Asean morning news for October 25

Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

17 ASEAN schools in top 100 QS Asian university rankings for 2019
Sixteen schools in 6 Southeast Asian countries made it to the top 100 of the 2019 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings released Wednesday, October 24.
— Rappler

Singapore, Thailand to push Burma on ‘safe return’ of Rohingya
THE foreign ministers of Singapore and Thailand are expected to head to Burma (Myanmar) soon to expedite the safe repatriation of the over 700,000 minority Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
— Asian Correspondent

Southeast Asia Seeks Solution with Beijing After Near Sino-US Ship Collision
A near collision between Chinese and U.S. ships in the contested South China Sea has shaken Asian countries whose economies and military security depend on a tense yet nonviolent Sino-U.S. relationship, and has raised the stakes for a deal with Beijing.
— Voice of America

APAC Cities Dominate the Top Travel Destinations
At a time of increasing nationalism and trade protectionism, international travel is helping break barriers and drive economic growth, according to the recent Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index 2018.
— Brink Asia

MFA rebuts reports of special Asean task force on Rohingya
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has rebutted reports that an “Asean foreign ministers special task force” will be going to Myanmar later this month to discuss the quickest way to help Rohingya refugees return home.
— The Straits Times

How will ASEAN balance a tug of power between China and US-led ‘Quad’ in the Indo-Pacific?
Southeast Asia is on the cusp of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. That makes the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) an intrinsic part of a discourse on the “Indo-Pacific” geopolitical concept. Introduced by Japan, India, Australia and the United States (US), it partly serves to “contain” China in the region.
— The Jakarta Post

World-curious Chinese can now tour Asean without leaving home
Guangxi now boasts a $500-million theme park and amusement centre that brings Asean’s cultural landmarks to China in miniature format.
— Khmer Times

Southeast Asia’s Grab partners with MasterCard to offer virtual debit cards
Ride-hailing firm Grab branched out into payments last year and now the $11 billion-valued company, which acquired Uber’s Southeast Asia business earlier this year, has given its fintech division a major boost after it announced plans to introduce virtual pre-paid debit in partnership with Mastercard.
— TechCrunch

Dr M urges Asean members to leverage on region’s 600 million-strong population
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has today called on his fellow Asean leaders to leverage on the 600 million population in the region, and to turn it into a bustling domestic market for its members.
— Malay Mail

Singapore, China reaffirm commitment to strengthen ASEAN-China defence cooperation
Singapore and China on Wednesday (Oct 24) reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen defence cooperation between ASEAN and China, and this includes working towards the next edition of a joint maritime exercise.
— Channel NewsAsia

ASEAN, dialogue partners strengthen cooperation in technology
The ASEAN and its dialogue partners continued to strengthen cooperation in the field of science and technology.
— Antara News

China attaches importance to ASEAN’s central role
Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has affirmed China’s consistent stance of attaching importance to ASEAN’s central role and the country’s support for the bloc’s efforts in building its Community.
— Vietnam Plus

Metro Optical and LXT Networks Partner to Deliver Internet Access and SDWAN Services Throughout the Emerging Markets of Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam
Metro Optical, a carrier neutral company that specializes in providing cloud, internet and high capacity global data connectivity and LXT Networks, a wholesale specialist providing intra-ASEAN terrestrial connectivity, have today announced a strategic partnership to offer internet access and SDWAN services throughout Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
— AEC News Today/PR Newswire (media release)

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Cambodia’s garment exports up 10.73%, projected strong
Cambodia’s garment exports grew by 10.73 percent in the first half of 2018 and are projected to remain strong despite a European Union threat to withdraw duty-free trading access, official data showed on Wednesday.
— Asahi.com

ADB signs $250 million loan deal
Cambodia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday signed a new loan agreement for $250 million to finance projects in key development areas, according to a statement from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
— Khmer Times

Condo supply sees modest increase
The supply of condominiums in Phnom Penh rose moderately in the third quarter, adding 2,374 new units to the market, CBRE Cambodia said in its latest report.
— Khmer Times

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Banned! Indonesia acts against condensed milk marketing
Indonesia’s food safety watchdog has laid down a stern warning about the health risks of sweetened condensed milk and banned advertising that suggests the product is actual milk, or uses pictures of young children.
— AEC News Today

Ease of doing business deregulation increases investment
The Ministry of Agriculture states that the ease of doing business deregulation has increased investment in the agricultural sector by 14.2 percent in 2017.
— Antara News

BI: Jakarta Contributes to 17 Percent of Indonesia`s Economy
Bank Indonesia`s office head in Jakarta, Trisno Nugroho, said the capital city made a significant contribution to the national economy.
— Tempo.co

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Maria Mirasol Rasonable @Maria Rasonable

In Laos, a World Bank ‘model’ dam and the myth of sustainable hydropower
It wasn’t a flood. It was a tsunami, Premrudee Daorung said of the wall of water that tore through the forests of Laos’ Attapeu province, snapping timber like matchsticks and flattening entire villages.
— Devex

Lao Governor Walks Back Projected Costs For Housing in Flood-Hit Attapeu
The governor of a province in Laos hit by flooding from a dam breach earlier this year has issued conflicting estimates of the projected cost to house displaced persons, giving figures deemed unnecessarily high by another official source and contradicting statements he himself had made earlier in an interview.
— Radio Free Asia

Govt needs over 6 trillion kip for flood recovery
The government estimates it will need at least 6 trillion kip to recover from the damage done by floods around the country this year, with the greatest need being in the transport and agriculture sectors.
— Vientiane Times

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Malaysia on track to achieve 3.7pct productivity growth by 2020
Malaysia is on right track to achieve productivity growth of 3.7 per cent by 2020, based on its labour productivity performance last year.
— New Straits Times

Reintroduced reinvestment allowance for rubber glove sector: Margma
The Malaysian Rubber Glove Industry has submitted its 2019 Budget proposal for the extension and expansion of the reinvestment allowance to the industry.
— New Straits Times

Najib Razak and former Malaysia Treasury secretary-general to face criminal breach of trust charges
Former Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak will be back in court on Thursday (Oct 25) in connection with several cases of criminal breach of trust involving government funds.
— Channel NewsAsia

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Maria Mirasol Rasonable @Maria Rasonable

China fails to stop U.N. Security Council Myanmar briefing
China, backed by Russia, failed on Wednesday to stop a United Nations Security Council briefing by the chair of a U.N. inquiry that accused Myanmar’s military of genocide against Rohingya Muslims and urged the 15-member council to push for justice.
— Reuters

A new plan for sustainable development
UNDP Myanmar has a new country programme, approved earlier this year. Within its framework, the United Nations Development Programme will work during the next five years with government, development partners, civil society groups, the private sector and all communities to help Myanmar achieve sustainable development.
— Myanmar Times

Rohingya Genocide Is Still Going On in Myanmar, Says Top UN Human Rights Investigator
A month after UN’s Fact-Finding Mission issued a hard-hitting report concluding that widespread and systematic violence against Myanmar’s minority Muslim Rohingya community had taken place, UN investigators have issued a new warning saying that those Rohingya who remain in Myanmar continue to suffer a “genocide.”
— Latestly

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Chinese tourists to Philippines in three quarters of 2018 exceeds last year total
The number of Chinese tourists to the Philippines during the first three quarters of 2018 has exceeded the full-year total in 2017, reaching over 970,000, the Philippine Department of Tourism said on Wednesday.
— Xinhua

More PH schools enter Asian university rankings
THE University of the Philippines (UP) took the 72nd spot in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Top 500 Universities in Asia.
— The Manila Times

TRAIN collections ahead of target at P33.7 billion
REVENUE generated by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law amounted to P33.7 billion in the first half, exceeding the P30.1 billion target, the Department of Finance (DoF) said.
— BusinessWorld Online

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by Maria Mirasol Rasonable @Maria Rasonable

Singapore on track to pursue industry 4.0 vision
SINGAPORE has been moving fast towards achieving industrial transformation by creating both soft and hardware infrastructures to support firms and workers to achieve industry 4.0.
— The Nation

60 electric buses worth S$50m to hit the road in 2020
Sixty electric buses from three suppliers will hit the road in 2020, providing commuters with quieter and smoother rides, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday (Oct 24).
— Today Online

Malaysian national set to be hung this Friday in Singapore. Malaysian Ministers urge the Singapore Government to halt the execution.
In a UN day address, Minister Keong also called upon the Singapore Government to halt Prabu’s execution.
— TOC

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Cancer research breakthrough
CHULALONGKORN University’s research team has reached the first milestone in developing an affordable biologic drug but needs Bt1.33 billion in funding to pursue the remaining phases of the study.
— The Nation

Optimism for rice export forecast maintained
Despite September’s export slump, the government remains upbeat about achieving 11 million tonnes of milled rice exports this year on high demand.
— Bangkok Post

IPOs Amid a Global Rout: Thailand Bags $2 Billion in October
Investors are snapping up first-time share sales in Thailand despite the rout in global equity markets.
— Bloomberg (paywall)

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Vietnam crude oil output to fall 10 pct a year through 2025 – PetroVietnam
Vietnam’s crude oil output is expected to fall by 10 percent a year through to 2025 due to declining reserves at existing fields, Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, or PetroVietnam, said on Wednesday.
— Reuters

Vietnam is world’s third largest exporter of shoes and leather
Vietnam exported US$11.7 billion worth of shoes and leather products in the first nine months of 2018, making it the world’s third largest exporter of shoes and leather, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT).
— Nhan Dan Online

Vietnam’s wood export expands nearly 16%
Vietnam raked in more than 6.7 billion USD from exporting its main forestry products in the first nine months of 2018, up nearly 16 percent year-on-year.
— VietnamNet Bridge (video)

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.