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.



rfa.org A military transport helicopter carrying 19 passengers and four crew members to Houaphan province in northern Laos is missing more than 36 hours after it departed an airport in the capital Vientiane, an Air Force official said.

ttrweekly.com Lao Association of Travel Agents has called for the relevant government authorities to strictly enforce the law to rid the country of illegal travel companies and unregistered tour guides. The association argues that the illegal travel firms do not make a financial contribution to the country in taxes.



AP Communist rebels killed three soldiers and wounded 13 others in an ambush in mountainous northern Kalinga province, an army commander said.



nytimes.com Men who have fled servitude on fishing boats recount beatings and worse as nets are cast for the catch that will become pet food and livestock feed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/27/world/outlaw-ocean-thailand-fishing-sea-slaves-pets.html



bbc.com Rights groups have reacted angrily after the US took Malaysia off its human trafficking blacklist. They said the decision was made so the US could quickly push through the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation free-trade agreement which has an anti-trafficking clause.



aa.com.tr Cambodia remains a "source, transit, and destination country" for adults and children to be trafficked into labor or the sex trade, while many are subjected to similar ordeals abroad, the US government's latest Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report has found. Because of this, it is ranked as a ''tier two'' country for the third year in a row.



manchestereveningnews.co.uk A furious football fan BURNT his tickets for Manchester City's friendly in Vietnam after claims of a frosty reception from the players. The mystery supporter allegedly queued up for 12 hours to buy tickets for the friendly between City and the country's national team. However he became angry after an encounter between the squad and a group of fans in the lobby of the team hotel, according to reports.



reuters British Prime Minister David Cameron sought to forge closer business ties with Indonesia, saying British investment could easily double if deals can be clinched on infrastructure projects. Indonesia is Cameron's first stop on a four-day trade mission to Southeast Asia.



ft.com Iskandar, a Malaysian development zone across the Johor Strait from Singapore, has for many become a cautionary tale against irrational exuberance. Chinese developers have built more apartments than the market can absorb, causing a property glut just as Malaysians are grappling with a slowing economy.
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irrawaddy.org Burmese authorities reportedly seized more than $110 million worth of methamphetamine tablets over the weekend in two separate drug busts near the Thai-Burma border and in the commercial capital Rangoon.



malaysiandigest.com The Malaysian Army and the Royal Brunei Army will continue to enhance military cooperation by participating in joint exercises, says Task Force 450 Chief of Staff, Col Dr Ahmad Sham Baharin. He said the close ties enabled the integration of soldiers in exercises, especially during mortar fire training.