Asean Morning News For January 3

Asean Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Optimistic 2018 outlook for Southeast Asia but hurry on economic integration
The saying “there is strength in diversity” often comes up when people talk about ASEAN’s cultural differences, but it is also true that economic diversity is one of the bloc’s greatest strengths.
— Channel NewsAsia

Thailand joins tri-nation haze battle plan
Thailand will cooperate with Myanmar and Laos in a campaign against forest fires in the North later this month as the three countries brace for the approaching summer haze.
— Bangkok Post

SE Asia’s polls in 2018 risk legitimising authoritarians
SEVERAL SOUTHEAST Asian nations will call elections this year to legitimise the consolidation of authoritarian power as the regional and international environment is backsliding in terms of democratisation
— The Nation

Sink-or-swim time for ASEAN latecomers as tariffs come down
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam are no longer getting the kid-gloves treatment in the ASEAN Economic Community.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Multiple Mekong forums risk igniting rivalry
LEADERS FROM six riparian states along the Mekong River will be busy this year as meetings on many cooperation schemes in the region are scheduled in a situaton that observers have said is overlapping.
— The Nation

Government bodies discuss ASEAN cooperation
A conference on Vietnam’s performance across three pillars of the ASEAN Community took place in Hanoi on December 26, gathering 100 representatives from ministries and sectors involved in cooperative activities with the bloc.
— VietnamPlus

Gobi Partners promotes Kenneth Tan, Taraec Hussein to VPs in ASEAN team
Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur based venture capital firm, Gobi Partners, Tuesday said it had had elevated two of its investment associates – Kenneth Tan and Taraec Hussein – to position of Vice President, in its ASEAN team.
— DealStreetAsia

10 e-commerce trends that will shape Southeast Asia in 2018 (Part 2)
Indonesia’s e-commerce today is like what China was in 2008—the pace of change is unimaginable. When I visited our office in Jakarta 12 months ago, hardly anyone was using Go-Jek’s mobile payment platform and wallet, Go-Pay. Returning six months later, almost all of my colleagues used Go-Pay to transfer money peer-to-peer and pay for products and services.
— TechNode

Is Mekong River set to become the new South China Sea for regional disputes?
Foreign ministers from the six countries through which the Mekong flows met in southwestern China last month to approve a draft of a five-year development plan for the river. But as state leaders prepare to finalise the proposal at a meeting in Cambodia later this month, environmental groups have expressed concern over what it could mean for Southeast Asia’s longest waterway.
— South China Morning Post

Southeast Asian countries vie for port supremacy
The Port of Singapore has long been the unchallenged leader among marine transport hubs in Southeast Asia, but that may be changing as it suffers slowing growth in container traffic growth and nearby ports in Indonesia and Malaysia gain ground.
— Hellenic Shipping News

Japan’s hard and soft power in Southeast Asia
WARY of potential negative reactions to its military and security presence, Japan in the post-World War 2 period has largely relied on private actors like shipping organisations in forming the Malacca Strait Council, or civilian agencies like the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Coast Guard (JCG).
— New Straits Times

The ‘United States Factor’ in Southeast Asia: The Philippine and Singaporean (Re)assesments
Despite reports on the unpredictability of Washington’s Asia policy, the Trump Administration, through telephone diplomacy, high-level bilateral visits, attendance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), East Asian Summit (EAS) and bilateral meetings in Vietnam and the Philippines, has displayed a “post-pivot” US commitment to the region and its multilateral initiatives.
— Huffington Post

PIA stages Stakeholders’ Forum, culminates ASEAN campaign
The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Ilocos recently staged a Stakeholders’ Forum to culminate the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) 2017 campaign in the region at the Puerto de San Juan Resort, here.
— Philippine Information Agency

ASEAN Logistics Market 2017: Disruptive Innovations – Forecast to 2025 – Research and Markets
By 2025, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region is expected to be the next destination for global participants, replacing China, with its geographic proximity, large consumer base, and low costs attracting traders. Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam (the CLMV countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion) are emerging as an attractive destination for investors.
— Digital Journal

Sushma Swaraj to embark on tour of three Southeast Asian nations
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will embark on a five-day visit to Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore on Thursday to boost India’s ties with the three key Southeast Asian nations in the strategic domain as well as in the areas of trade and investment.
— The Economic Times

Cambodia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Cambodia Threatens to Arrest Jailed Opposition Chief’s Daughter
Cambodia’s government on Tuesday threatened to arrest the daughter of jailed opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) chief Kem Sokha if she returns to the country and disband NGOs calling for the release of “political prisoners.”
— Radio Free Asia

Cambodia to Study Amending Constitution Amid Political Crisis
A letter from Sar Kheng, the interior minister, circulated this week showed the government had formed a working group staffed by senior ruling party officials.
— VOA

NBC disavows Cambodia-based digital currency
The central bank has threatened legal action after a Japanese tech firm announced the development of a Cambodia-based cryptocurrency with the claim that the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) was backing the new digital tender.
— The Phnom Penh Post

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Indonesia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Indonesia’s Blue Economy In Need of Good Governance
The ‘blue economy’ concept — a model of sustainable development concerned with the use of the coastal and marine ecosystem — gained prominence in Indonesia as one of the main components of President Joko (Jokowi) Widodo’s Global Maritime Fulcrum vision.
— AEC News Today

Investors Set Eyes on 5 Oil, Gas Blocks
Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arcandra Tahar said that investors were interested in five oil and gas working areas offered by the government.
— Tempo

Indonesia introduces new Internet censorship system
Indonesia’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry is set to implement a new $14 million Internet censorship system from Wednesday.
— Arab News

See here for more of today’s Indonesia Morning News

Lao PDR Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

China injects 29b kip for Mekong-Lancang projects
The Chinese government has granted more than 29 billion kip (US$3.4 million) to finance 13 projects under the special Mekong-Lancang Cooperation fund.
— Vientiane Times

Govt mulls fairer compensation policy for people affected by development projects
Property owners will receive fairer and more prompt compensation when they lose their land or buildings to make way for a development scheme, once a newly-drafted law is passed and promulgated, a policy developer has said.
— Vientiane Times

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Malaysia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Malaysian palm oil price climbs on strong exports
Malaysian palm oil futures rose more than 1 percent on Tuesday evening, tracking related edible oils and supported by improving export demand.
— The Star Online

Malaysia: RIPI sees great opportunities for export of super sweet pineapples
Malaysian company Rompin Integrated Pineapple Industries (RIPI) is focusing on the production of healthy foodstuffs, such as super sweet pineapples, all the while providing a steady livelihood for the local community in Pahang.
— Fresh Plaza

First self-service store in Malaysia, paid by scanning smartphone
Self-service convenience store is no longer a concept! Irispay E-Concept is the first self-service store in SS15 commercial area here.
— The Nation

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Myanmar proposes minimum wage increase of 33%
The Myanmar Government has set out plans to increase the country’s minimum wage rate by 33% across all regions – a move the garment sector suggests could put pressure on its business owners.
— Just-style

Myanmar-EU trade hit 1.35 bln USD in 7 months
Trade between Myanmar and European Union’s member countries reached 1.35 billion U.S. dollars in first seven months of present fiscal year 2017-2018, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Tuesday.
— Xinhua Net

Government extends loans to agriculture, construction, SME sectors
State-owned Myanma Economic Bank (MEB) will extend medium term loans to companies in the agriculture, small and medium enterprise (SME) and construction sectors, the government said last week. The loans to these three sectors will be term loans of 3-5 years.
— Myanmar Times

See here for more of today’s Myanmar Morning News

Philippines Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Philippines is 3rd happiest country – poll
The Philippines is the third happiest country in the world in 2017, according to a recent survey of Gallup International Association (GIA).
— Philstar

Filipinos prohibited from working in 24 countries
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has listed 24 countries where deployment of new overseas Filipino workers (OFW) is prohibited for 2018 – mainly to ensure their safety.
— Asia Times

Government needs to spend P24 trillion until 2030 to bridge infrastructure gap
The government should spend at least P24 trillion until 2030 to meet the country’s growing demand for roads, bridges and other public infrastructure, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
— BusinessMirror

See here for more of today’s Philippines Morning News

Singapore Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Singapore’s solid fourth-quarter growth bolsters bets on central bank tightening
Singapore’s economic growth slowed in the fourth quarter as factories lost steam, but a services sector recovery has bolstered expectations the central bank could tighten monetary policy as early as April, sending the local currency higher.
— Reuters

SMRT is cheated of whopping S$9.8 million in contracts by their own employees
Four Singaporeans were charged in court last Friday, 29 Dec 2017, with conspiring and cheating SMRT Trains Ltd of a whopping S$9.8 million in contracts that were awarded to an organisation they had vested interests in.
— The Independent Singapore

Cryptocurrency more a ‘marketing stunt’ than payment option in Singapore: Expert
It claims to be the world’s highest crypto club. Perched on the 45th floor of the Singapore Land Tower, Skyline provides more than a panoramic view of Singapore’s skyline. It also allows customers to pay for their drinks not just in cash, but also in Ethereum.
— Channel NewsAsia

See here for more of today’s Singapore Morning News

Thailand Morning News

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

4.6% GROWTH FORECAST
The economy will grow 4.6 per cent this year, against 4 per cent in 2017, Government Savings Bank’s research centre forecasts.
— The Nation

Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor: Why Thailand? (video)
Almost not a day go past with the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) being in the Thailand news. At the centre of the Thailand government’s move to Industry 4.0, the EEC is designed to lead the country from a manufacturing and agrarian society to one of technology and innovation, propelling the country to a high income economy.
— AEC News Today

Traffic death toll jumps to 317
Death toll from traffic accidents during the past five days of the “Seven Dangerous Day” safety driving campaign climbed to 317 with 3,188 injuries.
— Thai PBS

See here for more of today’s Thailand Morning News

Vietnam Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Vietnam imposes heavier penalties on filthy food producers, traders
Those who produce or trade dirty food in Vietnam can be sentenced up to 20 years in prison, local media reported on Tuesday.
— Xinhua

Vietnam: Eximbank pares stake in Sacombank to nearly 8%
Vietnam Export Import Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Eximbank) sold its 1.31 million shares in Sai Gon Thuong Tin Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Sacombank) by the end of December 2017, as part of its plans to divest from the bank.
— DealStreetAsia

Vietnamese businessman, sought over graft probe, held in Singapore
A real estate developer wanted by Vietnamese authorities amid a crackdown on corruption has been detained in Singapore, lawyers representing him said on Tuesday.
— The Star Online

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.