Asean Morning News For May 25

Asean Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

India to set up medical college, hospital in CLMV region: Prabhu
India has decided to set up a medical college and hospital in Cambodia as part of its plan to strengthen economic ties with CLMV region, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said.
— Business Today

Chinese cash pushes Southeast Asia’s M&A tally to record high
Southeast Asia is seeing an unprecedented spate of mergers and acquisitions, and Chinese businesses are responsible for much of the deal-making
— Nikkei Asian Review (metered paywall)

The future of cryptocurrency in ASEAN
For the past year, the term “cryptocurrency” has been bandied about by people in the tech and banking industries, usually with admiration from the former and some scepticism from the latter.
— The Asean Post

Mobile makers allege duty evasion in handset imports from Asean
The domestic cellphone industry has flagged possible duty evasion in imports of the completely built unit (CBU) of mobile phones, suspected of Chinese origin, from Asean countries under the free trade route.
— The Economic Times

Why Southeast Asia is perfectly placed to embrace large-scale fish farming
The market is there, the physical conditions are near perfect and there is a great potential for growth. So why does Southeast Asian marine aquaculture still consist mainly of small family fish farms and not large-scale projects targeting local as well as export markets?
— Southeast Asia Globe

China should eye opportunities in South Asia
It is five years ago that the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) was launched. What has one of China’s most celebrated initiatives achieved in Southeast and South Asia? How should China deal with the hurdles when implementing the BRI in these regions? Global Times collected the opinion of three experts at a forum on the subject organized by the Western Returned Scholars Association and The Charhar Institute.
— Global Times

Historic ASEAN cultural gathering at the CCP
Leading artists and craftspersons from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have assembled in a historic gathering at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) since May 21 for the unprecedented regional collaboration on creative economy and cultural intellectual property rights issues.
— GMA News Online

Prioritizing Digital Markets in ASEAN – ResearchAndMarkets.com
The “Prioritizing Digital Markets in ASEAN” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.
— Business Wire

Go-Jek to invest $500m in expansion to four Southeast Asian countries
Indonesian ride-hailing giant Go-Jek will invest $500 million in its expansion into the four Southeast Asian markets of Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines in the next few months, the company said in a release.
— Deal Street Asia

India to set up medical college, hospital in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam region, says Suresh Prabhu
India has decided to set up a medical college and hospital in Cambodia as part of its plan to strengthen economic ties with CLMV region, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said.
— Financial Express

Agendia Inks Southeast Asian Marketing Deal for Breast Cancer Tests
Agendia said today that it has signed a marketing agreement with Angsana Molecular & Diagnostics Laboratory for Agendia’s MammaPrint and BluePrint breast cancer tests in Southeast Asia.
— GenomeWeb

Hanoi to host 16th meeting of Council for Promoting Tourism in Asia
Hanoi will host the 16th annual meeting of the Council for Promoting Tourism in Asia (CPTA) between September 5 and 10.
— NNT

US must meet the Chinese challenge in Southeast Asia
The strategic sands are shifting in Southeast Asia, as China makes multiple moves while the United States seems on its back foot.
— Khmer Times

Thailand to host regional haze pollution meeting
The Pollution Control Department (PCD), under the administration of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, will host a meeting with environmental ministers from five ASEAN member countries to seek sustainable solutions to the regional haze situation.
— NNT

Digitalising energy in Southeast Asia
In the coming years, digital technologies are set to take energy systems by storm – making them even more interconnected, intelligent, efficient and sustainable.
— The Asean Post

ASEAN can show the way for Europe on Trade
From Kuala Lumpur, the global trading system currently resembles a high-stakes poker game played by giants – China, the US and the EU.
— EURACTIV

Thailand to host ASEAN skill development fair
Thailand will host the ASEAN skill development fair from August 31 to September 2 at IMPACT, Muang Thong Thani.
— Vietnam Plus

Southeast Asia braces for emerging-market capital flight
U.S. rate hikes have sorted emerging markets into winners and losers as investors pull capital from particularly unstable countries, though steep dollar debts may soon drag even Southeast Asia — fairly healthy so far — into the losers’ circle.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Mobile makers allege duty evasion in handset imports from Asean
The domestic cellphone industry has flagged possible duty evasion in imports of the completely built unit (CBU) of mobile phones, suspected of Chinese origin, from Asean countries under the free trade route.
— The Economic Times

Cambodia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Who’s Who at The New Phnom Penh Post: Propaganda, $5mln, & a Bogus ‘Malaysia Boleh’ Record
Throughout its 26 year history The Phnom Penh Post has had only two owners, founders Michael Hayes and Kathleen O’Keefe, and more recently Australian extractive industries magnate Bill Clough.
— AEC News Today

NEC Issues Press Release on Rights and Prohibitions for Media
National Election Committee (NEC) issued a press release on Thursday on rights and prohibitions for media to promote the effectiveness of dissemination on the July’s election with professionalism, fairness, and transparency.
— Fresh News

Cambodia’s Government Doubles Down on Legal Threats Over Calls For Election Boycott
Cambodia’s government on Thursday doubled down on threats to prosecute anyone calling for a boycott of this year’s general election, after the country’s now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) told supporters to avoid the polls because it had been banned from participating.
— Radio Free Asia

See here for more of today’s Cambodia Morning News

Indonesia Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

ADB finances its first utility-scale PV plant in $160 million deal
Asia’s largest IPP receives funds to develop renewable energy assets in line with Indonesia’s plans to increase renewable generation to 23% by 2025.
— PV Magazine

Government issues Samurai Bonds worth Rp12.9 trillion
The Indonesian government has issued yen-denominated bonds called Samurai Bonds worth 100 billion yen, or Rp12.9 trillion.
— Antara News

Go-Jek to invest $500m in expansion to four Southeast Asian countries
Indonesian ride-hailing giant Go-Jek will invest $500 million in its expansion into the four Southeast Asian markets of Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines in the next few months, the company said in a release.
— Deal Street Asia

See here for more of today’s Indonesia Morning News

Lao PDR Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Laos prepares to export 12,000 tonnes of bananas to Russia
Soukhoungheuang company plans to sell 12,000 tonnnes of bananas harvested from its farmland concession in Savannakhet province to Russia.
— Vientiane Times

India to build hospitals, institutes in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam
India plans to start development projects in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, as a part of its plan to strengthen economic ties with CLMV region, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said.
— Dev Discourse

Health experts prepare to fortify points of entry to prevent spread of disease
Representatives of development partners and line departments of the Ministry of Health met yesterday in Vientiane to discuss point-of-entry preparedness to prevent the spread of disease in Laos.
— Vientiane Times

See here for more of today’s Lao Morning News

Malaysia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Malaysia’s 1MDB task force meets US Department of Justice and FBI officers
Malaysia’s special task force set up to look into the funds misappropriation scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) has met officers from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
— The Straits Times

Malaysia’s Najib Razak faces second graft grilling and public ire over chocolate theft claims
Najib Razak, Malaysia’s ousted prime minister, is facing investigators on Thursday to be grilled for a second time in a week over a financial scandal involving a state-owned investment fund.
— The Telegraph

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Myanmar: Deadline to Report on Rape of Rohingya to UN
Myanmar should comply with a United Nations committee’s request for information on the military’s responsibility for widespread rape of Rohingya women and girls in northern Rakhine State, Human Rights Watch and Fortify Rights said today.
— Human Right Watch

Rakhine crisis takes shine off Myanmar tourism
If you don’t like maddening crowds of tourists and seek good value for money, now is a good time to visit Myanmar.
— Asia Times

Myanmar receives US$47 m worth foreign investment in April
Foreign investors made over US$47 million worth of investments in April and over US$21 worth of foreign investments are in the industrial sector, according to Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration (DICA).
— Eleven Myanmar

See here for more of today’s Myanmar Morning News

Philippines Morning News

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

DSWD rolls out P77 M for Boracay workers
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has allocated P77 million for the implementation of cash-for-work (CFW) program for workers and residents affected by the temporary closure of Boracay Island.
— Manila Bulletin

PNP gets P1.7-M office equipment donation
Sixteen police offices in 3rd to 5th class municipalities in the country have received PHP1.7-million worth of office equipment from the Philippine National Police Foundation Incorporated (PNPFI).
— Philippine News Agency

Philippines still on weaker half of most powerful passport list
The Philippine passport has moved two spots higher but remains in the lower half of the latest world’s most powerful passports rankings.

See here for more of today’s Philippines Morning News

Singapore Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat @leakhenakhat

Singapore ranked safest country in the world, above Japan: Survey
While Singapore may no longer boast of having the most powerful passport in the world, it is at least the safest.
— Asia One

Trump cancels Singapore summit in letter to Kim Jong Un
President Donald Trump will not meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month, he announced in a letter to Kim released by the White House Thursday morning, scrapping plans for what would have been a historic diplomatic summit.
— CNN

Singapore Warns Eight Crypto Exchanges as Scrutiny Increases
Singapore warned eight cryptocurrency exchanges about their activities in the city-state as regulators around the world step up scrutiny of digital-asset trading.
— Bloomberg

See here for more of today’s Singapore Morning News

Thailand Morning News

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Employers reminded of June 30 deadline for foreign labor registration
The Ministry of Labor has called on employers to complete the registration of their foreign workers before the end of June, warning that failure to do so will result in legal punishment.
— News Today (video)

Labor Minister orders solution to labor shortage in fishing industry
The Labor Minister, Pol. Gen. Adul Sangsingkeo, has ordered relevant units to find a quick solution to a labor shortage of more than 42,000 workers in Thailand’s fishing industry.
— NNT

SPECIAL REPORT: Thai junta steers education reform to nowhere
FOUR YEARS after the 2014 military coup, Thailand’s education sector is still stuck over the same old question: which way forward?
— The Nation

See here for more of today’s Thailand Morning News

Vietnam Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Vietnam raises US$6.3 billion from state capital divestment
Vietnam’s government raked in nearly VND144.58 trillion (US$6.34 billion) through equitisation and divestment at State-owned enterprises (SOEs) last year.
— The Hanoi Times

Vietnam to temporarily stop accepting scrap plastic imports
A letter from Vietnam’s Tan Cang-Cai Mep International Terminal (TCIT) obtained by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) notes there has been “overcapacity” at the Tan Cang-Cat Lai Terminal, causing the terminal to temporarily stop accepting scrap materials.
— Waste Dive

Investors step into ultra-clear glass production in Vietnam
Foreign and local firms have expressed ambitions to develop ultra-clear glass projects to meet the increasing demand for high-end glass for construction and solar panels.
— VietnamNet Bridge

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.