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.
SEKAT: To court if Education Ministry refuses dialogue on khat implementation
The National Congress on Jawi will take the Education Ministry to court if it refuses to discuss or engage in a dialogue session on the implementation of the khat (jawi calligraphic script) in vernacular schools.
The legal action would be the final step to be taken if the dialogue session sought by various quarters on the issue was not given attention by the ministry.
The secretary of Seni Khat Action Team (SEKAT) Arun Doraisamy said the congress would not only initiate legal action but would also see the participation of various other non-governmental organisations (NGO). – New Straits Times
New Year road accidents kill over 100
Two days of the New Year exodus saw 974 road accidents, down 1.4 percent year-on-year, 109 deaths, down 3.5 percent, and 993 injured, down 1.4 percent, the Transport Ministry reported.
Anon Lueangboribon, deputy permanent secretary for transport, said on Sunday that on Saturday alone there were 510 traffic accidents in which 66 people were killed and 527 others injured. – Bangkok Post
More than 1,000 gather for rain-soaked Hong Kong rally
More than 1,000 people rallied in the rain in a park in Hong Kong's financial district on Sunday (Dec 29), chanting slogans for democracy as they huddled under a sea of umbrellas.
The crowd, a mix of young and elderly people, wore black and turquoise surgical masks to hide their identities as they listened to organisers speaking on a makeshift stage. – Straits Times
Growth expected, but risks remain
Myanmar is on track to meet its target of exporting US$10 billion worth of textiles by 2024, an official of the Myanmar Garment Entrepreneurs Association told state media.
The target was set as part of Myanmar’s ten-year export strategy adopted in 2014. During fiscal 2018-19, the textile manufacturing sector generated US$4.6 billion in export revenue, making up nearly 10 percent of total export earnings, according to the Ministry of Commerce. – Myanmar Times
Vietnam firm gets the go-ahead to ship Cambodian bananas to Chinese markets
Listed company Honng Anh Gia Lai Agrico (HAGL Agrico), a Vietnam conglomerate firm, on Saturday officially launched its packing house facility and began shipping fresh bananas to China in response to the rapidly rising demand in the market.
HAGL was once a leading property developer in Vietnam, but the company restructured itself in 2010 to focus on agriculture with rubber and fruits from its home country, Cambodia and Laos. The company is now occupying 18,000 hectares of land – at a cost of $400million – planting different type of fruit which include bananas from Ratanakiri province’s Koun Mom district, in northeast Cambodia, where it shares a border with Vietnam and Laos. – Khmer Times