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.



usatoday.com Bombings in Bangkok threaten Thailand's tourism, which has nearly doubled in recent years, as other countries warn against traveling there in the near future. The US Embassy in Bangkok urged travelers to maintain a high level of vigilance and monitor news for updates.



AP Neoh Ee Ling, 33, who is five months pregnant, was not injured in the bombing, and her father, Neoh Hock Guan, 53, reportedly suffered minor injuries. But four other family members, including Ee Ling's four-year-old daughter, are confirmed dead, and a fifth is presumed to have died.

ft.com Whether you believe the bad version of the story (donation) or the very bad version (slush fund) comes as small consolation to Malaysia. Once considered a model of development, Malaysia's reputation is sinking fast. So is that of Mr Najib.



straitstimes.com Singapore is investing heavily in air traffic research to beef up its ability to handle a projected increase in flights in the region. Making the point at an industry gathering, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said that ''managing increasingly crowded skies'' is a key challenge in the Asia-Pacific.



smh.com.au Australia's relationship with Indonesia is like that of two porcupines in the middle of a cold night, according to a senior adviser to the government of Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Hasjim Djalal, a senior adviser to the Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said the two countries hug when the night is cold, move away when they hurt each other and then try to get close again.



cambodiadaily.com The Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap province is the world's undisputed top tourist destination, according to Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist 2015, an exhaustive list ranking sights and travel hotspots.



bnionline.net Floods have receded in many disaster-hit parts of Myanmar in the past week, while large areas remain inundated. But officials and aid workers warn that hundreds of communities in both areas face an acute shortage of clean water after floods contaminated ponds and wells.



bloomberg Vietnam devalued the dong for the third time this year and widened the currency's trading band, the latest sign of stress in Asian exchange rates after China depreciated the yuan last week.

vietnamnews.vn Vietnamese weightlifters are readying for the 2015 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Phuket, Thailand, from September 3-12.



cbsnews.com A rare Philippine Eagle released to the wild two months ago has been found killed in a southern Philippine forest, conservationists said, in a tragic ending after she was nursed back to health from gunshot wounds three years ago.



newstalk.com "All these [football playing] boys went over to Laos - Liberian boys - and they were subjected to fairly harsh conditions. They were duped into believing that they were going to be forming part of this great new academy in this club in southern Laos and instead they got forced into signing contracts to ensure that they could play.''



brunei times Flag carrier Royal Brunei (RB) airlines will waive re-issuance fees for passengers who wish to defer their flights to Bangkok following the deadly blast that rocked the capital city on Monday night.