Asean morning news for April 5

Asean morning news for April 5
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Asean morning newsAsean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

 

Exclusive: Thailand eyes tech leader role as ASEAN chair
Thailand sits at the crossroads of Southeast Asia and is a gateway to other burgeoning markets like China and India. The Land of Smiles is well aware of this, and is growing its transport links to drive its grand ambition: to be the region’s digital playground.
— GovInsider

Southeast Asia launches $1-billion facility for green infrastructure
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and major financiers on Thursday launched a facility to spur more than $1 billion in green infrastructure investments across Southeast Asia.
— Reuters

ASEAN Finance Ministers’ Meeting Commences in Chiang Rai
At the 23rd ASEAN Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Chiang Rai province today, senior officials has discussed cooperation on trade logistics and the financial status of each ASEAN member state.
— Chiang Rai Times

ASEAN wants to create ‘safe zones’ for Rohingya
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) wants to play a leading role in the repatriation of Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh, a minister said late Wednesday.
— Anadolu Agency

Southeast Asian ministers seek RCEP trade pact by year-end
Finance ministers and central bankers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will push to finalize an Asian trade megadeal by the end of this year, according to a draft declaration for their Friday meeting here obtained by Nikkei.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Japan to bolster ASEAN trade by loaning out experts
Japan will dispatch specialists and advisers in areas such as trade to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as part of a cooperation deal to be signed later this year.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Asean payment connectivity a major step towards cutting transaction costs
MIGRANT WORKERS, tourists and small and big businesses will be able to cut the cost of their financial transactions in Asean after regulators, bankers and non-bank operators decided to integrate and upgrade their financial services across the region.
— The Nation

Religion / How Brunei’s Sharia law fits with Southeast Asia’s rising tide of political Islam
Brunei has become the first country in Southeast Asia to fully implement Sharia criminal law on a national level, imposing brutal punishments for adultery and same-sex relations.
— Southeast Asia Globe

The Risk of E-Commerce Provisions in the RCEP
The world of digital economies, innovation, and global value chains (GVCs) is changing rapidly.
— The Diplomat

ASEAN members discuss facilitation for trade, investment in Lao capital
Trade negotiating officials from 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries met in the Lao capital Vientiane this week to discuss facilitation for trade and investment within the ASEAN bloc.
— Global Times

Talks on trade, crime seek to achieve development goals
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Asean members on Wednesday to maintain a good balance between promoting cross-border trade and suppressing transnational crime, which he said holds the key to meeting the region’s sustainable development goals.
— Bangkok Post

Asean members bolster cooperation in airline passenger protection
More than 30 delegates from nine Asean member states, the European Union (EU), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and air transport experts met in Vientiane recently to discuss issues related to passenger protection, review air transport practices, and brainstorm possible solutions.
— Vientiane Times (paywall)

China struggles to ease concerns over Silk Road project as summit looms
China is struggling to ease worries about President Xi Jinping’s signature plan to build a new Silk Road as it readies for a major summit in late April, especially among Western nations wary about debt, transparency and Chinese influence.
— Euronews

How ASEAN Can Effectively Address the Data Privacy Conundrum
Without a doubt, ASEAN is one of the fastest technology adopting regions on the planet! The region’s internet use base has grown from 260 million people in 2015 to 350 million people in 2018 and is forecasted to reach 480 million people by 2020.
— The Business Times

Statement on Prior Consultation process for Pak Lay agreed, Joint Action Plans for Pak Beng and Pak Lay approved
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) member countries Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam today agreed on a Statement on the prior consultation process for the proposed Pak Lay hydropower project, as the members concluded the six-month prior consultation process.
— AAMEPA

Empowering family farmers is key to achieving Zero Hunger in Southeast Asia
Innovation, access to rural credit – particularly for women – and improvements to rural social protection programmes are important tools to help family farmers in Southeast Asia improve their livelihoods and become more food secure, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said today.
— ReliefWeb

IT Spending in South East Asia Market to Grow CAGR of 6.17% to 2021
The Global IT Spending in South East Asia Market research presents a complete assessment of the market and contains Future trend, Current Growth Factors, attentive opinions, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry validated market data.
— Redfield Report (media release)

Over 5,000 migrant workers register for seabooks
A total of 5,714 migrant workers have registered for seabooks to work on fishing trawlers, the Employment Department chief said on Wednesday.
— The Nation

Mekong River Commission (CEO) Talks About Mekong Rivers Unprecedented Risks and Challenges
Dr. An Pich Hatda, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mekong River Commission in an OP-ed reports that people who live in the Mekong River basin face unprecedented risks and challenges. More extreme weather—floods, storms and droughts—are already changing the river basin we once knew.
— Chiang Rai Times

FIFA Rankings: Vietnam, India & Thailand move up; Philippines & Malaysia drop down
FIFA have released their latest set of rankings and Vietnam maintain their position as the best ASEAN team in the world.
— FOX Sports

edotco: Driving Asia’s sustainable telco industry
Innovation, determination and a keen sense of foresight have been the cornerstones of edotco Group’s pioneering sustainability and green engineering drive.
— The Asean Post

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Cambodia morning newsCambodia morning news

Compiled by Piseth Pov          @piseth6666

 

Cambodian Prime Minister Threatens to Cut Citizens Electricity if They Complain About Outages
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday threatened Cambodians who complain about regular power outages, that he would order the state provider to turn off their supply if they continued to voice their grievances.
— VOA Khmer

Kingdom’s economy set to slow despite robust growth
The Cambodian economy is projected to slow slightly this year compared to last year, despite robust growth of around seven per cent, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report released on Wednesday said.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Human rights council responds to UN recommendations
The Cambodian Human Rights Committee on Tuesday responded to the criticisms made by members of the United Nations Human Rights Council during its Universal Periodic Review in January.
— Khmer Times

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning newsIndonesia morning news

Compiled by Piseth Pov          @piseth6666

 

Indonesia sets target to export 450,000 cars in 2019
Trade Minister Airlangga Hartarto has said his ministry set a target to increase car exports to 450,000 this year. In the previous year, the country saw 346,000 car exports with total profits at US$4.78 billion.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia: Man Stands Trial for Allegedly Spreading Election Hoax
A man whom police identified as a former campaign volunteer for Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto went on trial Thursday for allegedly spreading a hoax about electoral fraud involving millions of pre-marked ballots.
— Benar News

Will the Voters protest be able to win Prabowo-Sandi?
In literatures on 2019 political campaigns and elections in Indonesia, popularity is a condition for image-building.
— Modern Diplomacy

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

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Lao PDR morning newsLao PDR morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

 

Lao govt to strive for imports, exports to value US$11.29 billion in 2019
The government will strive to achieve imports and exports of more than US$11 billion this fiscal year, including exports of US$5.516 billion and imports of US$5.775 billion.
— ANN/ Vientiane Times

WB Provides Additional Financing For Lao PDR Disaster Recovery
Two World Bank projects, currently helping the Lao PDR to build climate resilient infrastructure and respond to flood-affected areas of the country, will receive additional financing totaling USD$50 million.
— KPL

ASEAN members discuss facilitation for trade, investment in Lao capital
Trade negotiating officials from 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries met in the Lao capital Vientiane this week to discuss facilitation for trade and investment within the ASEAN bloc.
— Global Times

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning newsMalaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov

 

Malaysia to enhance halal certification system in push towards global hub status: DPM Wan Azizah
The Malaysian government has come up with new methods to enhance its halal certification system in its push to be a global halal hub, deputy prime minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said on Wednesday (Apr 3).
— Channel NewsAsia

Malaysia’s February exports unexpectedly fall 5.3 pct y/y
Malaysia’s exports fell sharply in February, the first contraction since August as trade slowed with most of its partners, government data showed on Thursday.
— Nasdaq

​​​​​​​Malaysia initiates anti-dumping duty investigation on non-alloy steel from Việt Nam
Malaysia has announced it will initiate an anti-dumping duty investigation on the imports of cold-rolled coils of iron or non-alloy steel originating or exported from four countries, including Việt Nam, China, Japan and South Korea.
— Viet Nam News

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning newsMyanmar morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov
 

ADB Says Myanmar’s Economy Gets Back On Track
Myanmar’s economic growth, which has been slowed down by sluggish government reforms, lack of confidence of foreign investors in a sound business environment and internal tensions and conflicts in the past, seems to be on the road to recovery, according to an assessment by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its newly released Asian Development Outlook 2019.
— Investvine

Myanmar Media Outlets Threatened over Rakhine Coverage
The Irrawaddy and several other independent media outlets in Myanmar have received anonymous threats since late last week over their coverage of the ongoing fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and government troops.
— The Irrawaddy

Local fuel prices continue to go up
Local fuel prices have continued to increase by K135 to K185 per liter over the past three months as global oil prices reach over US$62 per barrel despite little fluctuation of Myanmar’s Kyat against dollar reaching a little over K1,500, according to local filling stations.
— Eleven Myanmar

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning newsPhilippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

 

Philippines revises up Q4 GDP growth to 6.3 pct y/y
The Philippine economy grew 6.3 percent in 2018’s fourth quarter from a year earlier, rather than the previously-announced 6.1 percent, the statistics agency said on Thursday.
— Nasdaq

Duterte threatens to arrest critics and declare a ‘revolutionary war’
Saying he has enough problems, President Duterte warned critics yesterday that he would suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, order their arrest and declare a “revolutionary war” until the end of his term.
— The Philippine Star

Clark airport posts record 1M passengers in Q1
Air passengers that travelled via Clark International Airport (CRK) have reached 1 million in January to March this year, the airport’s highest quarterly passenger traffic, according to Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC).
— Malaya

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning newsSingapore morning news

Compiled by Piseth Pov          @piseth6666

 

Singapore among world’s top digital economies but ranks worst at meeting psychological needs: Survey
Despite widespread utility of digital services across the globe, a range of basic, self-fulfillment and psychological needs are still failing to be met, suggests a recent survey by Dentsu Aegis Network in partnership with Oxford Economics.
— The Edge Markets

Singapore: Importer fined $3,000 for illegal import of vegetables
A Singapore importer was fined $3,000 for bringing in fresh vegetables that did not conform to import permit requirements, the Singapore Food Agency said in a release on April 3.
— Fresh Plaza

Good things worth waiting for, says MBS chief
EVER since Marina Bay Sands (MBS) opened for business in April 2010, its senior executives have consistently made known their desire to invest more in Singapore and to expand the footprint of the integrated resort (IR).
— The Business Times

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

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Thailand morning newsThailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre          @photo_journ

 

Financial Stability Risks Remain for Thailand, Central Bank Governor Says
Thailand’s central bank Governor Veerathai Santiprabhob said there are still financial frailties in the economy, which are being tackled through a combination of measures, including macro-prudential steps and the monetary stance.
— Bloomberg

Thailand enters 5G technology era
Thailand is leading the ASEAN community in 5G technology beginning with Chulalongkorn University and the Eastern Economic Corridor project from next year.
— NBT World (video)

‘Save what water you can,’ Phuket water chief urges as reservoirs hit record lows
The chief of the Phuket office of the Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) is urging people to save whatever water they can as the island’s three main reservoirs hit dangerously low levels – the lowest levels ever recorded by water officials.
— The Phuket News

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning newsVietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men           @MenSreypov

 

Vietnam’s economy is forecast to grow 6.8 percent in 2019 and 6.7 percent in 2020: ADB
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its report “Asian Development Outlook 2019.” Strong exports and domestic demand pushed Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth higher in 2018 than in more than a decade, standing at 7.1 percent, but in 2019 and 2020, a weaker external environment will likely moderate growth and narrow the current account surplus, while inflation remains stable this year but will rise somewhat next year, the ADB stated in its report released Wednesday.
— Vietnam Insider

Seafood, forestry contribute to agriculture’s growth in Q1
The agriculture industry posted a year-on-year growth of 2.68 percent in the first quarter of 2019, despite an array of difficulties caused by the African swine fever and unstable export markets, mainly driven by the seafood and forestry sector.
— VNA NET

Retail sales, consumer service revenue rise 12 percent in Q1
The total goods retail sales and consumer service revenue surpassed 1.18 quadrillion VND (over 50.8 billion USD) in the first quarter of 2019, up 12 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).
— VNA NET

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.

 

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