PHUKETWAN recognises the importance of Asean with the Economic Community approaching and marks what's happening around the region with a new column, Asean Today.



bloomberg Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez added an amendment to the fast-track measure that would ban that trade status to any country that the State Department classifies as a Tier 3 (the worst level) violator on human trafficking. Malaysia, which aspires to be part of TPP, is Tier 3. And Menendez heightened that pressure this week in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, where he openly questioned whether the White House was putting inappropriate pressure on the State Department to move Malaysia to the less-odious Tier 2.

asiaone.com The wife of jailed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim won her husband's parliamentary seat Thursday in a by-election seen as a test of support for the three-party alliance he headed, local media reported.



straitstimes.com Action superstar Jackie Chan is Singapore's new anti-drug ambassador and hopes to influence youth to say no to drugs. He said his son, Jaycee Chan, who served time for a drug offence in Beijing this year, has hurt him but made him determined to tell young people to stay away from drugs.



thediplomat.com The Australian Government looks set to slash foreign aid to Indonesia in next week's federal budget, another sign of Australia's anger over the Bali Nine executions last month. But it is at this difficult time when Australians should be turning to help Indonesia.



themalaysianinsider.com Brunei has arrested an Indonesian man en route to Saudi Arabia after authorities found bullets and what appeared to be an Isis group flag in his luggage, Indonesian officials said. Rustawi Tomo Kabul, 63, was detained in transit at Brunei airport after arriving from Indonesia, and claimed to be going on pilgrimage with a group from his home country, the foreign ministry in Jakarta said.



reuters Cambodia threw its support behind China's position on settling South China Sea disputes, arguing that territorial conflicts should be tackled between claimants and not involve the regional Asean grouping.



reuters China has warned Philippine air force and navy planes at least six times to leave areas around the disputed South China Sea, the Philippine military commander responsible for the region told a Senate hearing. Recent satellite images show China has made rapid progress in reclaiming land around seven reefs it occupies in the Spratlys, including building what appears to be an airstrip on one of the artificial islands.



high50.com It's a country often described as ''sleepy'' but don't let that description fool you. Laos may be delightfully chilled and, compared to its neighbors reasonably untouched by mass tourism, but it has a character and charm that sees it punch above its weight in a quest to claim the affections of travellers to South East Asia.



channelnewsasia.com Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi praised the ''co-operative spirit'' of political rival Shwe Mann, after the powerful parliament speaker - tipped as a potential presidential candidate - said he is open to an alliance with the opposition leader.



channelnewsasia.com Vietnam's central bank devalued the dong currency for the second time this year in a bid to boost exports and drive the economy forward.

dallasnews.com May 7, 2015 marks 61 years to the day that the French Union troops - made up of French and Vietnamese nationals - surrendered to Viet Minh forces after a 57-day battle.