Top News Headlines In Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam: Dec 20, 2024

INDONESIA

1. BANGKOK TALKS ON MYANMAR LIFTS HOPES OF PROGRESS -- THE JAKARTA POST

The upcoming ASEAN talks on Myanmar may offer opportunities for intensified cooperation within the bloc to resolve the crisis through informal tactics to advance peace in the war-torn country, but only if the group takes a firmer stance against the junta and formally engages the democratic government, observers say.

2. MINISTER BUDI ARIE QUESTIONED BY POLICE IN ONLINE GAMBLING PROBE -- JAKARTA GLOBE

Cooperative Minister Budi Arie Setiadi was interrogated by the Jakarta Police on Thursday as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged online gambling scandal within the Communication and Digitalization Ministry, which he previously led.

THAILAND

1. PLAN LAUNCHED TO REDUCE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS OVER NEW YEAR -- THE NATION

An Interior Ministry committee introduces campaign aimed at enhancing safety on Thai roads over the upcoming holiday.

2. PM BRUSHES OFF TALK OF RIFT IN COALITION -- BANGKOK POST Government unity remains intact despite the Bhumjaithai Party voting to apply the contentious double-majority rule in a charter amendment referendum in defiance of other coalition parties, according to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

CAMBODIA 

1. ITALIAN CRUISE ARRIVES WITH 3,000 PASSENGERS -- FRESH NEWS

The Italian cruise ship Aida Stella, with nearly 3,000 tourists, docked at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port on Thursday. The majority of the passengers were from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The ship arrived from Vietnam and Is heading to Thailand after Cambodia. 

2. MEDIA WARNED ON RISING CYBERBULLYING -- AGENCY KAMPUCHEA PRESSE

The Cambodian Minister of Information cautioned media professionals against the rising cyberbullying on social media. There are 24 million SIM card users, 10 million using TikTok, and 14 million Facebook users in the country. 

LAOS

1. LAOS' FIRST CARDIAC SURGERY DONE ON 50-YEAR-OLD MALE -- VIENTIANE TIMES 

The first cardiac surgery was performed at the Laos-Luxembourg Heart Institute in Mahosot Hospital in Vientiane. Surgeons successfully performed the coronary artery bypass grafting procedure without stopping the patient’s heart. The surgery was performed on a 50-year-old man.

2. LUANG PRABANG ASIA’S TOP DESTINATION  TO VISIT IN 2025 -- VIENTIANE TIMES

Luang Prabang province has been ranked as the first of the best places to visit in Asia in 2025 among 22 other tourist destinations. Next Is Bangkok, followed by Angkor Wat in Cambodia, while the fourth is Hoi An in Vietnam.

VIETNAM

1. MEGA SEWERAGE RENOVATION PROJECT MAY STOP -- VNEXPRESS

The government may halt the RM95 million (US$21 million) sewer renovation project stretching three kilometres in Ho Chi Minh City due to its high costs and complicated procedures. The project is to renovate and restore old drainage lines in the city. 

2. EMISSION TESTING STATIONS FOR BIKES -- VIETNAM NEWS 

Authorities are setting up nearly 3,000 emissions testing facilities for motorbikes across the country ahead of the new law to curb vehicle emissions from 1 January next year. The government aims to protect the environment by reducing carbon emissions.

-- BERNAMA