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 The Transport Co Ltd, the state-owned passenger bus company, will upgrade its repair and maintenance centre to serve as an Asean service hub.



bristolpost.co.uk British weapons collector John Liddiatt, 40, who tried to import a stun gun disguised as an iPhone by mail from Singapore has walked free from court. The black phone, which is placed in a cover, comes with a charger and has two prongs in the bottom which act as pins for the stun gun.



business-standard.com Malaysia said the Islamist militant involved in the fatal hostage crisis in Paris and his partner ''never entered'' the country, amid assertions that they once visited the Muslim-majority nation for a holiday.



thejakartaglobe.com The Tourism Ministry is targeting a 13 percent increase in revenue from foreign tourists this year to $12.05 billion as Indonesia boosts facilities to accommodate and attract more travelers to the country. Its current account, the broadest measure of trade, has been in deficit for the past 12 consecutive quarters.



tuoitrenews.vn Thirty-one-year-old Vladimir Shperling, of Russian nationality, was caught hiding 2.3kg of marijuana in his luggage when he was carrying out procedures to enter Vietnam from Laos at the province's Lao Bao International Border Gate.



dpa Myanmar will open its first-ever stock market later this year, the deputy finance minister said. ''We are ready to start it on October,'' Maung Maung Thein said.

AP ''Until the US government stops wagging their finger at the Burmese government's human rights record with one hand while using the other hand to give them economic handouts, the Burmese government can and will continue to ignore complaints about their human rights record,'' said Jennifer Quigley, president of the US Campaign for Burma, a Washington-based advocacy group.



tuoitrenews.vn Vietnam will be a responsible, active, and proactive member of the Asean family that strives to strengthen the regional integration of the bloc and accelerate the building of the Asean Community, according to Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.



time.com An unlicensed medic is being charged with murder after Cambodian medical authorities found 212 cases of HIV in the district where he had been treating patients, allegedly with contaminated equipment. Yem Chrin treated poor patients and was believe to have healing powers, Reuters reports.



rappler.com For 2015 I want you all to pack your bags and book a flight! Even the Pope is going to visit the Philippines, so what are you waiting for? Whenever I meet travelers, I encourage them to go to Philippines, because for some reasons, people are still hesitant and stick to the ordinary ''Thailand-Laos-Cambodia-Vietnam Route.''