Asean Morning News For May 29

Asean Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

‘Southern Corridor’ proposed to speed China-SE Asian trade
A forum aimed at strengthening the ties between China and Southeast Asia began on Thursday in Nanning, capital city of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
— Ecns.cn

Southeast Asia’s over-reliance on coal
Coal power is set to soar as the region’s energy demands are expected to multiply in the coming years.
— The Asean Post

Grab hungers to be Asean consumers’ daily staple as it unveils food delivery service
RIDE hailing startup Grab on Monday unveiled a food delivery service as it served up a vision to become the “everyday app” for South-east Asian consumers.
— The Business Times

What Mahathir’s victory may mean for relations between China and the Philippines
The dust continues to settle on Mohammad Mahathir’s unexpected return to power. Many Malaysians feel they have entered a new era. Will it herald one for its ASEAN neighbours?
— Asean Today

PM to embark on Southeast Asian tour; to visit Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Indonesia and Singapore—with a brief stopover at Malaysia—from May 29-June 2, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Monday.
— The Tribune

ASEAN’s growing middle class a top target for Aussie food and beverage businesses
South East Asia’s growing middle class and the ASEAN nations’ developing markets are attracting more Australian food and beverage businesses seeking commercial or investment opportunities.
— Food Navigator-Asia

EU-ASEAN air transport agreement could be reached by end 2018: EU Commission DG MOVE
European Commission DG for Mobility and Transport Henrik Hololei, speaking on CAPA TV, emphasised (17/18-May-2018) the European Single Aviation Market and open skies policies “has been working very well”.
— CAPA

Hope my southeast Asia visit will boost Act East Policy: Modi
Ahead of his five-day three-nation tour of southeast Asia starting on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed the hope that the visit will further boost India’s Act East policy.
— The Siasat Daily

Global warming may have ‘devastating’ effects on rice: study
As carbon dioxide rises due to the burning of fossil fuels, rice will lose some of its protein and vitamin content, putting millions of people at risk of malnutrition, scientists warned this week.
— Mizzima

Rising tensions at UN over suspected illegal salary cut
Tensions are rising at the UN office or ‘duty station’ in Bangkok over plans to slash salaries for the second time in six years. The cuts are threatening morale and raising questions about the methodology and legality behind the proposed cuts.
— Prachatai

China’s Global and ASEAN Trade Connectivity Leveled Up With Guangxi-Singapore Connectivity
ASEAN Information Harbor Co. (CAIH) is partnering GeTS (Global eTrade Services in partnership with PSA International, developer and operator of CALISTA™ – CA rgo L ogistics, I nventory S treamlining & T rade A ggregation ) to enhance trade connectivity between Chinese traders and shippers, especially along the Southern Transport Corridor, for more efficient trade declaration of cargoes in 23 Customs nodes* around the world.
— Asia One

Cambodia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Three new border gates on the way
Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to open three new border checkpoints to facilitate trade and the movement of people across the border, according to Thailand’s ambassador to Cambodia.
— Khmer Times

GMAC gets serious about tax compliance, forms partnership
The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) is teaming up with Funan Consulting to boost tax compliance in the garment and footwear industries and train factory staff in proper accounting standards.
— Khmer Times

National Bank of Cambodia issues new 20,000-riel bank note into circulation
National Bank of Cambodia issues new 20,000-riel bank note into circulation, joining others.
— Coin World

See here for more of today’s Cambodia Morning News

Indonesia Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Indonesia Firms Face $34b in Losses Due to Cyber-Attacks: Report
Cyber-attacks on Indonesian companies in 2017 will eventually cost domestic businesses $34 billion due to direct financial losses and long-term reputation damage, according to a recent study commissioned by global technology giant Microsoft.
— Jakarta Globe

Megawati gets Rp 112m per month for promoting Pancasila
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has signed a decree to give former president Megawati Soekarnoputri an allowance for promoting Pancasila that is almost twice his own income as president.
— The Jakarta Post

Paying Rp50 Mn Zakat, Jokowi: Observing Beauty of Islam
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo along with state officials, ministers, and working cabinet members have paid zakat (alms) today to the National Alms Agency (Baznas) at the State Palace, Jakarta.
— Tempo.co

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Lao PDR Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Parliament to debate 13 draft laws
Lawmakers will debate 13 draft laws at the upcoming 5th Ordinary Session of the National Assembly (NA)’s 8th Legislature, making further progress on the path to building Laos as a state ruled by law.
— Vientiane Times

Revised sex education curriculum planned for secondary schools
The government and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), together with civil society organisations, are discussing the inclusion of comprehensive sexuality education in the curriculum at lower and upper secondary schools.
— Vientiane Times

Kaysone Phomvihane Announced As A City
Authorities and people of Savannakhet held a ceremony on May 25 to announce the city status of Kaysone Phomvihane and celebrated the 1,000,000th child of the province at the Kaysone Phomvihane Memorial.
— Lao News Agency

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Malaysia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Malaysian PM Mahathir claims fraud in general election vote count
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Monday (May 28) alleged that there were elements of fraud during the 14th general election, claiming that some Pakatan Harapan candidates lost due to a large number of spoilt votes.
— Channel NewsAsia

Malaysia Scraps Multibillion-Dollar High-Speed Rail Project to Singapore
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he will cancel a proposed multibillion-dollar high-speed railway link to Singapore, as the new leader who returned to power in a surprise election upset this month seeks to rein in expenditure.
— Bloomberg

Malaysia Prepares Nationwide Ban Of Plastic Bags
The Malaysian government plans to introduce a nationwide ban of plastic bags within a year, preceded by an awareness campaign to “educate” the population why such a ban is useful and necessary, new housing and local government minister Zuraida Kamaruddin told news portal MalaysiaKini in an interview published on May 28.
— Investvine

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Malaysia makes record bust of crystal meth, shipped from Myanmar
Malaysia has made its largest ever seizure of crystal methamphetamine, officials said on Monday (May 28), finding nearly 1.2 tonnes of the drug disguised as tea in a shipment from Myanmar, and arrested six suspected traffickers.
— Channel NewsAsia

Vietnam’s Viettel, partners to launch Myanmar’s first 4G network
Vietnam’s military-run telecommunication company Viettel Group and its partners will launch the first 4G mobile network in Myanmar next month to cash in on the Southeast Asian country’s fast-growing economy, the Vietnamese government said on Monday.
— DealStreetAsia

Government allocates K1.5 billion for medical research in 2018-19
A total of K1.5 billion (US$1.12 million) has been allocated for healthcare research in the coming budget year, according to U Hlaing Myint Thu, deputy director general of the Health and Sports Ministry’s Medical Research Department.
— The Myanmar Times

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Philippines Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

$40m spent on Philippines terror fight
Australia allocated close to $40 million towards helping the Philippines counter Islamic militants and the threat of returned foreign fighters from the Middle East.
— 9news.com.au

Philippines modernises its ‘weak’ navy as China muscles closer
The Philippine Navy is one of the weakest maritime defence forces in Southeast Asia, leaving the sprawling island nation of over 100 million people vulnerable to threats like China’s assertiveness in taking control of disputed territory, according to senior officers, including the top commander.
— South China Morning Post

Boracay folk deal with hunger, mounting debts
For nearly a month, Olive Abañera’s family has been subsisting on rice, dried fish, canned goods and instant noodles.
— Philippines Magazines

See here for more of today’s Philippines Morning News

Singapore Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Grab launches GrabFood in Singapore; to offer service soon in Southeast Asia
Ride-hailing company Grab on Monday (May 28) officially announced it is offering GrabFood in Singapore, and the food delivery service will be available in five other Southeast Asian markets “within this quarter”.
— Channel NewsAsia

Malaysia axes high-speed rail link to Singapore
Malaysia is cancelling a project to build a high-speed rail link between its capital, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Monday.
— The Sydney Morning Herald

ElderShield to be renamed CareShield Life with higher, lifetime payouts from 2020
The enhanced ElderShield insurance scheme will be renamed CareShield Life from 2020, and will dole out higher and lifetime payouts to severely disabled Singapore residents — up from a cap of six years.
— Today Online

See here for more of today’s Singapore Morning News

Thailand Morning News

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Thailand Eases Barriers to Foreign Workers, But Ratio Cap Remains
In response to increasing demands from foreign and domestic business owners over a shortage of suitable labour the Thailand government is set to reduce the number of occupations prohibited to foreign workers.
— AEC News Today

EEC needs 30,000 workers
The Ministry of Labour will meet with cabinet members and present a strategy to produce more skilled labourers to match demand from the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) within two months after a survey found that almost 30,000 qualified workers are still required in the special economic zone.
— Bangkok Post

Nong Khai, Thailand Man Hailed a Hero For Saving Young German Boy (HD video)
A Nong Khai, Thailand man is being hailed a hero after leaping three metres (about 10ft) into green, murky water to save a young German boy who had fallen off a pier.
— AEC News Today

See here for more of today’s Thailand Morning News

Vietnam Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Vietnam set to make key ruling on country’s biggest-ever fraud case
A Vietnamese court is set to make a key ruling in the country’s biggest-ever fraud case, in a trial that has spotlighted Vietnam’s ability to tackle financial crime at a time when foreign banks are heeding government calls to invest.
— Reuters

Local paper industry faces input cost challenges
Viet Nam’s paper industry has been facing difficulties in production due to the high cost of imported raw materials, though production has been stable since the start of this year.
— Bizhub

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.