Asean morning news for July 8

Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

China may offer reduced tariffs to push through mega regional trade pact
China is expected to make concessions including reducing tariffs in a bid to push forward stalled talks on a mega regional trade deal when it hosts the 15 other nations involved at a summit, observers say.
— South China Morning Post

Asean delegation to visit India next week to discuss RCEP negotiations
A delegation led by Association of East Asian Nations (Asean) secretary general Lim Jock Hoi will visit New Delhi next week for talks aimed at nudging India to speed up negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), people familiar with developments said.
— Hindustan Times

Bangladesh want Malaysian dealing with Rohingya
Bangladesh wants a stronger role of Malaysia, an influential member of the Asean, in addressing the Rohingya crisis as visiting Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah holds a meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart in Dhaka today.
— Asia News Network

10 million Samsung users tricked into downloading fake apps
10 million Samsung users have downloaded a fake “update” app that could swindle them out of money. The app, which can be downloaded for free on the official Google Play Store is called “Updates for Samsung – Android Update Versions”.
— The Independent

Southeast Asian aerospace takes off on back of budget carriers
Southeast Asia is building a reputation as a producer of aircraft components, parlaying jet demand from the region’s low-cost carriers.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

AirAsia invites passengers to donate while eating burgers
Low-cost carrier AirAsia’s latest means of collaboration with a social organization (RED) is an interesting one: a burger.
— The Jakarta Post

SEC to allow cross-border publication of ASEAN capital market reports
THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (SEC) has drafted guidelines as part of a regionwide move to allow capital market professionals from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to issue research reports outside their home countries.
— BusinessWorld Online

ACB lauds Asean adoption of Bangkok Declaration on Combatting Marine Debris
‘The recent adoption by the Asean heads of governments of the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris demonstrates the commitment of the 10 Asean member-states in protecting and conserving the region’s rich marine resources.”
— Business Mirror

Asia-Pacific nations must invest $120B a year in agri–ADB
The Philippines and the rest of Asia and the Pacific region must increase their investments in agriculture if they want to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.
— Business Mirror

5 Countries Where Foreigners Can Own Land in Asia
With its booming economy, natural resources, and growing population, Asia has captured the attention of the business world.
— Invest Asian

Asean considers special invitation to Pyongyang
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is considering inviting North Korea’s foreign minister as a special guest to an upcoming Asean+3 meeting in Bangkok of ministers and their counterparts from Japan, China and South Korea, Asean sources said on Friday.
— Bangkok Post

Singapore companies look to Asean to pick up slack from trade war: HSBC
THE United States-China trade conflict has dominated discourse for a year now, but Singapore businesses are not letting it get in the way of their future plans, even as the global growth outlook appears increasingly gloomy.
— The Business Times (paywall)

Closing the poverty gap with P2P financing
Businesses are increasingly turning to Peer-2-Peer (P2P) financing to cater to their financing needs, with last week’s tie-up between Malaysia’s Funding Societies and regional e-commerce giant Lazada a perfect example of the current revolution taking place.
— The Asean Post

ASEAN is serious about electric vehicles
Commercial fleets and two-wheeled vehicles are expected to be the biggest drivers of growth in ASEAN’s electric vehicle (EV) market.
— The Asean Post

FIFA confirm two separate bids from ASEAN to host FIFA U-20 World Cup 2021
FIFA, the world governing body for football, have confirmed that Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia have officially bid to host the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2021.
— FOX Sports

Vietnam to host Southeast Asian amateur golf tourney
The Southeast Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship will take place in the northern province of Vinh Phuc this month.
— VnExpress International

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Justhine De Guzman Uy @justhine.aecnews

Experts warn dengue could spread further
As the death toll from dengue fever has risen to at least 30 at Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospitals alone, health specialists have warned the disease could spread during the rainy season and urged parents to remain cautious, take good care of their children and protect them from being bitten by mosquitoes.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Newly-elected council members to undergo course
Newly-elected council members from three political parties will have to undergo additional courses on how to coordinate their efforts to serve the public.
— Khmer Times

Cambodia issues new rules on contracts and compensation
On March 29, 2019, the MLVT enacted its Notification on the Registration of Foreign Employment Contracts, which significantly improved the requirements for employment contracts submitted as part of the work permit application process for foreign employees.
— Bangkok Post

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Justhine De Guzman Uy @justhine.aecnews

Turn back trash: Importers have 90 days to return waste to US, Europe, Australia
The Batam Customs and Excise Office has warned the importers of 49 containers filled with hazardous waste to follow the government’s order of returning the waste to their countries of origin within 90 days.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia has lost land equal to size of Jakarta in last 15 years
Ever since taking office in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, in December, Nagekeo Regent Johanes Don Bosco Do has been receiving grim reports from residents living in coastal areas in the northern and southern parts of the regency.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia’s much-loved disaster agency chief dies of cancer
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, Indonesia’s highly regarded disaster agency spokesperson, a man who continued to provide updates on the country’s inordinate number of natural disasters even as he suffered lung cancer, has died aged 49.
— The Guardian

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Justhine De Guzman Uy @justhine.aecnews

Dengue Kills 25, Infects Over 10,000
Over 10,700 people across the country have been infected with dengue virus, with Champassak hard hit with 2,416 infection cases and five deaths reported since the beginning of January, according to the Ministry of Health.
— KPL

Laos highway projects to boost Asean travel
Travelling across Asean is likely to get easier thanks to the Lao government’s plan to build an expressway and three motorways covering more than 1,700 kilometres which will link the country with China and Vietnam.
— Bangkok Post

Lower economic growth rate in Laos sparks worry
A lower economic growth rate has sparked concerns that Laos may not meet the average targeted rate of 7.2 per cent as part of the country’s five-year economic development plan for 2016-2020.
— The Phnom Penh Post

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Concern raised over Sabah govt’s decision to proceed with Papar Dam project
The Sabah government should reconsider its decision to proceed with the Papar Dam project and find other alternatives to solve water and power shortage in the state, says Penampang Bersatu Chief Senator Datuk John Ambrose.
— The Borneo Post

Govt needs to focus on ecosystem, people on digitisation plan: Apec
When it comes to digitisation, there is much to be done by the government, says executive director of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) secretariat Tan Sri Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria.She said the government should focus on the ecosystem as well as the people, as digitisation is not only about system.
— The Sun Daily

Mahathir’s call for a mega-Malay party puts leadership transition in tatters
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is supposed to announce a timeline for the leadership transition plans within the Pakatan Harapan party, but instead called for the formation of a mega-Malay party.
— The Independent

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Hundreds protest in Myanmar over two-year-old Victoria rape case
Hundreds of protesters have marched in Yangon amid outrage over the alleged rape of a two-year-old girl following a viral online campaign in a case that has left Myanmar society reeling.
— Aljazeera

Myanmar’s temple city Bagan awarded UNESCO World Heritage status
UNESCO inscribed Myanmar’s ancient capital of Bagan as a World Heritage Site on Saturday, nearly a quarter of a century after the complex of Buddhist temples was first nominated for listing.
— Thai PBS News

Myanmar-Thailand border trade reaches over $3.14 bln in 2018-2019 FY
Border trade between Myanmar and neighboring Thailand reached over US$ 3.14 billion as of 28 June in 2018-2019 fiscal year (FY) which started in October, according to the official weekly statistical report of the Ministry of Commerce.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Fisherfolk group to file impeachment complaint vs Duterte
A fisherfolk group on Friday, July 5 vowed to file an impeachment case against President Rodrigo Duterte for allowing China to fish in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea.
— Rappler

Landmark bill vs extrajudicial killings pushed
Opposition Senator Leila de Lima is set to file from jail a bill that will define extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and strengthen investigations into deaths in police or military operations.
— Rappler

Natl govt borrowings in May hit P126.086B
The national government’s borrowings for May amounted to P126.086 billion, posting an increase of 117.5 percent from the P57.969 billion made in the same month last year, data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed (BTr).
— Business Mirror

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Spize fined S$20,000 after more than 100 customers’ personal data leaked
Food and beverage outlet operator Spize has been fined S$20,000 after the personal data of about 150 customers was disclosed on its online ordering portal in 2017.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Race to be operator with fastest mobile wallet
Firms have rolled out measures to save time and ensure retailers are able to process payments.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

PM orders probe into alleged corruption in school lunch program
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Education and Interior ministries to look into the free lunch program for kindergarten and primary school children after allegations of corruption have re-surfaced at some of the schools.
— Thai PBS News

Thailand’s hopes for Kaeng Krachan as Natural World Heritage Site dashed
Thailand’s hopes of having the Kaeng Krachan forest complex added to the UNESCO list of Natural World Heritage Sites have taken a hit after the the World Heritage Committee (WHC)…
— Thai PBS News

Activists begin quest to amend constitution
A group of activists calling themselves the “Social Democrat Movement” on Sunday launched a campaign seeking signatures from 50,000 voters to sponsor a motion for a charter rewrite.
— Bangkok Post

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Credit growth expanded 7.33 percent in H1
The banking sector reported a credit growth of 7.33 percent in the first half of this year compared to the end of 2018, Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Le Minh Hung said.
— VietnamPlus

Vietnam seems to pick up more windfalls from US-China trade war
Vietnam is seizing an unprecedented opportunity arising from a wave of production and export orders as the trade row between China and the US diverts business to the Southeast Asian country, but looming concerns persist, entrepreneurs and experts told the Global Times.
— Global Times

HCM City metro routes delayed, await approval for cost revision
The HCM City People’s Committee has asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to revise the cost of its first two metro lines.
— Viet Nam News

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.

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