Asean Morning News For January 5

Asean Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Legal redress for Rohingya: ASEAN’s responsibility
Much has been discussed about the current crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and the consequent exodus of more than 620,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh. Yet there is little to no discourse on what the international community and ASEAN should do after the crisis.
— The Jakarta Post

Thailand, Myanmar and Laos to jointly solve smoke haze
Thailand, Myanmar and Laos will launch their joint efforts to contain smoke haze later this month, the Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
— Borneo Bulletin

Rules of Origin Criteria of ASEAN’s Free Trade Agreements
Rules of Origin (RoO) are guidelines that help importers and manufacturers determine the country of origin of a product.
— Asean Briefing

ASEAN & South Asia Dyestuff for Textile Market to Reach $1,938.9 Million by 2023: P&S Market Research
According to the new study published by P&S Market Research, the ASEAN & South Asia dyestuff for textile market is forecasted to Reach $1,938.9 Million by 2023.
— GlobeNewsWire

Big 3 Asean rubber producers to cut 350,000 tonnes of NR exports until March
Asean’s big three rubber producers — Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia — have agreed to cut exports of 350,000 tonnes of natural rubber (NR) until March 2018 to help prices recover.
— The Edge Markets

Global ASEAN Ceramics Market (2018-2020) – Sales Revenue and Resources
The Global ASEAN Ceramics Market report by QY Market Research is an insightful analysis of the existing, future, and historic market scenario providing the reader an atomistic as well as a holistic view of the market.
— Talk Daily News

New Asean Secretariat Building to Begin Construction
A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, Secretariat building will take place on Friday (05/01), as Jakarta seeks to affirm its position as the bloc’s diplomatic capital.
— Jakarta Globe

Philippine economy to grow fastest in ASEAN-5 in 2018 – First Metro
First Metro Investment Corporation, the investment banking arm of Metrobank Group, expects the Philippines to become the fastest growing economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-5 this year, clocking in as much as 7.5% growth.
— Rappler

WeWork banks on a local approach and Powered By We to crack Southeast Asia
WeWork charged into Asia two years ago but it finally moved into Southeast Asia in the second half of 2017 through the acquisition of SpaceMob and the opening of its first space in Singapore — which became number 200 worldwide. Now, the company is relying on a formula with two key focuses to further its push and conquer the co-working space in this emerging region.
— TechCrunch

Japan offering financial aid to Asian medical students
Japan’s health ministry will support Asian students, chiefly from Southeast Asia and India, studying at Japanese medical schools as part of the government’s Asia Health and Human Well-Being Initiative.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia to hold back rubber exports
Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia’ pledge to withhold exports of 350,000 tonnes of natural rubber (NR) until March 2018 comes into immediate effect on Thursday.
— The Star Online

Asean leaders on Republic Day guest list as India pushes its Act East policy
India’s 69th Republic Day celebrations on January 26 will have 10 special guests instead of the customary one, and that means the usual elaborate preparations have been replaced with even more elaborate ones.
— Hindustan Times

Cambodia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

PM Hun Sen: UNTAC Did Not End Civil War in Cambodia, Win-Win Policy Did (video)
Prime Minister Hun Sen said that United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) did not end the civil war in Cambodia and that the authority was unable to enter the areas controlled by Khmer Rouge Regime at Cambodia-Thailand borders.
— Fresh News (video)

Analysis: In new propaganda documentary, Hun Sen attempts to ‘rewrite history’
‘There is a miraculous story that I remember even now,” says Prime Minister Hun Sen, with a pause, in a glossy new documentary that aired in Cambodia on Wednesday night.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia to turn local noodle soup into household name
The Cambodian Ministry of Commerce plans to make Phnom Penh kuyteav, the famous noodle dish typically eaten for breakfast, into a brand name, with the official launch for the new trademark set for March, a senior official revealed to the Khmer Times.
— The Bangkok Post

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Indonesia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

What Does Indonesia’s New Political Landscape Mean for the Future of its Economy?
The election of Jakarta Governor Anies Rasyid Baswedan and the imprisonment of the former governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known popularly as Ahok, on blasphemy charges, marked a stark turning point for Indonesian politics and Indonesian society.
— The Diplomat

Indonesia to distribute Rp 120t to small, micro businesses
The Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister’s deputy for macroeconomic and finance, Iskandar Simorangkir, has said the government has allocated Rp 120 trillion (US$8.39 billion) for micro credit program Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR) this year, higher than the Rp 106.6 trillion allocated last year.
— The Jakarta Post

Specs retailer Owndays focuses on Indonesia
Japanese eyeglasses company Owndays has set its sights on Indonesia for the next stage of an aggressive overseas expansion drive.
— Nikkei Asian Review

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Lao PDR Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Utilise local tour guides or face penalties, foreign tour operators warned
Lao authorities have warned foreign tour operators to utilise local tour guides otherwise they will be fined.
— Vientiane Times

President Tran Dai Quang receives Lao supreme court chief
President Tran Dai Quang received Chief Justice Khamphanh Sithidampha and a delegation of the People’s Supreme Court of Laos in Hanoi on January 4.
— Vietnam Plus

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Malaysia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Najib election battle seen as key for Malaysia as economy booms
Malaysia faces higher interest rates, currency risks and a contentious election battle in 2018 that will test Prime Minister Najib Razak’s grip on power.
— Business Mirror

Axiata is said to consider $500m tower unit IPO this year
Axiata Group Bhd., Malaysia’s biggest wireless carrier, is considering an initial public offering of its tower unit that could raise at least $500 million, people with knowledge of the matter said.
— New Straits Times

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Myanmar Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Myanmar Constitution needs reform, says President
Myanmar’s civilian President called in an Independence Day speech yesterday for reform of a military-drafted Constitution and for justice for all recognised minorities under a federal system, but made no mention of the treatment of its Rohingya Muslim people.
— The Straits Times (paywall)

Myanmar’s ‘death highway’ claims 116 lives in 2017
Traffic accidents killed 116 people on the 365-mile highway connecting Yangon to Mandalay in 2017, highway traffic police announced earlier this week. The deaths were among 555 total accidents on the highway last year, which also caused 863 injuries.
— Coconuts Yangon

Commentary: Myanmar’s track record left wanting after a year of shattered hopes in 2017
The National League for Democracy (NLD)-led civilian government came to power on a wave of euphoria and exceedingly high hopes less than two years ago, as the first civilian president in five decades was sworn in on Mar 30, 2016.
— Channel NewsAsia

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Philippines Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Philippine economy to grow fastest in ASEAN-5 in 2018 – First Metro
First Metro Investment Corporation, the investment banking arm of Metrobank Group, expects the Philippines to become the fastest growing economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-5 this year, clocking in as much as 7.5% growth.
— Rappler

Philippines fines Sanofi, suspends clearance for Dengvaxia
The Philippines has fined Sanofi US$2,000 and suspended clearance for the French drug maker’s controversial dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, citing violations on product registration and marketing, its health secretary said on Thursday.
— Channel NewsAsia

IN 2018: TRAIN to drive growth to 7-7.5%
First Metro Investments Corp. sees the recently-passed tax reform law aiding the economy to hit 7 to 7.5 percent growth for the year, as it gives both the government and most of the public more spendable income.
— Malaya

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Singapore Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

SIA makes U-turn on credit card fee for flights leaving S’pore after backlash
In a U-turn, national carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) has ditched its plans to levy a credit-card service fee on outgoing flights from Singapore, just a day after the news sparked a public backlash.
— Today Online

‘Indian IT experts use Singapore to venture into ASEAN’
INGAPORE: More and more Indian IT companies are using Singapore’s financial ecosystem to launch their products and services into ASEAN markets, according to an industry expert.
— Gadgets Now

Singapore’s oBike reaches 10m rides but lags far behind rivals
OBike, a bike-sharing startup founded in Singapore, has just reached 10 million rides since it was founded a year ago. However, the homegrown company is still lagging behind Ofo and Mobike, its far-larger rivals from China.
— TechInAsia

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Thailand Morning News

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Road deaths at 423 after final day of NY holiday
The holiday season road death toll rose to 423 on Wednesday, the final day of the “seven dangerous days” of New Year travel, with Nakhon Ratchasima the province with the most deaths.
— Bangkok Post

GSB expects Thai economy in 2018 to expand by 4 6%
The Government Savings Bank (GSB) Research Center has forecast that the Thai economy in 2018 will expand by 4.6%.
— News Today (video)

Thai court jails blind woman for 1-1/2 years over royal insult
A Thai court on Thursday jailed a blind woman for 1-1/2 years for violating the country’s royal insult law, her lawyer and a court official said.
— Channel NewsAsia

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Vietnam Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

South Korea’s GS Retail aims for 2,000 convenience stores in Vietnam
Son Kim Group, one of Vietnam’s leading privately-owned retailers, and South Korea’s GS Retail are planning to launch their first convenience store in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. 19.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Securities sector to grab investor interest in 2018
The securities market is likely to be the most attractive investment channel for investors in the Vietnamese economy this year, analysts said.
— VietnamPlus

Garment sector eyes $34b exports
Viet Nam’s textile and garment industry targets a year-on-year increase of 10 per cent in export value, to US$34 billion, in 2018.
— Bizhub

Central bank injects US$792 million to support market
State Bank of Việt Nam (SBV) made a net cash injection of VNĐ18 trillion (US$792 million) into the economy in the past week.
— Viet Nam News

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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.