Thousands of Rohingyas fled the Rakhine state of Myanmar, having already endured violence in all manner and form – witnessing family members and loved ones killed, tortured, raped and seen houses burnt to the ground. Further south of the Indochina Peninsula, the 32-year iron fisted rule of Cambodian premier, Hun Sen continues to take its toll on the civil liberties of regular Cambodians.

The closure of various independent media outlets in Cambodia in the past month has garnered international attention as the Cambodian government received criticism from various media outlets, NGOs (non-governmental organisations), human rights councils and governments.In a much publicised case, The Cambodia Daily – an independent bilingual newspaper – was forced to shut down after it was slapped with a 6.3 million dollars tax bill, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen telling the newspaper to

Known for its dynamic and diverse community, ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as a whole makes for the fifth largest economy in the world and the region is expected to grow even further. Despite its accomplishments, the region still falls short in terms of gender equality in key leadership roles and the general workforce. As reported by The Straits Times, there are only 30 women per every 100 men in leadership positions on average in many ASEAN countries.

In 2017, the Southeast Asian region has recorded a combined population of over 640 million people - approximately 8.5 percent of the world’s population - as ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) turns 50 years old. According to a World Bank report, ASEAN is currently the world’s third largest market ahead of Japan, USA and the EU (European Union).

The economic outlook for 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states and other major East Asian economies including China, India, Japan and South Korea, remains optimistic following a strong start in 2017.

Stock markets across Southeast Asia tumble as investor sentiment is hurt after North Korean fired a ballistic missile over Japan as investors are likely to turn to safe-haven assets like gold.At late morning, Malaysia’s FBM KLCI declined 10 points or 0.57% to 1,759.49.