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.



inquirer.net A Singapore government hospital sacked a Filipino nurse Friday for ''offensive'' remarks on social media, the latest in a string of foreigners dismissed from their jobs in the city-state for sparking controversy online.

channelnewsasia.com The Republic welcomed its first cat museum with the opening of Lion City Kitty at Purvis Street. The museum is collaborating with the Cat Welfare Society, and it has a space dedicated to rescued or abandoned cats which can be adopted by the public.



A fishing boat carrying a Malaysian flag has been exploded by the Indonesian authorities after it was caught fishing illegally off the coast of North Sumatra, Jakarta Post reported. Crew have been handed over to the local immigration office for deportation.



channelnewsasia.com Indonesia's transport ministry said it had suspended 61 domestic flight routes operated by national flag carrier Garuda and a group of budget airlines because they did not have permits.

cnbc.com Indonesia's decision to raise domestic airfares in a bid to improve safety records is senseless and endangers the country's aviation market, experts told CNBC.

bernama Bali is safe despite the Australian government's recent policy of issuing a travel advisory to its citizens intending to visit Bali, according to the Bali provincial police.

smh.com.au Letter: Earlier this year we were approached shortly after landing, by a uniformed airport official who asked us if we would like to be ''fast-tracked'' through immigration. We had a look at the queue to get through immigration and decided to accept his offer. He took us to a nearby desk, where we paid our normal visa fee plus $25 per passport (there were four of us) and then we were escorted through to the other side to wait. We waited around 10 minutes for our passports to be returned via another person with the required stamps. The original contact put the cash straight into his pocket. These people are obviously sharing the proceeds of this system between themselves. They are in full view of the airport authorities. How is this allowed to happen?



freebeacon.com Christians in the communist state of Laos were arrested, tortured, and killed over the Christmas holiday in the latest sign of more repressive conditions for Christians worldwide.



forbes.com Myanmar's economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and one of the future powerful emerging economies in Southeast Asia.

dvb.no Some three million tourists to Burma in 2014 brought a record US$1.135 billion to the country, according to official figures from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.



stuff.co.nz The driving was chaotic and every third vehicle seemed to be a bus or a truck. It was better to gaze out the back window than look forward at the oncoming traffic.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/asia/64796135/holiday-horrors-wham-bam-vietnam



thedailybeast.com In his 30 years at the country's helm, Prime Minister Hun Sen has perfected the art of disguising his ruthless regime in the trappings of a free and open society.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/10/cambodia-s-smoke-and-mirrors-democracy.html



foxnews.com Manila Vice Mayor Francisco Moreno said one volunteer accompanying the statue of the Black Nazarene being paraded in Manila died of a heart attack early Friday. The major religious festival in the Philippines is also a prelude to a much larger turnout expected during next week's visit by Pope Francis.