Asean Morning News For March 16

Asean Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Indonesia says it would be a ‘good idea’ for Australia to join Asean
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has indicated his support for Australia to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ahead of a special summit in Sydney.
— The Guardian

Fighting Piracy on the ASEAN Seas
Almost half of the world’s pirate attacks happen in Southeast Asia. Among the most common locations for attacks is the Strait of Malacca, where tankers carry oil from the Gulf region to China, Japan, and South Korea, and via Singapore’s refineries.
— Asian Sentinel

ASEAN promotes sustainable infrastructure connectivity, development
Officials of the ASEAN countries discussed ways to enhance infrastructure connectivity and development in the region at meetings held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 14 and 15.
— VietnamPLus

Why Asean should push for seamless payment across borders
A Chinese businessman arrives in Singapore to attend a conference. At the airport, he hops into a taxi to get to his hotel. And he pays for the fare using Alipay, the world’s largest mobile payment platform with over half a billion users, most of whom are Chinese nationals.
— The Straits Times

ASEAN working towards regional economic integration, while global mood shifts in ‘opposite direction’: PM Lee
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong welcomed a new ASEAN-Australia Digital Standards Cooperation Initiative on Friday (Mar 16), calling it a “very good first step in developing inter-operable digital standards”.
— Channel NewsAsia

Why ASEAN should step up its cybersecurity efforts shares
The Philippine government has adopted the National Cybersecurity Plan 2017-2022 (NCSP), which seeks to address the cyber threats and adopt measures that will lead to a secure and resilient Philippine Cyberspace.
— Philippine Star

Alibaba expands foothold in in SE Asia with local data centers
Alibaba Cloud is stepping up its efforts in emerging Asia, announcing on Thursday that its first data center in Jakarta has already commenced operations.
— Menafn

ASEAN warned on human rights abuses
As Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull prepares to welcome nine south-east Asian leaders to Sydney this weekend, he is being urged not to gloss over serious human rights problems across the region.
— Financial Review

Australia’s key role in the ASEAN economy
China. India. ASEAN. That’s not a grouping we regularly hear but it should be. The 10 ASEAN countries – the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – make up almost 10 per cent of the world’s population and the region as a whole is experiencing an economic growth rate of around 5.1 per cent.
— Blue Notes

Blogging back the tourists
The New York Times, arguably the world’s most famous newspaper, this week published an article calling Yangon one of the world’s most unsafe cities.
— Myanmar Times

Four challenges for Australia–ASEAN relations
ASEAN is back on Australia’s agenda. The media release for the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper states that Australia’s first foreign policy priority is to ‘increase [its] efforts to ensure [Australia] remain[s] a leading partner for Southeast Asia’.
— East Asia Forum

Worries of US-China trade spat weigh heavily on Asean markets
Most Southeast Asian stock markets fell on Thursday along with broader Asia as fears of a global trade war intensified on reports U.S. President Donald Trump would seek fresh tariffs on imports from China.
— The Star Online

Asia Rice-Thai prices climb as China, Indonesia buy
Rice prices in Thailand jumped this week, boosted by fresh purchases from China and Indonesia amid a buoyant baht, while demand for the staple weakened in top-exporter India.
— Business Recorder

ASEAN’s Women to Watch: Part 2
Last week, to celebrate International Women’s Day, I looked at the women defining and changing the conversation across Southeast Asia. This week, I follow up with the remaining half of the region — a collection of countries underlining the disparate status of women from one end of the region to the other.
— The Diplomat

Southeast Asia-Japan 2 cable to link 9 markets
A consortium of Asia-Pacific operators has contracted NEC to build a 10,500km subsea cable connecting Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, Korea and Japan.
— Telecom Asia

Is Southeast Asia home to the most dangerous waters in the world?
Increasing piracy, shipping accidents and political disputes have made Southeast Asia a dangerous place for seafarers. But what is the cause of these issues, and to what extent are countries in the region taking steps to solve them?
— Ship-technology

Chinese app developers eye Southeast Asia for growth as home market matures
With the mobile phone app market become saturated in mainland China’s top-tier cities, the country’s developers are shifting their focus overseas for new traffic, and Southeast Asian nations are a key target given their high growth rates and tech-savvy populations.
— South China Morning Post

Australia looks to shore up ASEAN commitment to rules-based order
Australia will seek to boost ASEAN’s credentials as the premiere body for maintaining a rules-based order in the region, amid fears it is struggling to keep its focus as members face pressure from China to peel away, at the ASEAN special summit in Sydney this weekend.
— Financial Review

Khon Kaen hospital to be Asean’s biggest in Bt24.5 bn revamp
KHON Kaen University (KKU) has announced a Bt24.5 billion investment project to transform Srinagarind Hospital into the largest medical centre in the Asean region over the next five to six years.
— The Nation

Cambodia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

The Tax Man Cometh: Claims The Phnom Penh Post is Living on Borrowed Time (video)
Failing a massive cash injection in the next 60 days the future of Cambodia’s oldest English-language daily newspaper, The Phnom Penh Post, appears grim, with the 26-year-old tabloid set to become the latest victim of Cambodia’s rush to compliance and ramped up enforcement.
— AEC News Today (video)

Hun Sen promises more money for science research
While mentions of robots, nuclear reactors and artificial intelligence appeared in presentations during a technology conference in Phnom Penh on Thursday, speakers agreed that the Kingdom has been slow to adopt these technologies due to a lack of education.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Plans take root for cassava processor
A Chinese-based investment firm has announced plans to begin construction on the first of 10 cassava processing plants next month, with a total planned investment of $150 million, according to Agriculture Minister Veng Sokhon.
— The Phnom Penh Post

See here for more of today’s Cambodia Morning News

Indonesia Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

GE, Samsung granted US$900m contract for Java 1 plant
The developer of the Java 1 combined-cycle power plant, claimed to be the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia, has granted an engineering, procurement and construction contract worth US$900 million to a consortium consisting of General Electric (GE), Samsung C&T and PT Meindo Elang Indah.
— The Jakarta Post

BRI reimburses Rp 100 million to skimming victims
State-owned lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) claims it has compensated all of its customers who have been victims of skimming, while pledging to improve its security by installing state-of-the-art technology and holding routine patrols.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia makes criticising politicians a crime
Indonesians could be jailed for criticising national politicians under a new law which came into force Thursday, in what critics slammed as a major step back for the world’s third-biggest democracy.
— The Star Online

See here for more of today’s Indonesia Morning News

Lao PDR Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Corruption ‘Worse’ in Laos Last Year, Sources in Country Say
Corruption in Laos, thought last year to be coming under control, grew worse in 2017 despite widely publicized government efforts to rein in profiteering officials and financial waste, sources in the country say.
— Radio Free Asia

Pestech, UPL scrap Laos venture
Pestech International Bhd has aborted plans to jointly explore the setting-up of a power supply infrastructure to the Dongphosy Specific Economic Zone (DSEZ) in Laos with Vientiane-based developer UPL Lao Co Ltd.
— The Edge Markets

NUOL seeks to improve infrastructure for human resource development
The National University of Laos (NUOL) is drawing up a master plan for infrastructure development at its Dongdok Campus with a view to improving teaching and learning-based activities.
— Vientiane Times

See here for more of today’s Lao Morning News

Malaysia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Malaysian capital market recorded 12.6 pct growth in 2017, says SC
The Malaysian capital market grew by 12.6 per cent to RM3.2 trillion last year, with double digit growth across all segments, says the Securities Commission Malaysia.
— New Straits Times

SKM targets RM50bil revenue from cooperatives by 2020
The Malaysia Co-operative Societies Commission (SKM) is eyeing a revenue contribution of RM50 billion from the co-operative movement nationwide by 2020.
— The Star Online

Private sector should drive the economy and be its biggest investor: Idris Jala
The government should not be the biggest investor in the country’s economy but instead it must be driven by the private sector, said advisor to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jala.
— New Straits Times

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Australia to raise rights concerns with Myanmar, Cambodia at ASEAN summit
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she will raise human rights concerns with Myanmar and Cambodian leaders during a three-day summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that begins in Sydney on Friday.
— Reuters

From battlefield to marketplace on the Thai–Myanmar border
The Thai–Myanmar relationship is changing as diplomatic and economic bonds deepen, and so is economic life on the border. But large and still-marginalised migrant communities remain in Thai frontier towns like Mae Sot, facing challenges as donors redirect aid to “transitioning” Myanmar.
— New Mandala

Myanmar willing to take back fewer than 400 Rohingya refugees
Myanmar has said it is willing to take back fewer than 400 Rohingya refugees of the 8,000 who have said they would voluntarily return from Bangladesh.
— The Guardian

See here for more of today’s Myanmar Morning News

Philippines Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Govt to auction state-owned assets worth P98.32 million
The Privatization Management Office (PMO) of the Department of Finance (DOF) disclosed on Thursday the government’s plan to bid out in March state-owned assets amounting to P98.32 million.
— Business Mirror

Philippines looks to nuclear reactors to power growth
The Philippines is pressing on with plans to build small, modular reactors to fuel growth in the next two decades, rowing against anti-nuclear sentiments and safety concerns still prevailing across much of South-east Asia.
— The Straits Times

OFW cash remittances start 2018 strong at $2.37 billion
Money sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) picked up where it left off last year by opening 2018 strong, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
— Rappler

See here for more of today’s Philippines Morning News

Singapore Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Singapore and Paris Top World’s Most Expensive Cities
Singapore is the world’s most expensive city for the fifth straight year in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Worldwide Cost of Living report, with Paris and Zurich tied for second place.
— Bloomberg

Singtel inks agreement to build submarine cable connecting Southeast and North Asia
A high-performance submarine cable will soon provide additional bandwidth between Southeast and North Asia, Singtel said on Thursday (Mar 15).
— Channel NewsAsia

Broadcom withdraws $121b bid for Qualcomm
Broadcom has formally withdrawn its takeover offer for Qualcomm after US president Donald Trump issued a rare presidential order blocking the deal.
— Telecom Asia

See here for more of today’s Singapore Morning News

Thailand Morning News

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Bangkok continues anti-rabies campaign
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is continuing its efforts to eliminate the disease rabies that has prompted grave concerns in several provinces.
— NNT

Red Bull scion notice disappears from Interpol website
The Interpol “Red Notice” for Red Bull scion Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, a hit-and-run suspect wanted by Thailand, has disappeared from the Interpol website.
— Bangkok Post

B500m limit suggested as mechanism to curb ICO risk
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could impose a cap on funds raised from initial coin offerings (ICOs) of 500 million baht per project in an attempt to curb systemic risks, says an academic.
— Bangkok Post

See here for more of today’s Thailand Morning News

Vietnam Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

FDI in Vietnam’s agricultural sector remains low
Foreign firms invested US$3.5 million in 514 agricultural projects until February 2018, accounting for only some 1 percent of the sector’s total investment capital, reports from the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) showed.
— The Hanoi Times

Mobifone’s acquisition of AVG to be probed
The Government Inspectorate (GI) has asked Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to relay its inspection results of a VND8.9 trillion (US$395 million) acquisition of Audio Visual Global (AVG) by State-owned communications giant Mobifone to the Ministry of Public Security for investigation.
— Bizhub

Vietnam to Build $5bn, 139km High-Speed Railway From Saigon to Can Tho
A public-private partnership was recently formalized between Canadian brokerage firm MorFund Financial Inc. and Phuong Nam Science and Technology Institute (PNSTI) to invest CA$6.3 billion (US$5 billion) in the Saigon-Can Tho highspeed railway project, VnExpress reports.
— Saigoneer

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.