These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.
Annuar Musa: Umno lost because it strayed from its struggle
Umno was rejected by the people in the 14th general election (GE14) after the party deviated from its true struggle, said Tan Sri Annuar Musa.
Annuar, who is Umno secretary-general, said the party, which was the lynchpin of the Barisan Nasional (BN) pact, became careless when it and its political allies governed the country.
He also blamed the party’s downfall on leaders who became arrogant after achieving their goals of obtaining projects or holding ministerial positions in the previous BN administration. – New Straits Times
Joko Widodo, a deft hand at domestic politics and global affairs, is The Straits Times Asian of the Year 2019
Indonesia's seventh and current president, Mr Joko Widodo, has been named The Straits Times' Asian of the Year 2019 for being a unifying figure in an age of chaos and disruption.
Mr Joko, 58, was chosen by editors for his "dexterity and nous in navigating the tricky cross-currents of domestic politics and international affairs". – Straits Times
Cut school years: Dhanin
In this digital era, students should be spending far fewer years in school and university and more time gaining real experience, so they can re-skill themselves and keep up with the pace of technological development, Thailand's richest man Dhanin Chearavanont said.
In an exclusive interview with the Bangkok Post in Paris, where he was invited to speak at the Forum for World Education, the senior chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group said the time Thai students spend in school and university should be shortened. – Bangkok Post
Union parliament approves treaty to abolish child labour
The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Assembly of the Union) has approved Myanmar’s ratification of an international treaty to abolish child labour in the country, but some legislators doubt the government’s ability to implement it.
The Minimum Age Convention (138) of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which includes the abolition of child labour, was approved on Tuesday. – Myanmar Times
Hundreds of security cameras to monitor Sihanoukville next year
Hundreds of security cameras will be installed along major roads in Sihanoukville to monitor traffic and increase security next year.
Major General Chuon Narin, chief of Preah Sihanouk provincial police, yesterday said a total of 600 cameras will be placed in 500 central locations in Sihanoukville, including along 34 newly-constructed roads. – Khmer Times