Asean morning news for March 12

Asean morning news for March 12
Advertisement
Online English lessons

Asean morning newsAsean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

 

Asean, Japan sign protocol revising regional free trade treaty
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan signed the first protocol to amend the Asean-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement on March 2 at the sidelines of the 7th RCEP Intercessional Ministerial Meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
— Manilastandard.net

UN body reports record-high meth production in East, Southeast Asia
The surge in methamphetamine hydrochloride, also known as shabu or meth, production in East and Southeast Asia could indicate an oversupply of drugs in the region, according to the latest report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
— Business Mirror

CLV negotiations make headway
Following a meeting of high-ranking officials last weekend in Kratie province, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam (CLV) have agreed on nearly two-thirds of an action plan to promote economic connectivity in the area.
— Khmer Times

ASEAN’s illegal wildlife trade goes online
With social media already playing a role in human trafficking, arms trading and drug smuggling, it is perhaps no surprise that the illegal wildlife trade is the latest cross-border crime to go online.
— The Asean Post

Bond traders raise bets Indonesia, Philippines next to cut rates
The chill winds of slowing global growth that convinced the Federal Reserve to stop raising interest rates are making themselves felt in Southeast Asia – nowhere more so than in the bond market.
— FMT

Safety first in Asia’s busy skies
The deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash this weekend is a painful echo of last October’s Lion Air disaster in Indonesia, in which all 189 people were killed.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Vietnam lags behind ASEAN peers on economic freedom index
Vietnam moves up 13 places on Economic Freedom Index, but remains in the ‘mostly unfree’ class.
— VnExpress International

Edtech firms are filling crucial gaps in Southeast Asia
Education is a right. At its core, governments normally make the provisions that ensure their citizens are literate and hold a certain level of knowledge about our world.
— KrAsia

MFA: China cancels plan to blow up Mekong River
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says China no longer intends to blast rocky islets in the Mekong River after Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos raised concerns about possible after-effects.
— Pattaya Mail

Lack of clarity on scrapping Mekong rapids blasting raises concerns
ENVIRONMENTALISTS and local people along the Mekong River in Thailand remain uneasy over previously proposed plans to blast the Mekong River rapids, inspite of a Foreign Ministry assurance that the navigation channel improvement project had been scrapped.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Lazada Excels cross-border business across Southeast Asia
Lazada is boosting its cross-border operations for international brands and merchants to after its cross-border sales quadrupled over the last three years.
— Retail News Asia (media release) (blog)

Asia ride-hailing giant trains drivers to fight human trafficking
Southeast Asia’s largest ride-hailing firm Grab said on Monday it is to train its millions of drivers to spot victims of human trafficking in one of the world’s worst hit regions.
— Reuters

Defi revolutionizes lending practice in Southeast Asia with state-of-art blockchain-based credit platform
Nearly 400 million people in Southeast Asia will gain access to banking systems in the coming decades, and good data is crucial to achieve such goal.
— Viet Nam News

ASEAN and India can collaborate to offset challenges in food processing
ASEAN and India and specifically Karnataka are seen to have considerable scope to collaborate to make agriculture far more predictable and sustainable. Access to food, feed, fuel and fodder can be achieved with agriculture.
— FnB News.com

85% of firms polled in APAC countries have at least one woman in senior management
85% of businesses in Asia Pacific (APAC) countries have at least one woman in senior management, Grant Thornton’s latest Women in Business report has revealed. At the same time, just 28% of senior roles are held by women.
— Human Resources

ASEAN’s insatiable demand for energy
As Southeast Asia becomes one of the fastest developing regions in the world, concerns over its energy security is fast growing.
— The Asean Post

Southeast Asia returns to Black Sea for new crop wheat
End-users in Southeast Asia have started purchasing new crop wheat from the Black Sea, three to four months ahead of the harvest, attracted by the recent slump in wheat prices.
— S&P Global Platts

Online English lessons


Cambodia morning newsCambodia morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre          @photo_journ

 

Government to label attractions ‘Supreme Tourism Sites’
The government is pushing for the development and investment into special tourism sites as it will contribute to the Kingdom’s economic development, a Sub-decree designating “Supreme Tourism Sites” said.
— The Phnom Penh Post

CLV negotiations make headway
Following a meeting of high-ranking officials last weekend in Kratie province, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam (CLV) have agreed on nearly two-thirds of an action plan to promote economic connectivity in the area.
— Khmer Times

Cambodian Authorities Arrest Business Tycoon Kith Theang After Drug Raid at His Nightclub
Authorities in Cambodia Monday arrested business tycoon Kith Theang in connection with a Feb. 23 drug raid at a Phnom Penh nightclub he owns.
— Radio Free Asia

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning newsIndonesia morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

 

Ombudsman official demands grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Indonesia
An aviation expert who is also an official at the Indonesian Ombudsman demanded that the Indonesian government ground all Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft that were still operating for Indonesian airlines following a fatal crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Sunday, which killed 149 passengers and eight crew members in a town 60 kilometers southeast of Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Indonesia plans to fuel all diesel power plants with CPO within two years
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan says the government is giving state-owned electricity company PLN two years to fuel all diesel power plants in the country with biodiesel made from crude palm oil (CPO).
— The Jakarta Post

Regional connectivity is one of priority programs : PUPR Minister
The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) of the Republic of Indonesia states that infrastructure development that connects with one area in both the rural, district and provincial areas is one of the priority programs that will be implemented in 2019.
— Antara News

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Advertisement

Advertise in AEC News todayAsean


Lao PDR morning newsLao PDR morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

 

Laos, Thailand target $12B bilateral trade by 2021
Laos and Thailand have committed to increasing bilateral trade volume by 10 to 15 per cent annually as the two governments expect to meet the target of $12 billion in 2021, according to the Lao trade minister.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Ministry regulates wildlife-related operations
A new guideline has been issued to regulate the establishment and operation of zoos, wildlife farms, and the trade of some wild animals and plants.
— Vientiane Times

Young Entrepreneurs Erom ASEAN Converge in Luang Prabang To Study Ecotourism
During the week of March 4-8, 2019, fifty young entrepreneurs from ASEAN countries and Timor Leste met in Luang Prabang Province, Laos to join a workshop on ecotourism organized through the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), a U.S. government-funded program.
— KPL

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning newsMalaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov

 

Malaysia looks to better transparency in BRI projects
Malaysia looks for more transparently negotiated Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and investments from China, says Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Ong Kian Ming in view of China-backed projects such as the RM80 billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL).
— New Straits Times

Inflation down, yields up; Malaysia looks set for positive rerating
TEN months since Malaysia formed a new government, its equity market has corrected by almost 9 per cent. The initial variability of government policies had unsettled markets.
— Business Times

Kuala Lumpur says foreign militants eyeing Malaysia as safe haven
Malaysian police said yesterday that it has uncovered a plan by foreign militants to use the country as a “safe haven” transit and logistics centre, following the collapse of terrorist outfit Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Middle East.
— The Straits Times

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning newsMyanmar morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov
 

Myanmar’s growth slowed by Rohingya crisis
In a vast convention centre in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s sprawling and eerily empty capital, prospective investors listened politely as local companies pitched opportunities and government officials spoke of the country’s vast economic potential.
— The Asean Post

Myanmar, Thailand border commerce hit 1.Four bln USD in 1st half of FY 2018-19
Border trade between Myanmar and Thailand totaled about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of fiscal year (FY) 2018-2019 which started in October last year, according to the figures from Myanmar’s Ministry of Commerce Saturday.
— Brinkwire

More investments needed for expansion in food-processing industry
The Myanmar processed food industry needs more investment support in order to develop further, U Aye Win, chair of the Myanmar Food Processors and Exporters Association, told The Myanmar Times.
— Myanmar Times

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning newsPhilippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

 

Philippines gets $9.8 billion FDI in 2018, posts first drop in three years
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Philippines fell for the first time in three years in 2018 to $9.8 billion, nearly 4.5 percent lower than prior year’s record inflow, the central bank data showed on Monday.
— Reuters

Philippines news site Rappler loses appeal on foreign ownership
A Philippine news website critical of President Rodrigo Duterte violated a constitutional ban on foreign ownership in media companies, the Court of Appeals said in a decision released Monday.
— Bangkok Post

Duterte on budget impasse: ‘I will not sign anything illegal’
Manila, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he will not sign “anything that would be illegal” as the legislative branch has yet to transmit the 2019 national budget to Malacaang.
— Inquirer.net

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning newsSingapore morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre          @photo_journ

 

Citi Joins UBS in Setting Up Singapore Currency Trading Hub
Citigroup Inc. is planning to join UBS AG with an electronic currency trading and pricing platform in Singapore, setting up systems to boost liquidity in Asia’s biggest foreign-exchange hub.
— Bloomberg

Singaporeans must work together to counter fake news: Iswaran
Laws being drawn up to counter the scourge of fake news will “not be sufficient” and everyone has to play their part to protect Singapore from the danger it poses, Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran said on Monday (March 11).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Singapore partner of US fraudster Mikhy Brochez loses cheating conviction appeal
The Singapore doctor embroiled in the leak of confidential HIV patient data has lost his appeal in the High Court against an earlier conviction of helping his partner to cheat on a blood test, and of providing false information to the police and Ministry of Health (MOH).
— Malay Mail

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Advertisement

Advertise in AEC News todayAsean

Thailand morning newsThailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre          @photo_journ

 

EC in the firing line over advance voting blunders
Voters and candidates asked the Election Commission (EC) to take responsibility for poor preparations that led to mistakes, confusion and inconvenience to advance voters abroad last week even as the country braces for millions of early votes expected to be cast in the Kingdom this Sunday.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

North chokes on toxic haze largely from Myanmar fires
THE NORTH was once again choking under dangerous levels of PM2.5 dust particles yesterday. For instance, tambon Wiang Phang Kham in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district cited the day’s peak at 128 micrograms (mcg) per cubic metre of air, more than double the Thai safety limit of 50mcg.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

NCPO to bring charges against FFP for contempt of court
On 8 March, Col Burin Thongprapai, the NCPO’s legal officer, filed a complaint with the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) against the website administrator and other relevant personnel of the Future Forward Party (FFP) for contempt of court.
— Prachatai English

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning newsVietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov

 

Vietnam highlights: The growth of air travelers in Vietnam now is leading southeast Asia
World Bank estimates that in the period of 2016-2021, Vietnam aviation industry has a compound growth rate of 17.4% while ASEAN average is 6.1%. The report also forecasts the growth of Vietnam aviation in the period 2016-2026 will even be higher, up to 20%.
— Vietnam Insider

Vietnam lags behind ASEAN peers on economic freedom index
Vietnam moves up 13 places on Economic Freedom Index, but remains in the ‘mostly unfree’ class.
— VnExpress

Credit growth in the first 2 months has been only 0.77%.
The monetary & credit market is relatively stable, up to 25 February 2019, the total means of payment increased 2.11%; capital mobilization increased 01%, credit for the economy increased 0.77% compared to the end of 2018.
— 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.

 

Support independent media by sharing using these tools. Do not steal our content

Make a comment

Your email address will not be published.