to launch services to the US.
— Centre For Aviation

HFW maintains Asia-Pacific growth with major SG move
HFW is bringing in three partners in from three other firms to sustain its growth in the Asia-Pacific region. The international firm has appointed Siri Wennevik, Alistair Duffield, and Ivan Chia as partners in Singapore.
— Australasian Lawyer

Cambodia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Cambodia, China’s Hong Kong firm sign MoU on cassava development
Cambodia and Green Leader (Cambodia) Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of China’s Hong Kong-based Green Leader Holdings Group, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the development of cassava here on Monday.
— Xinhua

A decade in the making: Work on Gold Tower 42 restarts in Phnom Penh
Construction began again on the long-stalled Gold Tower 42 project on Sunday, and the Phnom Penh development is now scheduled to be finished in late 2019 or early 2020.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia’s Former Opposition Chief Sam Rainsy Officially Launches Political Movement
Cambodia’s exiled former opposition leader Sam Rainsy has officially launched a movement to keep his now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) “alive” without fear of government reprisal, outlining an action plan with the objective of ensuring elections this year are free and fair.
— Radio Free Asia

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Indonesia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Govt Opens Opportunity to Raise Non-Subsidized Electricity Tariffs
The government, through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said that the non-subsidized electricity tariffs may go up according to the adjustment formulation that will be arranged.
— Netral News

Gov’t: 168 Million SIM Cards Registered
The government revealed that as of Saturday, January 27, about 168 million people had re-registered their mobile phone SIM cards.
— Tempo

Bank Indonesia considers issuing digital rupiah
Despite Bank Indonesia (BI) prohibiting the use of digital currencies like Bitcoin as a payment instrument, the central bank is considering issuing a cryptocurrency or digital rupiah.
— The Jakarta Post

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Lao PDR Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Asean journalists’ confederation gains new member
Cambodia became a new member of the Confederation of Asean Journalists (CAJ) while a Thai national was chosen as the body’s president at the 19th General Assembly of the Confederation in Thailand last week.
— Vientiane Times

Sekong Expects to Attract 50,000 Tourists
Sekong province expects to attract tourists as high as 50,000 this year, Vice Governor, Mr Leklai Sivilay has said.
— Lao News Agency

Borikhamxay conducts ongoing clampdown against illegal logging
Borikhamxay provincial authorities are continuing to enforce the rule of law by clamping down on illegal logging and combating wildlife hunting despite a decline in unlawful activities in recent years.
— Vientiane Times

See here for more of today’s Lao Morning News

Malaysia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Crude oil prices further ringgit boost
The ringgit opened higher against the US dollar today and on the back of better global crude oil prices, dealers said.
— The Star Online

Alibaba to help Kuala Lumpur reduce traffic woes in first foreign project
Alibaba Group will set up a traffic control system harnessing artificial intelligence for Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, its first such service outside China, as the e-commerce giant pushes to grow its cloud computing business.
— DealStreetAsia

RHB lauds government’s effort to drive digital payments
RHB Bank Bhd (RHB Bank) and RHB Islamic Bhd today introduced RHB’s Corporate MyDebit Card, aimed to reduce check issuance and cash payments among key government agencies.
— New Straits Times

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Russia dismisses US concerns over Myanmar fighter jet sale
Moscow will not pay attention to concerns from Washington regarding the humanitarian implications of a sale of fighter jets to Myanmar, the Kremlin said on Friday.
— Asia Times

‘There is no peace’: traumatised Rohingya vow they won’t go back to Myanmar
They burned my house and my whole village, they stole my crops,” Nagumia says. “I saw them throw the young children, and the old people who could not run, into the fire. They cut people’s throats and their bellies and left them to die. I cannot go back. What am I going to go back to?”
— The Guardian

Myanmar advisory panel chief says it cannot interfere in court case against reporters
Myanmar’s panel of international advisers on Rohingya issues will not get involved in the case of two Reuters journalists charged with violating the Official Secrets Act, its chairman told a state newspaper in an interview published on Monday.
— Reuters

See here for more of today’s Myanmar Morning News

Philippines Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Philippines to develop rules on cryptocurrency trading
The Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission said on Monday it is crafting rules to regulate cryptocurrency transactions to protect investors and reduce the risk of fraud.
— Reuters

3 Philippine Officers Charged in a Killing That Spurred Outrage
The Philippine Justice Department filed murder charges on Monday against three police officers in the death of a 17-year-old boy last year, a case that strengthened opposition to President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs.
— The New York Times

Protests in Philippines over Chinese exploration of Benham Rise
Critics of the Philippine government are protesting against a Chinese research expedition to an underwater region called “Benham Rise”. It is an important marine area in the Philippine Sea with vast untapped resources, which the UN has declared belongs to the Philippines.
— Al Jazeera

See here for more of today’s Philippines Morning News

Singapore Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Singapore Savings Bonds oversubscribed for the first time
For the first time since they were first issued in Oct 2015, the Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) have been oversubscribed.
— Today Online

Singapore outspends China on US property for first time in years
For the first time since 2012, Singapore outspent China to be the largest Asian investor in US commercial property, as deals by Chinese investors plummeted amid a regulatory pressure from Beijing.
— Asia Times

Singapore Launches Biggest Military Mobilization Drills in Decades
Latest MOBEX exercises directed at reinforcing city-state’s ability to tackle a full spectrum of threats including terrorism.
— The Diplomat

See here for more of today’s Singapore Morning News

Thailand Morning News

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Somkid: EEC to beat investment goal
The government is more positive about investment prospects in its much-touted Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), predicting more than 200 billion baht to be recorded this year.
— Bangkok Post

Labour ministry to propose Wage Committee’s new minimum wage rate to the cabinet for consideration on Tuesday
The Ministry of Labour will not bow to the demand of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee for a single minimum wage rate to be applicable nationwide and will propose to the Cabinet on Tuesday the tri-partite Wage Committee’s decision on January 17 to increase the wage rate by 5-22 baht a day.
— Thai PBS

Economic growth to continue this year
THAILAND’S Finance Ministry has projected higher economic growth for this year, predicting a growth rate of 4.2 per cent and upgrading its economic forecast to 4 per cent for 2017.
— The Nation

See here for more of today’s Thailand Morning News

Vietnam Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Vietnam’s shipping major Vinalines to sell 35% stake in IPO in mid-2018
Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) will sell a 35 per cent stake to investors at its initial public offering (IPO) to be held in the second quarter of 2018, according to its acting CEO Nguyen Canh Tinh.
— DealStreetAsia

Vietnam post-harvest losses hinder export
As Vietnam currently has little in the way of post-harvest technology or machinery, post-harvest losses are substantial.
— 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.