Asean morning news for October 9, 2019

Asean morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Jakarta to remain ASEAN’s capital, secretary-general says
Although Indonesia is planning to move its capital from Jakarta to Kalimantan, the ASEAN headquarters would remain in Jakarta, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi has said, likening the city to New York, where the United Nations is seated.
— asia one (extremely annoying popups)

RCEP: not merely another free trade agreement
Asean cooperation arrangements and Apec are important international assets. They contribute significantly to shared prosperity and political security in the Asia Pacific by building pillars for trade liberalisation, investment, the movement of people and — most importantly — political certainty and trust.
— AEC News Today

Thailand to host RCEP ministerial meeting
Thailand will host a ministerial meeting on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on Saturday in Bangkok, the country’s Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday.
— Xinhua.net

ASEAN needs more urgency, political resolve to solve haze problem: Masagos
ASEAN countries need greater urgency and political resolve, as well as closer cooperation among stakeholders, if they are to make progress towards being a haze-free region, said Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR).
— Yahoo News Singapore

Asean meeting tackles regional disaster management
Topics at the meeting centred on a capacity-building training course in the regional countries, emergency assistance, information management and cooperation with partner organisations.
— ANN/Vientiane Times

PH slips in global competitiveness ranking, drops to 6th spot in ASEAN
The Philippines fell eight notches to 64th from 56th last year out of 141 countries in the global competitiveness ranking pulled down by lower ICT (information/communications technology) adoption and macroeconomic stability, according to the 2019 Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum.
— Manila Bulletin

Asean to jointly tackle forest fires and haze
Deputy Prime Minister Aun Porn Moniroth said that Asean should enhance coordination, management and increase resources to cope with forest fires and trans-boundary haze pollution.
— Khmer Times

RCEP talks: India for safeguard tools to keep out damaging imports
Facing stiff resistance from key industries — including steel and dairy — against the RCEP trade deal, India is planning to employ an “auto-trigger” safeguard mechanism for imports from not just China but also Australia and New Zealand to better protect domestic players from irrational inflows of heavily-subsidised products, a top source told FE.
— Financial Express

ASEAN’s dual-career couples have it tough
The rising cost of living in Southeast Asia has led many married couples to work, taking advantage of a dual-career household which offers financial stability and the chance for both partners to pursue careers.
— The Asean Post

Transboundary haze among main topics at Asean meeting on environment
Transboundary haze is among the main topics to be raised at the 15th Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment in Cambodia.
— New Straits Times

ASEAN youth fellowship deepens people-to-people ties in the region
Nearly 40 young ASEAN leaders, including three from Việt Nam, gathered in Singapore last week to exchange ideas and discuss issues and opportunities to work together for sustainable partnerships in the region.
— Viet Nam News

Myanmar to benefit from ASEAN trade pact: official
Myanmar will reap the benefits of a regional trade pact being hammered out by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to its secretary-general, Lim Jock Hoi.
— Myanmar Times

Can multinationals save Asean from the middle-income trap?
THE middle-income trap has become a concept deployed frequently in conversations among policymakers and academics in East Asia.
— Asian Correspondent

ASEAN’s Digital Economy: Getting The House In Order – Analysis
ASEAN has been making strides to realise its digital ambitions. But are existing efforts enough and how can ASEAN move forward from here?
— eurasiareview

Indonesia Dominates ASEAN Ride-Hailing Sector
A report entitled “Swipe up and to the right: Southeast Asia’s $100billion internet economy”, compiled by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, cites Indonesia as the ‘king’ in the ride-hailing sector, or application-based transportation services, with the industry reaching US$6billion in 2019.
— Indonesia expat

Could the EU’s ban on palm oil in biofuels do more harm than good?
In an era where trade wars and tariffs are commonplace, it is often the case that developing countries are held to double standards by Western nations.
— World Economic Forum

Philippines aims for bigger share of Asia’s cruise tourism
THE Philippines, a country of more than 7,600 islands where you’re rarely more than a few miles from the sea, wants a bigger slice of Asia’s growing cruise tourism industry.
— The Business Times (extremely annoying popups)

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Raksmey Khoem @raksmey.aecnews

PM Hun Sen Tells Investors Why Cambodia Closes Online Gambling
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen unveiled the reasons the government ended all kinds of online gambling, pointing out to low taxes and social issues.
— Fresh News

Maybank lauds Mega First’s Cambodian power project
Maybank Investment Bank Research is positive on the progress of Mega First Corp Bhd’s (MFCB) transmission line from the Don Sahong Hydropower Project in Khong district in Laos’ Champasak province to Cambodia’s Stung Treng province.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Invest in Cambodia, Hun Sen tells Chinese Investors
“I proposed to the Chinese leadership to encourage more investors to…invest more in Cambodia, no matter what,” he wrote Tuesday on his Facebook page.
— Themy Themy

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Justhine De Guzman Uy @justhine.aecnews

Indonesia On Track for $133b Digital Economy by 2025: Google
Tech giant Google and Singaporean wealth fund Temasek have updated their projection for Indonesia’s internet economy to reach $133 billion in total value by 2025, 33 percent higher than previously estimated.
— Jakarta Globe

Central Java: This is climate change (video)
While climate science denialists may wish to continue to repudiate the realities of the current climate crisis, one needs go no further than Bedono, Central Java.
— AEC News Today

Wild elephant named Dita found dead inside wildlife reserve
A female elephant was found dead at the Balai Raja wildlife conservation area in Pinggir district, Bengkalis regency, Riau on Monday.
— The Jakarta Post

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Raksmey Khoem @raksmey.aecnews

Chinese govt awards 50 scholarships to Lao students
The Chinese government has awarded 50 scholarships to outstanding local students and those from disadvantaged remote areas so they can study for bachelor and master’s degrees in China.
— Vientiane Times (paywall)

Deputy PM praises Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone
Dr Sonexay made these remarks during his visit to the Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone C – Savan Park and Savannakhet Dry Port on October 3. The zone is located in the middle of the East-West Economic Corridor and offers the best connectivity for the Asean region.
— ANN/Vientiane Times

Save the Mekong Coalition Urges Cancellation of Laos’ Proposed Fifth Large Mekong River Dam
A coalition of NGOs called for the cancellation of a project to build what would be Laos’ fifth large Mekong river dam Tuesday, citing the disastrous effects that existing dams have had on the region’s ability to cope with environmental crises.
— RFA

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

No reason for Malaysia to reintroduce GST: PM Mahathir
The Malaysian government has no reason to reintroduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as frequent changes to the tax system will adversely affect the economy and lower investor confidence, said Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday (Oct 8).
— CNA

PM: Country not affected by #BoycottMalaysia campaign by Indian social media users
Putrajaya has not received any feedback from the Indian government despite demands from social media users in the country to boycott Malaysia and Malaysian products, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
— The Star Online

Budget 2020 should focus on well-being, boosting investors’ confidence, says think tank
The upcoming Budget 2020, to be tabled on Oct 11, should focus on holistic measures to ensure the well-being of all Malaysians are taken care of in terms of social safety net, as well as boosting investors’ confidence, amid recession fears in 2020, said think tank The Centre.
— The Sun Daily

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Myanmar pumps 400 M cubic feet of natural gas and 16,000 tonnes of crude oil daily to China
China imported about 400 million cubic feet of natural gas from Shwe natural gas project in Rakhine offshore and about 16,000 tonnes of crude oil from Made Island in Rakhine State daily, according to the Ministry of Electricity and Energy.
— Eleven Myanmar

Myanmar Investments: another corporate casualty of Myanmar’s ‘harsh realities’
London-listed Myanmar Investments International (MIL), the latest of several foreign investors to turn its back on Myanmar, has blamed its decision to wind up on the impact of the conflict in northern Rakhine, a “complex” political situation and what it calls the slow pace of reform.
— Myanmar Times

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Duterte Reportedly Invited Rosneft to Conduct Oil Exploration in South China Sea
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly invited Russian oil giant Rosneft to conduct oil exploration operations in the South China Sea during a visit to Moscow last week, the South China Morning Post reported Oct. 8. Why It Matters: Duterte has long attempted to maintain a …
— Spratly Islands

No more BSP rate cuts for ’19 but possibly for RRR
Philippine monetary officials are done with policy rate easing this 2019 but may possibly slash banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR) if inflation decelerates further.
— Philippine News Agency

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by Justhine De Guzman Uy @justhine.aecnews

Bus, train fares to go up by 9 cents from Dec 28 for adult card users: Public Transport Council
Bus and train fares will go up by 7 per cent from Dec 28, the Public Transport Council (PTC) announced on Tuesday (Oct 8), the maximum allowable increase under this year’s fare review exercise.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Singapore overtakes the US as world’s most competitive economy
The World Economic Forum rates Singapore as the world’s most economically competitive country, while Asia’s big economies, including India and Indonesia, fell in the annual ranking.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Singdollar could weaken to 1.42 per US dollar by year end: DBS
The Singapore dollar is poised to fall further amid weakness in the yuan, an intractable trade war and disappointing Singapore growth data, said DBS analysts.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Five more Thai elephants die in waterfall plunge
Five more wild elephants in Thailand died in a plunge from the top of a waterfall, drone footage released on Tuesday (Oct 8) showed, bringing the death toll to 11, including a three-year-old calf.
— CNA

Thailand arrests man amid #royalmotorcade controversy
Thai authorities have arrested and charged a man for posting inappropriate content online, cyber police said on Tuesday (Oct 8), as the man’s lawyer denied reports his client had criticised the royal family.
— CNA

Cabinet endorses draft budget for fiscal 2020 budget
The Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, says that a meeting of the cabinet ministers today approved the draft budget for fiscal 2020, and insisted that the amount can be increased or decreased.
— NNT

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Vietnam doubles down on solar: $37 mln ADB loan to fund largest floating solar project in region (video)
After commissioning the largest solar farm in Southeast Asia last month Vietnam is to kick its use of renewable energy to a higher level with the largest installation of floating solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in the region.
— AEC News Today

New guidelines on incentives for investments at industrial or economic zones
The Circular provides details on tax incentives for enterprises that have investment projects in Vietnam’s industrial and economic zones, encouraging them to make investments that improve the quality of life around industrial zones.
— Vietnam Insider

Pollution app pulled in Vietnam after coordinated campaign of abuse
A leading air quality monitoring app was removed from Vietnam’s Apple and Google stores after it said it was attacked in a “coordinated campaign” for posting pollution data from the country’s smog-choked capital.
— asia one (extremely annoying popups)

See here for more of today’s Vietnam morning news

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