Asean Morning News For June 15

Asean Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

UN says people smuggling worth $7bn a year
THE global people smuggling industry is worth between $5.5 and $7 billion according to new analysis from the United Nations.
— Asian Correspondent

Malaysia Swamps Asean’s Best Young University List
Coming hot on the heals of the Times Higher Education (THE) 2018 World Reputation Rankings and the 2018 Emerging Economies University Rankings comes the THE 2018 Young University Rankings, with tertiary institutions from Malaysia dominating with seven entries.
— AEC News Today

Thailand’s Energy Review Delays Launch of Controversial Mekong Dam
A major energy review by Thailand has delayed the launch of a controversial dam on the Mekong. This could lead to further questions about future hydropower projects along the river.
— The Wire

Five-nation meeting plays to diverse strengths
‘Growing together” is the government’s key goal under the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (Acmecs) framework, says Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.
— Bangkok Post

Laos proposes new Mekong hydropower project
Laos will undertake a prior consultation with Mekong River Commission (MRC) members over a new Mekong hydropower project, the MRC Secretariat announced this week.
— Vientiane Times

New PHNIX Water Source Heat Pump Water Heater Will Soon Be Launched in Southeast Asia
A few months ago, PHNIX released a series of new heat pump water heaters during trade shows in India and Vietnam.
— AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)

Microsoft talent takes top Asia Pacific job at Autodesk
Haresh Khoobchandani has been appointed as new vice president of sales for Asia Pacific at Autodesk.
— Channel Asia Singapore

Plastic waste export tide turns to south-east Asia after China ban
The UK’s exports of plastic waste to south-east Asia have surged this year following China’s crackdown on waste imports, in a trend that industry executives say may be unsustainable.
— Financial Times

PR Newswire Expands its Asia-Pacific Footprint with New Office Opening in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
PR Newswire- the premier global provider of news release distribution and media monitoring services, has expanded its Asia-Pacific footprint with the opening of a new office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
— AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)

Deeper relations with South Korea brings diplomatic and economic opportunities
South Korea has many historical links with Southeast Asia. However, the country trails China, the US, the EU, and Japan when it comes to investing in ASEAN.
— Asean Today

Asean needs to deepen regional financial cooperation
THE global macroeconomic landscape has grown increasingly complex since the Asean+3 group – which includes 10 members of the Association of South-east Asian Nations plus China (including Hong Kong), Japan and South Korea – introduced the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM), the bloc’s multicurrency swap arrangement, eight years ago.
— The Business Times

SE Asian imported fruit shows seasonal price adjustment
Southeast Asian imported fruit has reached peak season. The “king of tropical fruit” durian and mangosteen have matured.
— Fresh Plaza

Southeast Asia PE market faces longer H2 supply, weak demand
Southeast Asia’s polyethylene (PE) market may be facing longer supply in the second half, hinging on how the US-China trade spat plays out, amid the region’s weakening demand for imports.
— ICIS

Bundaberg strawberry farm looking for Asian workers only
‘No Aussies or Europeans wanted’. That’s how an advertisement posted to a social media job search page looking for strawberry pickers in Queensland ended.
— Fresh Plaza

South East Asia Residential Water Treatment Equipment Market Worth US$ 787.1 Mn by 2026
Governments, municipal authorities and civic bodies across Southeast Asian countries will remain determined towards supply of potable & highly-filtered drinking water to millions of households residing in this region.
— Industry Today (media release)

ESAI Energy Update – Asia’s Growing Pull on U.S. Butane
The U.S. now exports more than 50,000 b/d of butane to Asia. Those deliveries are overshadowed by propane.
— OilVoice

Cambodia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

MFAIC: Cambodia Elected Member of ECOSOC
The Kingdom of Cambodia was elected as a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for one year term 2019 with the supporting votes 183 out of 188, according to MFAIC’s press release dated on 13 June 2018.
— Fresh News

Crackdown and cash: Hun Sen’s recipe for victory in Cambodian poll
Drenched in sweat and more than an hour into a speech urging 16,000 garment factory workers to vote for the ruling party, Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia revived the restless crowd by announcing that everyone would receive a cash gift.
— Reuters

Aviation sectors brings $128m to state’s coffers
The aviation sector generated more than $128 million in revenues from 2013 to 2017 that went straight to public coffers, according to a government report published Tuesday.
— Khmer Times

See here for more of today’s Cambodia Morning News

Indonesia Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

World Bank Approves US$100 Million for Water Supply in Indonesia
Indonesia has received a World Bank loan of US$100 million for its National Urban Water Supply Project.
— IISD

INDONESIAN CARRIERS REMOVED FROM EU BLACKLIST, 119 AIRLINES STILL BANNED
All Indonesian carriers have been removed from Europe’s list of banned airlines just as the European Union is deploying a new system aimed at preventing unsafe aircraft entering its airspace.
— Airline Ratings

EU new palm oil rule seen to be setting up clash with Malaysia, Indonesia
EU negotiators on Thursday agreed to phase out the use of palm oil in transport fuels from 2030, setting up a clash with producer countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia.
— The Star Online

See here for more of today’s Indonesia Morning News

Lao PDR Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Tourism in Laos thriving, given small population size
The number of people visiting Laos is high compared to neighbouring countries if the nation’s population size is taken into account, as tourist arrivals are more than half the size of the total population of Laos.
— Vientiane Times

UN Committee Set to Examine Civil and Political Rights in Laos
A U.N. review of the rights record of Laos scheduled for July should look closely into the condition of civil and political rights in the Southeast Asian country, focusing on reports in recent years of forced disappearances and harsh prison terms handed out to critics of the country’s government, two Paris-based rights groups say.
— Radio Free Asia

See here for more of today’s Lao Morning News

Malaysia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Expect another scandal to be exposed, says Guan Eng
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng says another major scandal “related to the finance ministry” will be revealed soon.
— Free Malaysia Today

Investigation into luxury items seized in 1MDB probe still ongoing: Malaysia police
The Royal Malaysia Police’s investigation into the seizure of valuable items from a luxury condominium in Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur in relation to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) probe is still ongoing.
— Channel NewsAsia

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Yangon government under fire for proposing to spend K1 billion on ten Ford cars
The Finance, Planning and Economic Affairs Committee plans to discuss Yangon’s proposed 2018-19 budget, which includes spending on a fleet of Ford vehicles for government officials, Daw Sandar Min, the committee’s chair, told The Myanmar Times this week.
— The Myanmar Times

Japan: Investigate brewer Kirin over payment to Myanmar military amid ethnic cleansing of Rohingya
Japanese authorities must urgently launch an investigation into payments that a subsidiary of the multinational brewing giant Kirin made to Myanmar’s military and authorities at the height of an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya population in late 2017, Amnesty International said today.
— Amnesty International

$163 m earned from exporting rice to 35 countries in two months
Myanmar has earned US$163 million from exporting 470,000 tons of rice and broken rice to 35 countries during the past two months, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
— Eleven Myanmar

See here for more of today’s Myanmar Morning News

Philippines Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

TRAIN cash grants for 10-million poor families
Malacañang announced Thursday that a cash grant of P2,400 will be distributed to 10 million poor families in July as part of the government’s unconditional cash transfer program aimed at shielding them from higher taxes under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law.
— Manilastandard.net

Net ‘hot money’ outflow tops $296M in May – BSP
Foreign portfolio investments turned negative in May, recording the biggest net outflow in three months based on Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data released on Thursday.
— The Manila Times

PHL BOP deficit seen worse than earlier thought for 2018
MORE dollars are expected to bleed out of the economy for this year, as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced late Thursday that it expected a bigger wound in the Philippines’s balance of payments (BoP) position for 2018.
— Business Mirror

See here for more of today’s Philippines Morning News

Singapore Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Singapore using mini USB fans to hack summit journalists’ data?
The 3000 or so journalists who provided media coverage for the Trump-Kim summit were cautioned by netizens not to plug in the USB mini fan they received into their computers.
— The Independent Singapore

Offspring of Well-heeled Singaporeans Trash ACS Barker Road (video)
The offspring of well-heeled Singaporeans have been caught on video running amok at one of the country’s most prestigious schools. Far from an image of studious, youth intent on pursuing careers of excellence, the children in the video above exhibit the appearance of juvenile delinquents.
— AEC News Today (video)

Faster US rate hikes to have mixed impact on Singapore
THE United States Federal Reserve’s decision to step up the pace of interest rate increases signals its optimism about the economy but will likely have a mixed impact on Singapore and Asia.
— The Business Times (paywall)

See here for more of today’s Singapore Morning News

Thailand Morning News

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

World Bank may raise Thai economic growth forecast
The World Bank may boost its projection for economic growth in Thailand, where the pace of expansion hit a five-year high last quarter.
— Bangkok Post

Leading players want charter amended after next election
THE JUNTA-SPONSORED charter, which imposes curbs on politicians, remains the prime target of big political parties who aim to replace it after the election even though it was endorsed in a 2016 national referendum, judging by the comments made at a symposium attended by prominent politicians yesterday.
— The Nation

RAM Ratings reaffirms Thailand’s robust external finances
RAM Ratings has reaffirmed Thailand’s respective global and Asean-scale ratings of gBBB1(pi)/Stable and seaAA1(pi)/Stable, reflecting the country’s robust external finances, well-diversified economy and fiscal position that remains intact notwithstanding its expansionary fiscal stance.
— The Borneo Post

See here for more of today’s Thailand Morning News

Vietnam Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Vietnam cybersecurity law sparks public outcry
Activists and netizens in Vietnam claim a contentious law on cybersecurity is a legalized step to clamp down on dissident voices and rights advocates.
— UCA News

Vietnam: Opportunities in the Waste-to-Energy Sector
With the rise in urbanization from 2004 to 2015, waste generated in Vietnam increased from 15.6 million tons to 27.8 million tons annually, an increase of 78.2 percent.
— Vietnam-Briefing

Vietnam ups steel capabilities, reduces imports
Imports from China have fallen as local firms are able to produce more advanced products, senior industry official says.
— VnExpress

See here for more of today’s Vietnam Morning News

The Asean Morning News Roundup and its individual country morning news round-ups are the most comprehensive hand-curated selection of news reports from around the Asean Economic Community (AEC) published. We scour hundreds of local and international news and websites to find the things that you need to know to start your working week day.

We clearly identify the source of the story, whether it is behind a paywall, a media release, or whether the site uses annoying pop-up advertising or auto-play video, in case those things annoy you. It’s all then packaged up in an easy to read format enabling you to make an informed choice of whether you want to learn more by clicking directly through to the original source, or keep on reading the headlines. AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.