Asean Morning News For July 19

Asean Morning News For July 19
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Asean morning newsAsean Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu    @stmarisewudolu

 

RCEP: Test to ASEAN in the Asia Pacific
Southeast Asia is undoubtedly one of world’s important economic growth engines. Statistics of the World Trade Organization show that the percentage of global merchandise exports from the region increased almost 16=fold between 1980 and 2016 from US$72 billion to $1.079 trillion.
— The Jakarta Post

Vietnam imports 51,000 vehicles for $1.04 billion
Vienam spent US$1.04 billion to import some 51,000 various vehicles in the first half of this year, according to statistics of the General Department of Viet Nam Customs.
— VietNamNet Bridge

NGOs call for better protection of migrant workers’ rights
Civil society groups called on Tuesday for the adoption of a regional framework to guarantee the rights of migrant workers in ASEAN.
— The Jakarta Post

The Asean promise
THE numbers around South-east Asia, or Asean, have attracted a number of superlatives. If it were a single country, Asean would be the seventh-largest economy in the world and the third-largest labour force, with a market of US$2.6 trillion and over 600 million people.
— The Business Times

Shower of vibrant, provocative art from S.E. Asia
The concept for the exhibition “Sunshower: Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia 1980s to Now” that opened recently at two major art museums in the Roppongi district of Tokyo — the National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT) and the Mori Art Museum (MAM) — was from the start a bold, ambitious and intuitive one.
— The Japan News

Strategy through execution amid disruption
TALKING to Sundara Raj, chief executive officer and markets leader of PwC’s South East Asian consulting services, allows one to peek at the latest forces driving the region’s largest corporates. In Vietnam, a telco is trying to link its back-end systems with a Web-based payments gateway.
— The Business Times

Trade is key in Asean-India ties
THOSE in South-East Asia who are in the habit of peering at crystal balls may ponder whether the Indian army’s recent action in Bhutan – when it went to the aid of the Royal Bhutanese Army to block Chinese soldiers from building a service road in territory claimed by Thimphu – is worth extrapolating in a future context involving the region.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/07/19/trade-is-key-in-aseanindia-ties-it-is-time-india-walks-the-talk-on-commerce-and-backs-a-quality-rcep/#FcRMHTkjZrLZ72AX.99
— The Star Online

Local duo bags top prizes at blogging event
Two Bruneian bloggers alongside two other media representatives from Indonesia bagged top prizes at the recently concluded Asean Media Bloggers Tourism Hunt 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
— The Nation

 

Cambodia morning newsCambodia Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat    @leakhenakhat

 

Lift Commercial Surrogacy Ban Cambodia Trial of Cancer Struck Aussie Nurse Told
A Cambodian defence attorney has called for the current ban on commercial surrogacy in Cambodia to be abolished ‘because the people are poor’, adding ‘it is not wrong to just bear a baby for another’. A second defence attorney pleaded that his clients were being prosecuted for acts committed before there was a law prohibiting the practice.
AEC News Today

Untapped insurance funds could boost capital market
The dearth of investment options in the local capital market has forced insurers in Cambodia to rely on underwriting for profits instead of investment returns, but industry leaders say if the government can provide more investable securities options it could attract large pools of untapped insurance investment.
The Phnom Penh Post 

Police Burn 60,000 Marijuana Plants at Takeo Village Hotspot
Police destroyed more than 60,000 marijuana plants spread across 3 hectares of land in a well-known Takeo province hotspot for growing the illegal crop, officials said on Tuesday.
The Cambodia Daily (paywall)

See here for more of today’s Cambodia Morning News 

 

Indonesia morning newsIndonesia Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu    @stmarisewudolu

 

Indonesia shrugs off China’s protest over North Natuna Sea’s name
Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has given China the cold shoulder over its protest against Indonesia’s move to rename the South China Sea (SCS) waters that lie within Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) north of Natuna Islands the “North Natuna Sea.”
— The Jakarta Post

Hong Kong to Woo Indonesian Businesses to Take Part in ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative
Hong Kong will hold a one-day seminar in Jakarta next week to introduce its role in China’s “Belt and Road” initiative for Indonesian businesses, an executive said on Tuesday (18/07).
— Jakarta Globe

New Indonesia report highlights critical role of ending child poverty and violence to achieving sustainable development
The Government of Indonesia and UNICEF today launched a new report showcasing the progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals that the country has made for children, acknowledging challenges and highlighting the crucial role of preventing violence against children in reducing poverty.
— UNICEF (press release)

See here for more of today’s Indonesia Morning News 

 

Lao PDR morning newsLao PDR Morning News

Compiled by Cara Navarro    @cara_nav

 

Laos to establish administrative courts
Laos is preparing to establish administrative courts to better address administrative disputes between executive agencies and the general public.
Vientiane Times

Lao Officials to Approve Final Compensation Scheme For High-Speed Railway
The Lao government expects this week to determine final compensation amounts for residents who will lose land and crops to make way for the U.S. $6 billion Lao-Chinese high-speed railway, an official working on the mega-project said on Monday.
Radio Free Asia

Vietcombank receives approval to set up bank in Laos
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has approved the establishment of the Vietcombank Laos Limited (Vietcombank Laos) in Laos, which is wholly invested by the Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank).
VietnamPlus

See here for more of today’s Lao Morning News 

 

Malaysia morning newsMalaysia Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat    @leakhenakhat

 

Malaysia announces royal inquiry to investigate Mahathir-era forex scandal
The Malaysian government formally established a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Tuesday (Jul 18) to investigate a multi-billion-dollar foreign exchange scandal involving the central bank in the 1980s and 1990s.
Channel NewsAsia 

PTT, Petronas to develop LNG plant in Malaysia
PTT Plc, the national oil and gas conglomerate, plans a joint venture with Malaysia’s national oil and gas firm, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), to develop a natural gas liquefaction facility in…
Bangkok Post 

Railways redevelopment of 7 stations: Malaysian companies set to enter race for Udaipur, Indore, Bandra, Pune, other projects
A Malaysian delegation on Tuesday met railway officials and showed interest in redeveloping seven railway stations across the country. These stations include those in Udaipur City, Indore, Howrah, Faridabad, Secunderabad, Bandra and Pune — as reported by FE on June 21.
Financial Express 

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News 

 

Myanmar morning newsMyanmar Morning News

Compiled by Cara Navarro     @cara_nav

 

Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims share stories of gang rape and killings by police and soldiers in Rakhine State
As the last of the foreign reporters walked over a bamboo bridge a young Rohingya woman dressed in black, with a black umbrella, raised her hand hesitantly.
— ABC News

Nationwide survey launched to draft business environment index
The Myanmar Business Environment Index will be mapped out based on a nationwide survey, which complements previous and current research, to improve the competitiveness of private sector in states and regions.
The Myanmar Times

Vessel monitoring system to be installed on Myanmar’s fishing fleet
Myanmar’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation will soon require all fishing boats to use Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), electronic devices that can provide location, catch-size and other fishing surveillance data for closer fisheries regulation, according to a report in yesterday’s City News Daily.
Global New Light of Myanmar

See here for more of today’s Myanmar Morning News 

 

Philippines morning newsPhilippines Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu    @stmarisewudolu

 

Peso depreciates to near 11-year low
The peso continued to weaken against the dollar yesterday, shedding another seven centavos to close at its lowest level in almost 11 years.
— The Philippine Star

Shell reverses P1.36 B in books after favorable SC tax case ruling
Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. is cancelling its financial exposure amounting to P1.36 billion after the Supreme Court junked its tax case.
— The Philippine Star

Faster internet seen to attract more investors in Davao City
A faster and reliable internet connection would result in more investors coming in to further boost the business climate in Davao City.
— TechnoChops (press release) (blog)

See here for more of today’s Philippines Morning News 

 

 

Singapore morning newsSingapore Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat    @leakhenakhat

 

What is Singapore’s new ‘National Trade Platform’
The National Trade Platform (NTP), developed by Singapore Customs in collaboration with the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech), was one of the potentially game-changing projects recognised by OpenGov during its Singapore OpenGov Leadership Forum in May this year.
OpenGov 

MOH rapped over $800m hospital
The Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) has taken the Ministry of Health (MOH) to task for the way tens of millions of dollars were spent in the building of the $800 million Ng Teng Fong General Hospital in Jurong.
The New Paper 

Singapore is the world’s 8th best city for women entrepreneurs
The 2017 Women Entrepreneur Cities (WE Cities) Index by Dell ranked Singapore as 8th best city for Singapore women entrepreneurs.
Singapore Business Review 

See here for more of today’s Singapore Morning News 

 

Thailand morning newsThailand Morning News

Compiled by John Le Fevre    @photo_journ

 

Verdict due in major Thai human trafficking trial
A Thai general is among more than 100 defendants facing a verdict on Wednesday (Jul 19) in a sprawling 2015 human trafficking case which saw thousands of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants abandoned at sea and in jungle death camps.
— Channel NewsAsia

68 percent of Thais are in debt: Nida Poll and Credit Bureau
Sixty-eight percent of Thais are in debt, averaging about 560,000 baht each, mostly from spendings on consumer products and services, according to an opinion survey jointly conducted by Nida Poll and Credit Bureau.
— Thai PBS

New blitz on tax evaders looms
The Revenue Department will tighten law enforcement by filing criminal complaints against those who use fake invoices to evade tax payment and accounting firms as accomplices.
— Bangkok Post

Thai king’s aide named to head multi-billion property bureau
A close aide of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been named as head of the agency which manages the monarchy’s multi-billion dollar holdings after the law was changed to give him full control of the Crown Property Bureau.
— Reuters

See here for more of today’s Thailand Morning News

 

Vietnam morning newsVietnam Morning News

Compiled by Cara Navarro    @cara_nav

 

Yuck! Vietnam Prawns Pumped Full of Gluggy, Snot-like Gel
Vietnam prawns earned the country US$1.56 billion in exports in the first half of this year, a 15.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase over the same period last year, with Japan replacing the USA as the country’s largest export destination.
— AEC News Today

VN market to remain strong in H2
Việt Nam’s stock market will rise higher in the second half of 2017 provided macro-economic conditions remain positive as they were in the first half, experts have said.
Viet Nam News

Quang Ninh to prepare Van Don Economic Zone master plan
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has permitted northern Quang Ninh province to develop a master plan for socioeconomic development and re-plan the Van Don Economic Zone project towards it being a special administrative-economic zone.
Vietnam EconomicTimes

See here for more of today’s Vietnam Morning News 

Asean Morning News is the most comprehensive selection of reports on what you need to know from around the Asean Economic Community (AEC) published. All articles are hand curated by the team at AEC News Today. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

 

 

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