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 At least 12 Malaysian police officers have been arrested in connection with mass graves that officials said were likely used for human-trafficking victims near the Malaysia-Thailand border. Joel Millman, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), told a news briefing in Geneva that a representative in the region ''predicts hundreds more (bodies) will be found in the days to come.''

crikey.com.au In his first official interview Christoph Mueller, the highly credentialed airline professional chosen to rebuild Malaysia Airline, has confirmed every depressing rumor about the disposal of much of its fleet, and sacking of many of its people, and the large scale planned demolition of much of its once significant global reach.



AP Several hundred protesters in Burma's main city of Yangon are denying that boat people arriving on Southeast Asian shores are Rohingya Muslims, a religious minority the government and many others in the predominantly Buddhist nation say does not exist.

independent.co.uk Here was the chauvinistic face of Burmese Buddhism - the protest was organised by a new monastic set-up called the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, known as Ma Ba Tha - but amply supported by ordinary citizens.



theguardian.com An Indonesian court said it would hear a last-ditch appeal by a French man on death row on June 3, after a verdict expected this week was delayed by the absence of the presiding judge. Serge Atlaoui had been due to face the firing squad with other prisoners in April but won a last-minute reprieve for the completion of his legal appeals.



straitstimes.com Two Singaporean youths have been arrested under the Internal Security Act for terrorism-related activities, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement. Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim said the arrests serve as a reminder for ''parents, religious teachers, friends and community at large'' to remain vigilant.



newseveryday.com Soldiers from the Philippines and Vietnam sent a warning to China about its aggression in the South China Sea in an unusual manner, a game of football. Reuters reports the friendly match took place on Northeast Cay in the Spratly Island formation, which is being contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Brunei.



cambodiadaily.com Australia revealed that it will be spending AU$15 million on resettling refugees in Cambodia under a controversial deal the two countries signed last year, on top of the AU$40 million in additional aid Cambodia will receive for agreeing to the scheme.

bbc.com The plan has been ridiculed for providing a standard of living to refugees - initially at least - that many Cambodians could only dream of. Around 18 percent of Cambodia's 15 million people survive on less than $0.93 a day.

bangkokpost.com Cambodia's Heineken lovers are feeling a bit parched as a months-long dispute between the Dutch beer's distributors dries up supply of the amber lager.



thefiscaltimes.com As tensions in the region continue to build, an editorial in a state-run Chinese newspaper warned that unless the United States changes it position, conflict between the two countries could be inevitable.



cihan.com.tr Police are continuing the search for the bodies of ten missing school children feared drowned after a cross-river ferry capsized on the outskirts of Laos' capital Vientiane.



dw.de Vietnam was facing an acute famine some years ago. But within 25 years the Southeast Asian country managed to eradicate hunger and poverty - a UN Millennium Development Goal. It is no small achievement for the country.