ASEAN News from ASEAN Affairs the Number 1 source of ASEAN News www.aseanaffairs.com

• Thais see social development as key
The Thai government wants to promote social enterprises as a key tool to narrow income gaps and tackle social disparity and poverty as part of its ambitious programme for national reconciliation.

• Plan to buy Thai satellite
The Thai government is proposing to buy Thaicom Plc. from Singapore-based Temasek Holdings to avoid future conflicts stemming from the use of the company’s satellites to air anti-government broadcasts, according to an industry source, as reported by the Bangkok Post.

• Singapore tabs Islamic finance
Islamic finance is set to play a bigger and more central role in global finance. This is because of greater awareness and adoption in more financial centres.

• Indonesia examines tourism
Indonesia’s tourism is fraught with destructive myopia. For one, there is a burning obsession from all parties concerned to bring in as many tourists as possible without considering quality, opines Anak Agung Gde Agung, writing in the Jakarta Post.

• Malaysia may teach Tamil, Mandarin
The Maylasian government will consider a proposal to make the teaching of Tamil and Mandarin compulsory in all schools, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Sunday, Bernama reports.

• Philippine government bans volcano visits
The tourist trade faces strict penalties for allowing visitors onto a volcano island in Taal town of Batangas province, south of Manila, after the volcano began to show signs that it might erupt, authorities said on Sunday.

• Brakes on Vietnam’s high-speed rail
The Reunification train sits baking on the Hanoi platform as passengers settle in to hard wooden seats next to open windows.

• Laos looking to lure more Japanese tourists
The Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA), in cooperation with the Asean-Japan Centre (AJC), has organised a quality service training workshop for those in the hospitality sector providing services to Japanese businesspeople and tourists, according to the Ventiane Times.

• Fiscal Efficiency in Thailand
As Thailand heads strongly out of the worldwide recession along with other Asean members, its finance minister is calling for improved efficiency in tax collections and public expenditures to bolster the country’s long-term fiscal position.

• Thailand seeks US support in reconciliation bid
The Thai government envoy has asked the United States for support in its plan for national reconciliation following the recent red-shirt protest, according to Reuters.

• Myanmar denies nuclear programme
The Myanmar ruling junta said Friday it had no intention of building an atomic bomb, brushing aside Western concerns about possible nuclear cooperation with North Korea, Al Jazeera reports.

• Hong Kong: Filmmaker crusades against sharkfin soup
A Canadian filmmaker is hoping to turn Asian consumers away from shark fin soup, with the regional premier of his multi-award winning documentary, as reported by Leslie Tang of Channel NewsAsia

• Indonesia: Garuda touches down in Europe
A six-year flying ban to Europe has finally been lifted and Indonesian national carrier Garuda Indonesia relaunched its Jakarta to Amsterdam direct service this week, inviting government officials, legislators, businesspeople and journalists on the voyage that marked the beginning of a new era for the airline, according to the Jakarta Post.

• Malaysia’s performance in health a benchmark
Malaysia’s health can be used as a benchmark by other developing countries, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said recently.

• Crocodile births in Cambodia
Conservationists are celebrating the hatching of a clutch of eggs from one of the world’s most critically endangered animals in Cambodia, according to the Los Angeles Times.

• Japan PM warns of debt peril
Japan is at “risk of collapse” under its huge debt, the country’s new prime minister, Naoto Kan, has, has said.

• Indonesia monitors global economy
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the Indonesian government was continuously monitoring the economic problems in Europe to anticipate their possible impact on the national economy, Antara News reported.
• China: Honda plants resume production
Shanghai, June 11 – Production resumes today at two vehicle assembly plants in southern China after a strike at an exhaust parts maker ended.

Posted by Shayne Heffernan on Jun 14th, 2010and filed underAsia, Equities, Latest News, Markets.You can follow any responses to this entry through theRSS 2.0You can leave a response by filling following comment form or trackback to this entry from your site