Advertisement

Asean morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men          @MenSreypov

ASEAN manufacturing PMI dips to 50.3 in Dec, slowest since Mar 2018
Manufacturing activity in the ASEAN region edged down in December, the slowest expansion since March last year, a survey showed Wednesday.
— The Edge Markets

Trump Signs Asia Reassurance Initiative Act Into Law
On the final day of 2018, U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed into law the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA), which passed the U.S. Senate earlier that month.
— The Diplomat

ASEAN, Indonesia`s roles to encourage N Korea to trust peace building effort
Prevailing peace and stability in the world is never an easy task as myriad of interests of countries are involved, and most of the times, it makes some conflicts last for decades, such as those in the Korean Peninsula.
— Antara News

Southeast Asian cities vulnerable to floods, higher sea levels — OECD
FOUR major Southeast Asian cities are at risk for an expected rise in sea levels amid their current inability to manage flooding, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said.
— BusinessWorld Online

DFA urged to work with Vietnam on Code of Conduct in S. China Sea
Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to work with Vietnam to block pro-China provisions in the proposed Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Việt Nam should boost trade promotion for more exports to ASEAN
Việt Nam should promote trade more overseas to bring in new customers and boost exports to the ASEAN region.
— Viet Nam News

AirAsia to freeze launches for next 3 years barring Vietnam
Malaysian discount carrier AirAsia Group won’t open any new airline in the next three years and will focus on current operations after its proposed Vietnam launch, Group CEO Tony Fernandes said Wednesday.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Can an ageing ASEAN stay competitive?
Across Asia, demographic trends are indicating a growing ageing population with the 65 and above age category projected to more than double, reaching close to 2.5 times the current figures by 2050.
— The Asean Post

AirAsia Group transfers non-airline related digital businesses to Redbeat Ventures
AirAsia Group is transferring its non-digital businesses to Redbeat Ventures its wholly owned subsidiary.
— Marketing Interactive

Breakingviews – Superapps will starve the rest in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia’s apps-for-everything will dominate in 2019. Cash is being lavished on Grab and Go-Jek, as they dabble in everything from ride-hailing to groceries. It’s a Chinese approach to luring and keeping consumers who are moving online fast.
— Reuters

Ikea eyes further expansion in Southeast Asia
Ikea Southeast Asia, which owns and operates stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, has released its 2018 annual report, revealing its continued success in offering millions of people a wide range of well-designed and functional home-furnishing products at affordable prices according to its vision: “To create a better everyday life for the many people.”
— The Nation

Japanese firms hopping on ride-hailing bandwagon in SE Asia
Japanese firms are involved in a clash of titans that is expected to intensify this year between two successful ride-hailing startups in Southeast Asia.
— ABS-CBN News

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy         @electricnerve

Angkor Park Welcomes Nearly 2.6 Million International Tourists in 2018
Almost 2.6 million international visitors bought tickets to tour Cambodia’s Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap province in 2018.
— akpnews.info

‘They only go to Chinese shops’: why Cambodia’s influx of mainland tourists is causing tensions
More than 1.27 million Chinese tourists visited Cambodia in the first eight months of 2018, a 72 per cent increase on the same period in 2017. But not all local business owners are happy.
— South China Morning Post

Casino boom in Cambodia: + 53 per cent in 2018 only
About 150 casinos are now in operation, up from 98 in 2017. In the coastal province of Sihanoukville alone there are 88. The law bans Cambodians from entering casinos.
— www.asianews.it

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

Indonesia`s inflation in Dec 2018 reached 0.62 percent
Indonesia`s inflation rate in December 2018 reached 0.62 percent, down from 0.71 percent in the same month a year earlier, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said on Wednesday.
— Antara News

How USAID is helping Indonesia’s vanilla farmers to grow export trade (HD video)
Assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is enabling small-scale spice farmers in Indonesia to create sustainable futures for themselves, ending long-standing reliance on aid.
— AEC News Today (video)

Indonesia`s budget deficit reaches 1.76 of GDP: Finance Minister
The Indonesian state budget recorded a deficit of Rp259.9 trillion, or 1.76 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP), last year, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said.
— Antara News

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men          @MenSreypov

Laos to complete 12 hydropower dam projects in 2019
The Lao Government will strive to complete 12 hydropower dam projects in 2019 with a total capacity of 1,950MW, reported local media.
— VietnamPlus

More Than 200 Lives Killed In Road Accidents in Vientiane
Some 238 people’s lives have been claimed in road accident during the celebration of New Year 2019 in Vientiane. Yet the death toll represents a decrease of 5 per cent as compared to last year.
— KPL

The government is urging anti-money laundering
The National Committee Against Money Laundering and Funding for Terrorism held its second Annual General Meeting 2018 on December 27 at the Bank of the Lao PDR Hall, honoring the presidency of Mr. Somdy Duangdee, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, President of KT.
— Pasaxon

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men          @MenSreypov

RM1,100 minimum monthly wage comes into effect
The Minimum Wages Order (Amendment) 2018 came into effect nationwide yesterday (Jan 1).
— The Borneo Post

#DestinationGOOD: AirAsia helping refugees in search of home (HD video)
Often seen as “people with no choice and no voice”, refugees have been granted some valuable airtime in a new video production from low-cost regional carrier AirAsia.
–– AEC News Today (video)

Public holidays and long weekends in Malaysia 2019
If there’s anything Malaysians love more than a public holiday, it’s a public holiday that falls near the weekend. 2019 is already here and it’s never too early to start planning your leave for those long holidays and quick weekend getaways.
— Malay Mail

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy         @electricnerve

Investing in Myanmar – not when but how
DECADES of stunted development under military rule gave way to Asia’s newest democracy after victory by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) in 2015. This, along with the lifting of country-based sanctions by the US government, was supposed to be the turning point for Myanmar, thought to be the “last economic frontier” in Asean.
— Business Times

New Year Opens With Fighting, Attack on Top Official in Myanmar’s Rakhine State
Myanmar government troops opened 2019 with exchanges of gunfire with an ethnic armed organization in Rakhine state’s Buthidaung township, while police accused the same rebel group of attacking a convoy transporting the regional chief.
— Radio Free Asia

Vietnam Ride-Hailing Service Expands To Myanmar
Vietnam’s first homegrown ride-hailing service, FastGo, has kicked off operations in Myanmar as part of its Southeast Asia expansion plans. The firm partnered with Myanmar conglomerate Asia Sun Group in a joint venture and began offering its services starting from December 28.
— Investvine

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

Senate lines up final ok of P3.7-trillon budget, worker tenure bills
THE Senate leadership has lined up for plenary deliberation and early approval the proposed P3.7-trillion 2019 national budget on top of other priority bills when Congress resumes regular sessions at the end of the lawmakers’ four-week Christmas vacation on January 14.
— Business Mirror

Philippines’ manufacturing PMI improves at slower pace
Business conditions at Philippines’ manufacturing companies improved further in December, but at a slower pace, supported by expansions in both output and new orders. Purchasing activity grew and employment increased at the quickest rate in four months.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

ING economist eyes December ‘18 inflation at 5.5%
Philippines’ December 2018 inflation rate is seen to slide further to 5.5 percent as supply-side issues have been addressed and oil prices continue to decline in the international market.
— Philippine News Agency

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy         @electricnerve

 Braced for economic headwinds this year
Last year was a better-than-expected year for the Singapore economy, but given the uncertainties that lie ahead, projections for 2019 are more circumspect, and for good reason.
— Straits Times

Singapore donates record amount via charity site in 2018, half a million on Christmas
Last year, Singapore donated S$30 million to online charity portal Giving.sg, with a third of that donated in December alone and half a million donated on Christmas Day.
— Channel News Asia

Singapore’s 2018 Year-in-Review by PM Lee is surprisingly upbeat
In his 2019 New Year’s message, PM Lee use quite a lot of positive adjectives to describe Singapore’s growth this past year. Describing 2018 as a ‘productive year for Singapore’, PM Lee first noted that the local economy grew steadily at 3.3%, exceeding expectations.
— The Online Citizen

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy         @electricnerve

Road toll continues to rise as revellers return to work
The annual New Year holiday is seeing another rise in the number of deaths on the roads, although the number of accidents and injuries is down on last year, so far.
— Bangkok Post

Fewer accidents, but death toll up this year
Though the number of road accidents is lower this year compared to the ‘seven dangerous days’ last year, drunk driving and speeding remain the key contributing factors in crashes and account for most of the arrests, Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said on Wednesday.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Latest : EC denies delay in election date
The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday reiterated that there has been no postponement to the election day.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men          @MenSreypov

Vietnam posts high labour productivity growth in ASEAN
Labour productivity in the Vietnamese economy has been estimated at 102 million VND (4,512 USD) per workhand in 2018, up 8.8 million VND (346 USD) from the previous year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
— VietnamPlus

Vietnam Airlines Group achieves $120.46 million profit in 2018
On Wednesday, Vietnam Airlines Group announced it made a record consolidated revenue of VNĐ100 trillion in 2018, marking an increase of 15 per cent in pre-tax profit to nearly VND 2.8 trillion (US$120.46 million).
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam’s cyber-security law comes into effect
The law comes into force a week after the Vietnam Journalists Association announced a new code of conduct on the use of social media by its members, forbidding reporters to post news, pictures and comments that “run counter to” the state.
— Vietnam Insider

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.

Advertisement