Asean Morning News For May 18

Asean Morning News For May 18
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Asean morning newsAsean Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu    @stmarisewudolu

 

Study says China-backed dam would destroy Mekong
A Chinese-backed plan for Cambodia to build the Mekong River’s biggest dam would destroy fisheries that feed millions and worsen tensions with Vietnam, the downstream country with most to lose from dams on the waterway, according to a three-year study commissioned by the Cambodian government.
CNBC

Facilitating disaster relief across ASEAN
The Southeast Asian region has had its fair share of natural disasters over the years. In terms of sheer destruction, the most devastating of these was the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 2004.
The Asean Post

ICAO organises Asia and Pacific Regional Cybersecurity Symposium 2018 in Hong Kong
The theme of the ICAO Asia and Pacific Regional Cybersecurity Symposium 2018 was “Cybersecurity in Air Navigation and Airport Services”.
Open Gov Asia 

Asia oil bill to top $1 trillion a year as crude hits $80
The cost of Asia’s growing thirst for oil will surpass $1 trillion (£740.2 billion) this year, about twice as much as in 2015 and 2016, as oil prices touch $80 per barrel and continental demand hits a record.
Reuters

India: Automobile marketplace Droom raises $30m for Southeast Asia expansion
Online automobile marketplace Droom has raised $30 million in its Series D round of funding led by Japanese firms Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Digital Garage.
DealStreetAsia

Asean fires up coal development cooperation in Vientiane
Laos is looking forward to greater cooperation with its Asean partners to solve the challenging issues on coal development as part of supporting the region’s economic growth.
Vientiane Times 

ESCAP concludes the 74th session on inequality & frontier innovation
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has concluded its 74th session to tackle inequality in the region.
— News Today (video)

Defeating Changi, Juanda Airport the Most Timely in April 2018
Juanda International Airport of Surabaya, operated by PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero), achieved the status of the timeliest airport during April 2018 among other Southeast Asian airports with traffic over 1,000 flights for one month, defeating the Changi International Airport, Singapore.
— Netral News

How rice farming may have spread across the ancient world
Rice farming spread far and wide in ancient Southeast Asia, but how it got there has been a mystery.
— AAAS

Asean street fair opens at this year’s Hari Raya Bazaar
Slurp Paksong coffee from Laos, buy embroidered wallets from Myanmar and eat chocolate from the Philippines – all without leaving Singapore.
— The Straits Times

Ancient Genomes Point to Three Waves of Human Migration Into Southeast Asia
According to a new analysis of ancient genomes from Southeast Asia, three waves of human migration produced the genetic landscape of the region.
— GenomeWeb

Fragmentation may be Southeast Asia’s competitive advantage
Let’s start with a truism: Southeast Asia is extremely fragmented. While the fact is certainly true, it is also extremely obvious.
— e27

It’s getting tough for LGBTI people in Southeast Asia, so they’re hugging it out
As persecution and discrimination against LGBTI people intensifies in Southeast Asia, advocates are now crossing borders to work together for change.
— Gay Star News

Cambodia morning newsCambodia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men   

 

Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen ‘Violating Law’ by Asking For Votes Outside of Campaign Period: Observers
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen is in breach of the country’s electoral laws by urging people to vote for him in an upcoming general ballot, election observers said Thursday, because he is rallying for his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) outside of the official campaign period.
— Radio Free Asia

Disappointed in Election Preparations in Cambodia, House Committee to Meet on Possible Sanctions
The lawmakers were set to discuss the Cambodia Democracy Act and an amendment that could see Phnom Penh handed further sanctions over its crackdown on the opposition, civil society, and independent media.
— VOA Cambodia

Exports to US up 25 pct in Q1
Cambodian exports to the United States, the world’s largest economy, rose sharply during the first three months of the year following a marked increase in the shipments of travel goods after the US renewed its Generalized System of Preferences in March.
— Khmer Times

See here for more of today’s Cambodia Morning News

 

Indonesia morning newsIndonesia Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu    @stmarisewudolu

 

Bank Indonesia Hikes Key Interest Rate to Boost Fragile Rupiah
Indonesia’s central bank on Thursday (17/05) hiked its benchmark interest rate for the first time since November 2014, as expected, in a bid to bolster the fragile rupiah.
— Jakarta Globe

Indonesia’s Surabaya airport named most punctual in South-east Asia, beating Singapore’s Changi airport
Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, has been recognised as the most on-time airport in Southeast Asia in April 2018 by UK-based air travel intelligence company OAG.
— The Straits Times

City workers clear 1,600 tons trash under North Jakarta toll road
About 1,600 tons of trash under the Pelabuhan toll road in Warakas subdistrict in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, has been removed by the city’s sanitary workers after 28 days.
— The Jakarta Post

See here for more of today’s Indonesia Morning News

 

Lao PDR morning newsLao PDR Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat    @leakhenakhat

 

Govt takes action to increase aid effectiveness
The government has vowed to increase aid effectiveness via proper management in order to maximise official development assistance (ODA) for national development.
Vientiane Times 

Asean fires up coal development cooperation in Vientiane
Laos is looking forward to greater cooperation with its Asean partners to solve the challenging issues on coal development as part of supporting the region’s economic growth.
Vientiane Times 

Rotary Club of Ladner takes lead in running water project for Laos village
In remote villages of Laos, considered the most bombed country in history where one-third of the population was killed during a 20-year civil war, lack of access to clean water is both a health problem and a barrier to education for many children.
Delta-Optimist 

See here for more of today’s Lao Morning News

 

Malaysia morning newsMalaysia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men    @MenSreypov

 

Malaysian police seize 72 bags of cash, jewellery at luxury condos linked to former PM Najib
Malaysian police seized 72 bags of jewellery, various currencies and valuables at luxury condominiums in Jalan Raja Chulan on Friday (May 18) morning, believed to be linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) investigations involving former prime minister Najib Razak.
— Channel NewsAsia

Malaysia Central Bank Governor Muhammad Says Removal of GST Will Affect Inflation
Malaysia central bank governor Muhammad said that removal of the GST will impact inflation and the central bank might revise its CPI projection after it has more information; inflation is expected to moderate this year on global cost factors; while growth in Q118 is slightly lower than the official target range of 5.5-5.8% GDP growth is expected to remain favourable going forward; monetary policy will continue to be accommodative and growth supportive.
— Trade Captain

Malaysia Elections: Everything You Need to Know About a Political Earthquake
A former prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, 92, returned to power last week after a stunning upset vote, defeating not just his former protégé, but the very party he helped create.
— New York Times

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

 

Myanmar morning newsMyanmar Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat    @leakhenakhat

 

Myanmar’s economy improves in FY 2017-18: WB
Myanmar’s economy improved in the fiscal year 2017-18, which ended in March, said a report of the World Bank’s Myanmar Economic Monitor released Thursday.
Xinhua Net

UN warns of intensified violence in northern Myanmar
The United Nations has warned that the violence against ethnic minorities in Myanmar is intensifying.
Al Jazeera 

Myanmar’s Fighting Season in Kachin
The fighting in Kachin is a microcosm of Myanmar’s stalled peace process.
The Diplomat (paywall)

See here for more of today’s Myanmar Morning News

 

Philippines morning newsPhilippines Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu    @stmarisewudolu

 

NAIA ‘escort’ ring has netted P10 billion
According to Greco Belgica, commissioner of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), a background check on Customs operation officer Lumontod Macabando showed that he has been frequently traveling abroad, particularly to Dubai, to facilitate a jewelry business.
— Philippine Star

Marawi rebuilding to cost P80B
The government will spend up to P80 billion on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of war-torn Marawi City, with groundbreaking slated for mid next month.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Supreme Court chief in the Philippines ousted in landmark decision
The Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled on Friday to remove Maria Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice.
— The Asean Post

 

See here for more of today’s Philippines Morning News

Singapore morning newsSingapore Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat   @leakhenakhat

 

Singapore clinches its 30th ‘Best Seaport in Asia’ award for ‘leading performance’
The Port of Singapore has bagged its 30th “Best Seaport in Asia” award at the 2018 Asia Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain Awards (AFLAS) in Shanghai.
Business Insider

Singapore Airlines’ full-year profit rises to seven-year high
Singapore Airlines (SIA) posted a profit of S$893 million in the financial year ended March 31 — the highest since 2011, and a 148-per-cent increase from a year ago.
Today Online

Singapore aims to attract foreign investment
The Thai Ambassador to Singapore has suggested that Thai SMEs capitalize on Singapore’s policy to attract foreign investment.
NNT 

See here for more of today’s Singapore Morning News

 

Thailand morning newsThailand Morning News

Compiled by John Le Fevre    @photo_journ

 

Study finds Thailand loses over THB145 mn from unsustainable fishery
A network of civil societies for fair and sustainable fishing has reported that unsustainable fishery costs Thailand more than 145 million baht a year. The network also found that fishery laborers in the country still work excessive hours.
— NNT

EU rap a result of ‘flawed policies’
CONTINUING MAJOR flaws in the protection of the rights of workers and sustainable fishing policies has kept Thailand on the European Union’s “yellow flag” watch list for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, according to experts.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Exports in first 2 quarters hits 7-year high
The Ministry of Commerce is confident that export growth will reach 8 percent, as the country’s export value in the first two quarters of the year hits a seven-year high of over four trillion baht.
— NNT

See here for more of today’s Thailand Morning News

 

Vietnam morning newsVietnam Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men    @MenSreypov

 

Vietnam says conducts maritime oil operations under international law
Vietnam’s maritime oil and gas operations are in accordance with international law and conducted in waters in which it has total sovereignty, the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
— WHTC

Rosneft Vietnam Worried About South China Sea Drilling
Russia’s Rosneft earlier this week announced that it had started drilling a production well off the coast of Vietnam in the South China Sea.
— OilPrice

MoF mulls increasing green tax
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has proposed increasing environmental protection tax on gasoline from the current VND3,000 to ceiling level of VND4,000 per litre, to help raise the State budget.
— Bizhub

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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