Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia to cut rubber exports for 4 months
The world’s top producers of natural rubber will curb exports by 240,000 tonnes for four months from April, they said on Wednesday, in a bid to prop up global prices for the commodity.
— Bangkok Post

Asean and South Korea BUILDING BRIDGES across the ocean
Next week, I will be making state visits to Brunei, Malaysia and Cambodia.
— The Nation (very annoying pop-ups)

Talks focus on Halal food trade framework in ASEAN
OFFICIALS from the ASEAN Food and Beverage Alliance (AFBA) and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Brunei Darussalam (NCCIBD) on Monday met representatives from the Halal Food Control Division and Brunei Islamic Religious Council (MUIB), Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) to discuss the mutual recognition framework for the food industry in ASEAN.
— Borneo Bulletin

Grab, a Southeast Asian Ride-Hailing Giant, Raises $1.5 Billion
As Uber and Lyft prepare to become the world’s first publicly traded ride-hailing companies, their peers overseas are continuing to raise huge amounts of money through private investments.
— The New York Times

ADB Report Says A Prolonged China-US Trade Escalation Will Hurt Global Economy
A prolonged trade war this year between the United States and China will continue to cause economic disruptions, contributing to a weaker global gross domestic product and lower trade, according to the latest Asian Development Bank (ADB) report.
— Business Times

TCEB — Business fine tunes marketing strategy in neighbouring countries
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) — Business is fine tuning its marketing strategy in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) with a tactical campaign to attract more MICE travellers from neighbouring countries.
— AEC News Today / PR Newswire (media release)

11 of 15 cities in Southeast Asia with cleanest air are in Philippines — report
Eleven of the cities in Southeast Asia with cleanest air are in the Philippines, with Calamba in Laguna taking the top spot.
— The Philippine Star

The future of aviation in Southeast Asia
Air travel across Southeast Asia is growing by around 10 percent a year, with Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines all experiencing double-digit expansion rates according to research firm Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).
— The Asean Post

Redbeat Capital will help bridge Silicon Valley and Asean, says Fernandes
AirAsia Group Bhd chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the low-cost carrier’s venture capital fund in the United States called RedBeat Capital complements its culture of embracing open innovation and will help to bridge Silicon Valley and Asean.
— The Edge Markets

France boosts Asean creative sectors via animation
FRANCE has strengthened its commitment to support the development of the creative industries of the Philippines and of Southeast Asia by organizing the first “Animation du Monde” workshop in Manila in February.
— Business Mirror

Chinese millennials are clicking up a storm buying Asian property online
Ice Chen, a 36-year-old bank manager in Beijing, hasn’t been to Bangkok lately, but she just bought two apartments there.
— The Straits Times

Stability in South China Sea tackled in PH, Vietnam meet
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh conclude with a handshake the 9th Meeting of the Philippines-Viet Nam Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in Manila.
— Northbound Philippines

Progress in ASEAN Political-Security Community building reviewed
The 11th Coordinating Conference for the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) took place at the ASEAN Secretariat’s headquarters in Jakarta on March 5 to review the implementation of the APSC Blueprint 2025.
— Vietnam Plus

Seoul’s first lady holds special meeting with ASEAN students
South Korea’s first lady Kim Jung-sook held a special meeting Wednesday with students from Brunei, Cambodia and Malaysia, countries that she and her husband, President Moon Jae-in, are set to visit next week.
— Yonhap News Agency

ASEAN nations join hands to eliminate child, early, forced marriage
A forum on child, early, and forced marriage (CEFM) was held in Jakarta, Indonesia on March 6 by the ASEAN Secretariat in combination with the UN Children’s Fund, UN Population Fund , and the Plan International.
— Vietnam Plus

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Piseth Pov          @piseth6666

PM: Don’t wait for holidays to pardon female convicts
Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered the ministries of Justice and Women’s Affairs to study the possibility of pardoning female convicts or reducing their jail terms without waiting for national holidays, the traditional time for such action.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodian Army Backs Business Group in Land Dispute, Defying Government Order
Cambodia’s military is backing a powerful company in its seizure of land in Preah Vihear province, guarding bulldozers sent to destroy villagers’ crops and defying government orders not to get involved in land disputes, Cambodian sources say.
— Radio Free Asia

European Commission Delegation to Talk EBA with Cambodia Later in March, April
EU Ambassador to Cambodia George Edgar said that the European Commission (EC) delegation will visit Cambodia later in March and April to discuss the Everything But Arms arrangement, speaking in a courtesy call on commerce minister Pan Sorasak at the ministry on Tuesday.
— Fresh News

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Piseth Pov          @piseth6666

Jokowi: Private Parties are Essential for Economic Growth Target
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reminded that the involvement of private parties is necessary to achieve the economic growth target in 2019 and 2020 in addition to recording positive economic performance.
— Tempo.co

Australia: Indonesia deal can boost Queensland agriculture
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner welcomed the signing of the recent Australia-Indonesia Free Trade Agreement, recognising that Queensland is in a prime position to capitalise on the signing of the FTA and saying it will be a boon for exporters of Queensland agricultural products.
— Fresh Plaza

Kampung Inggris provides opportunity to boost UK engagement in Indonesia
A simply dressed Nurcholis, who runs his own small noodle stall called “Uncle Nur” in Pare district in Kediri, East Java may look like an ordinary noodle seller when he prepares the noodles for his customers.
— The Jakarta Post

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

Cambodia, Laos pen agreement against drugs, crimes
Cambodia penned a memorandum of understanding with Laos, joining hands in tackling drugs and cross-border crimes.
— MENAFN

France grants over 14 billion kip for tea project
The French government has provided grant assistance of over 14 billion kip (EUR 1.5 million) to fund a tea value-chain project in Laos.
— Vientiane Times

Nation cultivating production methods to drive agriculture strategy
The government is targeting modern production methods in the nation’s agricultural development strategy to help push forward its policy agenda on food security and reducing poverty in rural areas.
— Vientiane Times

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov

MoF: Malaysia’s Jan 2019 export value of RM85.4b is a record high
Malaysia’s export value in January 2019 of RM85.4 billion is the highest in the country’s history, surpassing the previous record of RM82.8 billion achieved in January 2018, according to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) today.
— The Edge Markets

Malaysia’s central bank holds rate, sees ‘steady’ economic growth
Malaysia’s central bank kept its key interest rate unchanged on Tuesday, as expected, expressing confidence that the economy can stay on a “steady growth path” despite multiple risks.
— Business World Online

Malaysian State Government to Use Blockchain Technology for Agricultural Supply Chains
Penang, one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is undertaking a project to revolutionize its supply chains for food production using blockchain technology.
— Nasdaq

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov

Temporary centre to renew Myanmar workers’ passports
The cabinet agreed on Tueday to establish a Temporary Myanmar Labour Data Collection Centre in Samut Prakan for the convenience of migrant workers seeking to renew their passports in order to continue…
— Bangkok Post

Govt seeks more private sector, foreign help with education
The government needs greater participation by the private sector and foreign institutions to transform the country’s education system, which was neglected during more than half a century of military rule, a British-based business research company said.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar’s agricultural products export reaches over 1 bln USD in over 4 months
Myanmar’s export of agricultural products reached over 1.28 billion U.S. dollars as of Feb. 22 in present fiscal year 2018-2019 which started in October, according to the Commerce Ministry on Wednesday.
— Xinhua

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

Fire leaves 450 families homeless in Quezon City, the Philippines
Residents search for belongings from their charred homes after a fire at a residential area in Quezon City, the Philippines, March 6, 2019. Around 150 houses were razed in the fire, leaving 450 families homeless.
— Xinhua

Philippine rice funding to hit $421M with new law
GOVERNMENT funding for the country’s rice industry is set to hit a record of 22 billion pesos ($421.531 million) this year with the implementation of the Rice Import Liberalization Law, the agriculture chief said.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Japan, ILO ink $2.6-M Bangsamoro water supply project
More households in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will soon have access to safe and potable water through a USD2.6 million-worth project that will build a community-based water supply in the region.
— Philippine News Agency

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by Piseth Pov          @piseth6666

Perpetrators of SingHealth breach identified as Whitefly in new report
The perpetrators of the cyber attack on SingHealth in July 2018, which saw 1.5 million patient records being stolen has been identified in a new research report by cyber security company, Symantec.
— The Edge Singapore

Help for workers a key focus for Budget debate beginning today
Getting the Singaporean workforce to be more “future-proof” amid technological and economic disruptions will be a key focus for MPs when the debate on this year’s Budget begins on Tuesday (Feb 26).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Singapore hires global hackers to get rid of 26 bugs in govt offices
From December 2018 to the early part of January this year, Singapore suffered from several serious hacking attacks with over 400 hackers trying to penetrate the city-state’s government online sites.
— The Independent

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre          @photo_journ

1,200 police to secure Constitutional Court on ruling day
Police will deploy 1,200 officers in and around the Constitutional Court on Thursday when it rules on the dissolution of Thai Raksa Chart following the party’s nomination of Princess Ubolratana to be its candidate for prime minister.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand ranks world’s 23rd most polluted country
Thailand has been ranked the world’s 23rd most polluted country and Bangkok ranks 24th in the list of cities with critical air quality globally, according to the 2018 World Air…
— Thai PBS News

Little Changed Among Blood-Bound Thai Billionaires: Forbes
Nearly a third of Thailand’s billionaires belong to a single clan, the latest ranking from Forbes shows.
— Khaosod English

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov

Due to the country’s policies encouraging FDI, Vietnam becomes attractive destination
Vietnam has become an attractive destination for foreign investors largely due to the country’s policies encouraging foreign direct investment (FDI), its political stability and strong economic growth.
— Vietnam Insider

Vietjet Air offers 2.4 million cheap tickets
Budget airline Vietjet Air will offer 2.4 million tickets starting from 0 VND on March 6-8 to celebrate the International Women’s Day (March 8).
— VNA NET

US blueberry growers preparing first shipments to Vietnam
The news that Vietnam has opened up its doors to blueberry imports from the US has been welcomed by blueberry growers and shippers across the country. Suppliers are very positive about the new development and are looking forward to shipping the first berries to the country.
— Fresh Plaza

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.