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Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

ASEAN more positive about economic outlook: Survey
Many influential people in Southeast Asian countries are predicting the region would see moderate to strong economic growth in 2019 in spite of pessimism underpinned by uncertainty, according to a survey released on Monday.
— The Jakarta Post (paywall)

SE Asia’s relentless appetite for IT experts is exhibited by double-digit growth in demand
In line with growth displayed during the previous months, hiring activity in the IT and Telecom industry blossomed in Southeast Asia, with all three countries reporting double-digit growth during November.
— Networks Asia

ASEAN: Outlook for 2019 Part 1
2018 proved to be a tumultuous year for the region. Some ASEAN countries faced major challenges.
— The Asean Post

South-east Asia wary of China’s Belt and Road project, sceptical of US, survey shows
South-east Asian countries should be cautious in negotiating with China on its flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to avoid being trapped in unsustainable debt, 70 per cent of respondents said in a policy survey released today.
— Yahoo News

Driving growth in ASEAN
The story of economic growth within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a remarkable one.
— The Asean Post

Asean ideal place to grow Singapore talent: EDB chief Chng Kai Fong
Young Singaporeans have been urged to consider job opportunities at home or in Asean nations to build up their skills before venturing farther afield.
— The Straits Times

Foreigners pull most cash from Asian equities in 7 yrs
Foreign outflows from Asian equities were the biggest in at least 7 years in 2018 as the Sino-US trade war and slowing profits battered regional stocks last year.
— Malaya

Revised ASEAN guidelines on GRP endorsed
THE revised ASEAN Guidelines on Good Regulatory Practices (GRP) were endorsed by the ASEAN Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality (ACCSQ) during its 50th meeting from December 11-13, 2018 in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
— Borneo Bulletin

Private equity in Southeast Asia ready for the next phase of growth
For the last two years, Southeast Asia has seen a large influx of investors and capital flowing into the region.
— Deal Street Asia (paywall)

No dollars? Don’t visit
Hordes of Chinese tourists descend upon an idyllic island paradise.
— The Asean Post

Southeast Asian smokers face a cloud of new antismoking measures
Once a smoker’s paradise, Southeast Asia has been turning up the heat on its tobacco-addicted citizens with regulations and taxes to encourage them to kick their habit.
— Nikkei Asian Review

In brief: Alibaba veteran launches $200m Southeast Asia-focused fund
Venture capital fund ATM Capital announced the completion of the first phase of fundraising, with a total fund size of US$200 million.
— Tech in Asia

Industry worries are genuine but RCEP will bring trade reforms: Former commerce secretary Rajeev Kher
Former commerce secretary Rajeev Kher argues India must weigh in its economic interests first while negotiating for RCEP.
— The Economic Times

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

History by numbers: Hun Sen’s lesson in leadership lost on Cambodia’s youth
Grand celebrations will take place in Phnom Penh on Monday as Cambodia marks the 40th anniversary of the day the genocidal Khmer Rouge was overthrown by forces backed by Vietnam.
— South China Morning Post

Memorial site on Vietnamese support during Cambodian genocide tragedy inaugurated
The Front 579 memorial site was inaugurated in Strung Treng province in Cambodia on January 5, featuring images and artifacts on the support of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers for the Cambodian people to fight against the Pol Pot genocidal regime and in the revival following the regime from 1979-1989.
— Nhan Dan Online

Cambodia’s farmers fight debt bondage
Bopha should be in school but instead toils seven days a week in a searing brick kiln on the outskirts of Phnom Penh – a 14-year-old trapped in debt bondage in a boom industry preying on the poverty of Cambodia’s farmers.
— The Asean Post

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

Indonesia: Magnitude 7.0 quake hits Moluccas islands
An earthquake with a magnitude 7.0 struck 173km northwest of the city of Ternate, North Maluku, in the Moluccas group of islands in Indonesia late on Sunday (Monday local time), according to the US Geological Survey website.
— Al Jazeera

In Indonesia, cleaning up the Citarum, ‘the world’s dirtiest river’, is now a military operation
West Java is the heartland of Indonesian manufacturing, and industrial zones on the outskirts of the provincial capital city, Bandung, are, according to the Ministry of Industry Indonesia, responsible for more than 14 per cent of the Southeast Asian nation’s gross domestic product.
— South China Morning Post

E Kalimantan sees trade surplus of us$12.52 billion
East Kalimantan -Province saw a trade surplus of US$12.52 billion in the January-November 2018 period, according to the local office of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
— Antara News

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men          @MenSreypov

Lao Villagers Reject Plans For China-Invested SEZ
Lao villagers living in the scenic Vang Vieng region north of the capital Vientiane are blocking attempts to survey their land for foreign-invested development, fearing they will be displaced from their homes by a new Chinese tourism project, sources in the Southeast Asian country say.
— Radio Free Asia

Laos to woo Chinese tourists
Laos has announced plans to draw more Chinese tourists to the landlocked country that stands at the heart of the Mekong Region.
— TTR Weekly

Vietnam, Laos reach consensus on cooperation
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith co-chaired the 41st session of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee in Hanoi on Sunday, reaching consensus on cooperation orientations for 2019.
— Xinhua

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men          @MenSreypov

Sultan Muhammad V steps down as Malaysia’s king
Malaysia’s king has abdicated, royal officials have said, ending weeks of speculation about his future.
— The Guardian

No need to panic over manufacturing sector plunge, says economist
There is no need for panic over a Nikkei survey finding that Malaysia’s manufacturing sector plunged to its lowest level since 2012, says an economist.
— FMT

Lim: 2019 a challenging year for Malaysia’s economy
2019 will be a challenging year for Malaysia’s economy. This is due to the on-going US-China trade war, geopolitical concerns in the Middle East, global monetary tightening and swings in oil prices, said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.
— Bernama

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men          @MenSreypov

Five business sectors that are looking interesting in 2019
Businesses did not have a positive outlook on the Myanmar business sector last year with falling confidence and firms pulling out of Myanmar.
— Myanmar Times

Trade deficit hits nearly 870 million USD
From October 1 to December 21 of 2018-2019 fiscal year, the country’s external trade volume hit USD 7300.518 million, up 530.974 million USD compared with the same period last year, according to the figures from the Commerce Ministry.
— Eleven Myanmar

High e-commerce potential, but growth stunted, for now
On November 11, 2018, online shoppers in Myanmar purchased goods worth US$90,000 on the Internet within the first hour of Alibaba Group’s global 11.11 sale. It was the first time the Chinese e-commerce giant had opened up the annual event to Myanmar, where just 1 percent of the population is exposed to e-commerce.
— Myanmar Times

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

PH inflation averages 5.2 pct in 2018, highest since 2008
The country’s inflation cooled to a 7-month low last month, going below most analyst estimates, but as Bruce Rodriguez reports government still has work to do before inflation could be fully tamed.
— ABS-CBN News (video)

GOCC dividends rise 32% in 2018 to over P40B
GOVERNMENT-OWNED and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) remitted a record P40.18 billion worth of dividends to the national government in 2018, the Department of Finance (DoF) said in a statement over the weekend.
— BusinessWorld Online

Death toll from Philippine storm, landslides climbs to 126
The death toll from a storm that devastated the Philippines shortly after Christmas rose to 126, authorities said on Sunday (Jan 6), adding landslides caused by torrential rain were the top cause.
— Channel NewsAsia

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre          @photo_journ

Singapore supplies additional treated water to Malaysia at Johor’s request
Singapore’s water agency PUB said on Sunday (Jan 6) that it supplied additional treated water to Malaysia this week after pollution disrupted production at Johor’s water plants.
— Channel News Asia

Banks partnering fintechs in quest for digital dominance
There is a power play ahead for Singapore banks as they cosy up to fintechs that offer quicker ways to scale and deepen their customer reach.
— Straits Times

Singapore Airlines experiences security breach, personal information of more than 280 KrisFlyer members disclosed
Singapore – Due to a software bug experienced by Singapore Airlines, the private information of more than 280 KrisFlyer members were disclosed to other members. Some even had their passport numbers shared to strangers. KrisFlyer member Tricia Leo noticed something was off when she logged into her account on January 5, Saturday. She saw a […]
— The Independent sg

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre          @photo_journ

Claims of Saudi abduction at Suvarnabhumi *Update #3
An 18-year-old woman claims that she is currently being held against her will in a Bangkok hotel room after being ‘abducted’ from the arrival gate by Saudi Arabia diplomatic staff.
— AEC News Today

Thailand resumes flights, ferry services as tropical storm slows
Thailand resumed flights on Saturday to its southern provinces, as the first tropical storm in 30 years slowed and headed into the Andaman Sea, leaving behind a trail of homes damaged by fallen trees or blown-off roofs, and disrupted power networks.
— Reuters

AI and big data to reign in Thailand’s galloping HIV infection rate
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data offers untapped opportunities for Thailand.
— AEC News Today

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men          @MenSreypov

PetroVietnam Power Corp Readies For Multi-Billion IPO This Month
PetroVietnam Power Corporation (PV Power), the country’s second largest power producer, will list on the Ho Chi Minh City stock exchange on January 14 with an expected market capitalisation of $1.5 billion.
— Investvine

Suspended businesses rise by 50%, a worrying sign: economists
More than 90,600 enterprises had to suspend operation in 2018, a sharp increase of 50 percent over the year before, which economists described as “worryingly high”.
— Viet Nam Net

Nearly 60 percent of construction firms expect stable, better business in Q1
As many as 59.6 percent of domestic construction enterprises expect stable or better business in the first quarter of 2019, while 37.5 percent of firms said that they are likely to meet more difficulties, according to a survey launched by the General Statistics Office (GSO).
— VNA NET

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.

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