Asean Morning News
Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu
University Malaya Tops Asean Emerging Economies University List
After storming into the 2018 Times World University Rankings with a debut in the 351-400 grouping University Malaya (UM) continues to disrupt the Asean higher education scene, unseating Thailand’s Mahidol University (MU) from the top ranked university in Asean and taking the 27th spot globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings 2018.
— AEC News Today
Rohingya being smuggled to Malaysia in Bangkok-Hatyai buses
Police have discovered a new channel being used to smuggle Rohingya from Thailand to Malaysia, according to a Malaysian media report.
— The Nation
Empowering civil society in ASEAN
As a regional association, ASEAN must avoid the pitfalls of becoming a high-minded, elitist organisation, with its inner workings confined within the hallowed hallways of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.
— The Asean Post
Speeding up the adoption of QR payments in ASEAN
In ASEAN nations, the QR payment landscape is becoming more diverse. Users can use QR payment for food and beverage (F&B) purchases, retail purchases and taxi services.
— Asean Today
Fintech, blockchain most overrated areas in SE Asia: 500 Startups’ Vishal Harnal
With four funds operating in Southeast Asia that have invested in over 200 companies, 500 Startups is one of the most active investors in the region.
— Deal Street Asia
Southeast Asia’s cybersecurity an emerging concern
Cybercrime is on the rise throughout Southeast Asia, with the region’s rapid development in terms of digital technologies making it a prime target for cybercriminals.
— The Asean Post
Malaysia’s Anwar meets Singaporean PM Lee
Malaysian political leader Anwar Ibrahim who was freed from jail earlier this week met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his visit to Malaysia yesterday.
— News Today (video)
ASEAN youth promotes “green” entrepreneurship at ASEAN Youth Expo 2018
ASEAN youth leaders and youth entrepreneurs showcased their efforts and creativity in promoting environment-friendly enterprises at ASEAN Youth Expo 2018 held on 3-4 May at the Grand Sahid Jaya Hotel, Jakarta.
— Modern Diplomacy
ASEAN: An Unexpected Success Story
Against all odds, the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, has grown into one of the most viable and successful regional organizations in the world.
— The Cairo Review
New ride-hailing players emerge in Southeast Asia to take on Grab, Go-Jek
When Grab announced its acquisition of rival Uber’s business in Southeast Asia in March, anti-trust watchdogs immediately raised concerns of a possible monopoly in the region’s ride-hailing sector.
— DealStreetAsia
China tests bombers on South China Sea island
China says it has landed long-range bombers for the first time on an island in the South China Sea, the latest in a series of maneuvers putting Beijing at odds with its neighbors and Washington over China’s growing military presence around disputed islands.
— CNN
PayPal, Alpha JWC Ventures collaborate invest in SEA fintech startups
GLOBAL technology platform and digital payments leader PayPal Holdings, Inc and Southeast Asian venture capital firm Alpha JWC Ventures announced that Alpha JWC will invest up to US$5 million in 2018 participants of PayPal Incubator, a fintech startup incubation programme in Southeast Asia.
— Digital News Asia
Opportunities and challenges for Asean amid growth
This is the eighth of 12 primers on current affairs issues that are part of the outreach programme for The Straits Times-Ministry of Education National Current Affairs Quiz.
— The Straits Times
Cambodia Morning News
Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov
Cambodia and JICA to Begin Sky Railway Construction in 2019
Minister of Ministry of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol told Fresh News Sunday that a sky railway project is still under preliminary research between the Ministry and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
— Fresh News
NEC recognises 15 political parties to contest election
The National Election Committee has officially recognised 15 out of the 20 political parties that registered to contest the upcoming national poll in July, an official said yesterday.
— Khmer Times
QR code system to rate services in international gateways launched
The Ministry of Tourism began yesterday the installation of a network of stickers known as QR codes in the country’s main international gateways to allow visitors to those facilities to evaluate the quality of services offered.
— Khmer Times
See here for more of today’s Cambodia Morning News
Indonesia Morning News
Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu
Alleged graft reported in Jakarta school renovation fund
The Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) urged the Jakarta administration on Sunday to open an investigation into the Rp 180 billion (US$12.7 million) allocated for school renovations last year.
— The Jakarta Post
Pelindo III Gives Out 14,000 Free Homecoming Ticket
State-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III (Pelindo III) provides 14,009 free homecoming tickets by sea transportation this year. The registration opens until June 12.
— Tempo.co
32 migrant workers from NTT die abroad in 5 months
At least 32 migrant workers from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) have died at their respective workplaces in the first five months of this year due to various reasons, ranging from illnesses and snake bites to torture, according to the Kupang Migrant Workers’ Placement, Protection and Monitoring Agency (BP3TKI).
— The Jakarta Post
See here for more of today’s Indonesia Morning News
Lao PDR Morning News
Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat
World Bank approves upgrade of key arterial road
The World Bank has approved a project that aims to improve National Road No. 13 as part of efforts to create better conditions for people living along and using this primary corridor.
— Vientiane Times
Laos calls for joint effort to overcome global inequality
Laos has joined the international community in calling for a united effort to address inequality across the globe in pursuit of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
— Vientiane Times
Lao Leaders Express Condolences Over Plane Crash In Cuba
President Bounnhang Vorachit and Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith on May 19 sent a message of condolences to President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez.
— Lao News Agency
See here for more of today’s Lao Morning News
Malaysia Morning News
Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov
Malaysia’s Najib denies seeking police protection
Former prime minister Najib Razak denied on Sunday (May 20) that he has sought protection from the police over the ongoing money laundering probe involving state fund 1MDB.
— Channel NewsAsia
University Malaya Tops Asean Emerging Economies University List
After storming into the 2018 Times World University Rankings with a debut in the 351-400 grouping University Malaya (UM) continues to disrupt the Asean higher education scene, unseating Thailand’s Mahidol University (MU) from the top ranked university in Asean and taking the 27th spot globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings 2018.
— AEC News Today
Malaysia: Najib Razak to face anti-graft investigators as pressure mounts
Former PM is under fire over alleged looting of state funds as police raids on his home force his wife to issue a statement denouncing media coverage.
— The Guardian
See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News
Myanmar Morning News
Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat
Myanmar orders Rohingya to leave tense border zone
Myanmar security forces have resumed loudspeaker broadcasts near its border with Bangladesh ordering Rohingya Muslims to immediately leave a strip of no-man’s land between the two countries, refugees said on Sunday (May 20).
— Channel NewsAsia
UN says Myanmar is getting close to graduate from ‘least developed’ status
Myanmar has met all three eligibility criteria for the first time to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status according to the assessment mentioned in the recent Report of Committee for Development Policy (CDP) of the United Nations.
— Mizzima
Government Fails Basic Test of Democracy with Silence over Kachin Crisis
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, once asserted that a government is “of the people, by the people, and for the people”.
— The Irrawaddy
See here for more of today’s Myanmar Morning News
Philippines Morning News
Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu
Gov’t subsidies surged 130% to P45B in 1st quarter
The national government’s subsidies to state-run corporations jumped 130 percent to P45.3 billion in the first quarter, with Philippine Health Insurance Corp. getting the biggest chunk.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer
FDA warns public against purchase, use of Wawang Mosquito Coil products
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public against the purchase and use of a mosquito coil pesticide product that has been banned for sale due to its potential health hazards to consumers.
— Manila Bulletin
Net ‘hot money’ inflows hit $1.2B
Short term foreign investments through local financial markets surged in the first four months of the year, with companies listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange serving as the biggest draw to overseas asset managers, the central bank said.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer
See here for more of today’s Philippines Morning News
Singapore Morning News
Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat
Will the SG-KL High-Speed-Rail Project be Derailed?
The newly minted Pakatan Harapan coalition government of Malaysia has slammed the brakes on the project for high-speed-rail line between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The announcement comes soon after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited his Malaysian counterpart Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Putrajaya for 30 minutes yesterday.
— The Independent Singapore
Singapore Leading the Way in Blockchain Introduction
There are as many as 50 startups that are working on blockchain-based technologies in Singapore. That should help making financial transactions and processes more transparent, resilient and at a lower cost.
— Finews.asia
In the new digital economy, Taiwan may ‘outsmart’ rivals including Singapore
Once touted as among the fabled “Asian Tigers”, the Taiwan economy has fallen dramatically behind its counterparts including Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea.
— Today Online
See here for more of today’s Singapore Morning News
Thailand Morning News
Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ
Public rallies banned for coup anniversary
Government House and surrounding areas within a 50 metres radius are expected to be declared a “controlled zone”, where any public gatherings are prohibited, said a deputy national police chief Sunday.
— Bangkok Post
Foreign businesses bring in 4 8 billion baht in first four months
The government is keen to raise the standard of Thai startups to a level on par with their Singaporean counterparts.
— News Today (video)
Foreigners continue call for lifting ownership cap
Foreign businesses have repeated their call for the government to allow foreign ownership of Thai businesses to exceed 49%, saying it will help tackle the controversial nominee issue.
— Bangkok Post
See here for more of today’s Thailand Morning News
Vietnam Morning News
Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov
Synchronised real estate laws will bring stability
Since the real estate market began to recover in 2014, the country’s laws regulating the market have transformed significantly. But as the laws have developed, many of them overlap, creating redundancies that the Government must now try to eliminate, Dang Hung Vo, former deputy minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, said at a conference held in Ha Noi on Thursday.
— Bizhub
Vietnam plans etiquette code for social media users
Vietnam’s information and communication authorities are discussing ways to build a code of conduct for social media users in the country to prevent negative contents, protect users and create a healthy online environment.
— VnExpress
Vietnam’s Fintech Market To Reach $7.8 Billion In Value By 2020
As financial technology startups, or fintechs, keep disrupting Vietnam’s financial services industry, their market value is expected to reach $7.8 billion in just two more years, according to a new report Disruption by fintech: Transforming Vietnam’s Financial Services Ecosystem released by Asia-focused consulting firm Solidiance.
— Investvine
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.