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.



channelnewsasia.com Thailand's search for the main suspect behind a deadly bombing in central Bangkok has concluded, police said.



channelnewsaia.com Malaysian veterinary officials are hopeful that a rabies outbreak in its northern states will stabilise in a few months, as animal rights groups' continue to protest the precautionary mass culling of stray dogs.

therakyatpost.com In view of the potential risk of the spread of rabies to Singapore, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) will impose new measures and temporary restrictions on the importation of dogs and cats from Malaysia with immediate effect.



straitstimes.com The Indonesian government welcomes any country, including Singapore, that wants to help extinguish forest and land fires in the country to remove the haze, Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has said. ''Go ahead, we are open. Singapore can come and see for themselves if they want to help. Don't just talk (about it),'' said Mr Kalla in New York, according to a report by the Antara news agency.



bloomberg Indonesia's enforcement of its laws against plantation owners is key to resolving the region's haze, Singapore's environment minister has said. Indonesia has laws banning the burning of forests yet enforcement so far has been limited in a sprawling archipelago with overlapping land rights, widespread corruption and decentralised government.



asiancorrespondent.com The directive from police and the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications will see a crackdown on all retailers of SIM cards and internet service providers who don't register customers through identification documents before selling them their products. If they fail, they will face arrest.



nationmultimedia.com Starting from a very low base in 2011, the number of Internet users in Myanmar has climbed to about three million while the number of mobile phone subscribers exceeds 30 million. Yet, as the country's information and communications technology sector catches up with the rest of the world, there is concern over the potential negative impact this will have on people due to the country's poor legal framework.



AP Vietnam's president told The Associated Press that China's island-building in the disputed South China Sea violates international law and endangers maritime security. President Truong Tan Sang also urged the US to fully lift a ban on lethal weapons sales to Vietnam.



pbo.co.uk Cruising sailors' website Noonsite has received an eye witness statement about the kidnapping that happened at Holiday Ocean View Marina on Samal island. The four people abducted on the night of September 21 were Canadian John Ridsdel of the catamaran Aziza, Canadian Robert Hall and his Filipino partner of the yacht Renova, and the marina's Norwegian yard manager Kjartan Sekkingstad of yacht Wiskun.



washingtonpost.com In an unprecedented federal lawsuit first reported by the Star Tribune, Panyia Vang, 22, is seeking $450,000 from the American citizen who allegedly raped and impregnated her before binding her to a traditional Hmong marriage. Vang agreed to the use of her name in The Washington Post, which ordinarily does not identify victims of alleged sexual abuse.



asiaone.com His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam consented to attend the Global Leaders Summit on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, United States of America.