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.



abc.net.au The DNA of two Myanmar men accused of killing a pair of British tourists on a Thai island does not match that found on the suspected murder weapon, a forensics expert witness says. The testimony cast fresh doubt on the controversial trial of migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun.



rfa.org Cambodian officials vowed to prevent neighbor Laos from going ahead with construction of the controversial Don Sahong dam without approval from fellow Mekong River basin countries that would be affected by the project.



time.com Police in Hong Kong have commenced an investigation into local bank accounts holding more than $250 million allegedly tied to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.



thestar.com.my Cambodia and Vietnam have expressed interest in joining the International Tripartite Rubber Council (ITRC), said Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry. The ITRC, which consists of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, was established in December 2001 to promote cooperation among the major NR producing countries to ensure stable prices.



smh.com.au Indonesia said it will send more than 10,000 troops to fight fires in southern Sumatra, as smoke makes thousands sick, delays flights and pushes air quality to unhealthy levels in neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.



asiancorrespondent.com Burma's Muslim minority, the Rohingya, have long been victims of systematic persecution by the military government. Their plight has become increasingly desperate over the past year as government policies, human traffickers and natural disasters have exacerbated their vulnerability. National elections are scheduled for early November, but without a voice at this important juncture, there are fears that conditions for the most persecuted refugees on Earth will begin rapidly deteriorating.



america.aljazeera.com As expected, the party that has ruled Singapore since it became an independent nation a half-century ago returned to power for five more years following a massive victory in a general election. The People's Action Party swept 83 of the 89 seats in Parliament while the opposition Workers' Party got six seats. In an indication that the PAP has regained some of its lost popularity, it won 69.86 percent of the votes cast, according to the Elections Department, compared to 60 percent votes in the 2011 elections.



travelpulse.com A Philippine Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Davao City due to a mechanical issue. In a report from Editha Caduaya of Rappler.com, Philippine Airlines Flight PR-1814 was carrying 131 passengers and six crew members, including Vice President Jejomar Binay's wife Dr Elenita Binay.



tuoitrenews.com.vn Ho Chi Minh City officials took their Cambodian and Laotian counterparts on a river tour in a bid to impress them with their new travel product, and to discuss the possibility of launching a transnational tour along the Mekong River.



dailytelegraph.com.au I'm standing in Bill Clinton's bathroom. No, this isn't a stalker moment that will land my name on a Secret Service watch list; I'm loitering beside the marble bath in the string of rooms the former US president occupied at the palatial Empire Hotel & Country Club in Brunei more than a decade ago.