Asean morning news
Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu
Research finds tax incentives key for Asean FDI
Tax incentives have played a vital role in multinational firms investing in Asean, but their effectiveness has been reduced for high-tech companies and those that already operate in the region, according to research conducted by a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s economics department.
— Bangkok Post
Xi pledges to work with ASEAN in completing Code of Conduct in South China Sea in 3 yrs
Chinese President Xi Jinping assured that China will work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to complete the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea within the next three years.
— Manila Bulletin
SE Asia will have 10 new companies valued at over $1bn each by 2024: Bain report
Venture capital and private equity investment in Southeast Asia have soared to record levels as scores of new investors pour into the region.
— Tech in Asia
Asean bankers expect 4IR to boost economies
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is impacting on the region’s economic ecosystems, a top banker has said.
— The Phnom Penh Post
ASEAN cities seek to promote smoke-free tourism environments
The Smoke-free Cities ASEAN Network (SCAN) convened the 6th regional meeting in Hoi An city, the central province of Quang Nam, on November 20, focusing on reshaping tourism through smoke-free environments.
— Vietnam Plus
Be wary of Quad threat to ASEAN unity
Officials from the countries that make up the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad – Australia, India, Japan and the US – held talks on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Singapore on November 14.
— Global Times
China Focus: Seven years on, joint patrols on Mekong stabilize region
At 8 a.m. Tuesday, ships horns echoed through the river valley as the 76th joint patrol of the Mekong River by law enforcement from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand set sail, marking its 7th anniversary.
— Xinhua
Fast Wi-fi, more e-commerce: Asean cities experiment with ways to crack challenges of rising urbanisation
Most residents of Banyuwangi’s 189 villages, in Indonesia’s east Java, have access to free internet as part of a government initiative to boost local economic development.
— South China Morning Post
Malaysia and Indonesia foreign fighter transit routes to Philippines identified
A Philippine terrorism expert has identified backdoors in the Malaysian Borneo state of Sabah and Manado in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province used by foreign militants to enter the southern Philippines to join Islamic State-affiliated groups.
— The Defense Post
INDONESIA’S INDO-PACIFIC VISION IS A CALL FOR ASEAN TO STICK TOGETHER INSTEAD OF PICKING SIDES
Asean is having ongoing discussions on its vision for the Indo-Pacific, as the world’s two largest economies offer opposing ideas for their engagement in the region.
— South China Morning Post
Social media influencers to tackle HIV among gay men in Southeast Asia
Charities are hoping an online campaign launched this week will encourage gay men to test for HIV ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December.
— Gay Star News
RoK wants greater efforts to further expand ties with ASEAN
President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in on November 20 called for greater efforts to further enhance the country’s relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
— Vietnam Plus
South Africa marks 25 years of diplomatic ties with four ASEAN nations
A ceremony was held in Pretoria on November 19 to mark the 25th founding anniversary of South Africa’s diplomatic ties with Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.
— Vietnam Plus
Cambodia morning news
Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov
Kingdom approves 41 projects worth $1B
Data from the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) show that it approved a total of 41 investment projects worth more than $1 billion from September until mid-November.
— Phnom Penh Post
The dangers of cornering Hun Sen
Soon after November rolled in, reports surfaced of a bet between Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen and Cambodian National Rescue Movement (CNRM) leader Sam Rainsy on the fate of former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) leader Kem Sokha, who is on bail awaiting trial on treason charges.
— The Asean Post
Cambodian PM Hun Sen and US Ambassador Commit to Promote Cambodia-US Ties
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Outgoing US Ambassador to Cambodia William A. Heidt expressed commitment to better promote Cambodia-US cooperation, speaking in a farewell call on Tuesday at Phnom Penh Peace Palace.
— Fresh News
See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news
Indonesia morning news
Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu
Indonesia`s economy posts solid growth: BI
Executive Director of the BI Communication Department Agusman said that Indonesia`s national economy posted solid growth in the third quarter of 2018, namely 5.17 percent (yoy), on the back of domestic demand.
— Antara News
ADB Provides Loan of $500 Mln for Natural Disaster Recovery in Indonesia
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a United States (US) $500 million emergency assistance loan to help the Indonesian Government rebuild Lombok and Central Sulawesi after the natural disasters that claimed thousands of lives and destroyed infrastructure, property and livelihoods.
— Netral News
Indosat Targets 4G Networks Across Indonesia by End of 2018
Indosat Ooredoo targets to provide 4G networks in all of their operational areas in Indonesia by the end of this year.
— Netral News
See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news
Lao PDR morning news
Compiled by Mark Roy @electricnerve
6th ordinary session of National Assembly’s 8th legislature opens
The 6th ordinary Session of the National Assembly’s 8th legislature opened this morning at the National Convention Centre, Vientiane in the participation of NA President Pany Yathortou, President Bounnhang Vorachit and Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith.
— KPL
Temporary shelters set up for residents affected by dam collapse in Laos
A boy is seen at the temporary shelters for affected residents in Hadyao Village, Sanamxay District, Attapeu Province, Laos, Nov. 17, 2018
— Xinhua
Cambodian PM to visit Laos in December
Prime Minister Hun Sen will pay an official visit to Laos on December 5 and will sign a number of documents while he is there.
— Khmer Times
See here for more of today’s Lao morning news
Malaysia morning news
Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov
Malaysia moves up in world talent rankings, ahead of Japan and UK
Malaysia has been placed at 22 in the World Talent Ranking for 2018, ahead even of Japan, which the government wants the nation to emulate.
— FMT
New tax could impact firms relying on foreign digital services
Budget 2019’s digital tax at the commercial level could potentially impact companies that rely on foreign digital services such as web hosting, AmInvestment Bank Bhd (AmInvestment Bank) opine in a N2N Connect Bhd (N2N) company report.
— The Borneo Post
City’s supermarkets ban single-use plastic bags from Dec 1
Effective Dec 1, all major supermarkets under the jurisdiction of Kuching South City Council (MBKS) will ban single-use plastic bags during weekends as part of the city council’s green initiatives.
— The Borneo Post
See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News
Myanmar morning news
Compiled by Mark Roy @electricnerve
Myanmar court allows jailed Reuters reporters’ appeal to proceed – lawyer
RMyanmar’s High Court has allowed an appeal to proceed in the case of two Reuters reporters jailed for seven years on charges of breaking the country’s Official Secrets Act, defence lawyers said on Tuesday.
— Channel News Asia
Myanmar Press Council Turns Attention to Exposing Fake News
The Myanmar Press Council announced Tuesday that it will focus on exposing people in Myanmar who produce fake news to manipulate public opinion, following the filing of a complaint by authorities in Mandalay region about an apparently phony social media report critical of the local government.
— Radio Free Asia
Refugees’ citizenship demands ‘impossible’: Myanmar govt
Administrators in northern Rakhine State say it would be “impossible” for the government to agree to Rohingya refugees’ citizenship demands, in a further sign that Rohingya repatriation is likely to proceed slowly – if at all.
— Frontier Myanmar
See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news
Philippines morning news
Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu
House okays P3.757-T 2019 national budget
The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading the proposed PHP3.757-trillion 2019 national budget.
— Philippine News Agency
PH ranking in 2018 global talent survey plummets
The Philippines ranking in the 2018 world ranking on the quality of workers plummeted to 55 from 45 in 2017 among 63 countries on worsening concerns on employment and the country’s education system.
— Manila Bullein
Protests, Winnie the Pooh Memes Greet Xi Jinping in Philippines
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping received a frigid welcome in the Philippines on Tuesday as hundreds of protesters circled the Chinese embassy in Manila and others took to attacking Xi on social media for launching a colonization campaign in Philippine territories of the South China Sea.
— Breitbart
See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news
Singapore morning news
Compiled by Mark Roy @electricnerve
Police seize equipment from The Online Citizen in defamation investigation
Police on Tuesday (20 November) seized equipment such as desktop computers, mobile devices and laptops from the residence of Terry Xu, executive editor of long-running socio-political website The Online Citizen (TOC).
— Yahoo News
Singapore lawmaker blasts Facebook over refusal to take down ‘false’ post
A Singapore lawmaker hit out at Facebook on Tuesday, saying it had reneged on a promise to help rein in fake news and calling for tougher regulations, which the social media firm has cautioned against.
— Reuters
SGX sets out guidelines for initial coin offerings
The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has laid out guidelines for listed companies considering conducting initial coin offerings (ICO) given the growing popularity of the fundraising method.
— Singapore Business Review
See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news
Thailand morning news
Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ
Thailand a non-mover in talent index
Thailand’s ranking in the latest global survey on developing and attracting talent remains unchanged at 42nd out of 63 countries.
— Bangkok Post
Phoenix wreck handed over to Royal Thai Police
Responsibility for the salvaged wreck of the disaster-struck tour boat ‘Phoenix’ was officially handed over from the Phuket Marine Office to the Royal Thai Police team of investigators today (Nov 20).
— The Phuket News
Commerce Ministry sticking with 8% export growth outlook
Despite the state planning agency painting a murky picture of exports, the Commerce Ministry remains resolute in its 8% growth forecast for this year and next.
— Bangkok Post
See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news
Vietnam morning news
Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov
500 Startups To Fund More Vietnamese Tech Startups
Silicon Valley venture capital firm 500 Startups has raised $14.1 million for the new seed-stage fund of its Vietnamese unit, 40 per cent over its $10 million target, it announced in a blog post November 20.
— Investvine
Vietnam may start building its biggest airport in 2020
Work on Vietnam’s biggest airport would start in 2020 and it will become operational in 2025, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) says.
— VnExpress
Vietnam is among world’s top 50 economies after 32 years of reform
After 32 years undergoing economic reform, Vietnam’s economy has maintained an average GDP growth rate of 6.6%, featuring among the world’s top 50 economies, according to Nguyen Thien Nhan, head of the Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.
— 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.