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.



AP Six gunmen abducted Italian pizza restaurant owner and former Roman Catholic missionary Rolando del Torchio in the southern Philippines, just a few weeks after the kidnapping of three foreigners and a Filipino woman by suspected Muslim militants in the restive region, police said.



channelnewsasia.com Thailand has seen its fair share of bad weather conditions this year, with drought, floods, and now the choking haze that has spread across parts of Southeast Asia from forest fires in Indonesia. Haze particles rose above minimum safety levels across southern Thailand earlier in the week, including tourist destinations such as Phuket and Surat Thani.



bloomberg As Singapore and Malaysia wheeze from cloying smoke generated by forest fires in Indonesia, the costs to tourism and health and productivity in the two countries could be outweighed by the impact on Indonesia itself - and the country's regional reputation.



bbc.com Singapore is putting pressure on major retailers in Singapore to not use or sell materials produced by firms linked to fires in Indonesia. Seven firms, including major supermarkets such as NTUC FairPrice and IKEA, have been asked declare they are not doing so within a week.



thestar.com.my The people of Songkhla who were affected by the choking haze caused by forest fires in Indonesia has sent a letter of complaint to Indonesia. Over 20 people representing private development body on the name of 'Hatyai-Songkhla Residents Affected by Haze from Indonesia' handed over the letter to Wanney Fabiomata, the Community and Culture Division Consul at the Indonesian Consulate.



thanhniennews.com Vietnamese chicken farmers plan to file a rare anti-dumping lawsuit accusing US producers of selling poultry below cost, highlighting the challenges facing the Communist nation as the historic Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal is set to opens its markets. The first-of-its-kind complaint, to be filed next month with the Vietnam Competition Authority, will seek tariffs against imported dark-meat chicken that American consumers typically avoid.



business-standard.com Ahead of the general election in Myanmar, the US has asked its citizens to ''maintain a high level of security awareness'' during their stay in the country.



cambodiadaily.com With less than three months left before the end of a campaign to boost adult literacy in Cambodia, enrollment in classes run jointly by the government and Unesco has dropped below 75 percent of the year-end goal, officials said.



Authorities in Laos are continuing their investigations into illicit smuggling after dried cannabis weighing some 15 kg bound for Europe via parcel mail was identified by Lao Customs officials at Wattay International Airport in capital Vientiane, local media reported.