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.



aljazeera.com Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit has uncovered what it says amounts to ''strong evidence'' of a genocide coordinated by the Myanmar government against the Rohingya people, according to an assessment by Yale University Law School. The Lowenstein Clinic at the law school spent eight months assessing evidence from Myanmar, including documents and testimony provided by Al Jazeera and the advocacy group Fortify Rights.



theguardian.com Raging forest fires across Indonesia are thought to be responsible for up to half a million cases of respiratory infections, with the resultant haze covering parts of Malaysia and Singapore now being described as a ''crime against humanity''.



afp International efforts to douse the blazes have done little to clear the air, and Filipino authorities warned ash levels were becoming increasingly dangerous in the southern islands.

gulfnews.com As the haze from Indonesia's forest fires continues to blanket part of the Philippines, the government on Monday advised Filipinos in affected areas to stay indoors and take necessary precautions.



splash247.com Rising LNG supply and demand within Asia has prompted plans to establish a domestic natural gas trading market in Singapore, reports say.



tuoitrenews.vn Cambodian flag carrier Angkor Air celebrated the inaugural flight of a new service that connects the capital cities of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. There will be one flight every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from Phnom Penh to Vientiane, then to Hanoi, on the Airbus A321, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.



americanthinker.com With the downturn of oil and other commodity prices, Malaysia will ace many challenges, and with radical Islam increasingly influential among its Muslim majority, there is a lot that could go wrong.



bangkokpost.com US authorities are in Thailand to inspect progress made in aviation safety standards after it told the country to address shortcomings or face a downgrade, the transport minister said.



fastcasual.com Wayback Burgers has signed a master franchise partnership with Brunei-based JonRidge(B) Sdn Bhd to bring the brand to Southeast Asia. As part of the partnership, JonRidge(B) Sdn Bhd will open a minimum of six Wayback Burgers restaurants in Brunei, with the potential for additional locations within the country and neighboring territories throughout Southeast Asia, according to a company press release.



rfa.org Vietnamese authorities postponed the execution of a man convicted of the rape and murder of a teenage girl, meanwhile beating and harassing relatives and supporters seeking confirmation and details of his reprieve, sources said. Le Van Manh, 32, had been scheduled to die on Monday, after years of appeals of his conviction, which was based on a confession he later said had been made under torture by police.



thediplomat.com The National Assembly of Laos recently approved the concession agreement for the 260-megawatt Don Sahong hydropower project, with construction expected to begin before the end of 2015. The controversial hydroelectric project is currently the focal point of discussion surrounding development of the Mekong River given the potential negative impacts of hydropower on other sectors of the water-food-energy-livelihoods nexus.