PHUKETWAN recognises the importance of Asean with the Economic Community approaching and marks what's happening around the region with a column, Asean Today, that will cease when Phuketwan closes on December 31.



afp The United Nations slammed Thailand's deportation of two Chinese refugees, and Vietnam's reported transfer of nine North Korean nationals to China, warning they were at risk of ''grave human rights violations''. Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN human rights agency, told reporters that Thai authorities had, for unknown reasons, deported two recognised Chinese refugees who had been due for resettlement in a third country.

cnbc.com Things are turning around in the Land of Smiles with promising signs pointing to an economic recovery, according to a senior executive at Thailand's stock exchange. Thailand's gross domestic product climbed 2.9 percent from a year ago in the thirds quarter, on the back of domestic spending and exports.

truth-out.org Ironically, Myanmar's much-vaunted democratic transition may serve as an appealing model for Prayuth and his fellow generals. Unfortunately, Thailand's ruling generals are unlikely to face any serious pressure from the United States over their dawdling in the near future.



hrw.org Vietnam is using vague national security laws to stifle dissent and arrest critics, Human Rights Watch said. The United States and other signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) should press Vietnam to drop proposed legislation that would add even more rights-abusing penalties to its already draconian criminal code.

aap Australians are the top spenders in Vietnam's growing tourism market, each outlaying more than $2200 a trip, according to an official report. In its first annual assessment of its $US15 billion tourism industry, Vietnam's National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) reported 7.9 million international tourist arrivals in 2014.



nytimes.com Myanmar's election commission announced the final tally of the country's November 8 landmark election, a rout by the opposition led by the Nobel peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

elevenmyanmar.com Aung San Suu Kyi, in her role as chairperson of the Lower House Rule of Law, Peace and Stability Committee, met diplomats from 41 embassies and international organisations in Nay Pyi Taw. Diplomats from Japan, India, France, Austria, Demark, Canada, Israel, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, Italy, Serbia, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil, Brunei, Thailand, Australia, Switzerland, Poland, New Zealand, the Netherland, Egypt, Germany and the United States attended the gathering, as well as UN and EU representatives.



theguardian.com A leaked Malaysian police report warns there are 10 suicide bombers in Kuala Lumpur, where the country will host the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) summit this weekend. Malaysia's police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the memo was authentic but warned the intelligence was not verified.



abs-cbnnews.com The recently concluded Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting became one of the hottest topics in social media, mainly because of Filipino netizens. In an article published in Quartz, Josh Horwitz noted how this year's Apec summit is different from those of previous years, mostly because of the attention it got on social media.



channelnewsasia.com Indonesia has offered Australia an island as a temporary camp to shelter refugees and asylum seekers en route to Australia. Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan told the Jakarta Post that Indonesia's offer would come with strict requirements, which includes financing to limit the period of use of the island.

smh.com.au One of Indonesia's most senior cabinet ministers has denied offering Australia an island to temporarily house refugees and asylum seekers. The Jakarta Post on Friday reported on its front page that Coordinating Minister for political, legal and security affairs, Luhut Panjaitan, had suggested offering an island as a temporary refugee camp.



AP About 370 workers fainted at Cambodian factories in the past two days, possibly because of pesticide spraying on nearby rice fields, officials said. The workers were employed at seven different factories inside the 7NG Special Economic Zone, 25 kilometres north of Phnom Penh.



abcnews.go.com A Singapore court sentenced the founder of a popular church to eight years in jail for misappropriating more than $35 million in donations to support his wife's singing career. Kong Hee, the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church, was found guilty last month on three counts of criminal breach of trust.

cnbc.com Singapore gets rave reviews as an expat destination but there's one big downside: School fees. And they're just going to get bigger.



asia.nikkei.com Chinese companies are building no fewer than 30 hydroelectric dams in northern Laos, including seven on the Nam Ou river, a tributary of the Mekong. Just outside the old city of Luang Prabang, listed as a World Heritage site by the United Nations, the Yunnan Luang Prabang company is building a five-star resort that will be the largest hotel complex near the former royal capital.