Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

Asean needs better sales pitch to realise its supply chain potential: HSBC
Southeast Asia, and particularly Thailand, cannot expect to see a wide-scale divergence of supply chains coming its way unless there are improvements in production technology and capacity, and regional integration, according to HSBC Thailand.
— The Nation

US-China trade war manufacturing exodus creating boom times for Chinese logistics companies
The US-China trade war has created an unlikely winner: the Chinese logistics companies facilitating the exodus of manufacturers looking to dodge tariffs.
— South China Morning Post (video)

Populism and identity politics damage Southeast Asian democracy
It might seem misleading to compare recent elections in Thailand and Indonesia.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Stakeholders Seek Ways To Address Urgent Challenges Facing Mekong
On May 20-21, 180 representatives from various stakeholder groups gathered at the 7th Mekong River Commission (MRC) Regional Stakeholder Forum in Bangkok, Thailand to learn lessons from current joint efforts and find better ways to address urgent challenges facing the Mekong.
— KPL

Southeast Asian ‘turtles’ return home to hatch tech startups
Levana Sani left Jakarta nine years ago to study biochemistry at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. Graduating in 2014, Levi — as she prefers to be called — was torn between pursuing a career in science by working on a Ph.D., or studying for an MBA with the idea of eventually returning home to start a business.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Biodiversity: Key to human health and food security
Our health depends on the food we eat, while our continuing supply of food relies on biodiversity and ecosystem services.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Electrifying times for automotive industry
Southeast Asia is fast becoming one of the most dynamic and industrialised regions in the world.
— The Asean Post

ASEAN chooses convenience over health
Skip health reasons or nutrition – convenience is far more important for Southeast Asians when choosing what to eat for breakfast.
— The Asean Post

Strengthening exchange and ties between China and Southeast Asia
Although the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations has ended, the exchange and mutual learning among civilizations will not end.
— Khmer Times

In role reversal, Southeast Asia’s VCs are investing in US tech
Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing app, is well known for the vast amounts of money it has received from investors: about $14 billion and counting. Soon, Grab may also be known for the investments it makes.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

The Dark Side of technology: ASEAN’s vulnerable children
This week, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) met in London to explore responses from the private sector and international governments to the rising tide of child sexual abuse taking place online.
— Asean Today

Macau Legend eying Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam expansion
Asian casino operator Macau Legend Development Ltd is looking to expand its current portfolio further into Laos and potentially through Cambodia and Vietnam, according to Executive Director Sheldon Trainer.
— IAG (media release) (blog)

NTC Grants Further License and Distribution Rights to Santen for Its Fixed Combination Dexamethasone With Levofloxacin in South East Asia
NTC Srl, R&D driven pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Italy , and Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, a global leader in ophthalmology, announce today the extension of their original agreement for Europe signed in December 2017 .
— Yahoo Finance (media release)

Southeast Asia’s love affair with Black Sea wheat to grow: Agrocorp CEO
Black Sea wheat is set to make bigger inroads into Southeast Asian markets in the coming years as price-sensitive buyers in the region look for alternatives to Australian supplies, Vijay Iyengar, CEO of Agrocorp International, told S&P Global Platts in an interview.
— S&P Global Platts

ASEAN Music Festival to open in Vietnam
The 2019 ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Music Festival will take place in Vietnam’s northern Hai Phong city on May 25-31, with the participation of over 60 artists from seven ASEAN countries, Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday.
— Xinhuanet

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre          @photo_journ

Cambodia Dismisses Bill by US Lawmakers in Support of Paris Peace Agreement
Cambodia’s government on Wednesday dismissed a bill written by a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers last week to “support the successful implementation of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement” that ended civil war in Cambodia and established the Southeast Asian nation as a fledgling democracy.
— Radio Free Asia

Chinese team to study master plan for Sihanoukville
A team from China’s Shenzhen city, in Guangdong province, is in Cambodia to study the possibility of drafting a master plan to guide the development of Sihanoukville.
— Khmer Times

Cambodia’s royal oxen predict bumper rice crop amid EU tariffs
Cambodia’s royal oxen predicted a plentiful harvest of rice, the country’s biggest crop, at an ancient ploughing ceremony on Wednesday.
— Bangkok Post

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

Protesters, police clash in second night of post-election protests in Indonesia
Indonesian police fired water cannon and rubber bullets at protesters setting fires and trying to breach barbed wire barricades on Wednesday as demonstrations over the outcome of the presidential election hit the capital for a second night.
— Reuters

Indonesia to invest in mega projects
Indonesia will invest in Thailand’s mega projects which require a budget of more than 400 billion US dollars, the largest projects in the history of the country.
— NBT World (video)

Jakarta riot: Bank Indonesia temporary stops mobile banknote-exchange service
Bank Indonesia (BI) stopped on Wednesday the operation of its mobile banknote-exchange service in Jakarta after the riots that followed the announcement that incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had won the presidential election.
— The Jakarta Post

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

China grants ICT development for trade, investment facilities
The Lao government expects that regional and international economic links in the areas of trade and investment will flourish with the development of necessary tools that will improve the business environment.
— ANN/ Vientiane Times

Stakeholders Seek Ways To Address Urgent Challenges Facing Mekong
On May 20-21, 180 representatives from various stakeholder groups gathered at the 7th Mekong River Commission (MRC) Regional Stakeholder Forum in Bangkok, Thailand to learn lessons from current joint efforts and find better ways to address urgent challenges facing the Mekong.
— KPL

China-Laos Cooperation on Intellectual Property Steps into New Stage
On April 2, 2018, Changyu Shen, Commissioner of China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), and Houmphan Inthirath, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology of Laos and Chairman of the Lao National Commission for Science and Technology, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Intellectual Property Cooperation between the National Intellectual Property Administration of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (MoU) in Vientiane, Laos.
— Lexology

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov

Malaysian banks well placed to manage weakening economy
Malaysian banking system remains stable, as strong loss-absorbing buffers should mitigate a potential rise in credit costs and moderating profitability over the next 12-18 months, according to Moody’s Investors Service.
— The Star Online

Survey: KL fifth most expensive city to buy a car, but petrol here among cheapest
Malaysia’s capital is the fifth most expensive city to buy a new mid-size car when compared against 54 other cities globally, but ironically has the fourth cheapest petrol prices, a survey has shown.
— Malay Mail

12 Malaysian universities to award over RM11.4mil in scholarships to Palestinians undergraduates and postgraduates residing in Malaysia
Palestinian students pursuing their undergraduate, postgraduate and post-doctoral degrees in 12 Malaysian universities stand to receive almost RM11.5mil in scholarships via the Palestinian Cultural Organisation Malaysia (PCOM), said Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Among the 12 universities are …
— The Online Citizen

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov

Myanmar reporter detained without charge since May 15
Myanmar authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Nanda, a broadcast reporter with the local privately owned Channel Mandalay TV news station, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
— CPJ

Myanmar to call international tender for power delivery
Myanmar will hold an international tender for gas to be delivered to the country via floating power plant to generate the electricity required to meet rising demand in Yangon by summer 2020, a senior official from the Ministry of Energy and Electricity (MOEE) told The Myanmar Times.
— Myanmar Times

‘They want to grow their armies’: Shan armed groups obstruct family planning efforts
Shan armed groups are accused of obstructing family planning programmes so as to ensure more recruits for their armies, at the expense of women’s health.
— Frontier Myanmar

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

Bulwark against Duterte falls in Philippines vote: Final results
Allies of President Rodrigo Duterte stormed to a landslide victory in midterm polls, final results showed Wednesday, dissolving a last bulwark against his controversial rule.
— The Jakarta Post

Senate OKs Security of Tenure bill to end ‘endo’
Voting 15-0, the Senate approved on third and final reading Wednesday the bill seeking to eliminate the practice of “endo” or end of contract by employers and guarantee security of tenure of workers.
— GMA News

‘Upset’ Duterte orders shipment of trash back to Canada even at PH expense
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the shipping of garbage back to Canada at the Philippines’ expense, as he expressed dismay over the “inordinate delay” and Ottawa’s failure to reclaim tons of trash shipped to Manila about six years ago, his spokesman said on Wednesday.
— The Manila Times

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre          @photo_journ

How US-China trade war will hit Singapore
Singapore companies started feeling the effects of the trade war when it began last year as demand from China fell.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Govt slashes 2019 GDP forecast as economy grows at a slower pace than expected
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced yesterday (21 May) that it has narrowed its annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast range given official data that showed that the economy is growing at a slower pace in the first three months of 2019, than what was expected. In a press …
— The Independent

Singapore-based Australian paedophile filmed himself sexually abusing dozens of children: Report
An Australian man who was based in Singapore pleaded guilty in a Melbourne court on Tuesday (May 21) to sexually abusing dozens of children over a period of 16 years, filming the acts and distributing the pictures and videos.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre          @photo_journ

Cabinet endorses 19 annual public holidays
The Cabinet today endorsed 19 annual public holidays and assigned May 4th as the Coronation Day. It also appointed a director-general to man the newly established Department of Rail Transport under the Ministry of Transport.
— NBT World (video)

EC studying law on FFP loan saga
The Election Commission (EC) is studying the details of the law governing parties’ income before deciding whether to take up the controversial loan case involving Future Forward Party (FFP) leader, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.
— Bangkok Post

Military killings case taken to Civil Court
The families of two hilltribe people shot to death two years ago by soldiers in Chiang Mai on Wednesday lodged a joint lawsuit with the Civil Court in Bangkok, demanding the court orders the Royal Thai Army to pay a total of 11 million baht to compensate their losses.
— Bangkok Post

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov

Vietnam’s non-cash payment surges 17.8 pct in Q1
Vietnam’s interbank e-payment system handled over 37.3 million transactions worth nearly 20.7 quadrillion Vietnamese dong (some 900 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year, posting year-on-year increases of 23 percent and 17.8 percent, respectively, according to the State Bank of Vietnam, the country’s central bank.
— Famagusta-gazette

Vietnam ministry to finalize investment law on basis of PPP
The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) proposed to set an investment capital threshold for PPP projects at VND200 billion (US$8.56 million).
— The Hanoitimes

Vietnam & EU might bypass US with bilateral trade
Vietnam and Europe could be swapping more agri products soon, if a new trade deal comes into effect. That deal would link two regions that have been looking for an alternative to the trade tensions brought on by the United States.
— 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.