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 The son of ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra has handed police a reward of nearly US$200,000 for their investigation into the deadly Bangkok blast, after authorities declared the first suspect arrested was the bomber.



khmertimeskh.com A senior investigator at rights group Adhoc has warned that regional economic integration will lead to a flood of Cambodians migrating elsewhere in search of jobs that pay better than those at home. Lim Mony made the comment during a radio interview with VOA. She told the broadcaster that Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries need to do more to curb human trafficking.



reuters Thousands of Myanmar's nationalist monks and their supporters prayed, clapped and held speeches at a large rally in the country's biggest city on Sunday, in a show of growing clout of radical Buddhists ahead of a November 8 election. Religious tensions are running high, largely stoked by the Ma Ba Tha, an organisation led by the hardline monks who called the rally.



bbc.com Malaysia has ordered the closure of most of the country's schools for two days over health concerns posed by the thick haze shrouding south-east Asia. All schools, apart from some in outlying areas, must be shut on Monday and Tuesday, the authorities said.



swimmingworldmagaizne.com After poor air quality due to a haze generated from massive forest fires in Indonesia forced the cancellation of the first night of action at the 2015 FINA World Cup Singapore, the Singapore Swimming Association has announced that it intends on pursuing legal action against any local company linked to the burns.



thestar.com.my The Indonesian government needs to take action against parties causing the haze problem which has not only affected the air quality of Malaysia, but its economy as well, says Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak



newsweek.com The largest number of resettled refugees from the past century - UNHCR began keeping data in 1959 - have escaped conflicts and violence in Vietnam, Russia and former Soviet states, Iraq, Bosnia, Myanmar and Laos. A total of 1.8 million people from those countries were resettled in the five leading resettlement countries - the US, Canada, Australia, Sweden and Denmark - slightly less than the 1.9 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey today.



philstar.com Losing more than P300 billion from natural disasters and calamities every year, the Philippines is at the forefront of a new global cooperation seeking to reduce financial vulnerabilities to natural catastrophes. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima leads 19 other nations in Lima, Peru this week in the establishment and inaugural meeting of the ''Vulnerable 20'' (V20) finance ministers group.



ft.com Japan's ANA Holdings is looking to spur consolidation in Asia's rapidly growing aviation market as it discusses the possibility of taking a strategic stake in Vietnam Airlines, which was partially privatised last year.