42nd ASEAN Summit

Prime Minister Hun Manet dismissed claims that the construction of the Funan Techo Canal is facing          financial hurdles and the project was meticulously planned. The welfare of the people who will be affected by the canal was also taken into consideration during the planning. 

2.HUN MANET WANTS MONKS TO BE DIGITAL SAVVY -- FRESH NEWS

Prime Minister Hun Manet instructed the Ministry of Cults and Religion and Buddhist monks to continue      promoting Buddhism in the Kingdom. Ministries and institutions must also focus on training to provide digital skills to monks and civil servants in response to Cambodia's Digital Government Policy 2022-2035.

lNDONESIA

1.RISING TAXES COULD WEAKEN MIDDLE-CLASS PURCHASING POWER, CORE ECONOMIST SAYS -- JAKARTA GLOBE

Indonesia’s plan to raise its value-added tax (VAT) to 12 percent in early 2025 is expected to disproportionately affect the middle class, according to Mohammad Faisal, Executive Director of the Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) Indonesia.

2.RADICAL NEW RULES COULD HELP TACKLE TOURIST TRAFFIC IN BALI THIS CHRISTMAS -- THE BALI SUN

Politicians in Bali are proposing radical changes to traffic rules that could help combat travel chaos on the roads this Christmas and New Year. Local politician Agung Bagus Pratiksa Linggih is proposing that Bali ban all non-Bali Province-licensed vehicles from entering Bali over the festive season. 

MYANMAR

1.HUGE RISE IN DOMESTIC PRIVATE BUSINESSES -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR

The Ministry of Industry disclosed that 48,086 private industries have registered with the government until October this year. Almost 50 per cent of registered private industries were related to food. The commercial hub Yangon Region recorded the highest numbers of registered businesses.

2. KOREA DONATES RICE UNDER ASEAN EMERGENCY SCHEME -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation will receive 3,000 tonnes of rice from the Republic of Korea and 500 tonnes from China under the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Tier 3 programme. The rice will be distributed to those affected by natural disasters.  

THAILAND

1. AOT TO PAY KING POWER 193M BAHT TO REACQUIRE RENTED SPACE AT SUVARNABHUMI -- THE NATION

Airports of Thailand (AOT) has agreed to pay 193.08 million baht to King Power Suvarnabhumi Ltd (KPS) for the area it plans to acquire for the expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport’s eastern passenger terminal, also known as the East Expansion project.

2. BUDDHIST MONASTERY 'USING HUMAN BODIES FOR MEDITATION' -- BANGKOK POST

Forty-one cadavers used in meditation practices at a Buddhist monastery in Phichit province are being identified in a police investigation to determine whether they were obtained legally.  

-- BERNAMA