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.



reuters Founders of Asia's No.1 budget carrier AirAsia Bhd are sounding out investors to take the company private in a management-led buyout, after its shares took a beating this year following a critical research report, people familiar with the matter said.



bangkokpost.com More than 200 fishing trawlers from Trat province are now docking and unloading their catches in Cambodia's adjoining Koh Kong province to evade the strict regulations being enforced against unregistered vessels and fishing equipment in Thailand.

broadly.vice.com Inside her house, the dealer withdrew a couple of dildos and looked down each shaft as if checking a pool cue, then he cocked a couple of vibrators and laid them out on the table next to the strap-ons. In Cambodia, selling sex toys is punishable with a fine or jail time.



narinjara.com Bangladesh Police have arrested a most wanted criminal involved with trafficking from a Burma (Myanmar) bordering town. Mohammad Hashem, 46, is suspected to be involved in nearly 20 human trafficking cases at Teknaf of Cox's Bazar in south Bangladesh.



foxnews.com Like neighbors who must tolerate the bad habits of the family next door, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have endured the annual problem of smoke that stings the eyes, irritates the throats and shuts down schools and airports. Now their patience is wearing thin, and harsh words are flying across the borders in a departure from the region's nonconfrontational etiquette.



straitstimes.com Malaysia's Langkawi island bore the brunt of the haze blanketing many parts of the country on Tuesday, as most schools in peninsular Malaysia remained closed for a second day. With a reading of 162, indicating air quality in the unhealthy range, Langkawi recorded the highest Air Pollutant Index (API) in the country as at 3pm on Tuesday.

themalaymailonline.com Universiti Malaya (UM) law lecturer Dr Azmi Sharom said Malaysians should not be afraid of expressing their opinions simply because of the existence of what he described as ''bad laws.'' Azmi, an associate professor in UM's law faculty, said he hopes the Federal Court's decision in upholding the Sedition Act 1948's constitutionality and validity will not affect commentary in this country.



channelnewsasia.com The quality of palliative care in Singapore has improved, with the Republic now ranking 12th among 80 countries in the 2015 Quality of Death (QOD) index, ahead of countries like Norway, Japan and Switzerland. Five years ago in the first edition of the index, Singapore was placed 16th.

straitstimes.com Singapore has retained its ranking among countries with the highest net financial assets per capita in the world, a study has found. The sixth Allianz Global Wealth Report showed Singapore's net financial assets per capita ranked ninth at 73,330 euros. The only Asian country above Singapore was Japan, ranked eighth.



bloomberg The Trans-Pacific Partnership is the biggest trade agreement in history, reducing tariffs and other forms of protectionism in a dozen countries making up about 40 percent of the global economy with economic output of almost $30 billion. Vietnam to be among the biggest winners, according to the Eurasia Group, with the agreement potentially boosting GDP by 11 percent by 2025, with exports growing 28 percent in the period as companies move factories to the low-wage country, the report said.



washingtonpost.com The US has negotiated separate deals with Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei spelling out additional legal changes necessary to support the freedom of association and the eradication of human trafficking. Vietnam will have five years to come into full compliance with a new law allowing for the formation of union federations.



wsj.com Two of the Philippines' most famous names entered the country's 2016 electoral race, with champion boxer Manny Pacquiao declaring himself a candidate for senator, and the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos's son announcing a vice-presidential run.



inquirer.net Laos will need to build four new international airports as the existing four at Wattay, Luang Prabang, Savan and Pakse will be unable to accommodate growing air transport in the coming decades, a minister told the Cabinet.