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.



jpost.com The decision by Indonesian authorities to refuse a visa request to an Israeli badminton player competing in the World Championships there has sparked outrage among Jewish organisations. In a statement released by the Geneva-based World Jewish Congress, the Indonesian government is accused of ''unfairly mixing politics and sports'' by denying a visa to Misha Zilberman, who hopes to compete in the World Badminton Championships in Jakarta next week.

dw.com Indonesia's government is seeking to make insulting the nation's president illegal. While proponents say such a law is required to protect the presidency from slander, opponents fear it could be used to silence critics.



ft.com Singaporean blogger Amos Yee, 16, recently jailed after publishing an online video that criticised the late Lee Kuan Yew and was deemed to have been obscene and insulting to religious feelings, has launched another tirade, condemning the lack of freedom of speech in the city-state.

straitstimes.com Singapore's Golden Jubilee is more than a series of celebratory activities and feel-good experiences culminating in National Day. For many Singaporeans, it is also a reminder of one's commitment to Singapore - a decision and dedication to serve and contribute to the country.

dw.com Although in a more moderate form, Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian governing style still prevails in the city-state. However: ''The people want more political freedom.''



AP US Secretary of State John Kerry celebrated the 20th anniversary of normalised relations between the United States and Vietnam but said ties would not reach their full potential without improvements in the communist nation's human rights record.



bloomberg Malaysia's foreign-exchange reserves dropped below $100 billion for the first time since 2010 after the ringgit slid 18 percent in the past 12 months.



abc.net.au A Sydney grandmother says she agreed to smuggle pellets of heroin into Australia from Cambodia because she owed $10,000 in gambling debts. Lorn Cheng pleaded guilty to swallowing and smuggling 252 pellets of heroin, with a total weight of 643.6 grams, and was sentenced to eight years jail.



reuters Japan and the Philippines teamed up at a regional security forum this week to attack China over the disputed South China Sea, China's Foreign Ministry said, as details emerged of sometimes testy exchanges during the talks in Malaysia.



irishtimes.com The foreign minister for the Thai junta, Gen Tanasak Patimapragorn, professed to having a crush on his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi while sharing a podium at a meeting of Asian leaders in Kuala Lumpur: ''If I were a woman I will fall in love with his excellency.''



mizzima The death toll from flooding across the country has reached at least 69, with nearly 270,000 people affected, the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement said. Rakhine State, one of four declared disaster zones, was worst hit, recording 41 deaths.



nnt Thailand and Laos signed an agreement on the joint crackdown of transnational drug-trafficking, during a bilateral meeting.