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.



channelnewsasia.com Police have arrested a 26-year-old Singaporean man and a 22-year-old Australian woman ''for posting remarks online that could promote ill-will and hostility among the different races in Singapore,'' the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said: ''The police take a stern view of acts that could threaten social harmony in Singapore.''

afp Four US warships designed to fight in coastal areas similar to Southeast Asian waters will be operating out of Singapore by 2018, up from one currently, a senior US Navy official said.



cnn.com There is the rapidly growing crackdown on dissent and free speech in Malaysia led by the top police officer - who patrols the Twittersphere like a shark in open water and tweets orders to the police to arrest lawyers, activists and politicians using the draconian Sedition Act. There is huge gap between Malaysia's international engagements as a so-called ''moderate'' Muslim-majority nation and its domestic repression of opponents.

freemalaysiatoday.com A student movement demanded that the government make it mandatory for top officials to publicly declare their assets in the wake of news about Malaysian public figures keeping millions of ringgit in offshore accounts.



channelnewsasia.com Cambodian officials said they had banned partygoers from holding a massive rave on a tropical island after deciding the festival would be ''indecent''. Thousands of predominantly Russian revellers were expected at the Kazantip festival in Koh Pos - also known as ''Snake Island'' - for 10 days of non-stop partying that was supposed to kick off on Wednesday.



abc.net.au The execution of Bali Nine pair Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran appears unlikely to occur this month as Indonesia's foreign minister defends the country's decision by saying it is ultimately a law enforcement issue.

smh.com.au Prime Minister Tony Abbott is urging Indonesia to remember the huge contribution Australia made in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami and repay that generosity.



hotelchatter.com Burma's Inle Lake is one of the biggest tourist attractions and because of that, it's also heaving with hotels - and now here's one more, the Sanctum Inle Resort, with a classic room from $484.



forces.tv Britain and Brunei have signed a defence agreement that will ensure British troops remain stationed in the Southeast Asian state for another five years. The UK has had a contingent of Gurkhas in Brunei since 1962.



stuff.co.nz Staff at New Zealand Post were told today of a proposal to outsource 24 financial support jobs to the Philippines. The proposal involves transferring financial services work - including payroll and accounts payable - to Converga, a NZ Post subsidiary based in Manila.



establishmentpost.com Vietnam has special relations with both the United States and China, but while this power transition is uncertain, definitively choosing sides is not wise.



crossmap.com Five Christians cleared of murder charges related to the death of a Christian convert from an unidentified long-term illness on June 21, 2014, have been found guilty of causing death by ''performance of the medical profession without a license'' after praying for her.