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.



theguardian.com The Philippines has signalled it is ready to take in thousands of migrants who are stranded on Asia's seas, the first country to offer shelter after its south-east Asian neighbors blocked them from entering.

cnn.com Bernard Kerblat, UNHCR representative to the Philippines, met with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to discuss how the Philippines can share best practices with other countries affected by the influx of refugees.



bbc.com The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has offered to help Malaysia handle a migrant crisis that has left thousands stranded at sea. It said it was ready to provide medical and other aid as well as processing help, after Malaysia blockaded its sea border to stop more migrants arriving.

malaysianinsider.com Malaysia will be no better than Myanmar if no action is taken against its fellow Asean member over its treatment of the Rohingyas, a Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmaker said, following reports that over 1000 starving migrants remained stranded at sea: ''If Myanmar doesn't want to resolve this issue, we have to expel Myanmar from Asean. Human lives are more important than Asean's economy.''

afp Malaysia's foreign minister was to host his Indonesian and Thai counterparts on Wednesday for urgent talks on South-east Asia's boatpeople crisis, with pressure mounting on them to help thousands of starving migrants. The three nations have sparked outrage by turning away vessels overloaded with migrants from Myanmar's ethnic Rohingya minority and with poor Bangladeshis.

channelnewsasia.com Bukit Malut water village is home to Langkawi's poor. Though some of them are undocumented migrants themselves, they do not want Rohingya or Bangladesh migrants here.



cbsnews.com/AP Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that at Wednesday's meeting with Malaysian and Thai officials, she will discuss how to solve the migrant problem with help from their countries of origin, the UN refugee agency and the International Office for Migration (IOM).



cbsnews.com/AP Myanmar's cooperation is seen as vital to solving the crisis, but its government has already cast doubt on whether it will attend a conference to be hosted by Thailand on May 29 that is to include 15 Asian nations affected by the emergency.

inquirer.net Rohingya have been fleeing persecution in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar for years, but that was not the central reason Mohammad Tayub ended up on the ship anchored off the coast of western Rakhine state two weeks ago. He said he was simply tricked by brokers, now capitalizing on poverty and a growing sense of desperation.

time.com Despite the wanton devastation, half-million homes flattened and at least 8500 lives lost, the recent twin quakes and numerous aftershocks in Nepal have not stopped one Rohingya, Hassan, from counting his blessings. ''I am lucky. If I had gone to Thailand, maybe I also would've died.''



AP At least 18 garment workers were killed and nearly two dozen injured in eastern Cambodia when their van was hit by a speeding bus, prompting a plea from Prime Minister Hun Sen for drivers to slow down to make the country's roads safer.



abc.net.au Australia's live export trade is caught in a fresh controversy, with Animals Australia saying it has ''shocking and distressing'' footage showing animals having their skulls repeatedly smashed at an abattoir in Vietnam's north.



news.asiaone.com If Obama fails to get trade promotion authority from Congress, the proposed US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim countries, which is now in the final stage of negotiations, may fall through.



xinhua Authorities in the Laos have destroyed some 458 kg of imported squid contaminated with Formalin, local media reported. Located at a market on the outskirts of the capital, the squid had reportedly been treated with the preservative to extend shelf life prior to import from Vietnam, Lao News Agency KPL reported.