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.



cnn.com A boat carrying 189 people has capsized in the central Philippines, minutes after leaving port, the Philippine Red Cross said. There were 173 passengers and 16 crew members on board, according to Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon, who spoke to CNN from Manila.



firstpost.com The Indonesian military plane that crashed into a residential neighborhood and killed 142 people likely suffered an engine failure, the air force said, but denied the aircraft was overloaded after claims civilians had paid to get on board.



reuters Malaysia told the United Nations Security Council it plans to push for a UN-backed tribunal to prosecute those suspected of downing a passenger airliner last year in eastern Ukraine, though Russia described the move as premature, diplomats said.

therakyatpost.com Online jobsite Monster has confirmed what many Malaysians fear is already taking place within the country - job offers are down sharply amid the global economic turmoil. According Monster Employment Index Malaysia, the online hiring activity in Malaysia has stagnated with a 23 percent decrease year-on-year for May 2015 - a trend that was seen a month earlier, in April - indicating an inactive local job market.



AP In 1993, the 18-year-old, desperate for money, left his home country of Burma (also known as Myanmar) on the promise of work in Thailand Now, at age 40 and after 22 long years, he has been reunited with his family, according to the Associated Press. The AP reports that Myint Naing is one of more than 800 current and former slaves rescued or repatriated after the AP's year-long investigation into labor abuses in Southeast Asia's fishing industry.



news.asiaone.com A Chinese man driving a car was allegedly beaten up last Sunday for overtaking a convoy of bikers. According to Brunei police, the complainant said that he first overtook a group of bikers, before a car overtook him and the driver of the vehicle told him to get out of his vehicle. The 30-year-old was then punched, with the other bikers also joining in the assault.



voanews.com Cambodia and Vietnam say they will hold border talks next week, following clashes between Cambodian activists and Vietnamese border security forces.



AP For Bill Clinton, President Obama's announcement this week of plans to resume diplomatic relations with Cuba must have stirred memories. It was 20 years ago this month that Clinton pulled off a similar diplomatic and political success, normalising relations with Vietnam.



ecns.cn China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng pledged on Wednesday to enhance strategic cooperation with Laos. Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks while meeting with Vice President Tong Yeu Tho of the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) in Beijing.