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 Bangkok is subsiding so quickly - faster than experts predicted - that the National Reform Council claims it could be necessary to flee and relocate.



AP Eruptions of ash at five volcanoes shrouded the skies over parts of the Indonesian archipelago, forcing three airports to close. Mount Raung on Java island blasted ash and debris up to 2000 meters into the air after rumbling for several weeks, government volcanologist Surono said.



voacambodia.com Cambodia will continue to seek to be a mediator in South China Sea disputes between China and Asean nations, Cambodian Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong said. Speaking to reporters after meeting with China's newly appointed ambassador to Asean, Xu Bu, Hor Namhong said Cambodia would like to maintain good relations between China and Asean, to sustain security in the region and bolster long-term economic growth.

xinhua Two Chinese shipping giants are likely to sign agreements with Cambodia's Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (SAP), paving the way for exporters to move cargo directly from Cambodia to China, a local newspaper reported, citing a senior port official.



abc.net.au American hip-hop star Chris Brown has been barred from leaving the Philippines after a prominent religious group alleged he reneged on an agreement to perform at a 2014 concert. The 25-year-old, Grammy-winning R&B artist, who performed in Manila on Tuesday, must satisfy the government that there is no basis to file swindling charges against him before he can depart, the immigration bureau said.

gmanetwork.com Philippine officials were able to rescue 12 Filipina victims of a human trafficking syndicate who brought them to Manado, Indonesia, en route to the Middle East, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.



wsj.com Singapore police said they have frozen two bank accounts as part of an investigation into 1Malaysia Development Bhd., the troubled state-investment fund with links to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

channelnewsasia.com Despite signs that global air travel prices will remain flat in 2016, Singapore has been identified as a ''global hot spot'' where increased business travel demand is driving up prices, said an industry report.



wsj.com For the West, the downing one year ago of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 underlined the brutality of Moscow's hybrid intervention in eastern Ukraine. In Russia, the downing is still living large on television screens, blamed squarely on the Ukrainians - with the possible connivance of Western secret services.



bbc.com The Liberian Football Association should have done more to prevent the trafficking of 23 youngsters to Laos, according to its president. A BBC investigation discovered that Laos side Champasak United imported 23 under-age players from West Africa to an unregistered football academy.



bangkokpost.com Thailand's cabinet has approved the signing of a new reciprocal agreement with Myanmar (Burma) to allow visa-free visits by citizens of both countries with ordinary passports for up to 14 days.

voanews.com A Myanmar court in the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina sentenced 153 Chinese nationals to life in prison for illegal logging in a case that has already strained relations with Beijing. Two other Chinese minors were given prison terms of 10 years each for the same offense, while a woman in the group received an additional 15 years on a drug charge.



bangkokpost.com Thailand and Vietnam have agreed in trade talks to aim for US$20 billion in two-way turnover by 2020, up from almost $11 billion last year, Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikalya said.

wearethemighty.com Over 20 years, more than 58,000 Americans were killed in Vietnam and more than 150,000 wounded, not to mention the emotional toll the war took on American culture. The war ended the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson and left a lasting impression on Richard Nixon???s. It was the backbone to the most tumultuous period in American history since before the Civil War one century prior.



ryot.org Japan has demanded that China halt construction of oil-and-gas exploration platforms in the East China Sea close to waters claimed by both nations, according to Reuters. The primary concern is that China may tap into natural resource reservoirs that belong to Japan.