Top News Headlines In Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand & Vietnam: Dec 21, 2024

CAMBODIA

1. GOVT-MEDIA INDISPENSABLE PARTNERS IN NATION BUILDING -- AGENCE KAMPUCHEA PRESSE

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Prime Minister Hun Manet called for professional journalism. The media plays a critical role in nation-building and acts as a mirror to society's reality. He said the media and government are indispensable partners needed to promote democracy, tackle corruption and promote social justice.

2. JAPANESE SHIPS WILL BE FIRST TO DOCK AT REAM NAVAL BASE -- FRESH NEWS

Cambodia has announced that Japanese ships will be the first to dock at the Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville province once construction is completed. This reflects the strong comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and deepens defence ties.

 INDONESIA

1. LANDSLIDES, FLOODING HIT AS HOLIDAYS APPROACH -- THE JAKARTA POST

Floods and landslides triggered by extreme weather have struck various regions across the archipelago in the past week, as millions of people prepare to hit the road and flock to popular tourist destinations for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

2.INDONESIA TO LAUNCH FREE NUTRITIOUS MEAL PROGRAM ON JANUARY 6 -- JAKARTA GLOBE

National Nutrition Agency (Bapanas) Head Dadan Hindayana announced that the government's Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) will begin on Jan. 6, 2025, a slight delay from the original start date of Jan. 2.

MYANMAR

1. MYANMAR-LAOS TO TIGHTEN BILATERAL TIES -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR

Myanmar and Laos have decided to foster close bilateral ties and people-to-people to relations. They plan to expand operations of direct flights to promote tourism, encourage cultural troupes, exchange of scholarship students and enhance border trade.

2. ASEAN RICE EMERGENCY PROG ASSISTS MYANMAR -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR

China and South Korea will provide 3,500 tonnes of rice under the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve programme for disaster-affected communities next year. Myanmar received 8,939 tonnes from China, Japan and Korea under the regional rice emergency programme between 2017 and 2023.

 THAILAND

1. IMMIGRATION POLICE CHECK PHUKET AIRPORT'S READINESS AHEAD OF HOLIDAYS -- The Nation

The holiday island’s airport gets into gear to ensure hassle-free immigration procedures for arrivals during the upcoming holiday.

2. BILL GIVES GOVT THE FINAL SAY -- Bangkok Post

The government will determine where casino-entertainment complexes will be located to ensure fairness among bidders in the project, if the bill legalising gambling in the country becomes law, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said.

VIETNAM

1. VIETNAM ASSISTS LAO IN CREATING CITIZEN IDENTITY CARDS -- VIETNAMPLUS 

Vietnam is assisting Laos in developing a resident and citizen identity management system. Lao plans to issue personal identity numbers to all its citizens in March 2025. The project will help Lao improve state management and protect its national security.

2. HIGH-SPEED SUBMARINE CABLE LAUNCHED -- VNEXPRESS

The Asia Direct Cable, the fibre-optic submarine cable stretching 10,000 km connecting major data hubs in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore was commissioned on Thursday. The high-speed cable system will support emerging technologies — 5G artificial intelligence and the internet of things.

-- BERNAMA