Top News Headlines In Singapore, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia & Thailand: Jan 22, 2025

SINGAPORE

1.‘WE WILL ALWAYS KEEP PUBLIC HOUSING AFFORDABLE FOR SINGAPOREANS’: PM WONG -- THE STRAITS TIMES

Public housing will always be kept affordable for Singaporeans, both now and in the future, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

2.IN FOCUS: IS INFLUX OF JB PROPERTY BUYERS FROM SINGAPORE, CHINA PRICING OUT LOCALS? -- CNA

Housewife Nana Razali and her family of six have never had their own home.

LAOS 

1.LAOS SCOOPS 19 AWARDS AT ASEAN TOURISM STANDARD AWARDS - - VIENTIANE TIMES

Laos won 19 awards at the ASEAN Tourism Standards Awards Ceremony held in Malaysia on Monday. It received five awards for community-based tourism, five for spa services, five for public toilets and four for the homestay category.

2.AUTHORITIES DESTROY POPPY PLANTATIONS - - VIENTIANE TIMES

Security forces destroyed over 1.4 hectares of poppy plantations in the Phoukoud district in north-central Laos. They uprooted poppy plants and also smashed the crop with wooden sticks. Despite the government’s warning to rural farmers to stop cultivation, opium poppies are still planted.

MYANMAR

1.MYANMAR-THAI MILITARY TO TACKLE CROSS-BORDER CRIMES - - THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR

Myanmar and Thai military officers held high-level talks in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday. They discussed the eradication of human trafficking and online scam hubs along border areas, and to stop illegal fishing trawlers and fishermen from Thailand in Myanmar’s territorial waters. 

2.MEDIA WARNED TO STOP PUBLISHING TERRORIST’S AGENDA - - THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR 

The Information Ministry warned media outlets from circulating information supporting terrorist groups that instil fear among the public and destroy national stability. Media operators could face lawsuits if they failed to follow the government’s directives.

VIETNAM

1.LOCAL EXPORTERS BRACING FOR GLOBAL TARIFF HIKE - - VIETNAMPLUS

Exporters are diversifying their markets to mitigate potential risks due to major tax hikes globally. The United States in 2024, initiated 11 trade defence cases against local exports. Solar panels, shrimp, corrosion-resistant steel, moulded fibre trays and paper plates came under scrutiny. 

2.TAPPING GLOBAL EXPERTISE TO MODERNISE ECONOMY - - VIETNAMPLUS

The government is urging domestic and international players to assist in developing the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and turning Ho Chi Minh City into a global financial hub. Vietnam wants to accelerate the modernisation of infrastructure and develop human resources.

INDONESIA

1.US INVESTORS SEE NO PROBLEM WITH INDONESIA’S BRICS MEMBERSHIP -- JAKARTA GLOBE

An American business lobby said Tuesday that Indonesia’s membership in the China and Russia-led BRICS grouping had little to no impact on US companies’ interest in investing in the Southeast Asian nation.

2.BALI MONITORING VOLCANIC ERUPTION ON NEIGHBOURING ISLAND THAT COULD IMPACT TRAVEL -- THE BALI SUN

The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation is closely monitoring Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in the East Flores Islands after it erupted four times on Monday.

THAILAND

1. PM2.5 IMPACTED 1M THAIS, COST THB 3BN LAST YEAR: HEALTH MINISTRY -- THE NATION

Ministry rolls out four measures to combat health impacts and expenses as Thailand chokes under worsening smog crisis.

2. RTP SAYS NOT DEPORTING UYGHURS BACK TO CHINA -- BANGKOK POST

The Royal Thai Police (RTP) has denied trying to deport a group of 48 Uyghur men to China as alleged by human rights advocates.

--BERNAMA