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.



AP Cambodian authorities arrested an opposition senator, two days after Prime Minister Hun Sen accused him of treason for comments posted on Facebook. Armed police handcuffed Hong Sok Hour, who was the subject of a two-day manhunt as a result of the comments that criticized a 36-year-old border agreement with Vietnam.



straitstimes.com Myanmar President Thein Sein sacked Thura Shwe Mann as ruling party chairman last week because he supported controversial Bills in Parliament and had ties to rival party leaders, the information minister told Reuters. The comments by Mr Ye Htut, who is also Mr Thein Sein's spokesman, are the most detailed yet by the government on why Mr Shwe Mann was ousted just three months before a general election.



skynews.com.au Vietnamese authorities have sentenced an Australian man to 20 years jail for attempting to send drug precursor chemicals through the post. Nguyen Ly Toan, 39, was arrested in July 2013 after Vietnamese customs agents discovered the precursor chemicals in a package bound for Australia.



thejakartapost.com Indonesians nowadays can expect to live for 71 years on average, up from only 45 years in 1945 when we declared our independence. It is of course an important achievement but we also should foresee the consequences of an aging population in our country.



channelnewsasia.com The United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia has been urged to stop issuing refugee cards without the consent of the Malaysian government. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim said the UNHCR should consult the Home Ministry and the Immigration Department before issuing the cards.



AP A two-story ferry with 544 passengers caught fire after docking in the central Philippines and people jumped into the sea and clambered down the roof deck to escape black smoke. All passengers were safe and only two crew suffered bruises and cuts, officials said.



philstar.com Liberal Party (LP) presidential bet and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II visited Brunei Darussalam's head of state Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Upon the personal invitation of the Sultan, Roxas met with Bolkiah, who is reportedly worth more than $20 billion, during a dinner at the Istana Nurul Iman Palace, Bolkiah's official residence.