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.



AP Indonesian prosecutors sought jail sentences of 18 years for an American man and 15 years for his girlfriend if they are found guilty of murdering the woman's mother while vacationing on the resort island of Bali last year.

channelnewsasia.com Indonesia has launched military exercises in the eastern island of Sulawesi, a haven for radical Islamists, as part of broader efforts to crack down on militants with suspected links to the Islamic State group, officials said.

bizjournals.com The Coca-Cola Co. will spend $500 million over the next several years to boost production in Indonesia.



cnn.com A 16-year-old teenager has been charged for a tirade he posted on YouTube regarding the death of the late Singapore leader, Lee Kuan Yew. Amos Yee, a moppy-haired teenager posted an online video peppered with expletives that slammed the late leader, who died last week, as a ''horrible person.''



nationmultimedia.com Many Myanmar migrant workers are preparing to go back to Thailand before the water festival, Thingyan, as there are no jobs for them in Myanmar and their living expenses are high at home. Returning to Thailand is a way to support their families, despite the neighboring country's effort to block the entry of illegal workers.

State Department The US is concerned by reports that the Government of Burma has filed criminal charges against peaceful protesters engaged in campaign activities advocating reform of the National Education Law. We call for the immediate, unconditional release of all individuals being detained in the country as a result of exercising their right to peacefully assemble.



ft.com Malaysia's delicate political and ethnic balance is starting to unravel as the country risks sliding into authoritarianism. This is a worrying development at a time when economic clouds are also darkening.



washingtontimes.com Hotel accommodations for First Lady Michelle Obama's two-day trip to Cambodia required 85 rooms and cost US taxpayers $242,500, according to a government contract. The trip required 85 single rooms, five office suites, five sleeping suites, and one conference room for 14 nights.



csmobitor.com Banning not just finning but trade in shark fins have been Cook Islands, Brunei, Bahamas, Northern Mariana Islands, Egypt, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, and the US states of Massachusetts, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, California, Maryland, New York, and Delaware.