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.



nationmultimedia.com A suspect arrested in connection with the deadly Bangkok bomb attack allegedly confessed to having paid immigration police more than 21,000 baht in bribes each time he travelled in and out of Thailand, the national police chief said. Pol General Somyot Poompanmuang, who will retire at the end of this month, blames the corrupt officials for paving the way for the bloody bomb attack in the heart of Bangkok last month.



treeangle.co.id Haze caused by forest fires in Riau Province, Sumatra Island, has affected Malaysia and Singapore, and the government needs to take anticipatory measures to tackle the problem, the Riau meteorological office's weather analyst, Ardhito, stated. The haze drifting towards the two neighboring countries was from Sumatra and not from Kalimantan, Ardhito clarified.



cambodiadaily.com Three Chinese men and three Cambodians were arrested in Phnom Penh on suspicion of running a trafficking ring in which Cambodian women are married off to Chinese men, police said. Keo Thea, chief of the municipal anti-human trafficking police, said his unit had been watching the Cambodian trio for more than a month and pounced at about 5am as one of them was driving a Cambodian woman to Phnom Penh International Airport to catch a flight to Beijing.



voanews.com Two leaders of Indonesia's parliament are facing an ethics investigation for attending a campaign event with US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Syarifuddin Suding, who heads parliament's Honorary Council, said that the type of sanctions that could be imposed on House Speaker Setya Novanto and parliament Deputy Chairman Fadli Zon would depend on the results of the investigation.



reuters Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi urged voters to opt for ''real change'' in the first general election since the end of military rule. Thousands of supporters gave Suu Kyi a rapturous welcome in towns in the sparsely populated state of Kayah on the Thai border.



ft.com For a country whose press freedom ranks alongside the likes of Libya, Belarus and Iraq, Singapore is enjoying a surprisingly vibrant media debate ahead of the city-state's general election on Friday - aided by the growing reach of social media.

cnn.com Singapore heads to the polls on Friday, and although the incumbent People's Action Party (PAP) is widely expected to retain its more than 50-year grip on power, it's the most competitive election in the city-state's history.



afp The Philippines has suspended macaque exports after an Ebola virus strain that is non-fatal to humans struck 20 monkeys, killing 11, officials said. Nine others are under treatment, they said.



tuoitrenews.com.vn Tourism officials from Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar discussed solutions for luring tourists to their region and integrate their tourist industry as they met in Ho Chi Minh City. The five countries are member of a political, economic, and cultural bloc known as ACMECS and have agreed to turn the region into an attractive destination for global vacationers under a campaign called ''Five Countries, One Destination.''



prnewswire.com Amway today announced the opening of its new $25 million USD manufacturing plant in Binh Duong, Vietnam. The 55,000-square-meter facility will house select manufacturing operations for the world's No. 1 selling vitamins and dietary supplements brand offered exclusively from Amway Business Owners.