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.



bangkokpost.com International human rights agencies have urged member countries of the United Nations to pressure military-ruled Thailand to end repression of human rights and restore democratic civilian rule. The calls came as Prime Minister and junta chief Prayuth Chan-o-cha is due to speak at the UN General Assembly in New York next week.



todayonline.com Malaysia has arrested six people suspected of being part of a human trafficking network and who may have helped a bomber who killed 20 people at a Bangkok shrine last month escape from Thailand, police said. The suspects joined two people already in Malaysian detention who may have helped the bomber flee.



channelnewsasia.com Expats ranked Singapore the top destination in the world ahead of New Zealand, Sweden, Germany and Australia as it provides the right balance of career opportunities, lifestyle, and a stable economy, according to an HSBC survey.

smh.com.au Singapore and Malaysia should share responsibility for the annual forest fires that have cloaked the region in deadly haze by buying carbon credits from Indonesia, according to the Indonesia-based Centre for International Forestry Research. Singapore and Malaysia have complained bitterly over what the Straits Times dubbed the ''enveloping menace''.



nst.com.my The haze has become a national threat on an annual basis. It is evident that Indonesia is the source of this manmade catastrophe, but the Indonesian government has failed to control the massive open burning and land clearing in its territory. How much long must we be patient and put up with this hazardous condition?



Cambodia-America Alliance Prime Minister Hun Sen will make an official visit to the United Nations in attendance of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly. During his 35 years in power, Prime Minister Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia with an iron fist and committed numerous human rights violations comparable to Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gadaffi and Slobodan Milosevic. Under his authoritarian rule, widespread corruption has led to a failed judicial system, rigged elections, and large-scale illegal deforestation and mineral expropriation.



irrawaddy.org The Mandalay Division government has agreed to a request by Buddhist nationalists to prevent ritual cattle slaughter for Friday's Eid-al-Adha celebrations, and will ask Muslims to instead sacrifice goats to mark the religious event, according to a government official.



dpa Vietnam's cultural authorities are considering new rules that would allow no more than three five-second scenes of sexual passion per film. The proposal has dismayed filmmakers and inspired moviegoers to vent on social media.



theglobeandmail.com Authorities in the Philippines have dispatched helicopters, boats and airplanes to search for four people abducted by gunmen from a marina deep in the country's south. Three of those abducted are foreign travellers - two of them Canadian.



rbth.com Russia is looking for an ''incremental trade turn'' in the near future with Brunei, Viktor Tarusin, Russia-Asean Business Council Executive Director, told the Brunei Times. ''We just need respective positive actions from our prospective partners such as Brunei Petroleum,'' Tarusin told the paper. ''Our investors are waiting for the green light to move in.''



bangkokpost.com Ban Huak temporary border checkpoint in Phayao province's Phu Sang border district will be upgraded to permanent status next year to boost trade and investment with Khop district in Sayaboury province of Laos.