Asean morning news for January 18, 2019

Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Asean foreign ministers retreat in Chiang Mai (video)
Asean foreign ministers and senior officials have gathered in the northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai for the 2019 Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AFMR) and the Asean Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM).
— AEC News Today

Asean foreign ministers begin talks, Rohingya on agenda
Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations began two days of informal talks on Thursday, with the Rohingya crisis, particularly the issue of refugee repatriation, high on the agenda.
— Bangkok Post

University of Malaya top Asean emerging economies university again
The University of Malaya (UM) has garnered the top spot in the Times Higher Education (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings 2019 (EEU2019) for Asean universities. Leaping nine places over its global EEU2019 ranking of 27 last year, UM finished in its highest position yet, ranked 18th globally.
— AEC News Today

Supply chain shift to ASEAN
The relocation of production bases from China to ASEAN is perhaps the most notable benefit of the ongoing US-China trade war for the region.
— The Asean Post

Online retail in SE Asia to reach $53 billion by 2023: Forrester
With high smartphone penetration and growing economies, the Southeast Asian nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are attractive markets for online retailers.
— Enterprise Innovation

NCI awards $1.7 million to UIC for research on Southeast Asian fruit
For generations, traditional healers in Southeast Asia have used the mangosteen fruit to treat skin infections, wounds, dysentery and urinary tract infections.
— EurekAlert (media release)

RISING MEKONG NO CAUSE FOR ALARM: ENGINEER
A state engineer Thursday dismissed panicked reports in the media and online that the Mekong River is about to flood.
— Khaosod English

Southeast Asia Feels the Burn as Global Trade Tensions Heat Up
Southeast Asia, seen as a potential winner from the U.S.-China trade war, is starting to see more sour data, with a string of export reports showing that tensions are weighing heavily on the trade-reliant region.
— Bloomberg

Asean foreign ministers to focus on a win-win Indo-Pacific strategy
Asean foreign ministers will seek to find a common Indo-Pacific strategy during their informal meeting in Chiang Mai today to deal with the changing geopolitical situation.
— The Nation (very annoying pop-ups)

70 per cent of organisations in Southeast Asia worries about Belt and Road Initiative
A large number of companies and institutions in southeast Asia are worried about participating in China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) stated a research conducted by Singapore based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
— Business Standard

Mekong Tourism to launch 2nd annual Mekong Mini Movie Festival at ASEAN Tourism Forum 2019
Over 22,000 campaign followers, nearly 900,000 video views, a psychosocial reach eclipsing seven million people – these award-winning results of the 2018 Mekong Mini Movie Festival has prompted the MTCO to launch the public contest yet again in 2019, laying the foundation for public exposure for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
—Travel Daily News

APAC mobile users to account for 50% of global app installs by 2020
APAC region is predicted to hold the largest quantity of mobile ad spend and the second fastest growth rate, leaping 1.8x from 2018 to reach US$30 billion in 2020.
— Marketing

PH pushes for Asean green bonds framework expansion
The Philippines is pushing for a wider coverage of a so-called “green” bonds facility in the Asean region to better address the ill effects of climate change, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said Thursday.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

The search for e-commerce talent in Asean
When Google and Temasek undertook a study of the internet economy in Southeast Asia in 2017, they predicted it would be worth US$200 billion by 2025.
— Bangkok Post

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Government to use 3D technology in offshore oil exploration
Ministry of Environment officials on Tuesday agreed to the use of 3D Seismic Exploration to search for oil and gas in the seas off the Cambodian coast this year – a plan they say will have the least effect on the environment and biodiversity.
— The Phnom Penh Post

RUPP seal Sweden’s $10M funding
The Swedish Embassy in Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding with the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) on Wednesday to fund a high-quality training and research institute.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia imports $16m in Thai ACs
Air conditioner imports from Thailand were valued at about US$16 million last year – a fraction of the total US$5 billion Thailand earned from its air conditioner exports to international markets, Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion at the Ministry of Commerce said.
— The Nation (very annoying-pop-ups)

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Indonesian Presidential Campaign Heats up With First Debate
Echoing the campaign tactics of Donald Trump, former Indonesian Gen. Prabowo Subianto says his country, the world’s third-largest democracy, is in dire shape and he is the leader who will restore it to greatness.
— Khaosod English

Power infrastructure to drive Indonesia’s energy sector growth: Fitch Solutions
Construction of power infrastructure — chiefly coal-fired power plants — will remain the primary driver of growth in Indonesia’s energy and utilities sector for the near future, said Fitch Solutions Macro Research in a Jan 16 report.
— The Business Times

Indonesia’s Unicorn Charge Makes the Rupiah Tremble
Indonesia’s booming e-commerce industry is churning out unicorns such as Tokopedia PT and Bukalapak.com.
— Bloomberg

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

PM calls for brainstorming on revenue collection, ways to drive growth
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has called on senior government officials in charge of economic affairs to explore ways to ensure that all revenue streams are fully utilised, and to spur economic growth.
— Vientiane Times

Lao Protest Villager Freed, 11 Still Held
Lao authorities have released a villager held since 2017 with a group arrested for protesting the loss of land awarded by the government to a Vietnamese rubber company, sources in the communist Southeast Asian state said.
— RFA

UK Grants US$ 4.5 Million Support For UXO Clearance Efforts In Laos
The UK government has provided a grant support of US$ 4.5 million for efforts to remove unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the Lao PDR.
— KPL

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

WHO should retract and rectify wrongful allegations against palm oil industry
Malaysia wants World Health Organisation (WHO) to retract and rectify its recent wrongful allegations of likening palm oil marketing to that of lobbying tobacco and alcohol.
— New Straits times

Car sales in Malaysia to shift to lower gear
The Malaysian automotive sector is expected to shift into lower gear in 2019 as total vehicle sales are projected to be flattish, marking a sharp reversal from last year’s stronger-than-expected sales performance.
— The Star Online

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

MIC allows 40 foreign and 10 domestic investment projects
The Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) permitted and endorsed 40 foreign and 10 domestic investment projects during a meeting held on 11 January, state media reported.
— Mizzima

Myanmar to introduce card payment system with buses operating in Yangon
Myanmar’s Yangon Bus Service (YBS) is projecting to implement a card payment system to replace the present cash box system to facilitate passengers in taking buses, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Thursday.
— Xinhua

Tax revenue hits over 22 pc of target in December
Until December of 2018-2019 fiscal year, (IRD) Internal Revenue Department’s tax revenue reached over Ks 1369.958 billion, hitting 22.10 per cent of its target, according to its statement on January 16.
— Eleven Myanmar

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

PHL attracts $1.204 billion in ‘hot money’ last year
THE Philippines proved to be an attractive destination for short-term foreign investments, as foreign portfolio investments (FPI) returned to the inflow territory in 2018, according to the latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
— Business Mirror

University of Malaya top Asean emerging economies university again
The University of Malaya (UM) has garnered the top spot in the Times Higher Education (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings 2019 (EEU2019) for Asean universities.
— AEC News Today

Philippine economy to grow below-target over the next 2 years — report
The Philippine economy will likely grow below what both the government and the market are expecting in 2019 and 2020, a London-based think tank said, although the country is poised to stay as one of the fastest growing economies in Emerging Asia.
— The Philippine Star

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Johor Chief Minister defends visit to Malaysia vessel anchored in Singapore waters
JOHOR BAHRU: Johor Chief Minister Osman Sapian on Thursday (Jan 17) defended his decision to visit a Malaysian vessel anchored in Singapore waters, adding that his actions have been supported by grassroots leaders.
— Channel News Asia (very annoying popups)

Half of Singapore online businesses lament regulatory barriers in expansion: survey
Nearly 40% spent $68,800 to $137,800 on compliance per year.
— Singapore Business Review

Biggest fall in S’pore exports in over two years
Singapore’s exports fell 8.5 per cent last month from a year ago – its largest slide in over two years – dragged down by a drop in electronic and non-electronic shipments.
— Straits Times

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Air pollution alert for Friday
Air pollution is expected to get worse in Bangkok on Friday following a slight improvement in weather conditions on Thursday.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Toxic haze to make return this weekend
The haze is expected to worsen again over the weekend in Bangkok after the cold front over Thailand dissipates, according to the Meteorological Department.
— Bangkok Post

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

PetroVietnam ranks among 500 largest Vietnamese enterprises
The Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) has been listed in the top 50 of the 500 largest enterprises in Vietnam (VNR500) in 2018.
— VNA NET

Vietnam Airlines reaches top 10 best enterprises in VN
Vietnam Airlines was named in the top 10 best performing companies for the third consecutive year. The firm was included in the ‘Top 50 Vietnam The Best’ by the VNR500 Ranking, which ranks the top 500 largest businesses in the country and is compiled by Việt Nam Report in co-operation with VietNamNet newspaper.
— Vietnam News

Vietnam – attractive country for investment in 2019
Vietnam is one of the highest country’s GDP growth globally. According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), Vietnam’s 2018 GDP growth reach 7.08%, much higher than government’s target and consensus expectations. The growth is forecasted to slow down in 2019, reaching 6.7%, however, still higher than the average global GDP growth which will reach 3.54% in 2019 according to OECD.
— Vietnam Insider

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.