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 An arrest warrant has been issued for a 12th suspect in connection with the August 17 bombing at a Bangkok landmark that killed 20 people. A spokesman said the charge against Abudusataer Abudureheman is illegal possession of military hardware.



nytimes.com Since reports first surfaced alleging that hundreds of millions of dollars had been transferred into the personal accounts of the Malaysian prime minister, investigations into the scandal have met stiff government resistance. Now they are on life support.

AFP Hooliganism, match-fixing and humiliation on the field - Malaysia has emerged as Asian football's problem child, with the country's most popular sport rapidly becoming a national embarrassment. Unruly fans piled on the disgrace on Tuesday, forcing the abandonment of a World Cup qualifying match with Saudi Arabia as smoke-spewing flares flew onto the pitch and around the stands.



videonews.us Vietnamese Montagnards seeking asylum in Cambodia must return to Vietnam within a three-month period or risk forcible deportation to the country where they say they are persecuted, it was reported. The Phnom Penh Post quoted General Khieu Sopheak, Interior Ministry spokesperson, as saying that the Montagnards who had entered Cambodia over the past few months were ''illegal immigrants'' and part of a wider human trafficking ring.



bbc.com Myanmar, the fourth fastest-growing economy in the world, according to the World Economic Forum, is rich in resources - from teak, rubies, jade and rubber to an estimated 10 trillion cubic feet of untapped oil and gas reserves. But Myanmar ranks last, 58 out of 58 resource-rich countries, in the Natural Resource Governance Index, a rating of national capacity to mitigate impacts from resource extraction and share benefits locally.



asiaone.com The reputation of sunny Singapore as a tourist destination is taking a beating with the gloom brought on by the haze. The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) level reached a new high this year of 211 - very unhealthy range - at midnight.



themalaysianinsider.com Malaysia is expected to sign a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indonesia soon to tackle the perennial transboundary smoke problem, said Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.



astroawani.com Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei are among the countries in the region affected by the haze due to forest fires raging in neighboring Indonesia. As at 4pm, Brunei-Muara recorded a PSI reading of 46, Belait (45), Temburong (35) and Tutong (40).



christianpost.com Philippine officials confirmed that 11 captive Philippine macaques died from the bat-borne Ebola Reston virus. The remaining nine monkeys are still being treated, and authorities are now looking into the incident, according to an AFP report published by Yahoo! News.



truth-out.org Experts say an alarming increase in the cancer rate is partly due to rising life expectancy but believe the extensive use of pesticides in the countryside and growing sales of adulterated food are also to blame. Cancer experts estimate Vietnam has up to 150,000 new cancer cases a year and 70,000 deaths from the disease.



The Lao government's changes to regulations on domestic nonprofit associations will hinder the work of the groups and slow down development projects in the impoverished Southeast Asian nation, an NGO official said.