Getting a piece of the e-commerce pie
10 December 2018
Blockchain gaining ground in Southeast Asia
10 December 2018
COP24’s wobbly stand
10 December 2018
Rohingya sent back to camps hungry and in debt
10 December 2018
Out with the old, in with the new?
9 December 2018
Towards an energy efficient ASEAN
9 December 2018Geopolitics
Geopolitics
Rohingya sent back to camps hungry and in debt
Fleeing Rohingya Muslims sold ration books to help pay hundreds of dollars to traffickers in order to flee squalid Myanmar camps by boat, only to be stopped at sea and forced back destitute, the refugees told AFP on Friday.Images of hungry and thirsty refugees huddled on boats have stirred memories…
Papua massacre shines light on forgotten conflict
The recent massacre of civilian workers by separatist rebels in Indonesia's restive Papua province has cast a spotlight on one of the world's longest-running insurgencies, with no end to the bloody conflict in sight.The killings are a marked escalation from decades of mostly sporadic skirmishes…
Muslims rally to defend privileges in Malaysia
Tens of thousands of banner-waving Muslims rallied in the Malaysian capital Saturday to defend their long-cherished privileges, at a time of growing racial tensions in the multi-ethnic country.About 55,000 people dressed in white flooded a historic square in downtown Kuala Lumpur, according to…
'Kill or be killed' says Papua rebel group
Construction workers massacred at a remote jungle work camp in Papua were legitimate military targets, a rebel group said Friday, as authorities hunted for more bodies after the grisly weekend attack which killed at least 16.The National Liberation Army of West Papua (TPNPB) has claimed…
Energy
Energy
Towards an energy efficient ASEAN
In tandem with a renewable energy policy, energy efficiency will be key to building a reliable and sustainable energy system for the future of Southeast Asia. Energy efficiency…
Socio-economic benefits of energy transition
As thousands of national, sectoral, business and community leaders gathered in Katowice, Poland, for the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework…
Overcoming challenges to sustainable energy development
Today, sustainable or renewable energy development is the talk of the town given current global circumstances. Global warming and climate change are already threatening our…
Markets
Market
Getting a piece of the e-commerce pie
A recent report revealed that the government of Thailand has passed a bill that it hopes will ensure more effective tax collection, especially from e-commerce businesses. The new law will see…
Out with the old, in with the new?
Singapore has a problem and it's two-fold. On the one hand, it is an ageing country. Singapore falls under the ageing high income market bracket which has limited demographic wiggle room to maximise…
Singapore’s Cocoon Capital announces tech fund
Singapore based Cocoon Capital recently announced a new US$20 million fund following its first US$7 million fund launched in 2016. The fund aims to bridge growing industry demands for more seed-stage…
Cambodia’s ambitious tourism plans
Last week, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen claimed that the number of tourists visiting Cambodia had increased substantially over the years and now the country is expecting 12 million tourists by…
2018: A transformational year for ride hailing
This year has been transformational for the ride hailing sector in Southeast Asia according to a recent joint report by Google and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. With the merger of Grab and Uber in…
Technology
Technology
Blockchain gaining ground in Southeast Asia
20 years ago, no one could have accurately predicted the huge impact that inventions like the smartphone and the World Wide Web would have on humankind. As technology…
Bridging the digital divide
As an economic bloc, ASEAN is the fifth largest economy in the world. However, this is not reflected in the association’s adoption of digital transformation. ASEAN…
Strengthening ASEAN’s cybersecurity
Terrorism in Southeast Asia has long been a threat. Previously, the spectre of terrorism haunted the region via threats of physical violence, from bombings to…
Environment
Environment
COP24’s wobbly stand
“We can't afford to fail in Katowice,” said United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres in his opening remarks at the kick off of the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), last week, warning world leaders that climate change was running away from us, dragging with it a plethora of problems from rising atmospheric and ocean temperatures, as well as sea levels. However, many are questioning the potential for a…
Cry for help for Myanmar’s trafficked brides
Between June 2017 and April 2018, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Humanitarian Health carried out a study on almost 400 migrant women from Myanmar between the ages of 15 and 55, who were married to Chinese men and experienced childbearing in the five years they were in China. The study, supported by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT), found that almost 40 percent of them were victims of forced marriages. The study also found that about 33 percent of…
ASEAN nations hard hit by natural disasters
2017 was a devastating year for countries most vulnerable to natural disasters. Throughout the year, a high frequency of catastrophic flooding, hurricanes, storms and wildfires ravaged the world, incurring double the economic loss and cost as opposed to similar disasters that occurred in 2016. According to insurance and reinsurance firm Munich Re, natural disasters in 2017 globally cost an estimated US$340 billion, the second-highest annual loss ever recorded.Two Southeast Asian countries,…
Deciding on the Paris Rulebook at COP24
In the next two weeks, thousands of world leaders, business representatives, climate experts, activists and lobbyist, as well as indigenous and local communities, will be congregating in the Polish coal city of Katowice, for the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or COP24. During this time, representatives of various countries, organisations and agendas will be lobbying and negotiating collective actions in addressing…
Real Estate
Real Estate
Singapore sticks a pin before property bubble forms
The Monetary Authority of Singapore has introduced strong measures to dampen “euphoria” in the property market.
Singapore tightens property curbs
The property stocks index dropped 1.4 percent and is set for the lowest close in 15 months.
Ho Chi Minh City: Property paradise for ASEAN
Ho Chi Minh City’s real estate landscape showcases a real estate market in near-perfect balance.
Singapore sustains comeback in home sales with gains in December
Singapore sustained a comeback in home sales in December.
Property tax reforms in Myanmar could kickstart infrastructure development
Myanmar has a notoriously low residential property taxes rate, accounting for just 7.5% of GDP, compared to the 13-14% its neighbours, Laos and…
Events
Home Event
Reimagining Southeast Asia 2018
Event Date
11/29/2018
431 views
Gandhi Memorial ASEAN Debate Competition 2018
Event Date
10/01/2018
Event Location
Asian International Arbitration Centre, Kuala Lumpur
648 views
World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018
Event Date
09/11/2018
Event Location
Hanoi, Vietnam
1284 views
32nd ASEAN Summit
Event Location
Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore
2054 views