Asean morning news for May 2

Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Asia’s Economies Can Fight Off Trade War and Global Headwinds, Says Report
The economies of Southeast Asia, China, Japan and South Korea are expected to remain “resilient” in the face of heightened trade tensions and stronger global headwinds, a
regional body said.
— Bloomberg

Asean should back EU’s sanctions on Myanmar
This past Monday, the European Union extended its ban on selling arms to Myanmar while also prolonging sanctions against high-ranking officials suspected of perpetrating atrocities against the country’s Rohingya Muslims.
— The Nation

ADB boosts support for region
THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) has vowed to deepen its support for Southeast Asia in development assistance, reflecting the region’s rising stature as a destination for trade and investment.
— The Nation

Asean, allies open Naval exercises in South Korea
MILITARY exercises between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and its allies formally began on Wednesday in Busan, South Korea with a focus on maritime
security.
— The Manila Times

ASEAN’s migrant workers live in fear
In debt, in a foreign country, and probably feeling like they are just in over their heads – many migrant workers in ASEAN will have more important things to think about today
while the rest of the world celebrates International Labour Day.
— The Asean Post

Asian Development Bank to earmark $80bn for climate change impact
The Asian Development Bank plans to spend $80 billion through 2030 to build infrastructure that will help protect Asian countries from the impact of climate change, a central topic at the board of governors meeting that began here Wednesday.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Asean experts assess continuing landmine-related risks
Asean nations met with development partners on Monday to discuss the humanitarian impact of anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions, and explosive remnants of war.
— Vientiane Times (paywall)

TCEB counting business leads
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau has concluded a series of road shows that focused on neighbouring markets Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam during the first quarter of the year.
— TTR Weekly

Property Investing: Real estate opportunities in Southeast Asia
Foreign investors with a higher risk appetite can find a lot of high-yield real estate investments in Southeast Asia.
— The Edge Markets

A broader view of poverty in East Asia and Pacific
Higher standards are required to match higher aspirations in middle-income countries.
— Thailand Business News

Mid-sized firms key to Asean’s future growth
Mid-sized companies will need to play a major role in realising Asean’s future growth ambition.
— The Star Online

ASEAN market growth slows in Q1
New vehicle sales in southeast Asia’s six largest markets combined increased by 1.9% to 853,383 units in the first quarter of 2019 from 837,481 units in the same period of last year, according to data collected exclusively for just-auto from local trade associations and government departments.
— Just-auto.com

Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR Factsheet (Last updated 30/04/2019)
The Mekong region – consisting of Vietnam, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and Cambodia – is frequently affected by natural disasters, especially floods, droughts, and typhoons.
— ReliefWeb

Tourism Destination Market Insights: Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Destination Market Insight provides in-depth analysis of a tourist destination, in this case for the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.
— Market Research Gazette

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Piseth Pov @piseth6666

Siem Reap named top tourist destination in Southeast Asia
Siem Reap was named the top tourist destination in Southeast Asia by Germany-based online travel platform YouDiscover.
— Khmer Times

Cambodia’s failing education system
In December 2018, Cambodian Senate president Say Chhum had encouraged the country’s youth to study hard in order to become future leaders. He made the comment during the opening ceremony of the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia congress at a hotel in Phnom Penh.
— The Asean Post

National Bank set to boost bet on Cambodia even as country faces mounting scrutiny on human rights
National Bank of Canada is preparing to increase its bet on Cambodia this year, a decision that comes as the Southeast Asian country is facing increasing scrutiny and potential economic sanctions over its government’s human-rights record.
— Financial Post

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Piseth Pov @piseth6666

Indonesia encourages ACD concrete cooperation
Indonesia encouraged concrete cooperation among Asian countries during the 16th Ministerial Meeting of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) held in Doha, Qatar, recently.
— Antara News

ADB commits US$2.6 billion to support Indonesia in 2019
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has committed US$2.6 billion this year to support Indonesia, primarily in developing infrastructure projects, said Ramesh Subramaniam, the ADB director general of the Southeast Asian department in Fiji on Wednesday.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia`s Iron and Steel Imports Reach All-time High in 2018
Indonesia’s iron and steel imports recorded the highest increase of 30 percent in 2018 owing to the massive infrastructure development in the country.
— Tempo.co

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Spike in Chinese tourist arrivals, but overall total dips
The total number of domestic and foreign tourists declined slightly in the first three months of this year compared to the same period last year, but the number of Chinese visitors increased significantly.
— Vientiane Times

The Pic of the Day: Honors procession in Laos for possible remains of unknown US service members
In the featured photo, U.S. service members attached to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency carry the possible remains of unknown service members onto an aircraft during a repatriation ceremony in Pakse, Laos, on April 10, 2019.
— NEWSREP

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Govt allocating significant resources to support SME growth, technological adoption
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government is holding to its 14th General Election’s (GE14) pledges since its historic win nearly a year ago by allocating significant resources to supporting the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and encouraging their technological.
— The Sun Daily

Housing Ministry zooms in on affordable housing, plastic waste woes
Efforts to provide more affordable homes to the people and to take more firm action against operators of illegal plastic factories have been among the focus of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT).
— Malay Mail

Malaysia’s PPI down 1.5% in March 2019
The Producer Price Index (PPI) for local production fell 1.5% year-on-year in March 2019, according to the Department of Statistics.”The sectors which decreased during the month were agriculture, forestry and fishing (-14.2%), water supply (-1.7%) and manufacturing (-0.8%).
— The Sun Daily

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

French to help finance Myanmar’s hydropower upgrades
Myanmar is set to receive a €35.7 million (K60.2 billion) loan from the French Development Agency (AFD) to upgrade to five hydropower plants, President U Win Myint said in a message to the Assembly of the Union (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw).
— Myanmar Times

Soft loan agreement signed for national electrification plan
Soft loan agreement for National Electrification Plan in collaboration with the Italian government was signed at the Department of Rural Development on 30 April.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Asean should back EU’s sanctions on Myanmar
Regional bloc has the power to help end military atrocities that have killed thousands.
— The Nation

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Money supply in slow growth of 4.2% in March
MONEY supply circulating in the economy reached P11.4 trillion by the end of the year’s first quarter, posting a slow growth from its level in the same period last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported.
— Business Mirror

Credit growth eases to 9.9% in March, slowest in 8 years
Credit growth slowed for the fifth straight month in March, hitting single-digit level for the first time in more than eight years due to the decline in household loans after a series of rate hikes by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) last year to control inflation.
— The Philippine Star

Groups hit Duterte policies, unfulfilled promises in Labor Day marches
Workers marked Labor Day with protests across the country insisting on higher wages and an end to contractualization as President Rodrigo Duterte promised when he ran in 2016.
— GMA News

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by Piseth Pov @piseth6666

Singapore deputy PM nods to future leadership role in speech to workers
Singapore’s newly-appointed deputy prime minister hinted at a future leadership role in a speech on Wednesday in which he echoed a pledge made by previous prime ministers to support the city-state’s labor movement.
— The Guardian

Hope of more desirable Singapore lies in our awakened conciousness
Singapore has been plagued by a series of unprecedented domestic problems these past years and without step-up accountability and transparency, the situation has become divisive, fracturing us as a nation.

Work trends change, but a strong labour movement still crucial
A STRONG labour movement remains crucial to Singapore – even as the future of work looks very different, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his May Day Message for this year.
— The Business Times

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Thailand’s king appoints his consort as queen
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who will have his official coronation on Saturday, has appointed his consort as the country’s queen.
— AP

Future Forward repeats demand for poll re-run in Nakhon Pathom
Refusing to accept defeat in Nakhon Pathom’s confused Constituency One election, allegedly caused by vote count flip-flopping, the Future Forward party has reiterated its demand for an election re-run to…
— Thai PBS News

Thailand to negotiate compensation pay with Hopewell Co. for aborted rail project
The Thai government plans to negotiate a mega-billion-baht compensation pay with Hong Kong construction firm Hopewell for an elevated rail project, which was scrapped over two decades ago, said Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith late on Tuesday.
— www.china.org.cn

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Vietnam trade surplus narrows to US$711 million in Jan-Apr
Vietnam`s trade turnover reached US$156.8 billion in the first four months of 2019, up 8% year-on-year.
— The Hanoitimes

Vietnam’s Improving Business Environment: 2018 Provincial Competitive Index
Vietnam’s business environment continues to improve according to the recently released 2018 Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) report. FDI remains strong, with high technology sub-sectors such as electronics accounting for an increasing part of foreign investment.
— Vietnam Briefing

Vietnam sees stronger mPOS payment
Vietnam had 27,500 places accepting payment via mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) in 2018, posting a year-on-year increase of 99 percent, according to the Vietnam Bank Card Association.
— Xinhua

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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