India and ASEAN / East Asia

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 03 Feb 2015 15:36

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015 ... etnam.html
Indonesia:

The government is set to hunt down Indonesian criminals hiding in Vietnam and Papua New Guinea (PNG), after the government and the House of Representatives began deliberating extradition treaties between Indonesia and the two countries.
....
Indonesia has signed extradition treaties with Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia, India as well as Thailand.

Commission I deliberated an extradition treaty with Singapore last year, but it was ditched at the last minute as Singapore required that the treaty also include defense cooperation between the two countries.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 03 Feb 2015 15:54

Myanmar remembers Bogyoke Aung San.
http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/index.php? ... Itemid=357

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 04 Feb 2015 05:27

Jan 17, 2015
Latest round of India-Vietnam defence talks concluded.
Interview with Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Vice Minister of Defence, Vietnam.
http://articles.economictimes.indiatime ... kar-fields

Vietnam highly values India's capability. Recently, India assisted Vietnam in establishing a Center for Information Technology and English language within the University of Telecommunication and Signals, Ministry of National Defence of Vietnam. The Center is likely to be inaugurated in the seond quarter 2015.

Another field of cooperation is education and training. Vietnam appreciates India for training young Vietnamese officers in military engineering, language, information technology, etc., in Indian military academies. This will create an important human resource for our military in the future.

I have conveyed regards from General Phung Quang Thanh, Minister of National Defense of Vietnam to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. We are hopeful that he will visit Vietnam this year.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Feb 2015 17:26

http://www.eetindia.co.in/ART_880070947 ... f4d485.HTM

India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA), the trade body representing the Indian Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) industry, and the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that aims to establish and develop trade and technical cooperation links between the electronics and semiconductor industry of both countries.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Feb 2015 17:32

http://www.businessworld.in/news/econom ... age-1.html

The Philippines is considering lifting visa requirements for Indian travellers as it targets a four-fold increase in visitors from the country in two years.

India is the 10th largest source market for Philippine foreign tourist arrivals but the potential for growth is tremendous, Philippines Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr said.

Some 60,000 Indians visited the Philippines last year and Jimenez expects this number to rise to 250,000 by 2016-end with visa relaxation and new tourism promotion activities.

"India will be one of the top five source markets for us by the end of 2016. We are determined to achieve that," he told reporters in New Delhi.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Feb 2015 17:35

http://www.microfinancemonitor.com/2015 ... n-jakarta/#

Grace Walia was crowned Miss India Indonesia 2015, a pageant that seeks to build a bridge between the Indian and Indonesian communities. Ambassador of India Gurjit Singh was the chief guest of the evening.

As Miss India Indonesia, Grace will represent Indonesia in Miss India Worldwide 2015 to be held in India in summer.
....
It is part of the prestigious Sahabat India – Festival of India 2015.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 06 Feb 2015 16:27

Ancient India and ancient ASEAN:
http://scroll.in/article/704603/Step-as ... me-traders

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 06 Feb 2015 16:39

Fight in Myanmar over Rohingya voting rights:
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/mya ... 42382.html

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 06 Feb 2015 16:40

http://www.business-standard.com/articl ... 105_1.html

A three-day conference on Tamil language computing and Tamil internet will be held in Singapore by the end of May and international experts have started work on their papers to be presented at the event.

More than 500 delegates are expected to attend the 14th International Conference on Tamil Computing and Tamil Internet (Tamil Internet 2015) scheduled May 30 to June 1, organising committee chairman S Maniam told PTI today.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 06 Feb 2015 16:41

http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/mal ... 42269.html

The leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia Friday pledged renewed efforts to resolve stubborn disputes over maritime borders that have long nagged at one of Southeast Asia's most important bilateral ties.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo revealed the plans in a joint press briefing after talks earlier in the day.

"We are committed to establishing an additional mechanism to resolve the outstanding (territorial) issues," Najib said at the briefing in Putrajaya, just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 06 Feb 2015 16:43

http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/r ... ey-2058500

ifty Shades of Grey, the movie adaptation of EL James erotic novel, has been banned in Malaysian theatres. The Malaysian Film Censorship Board (LPF) chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid said the film, which was slated to premiere on February 12, was unfit for the audience.

He called the film, starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, more like "***** than a movie", reported the Star. "The board made a decision in view of the film containing scenes that are not of natural sexual content. The content is more sadistic...," Abdul Halim said.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 06 Feb 2015 16:50

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=96988

Three Sabah non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were featured at the recent high-profile Asean Smart Village Workshop held at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), here.
...
Swepa was represented by Immediate Past President, Hanaa Wong Abdullah and Project Manager Yap Li Ling, who gave a slide presentation on the Swepa Barefoot Solar Project in Kota Marudu in the northern part of Sabah.

Hanaa reported that an illiterate grandmother from the district will return to Sabah in March 2015 after a six-month training stint in India to be the first "Barefoot Woman Solar Engineer" in Malaysia to light up 100 homes in her village, Kg. Sonsogon Magandai.

arun · Post by **arun** » 07 Feb 2015 15:32

X Posted from the International Aerospace Discussion thread.

The first Poodle to make rank of Air Chief Marshal passes away.

The Poodle by name Foo Foo who was owned by Crown Prince of Thailand had earlier hit the news because of a leaked video of a celebration of his ie: the Poodle’s birthday where he is fed cake by a Topless G-String wearing Princess Srirasmi former (?) wife of Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Thai crown prince’s poodle, Air Chief Marshal Foo Foo, has been cremated

Check out the infamous Video of the Poodle Birthday bash mentioned in the fifth paragraph of the above linked article. Poodle makes entry around 18.30 and gets fed cake by the Topless G-String wearing wife of Thailand’s Crown Prince around the 18.45 mark:

thailand-crown-prince-dog-birthday.mpeg

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 07 Feb 2015 19:20

http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articl ... 34538.html

President of the Republic of Singapore Tony Tan Keng Yam and his wife Mary Tan will be on a four day state visit to India from February 8-11.

A ceremonial reception will be hosted for the Singapore President at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. He is also scheduled to meet President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during his visit.

The Singapore President will inaugurate the Peranakan Exhibition at the National Museum in the capital. (ANI)

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 07 Feb 2015 19:26

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/mala ... d-says-g25

Paedophiles will overrun Kelantan if it implements hudud as the Islamic law is open to abuse and rejects using scientific evidence to prove crime, says a spokesperson for the group of eminent Malays, or G25.

Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin (pic) said since it would be difficult to prove crimes like adultery, rape of children and adults will abound.

"This is the nature of PAS's hudud," she said.

Farida said Kelantan's hudud rejected the use of scientific methods such as DNA testing and fingerprints, instead requiring the evidence of four witnesses of the alleged crime.

"They are using evidence used in the 12th century to prove adultery, pushing out scientific methods.

"They are asserting that is the only way to prove the crime of adultery, which does not make sense," she said, adding that PAS leaders travelled in cars and planes but did not want to accept scientific evidence.

She added that Prophet Muhammad had also told his people about the importance of acquiring knowledge.

"The Prophet said that we should go in search of knowledge even up to China.

"If hudud is implemented in Kelantan, paedophiles will abound in the state,” she said.

Farida added that the structure of society was not suitable for the implementation of hudud.

She said Islamic scholars were of the view that many conditions needed to be fulfilled before the Islamic law can be introduced.

"We need a just society, a smaller gap between the rich and the poor. But here, even among the Malays, there is a divide.

"The problem is that the ustaz in the villages are spreading the message that hudud is God's law which cannot be questioned," she said at a forum on economic freedom and globalisation today.

The forum was organised by think tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.

PAS's plan to implement hudud in Kelantan has been strongly opposed by its Pakatan Rakyat coalition partner DAP.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 07 Feb 2015 20:03

Via Xinhua:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015- ... 977504.htm

YANGON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Indian Coast Guard Vishwast (CG 30) will pay a goodwill visit to Myanmar for three days starting from Feb. 10 to promote friendship and cooperation between the two countries, according to the Embassy of India here on Saturday.

The ship, commanded by Deputy Inspector General Sashi Kumar from the Indian Coast Guard, has a complement of 12 officers and 90 men, the embassy said.

The ship can operate at sea for over two weeks without any replenishment, it said.

The ship has facility for operating Chetak and Dhurv helicopters and is fitted with sophisticated and state of the art equipment like Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS), Integrated Power Management System (IPMS), high power external firefighting system (ABS Fi-Fi Class 1) and pollution response equipment, said the embassy.

During the stay in Myanmar, the Commanding Officer and crew will interact with personnel from the Myanmar Navy, Department of Marine Administration and will also call on the chief minister of Yangon Region.

The ship crew will conduct a Free Medical Camp at Thanlyin District Hospital next Wednesday.

The goodwill visit of Vishwast will further enhance interactions between India and Myanmar, and strengthen the close and friendly relations between the two countries, the embassy added.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 08 Feb 2015 18:05

http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworl ... lsxml.html

Philippines overtakes India as call-center capital

The job of choice for many young people in the Philippines is working at a call center. More than 1 million Filipinos now work at call centers and in related outsourcing businesses, making their country the call-center capital of the world.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 08 Feb 2015 18:06

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opi ... 162189.cms

In an interview with Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, Lim Thuan Kuan, who is Singapore High Commissioner to India, speaks about Singapore President' Tony Tan Keng Yam's ongoing State Visit to India to expand partnership with an eye on investments and building smart cities to contribute to India's success story.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 08 Feb 2015 18:08

http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg ... story.html

The United States and Thailand begin major military exercises Monday that are being overshadowed by growing tension between the longtime allies over the actions of Thailand’s army-run dictatorship.

The annual exercises are the first to take place since the Thai military ousted a democratically elected government in a coup in May. Thai generals had promised a swift return to democracy, but have imposed strict restrictions on free speech and shown little willingness to reconcile with the deposed government.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 09 Feb 2015 16:34

Crucial trade negotations:
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/PuOZxj ... id-te.html

“India, China and South Korea will be meeting on Monday to finalize the joint strategy on goods. That meeting will be critical. Both South Korea and India will be trying to get China on board. We hope China continues to hold the same position as last meeting,” a commerce ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It will be difficult for India to raise the offer beyond 40%. If South Korea, China have developed a different view since the last meeting, we will have to take a fresh call. Then, we may have to rework our strategy,” the official added. He said there will be pressure on all countries to finalize the initial offer in this round as the chair is planning to come out with a consolidated text on the way ahead, which needs to be presented to the ministers during their meeting in April in Malaysia.

Started in May 2013, RCEP comprises the 10 economies of the Asean region—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam—and six of its free trade partners—Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. The grouping envisages regional economic integration, leading to the creation of the largest regional trading bloc in the world, accounting for nearly 45% of the world’s population with a combined gross domestic product of $21.3 trillion. The regional economic pact aims to cover trade in goods and services, investment, economic and technical cooperation, competition and intellectual property. India’s interests lie mostly in services, the removal of technical barriers to trade such as those taken under sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures and trade in goods such as pharmaceuticals and textiles. While RCEP members are keen to finalize an agreement in goods to begin with, India insists on negotiations in goods and services moving in tandem—given the nation’s bad experience while negotiating the Asean free trade agreement, where it lost its bargaining power for a strong services agreement by concluding the goods agreement first.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 09 Feb 2015 16:37

http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/pm- ... 43796.html

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who is presently in the national capital to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, on Monday.

"India-Singapore ties expanding in all directions. PM @narendramodi meets Prez Tony Tan Keng Yam," tweeted MEA official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.

"Indian envoys to focus today on interface of Digital communications and Diplomacy. #D4D," he added.

"India-Singapore discuss an agenda of development. Skill development, connectivity in North East India primary focus," he said in a series of tweets.

Earlier, the visiting President was accorded a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. He was welcomed by President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Modi.
...
...

Singapore is one of India's major trade and investment partners, with bilateral trade for the financial year 2013-14 standing at USD 19.27 billion.

The year 2015 marks 50 years of the establishment of India- Singapore diplomatic relations.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 10 Feb 2015 20:34

http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/nation ... ffice.html

Confusion surrounds the status of an apparent agreement between the governments of Myanmar and India over the establishment of a visa-on-arrival system on their common border. While the Indian government appears ready to proceed, the Myanmar side is experiencing delay.

India’s consul in Mandalay, N Nandakumar, told The Myanmar Times last week that working-level talks had been conducted about setting up a visa-on-arrival office at the Tamu border checkpoint in Sagaing Region.

Mr Nandakumar said his government had been preparing to open the office opposite Tamu at Moreh, 110 kilometres (about 75 miles) from Imphal, the capital of Manipur state. He called on Myanmar to set up similar facilities to facilitate a cross-border bus service envisaged to link Imphal with Mandalay.

India hopes to launch the service before the end of this year, he said. Having visa processing facilities on the border is considered essential for the bus service, as passengers would otherwise have to apply for a visa at the embassy in New Delhi.

“We’re setting up the office on the Indian side, and we’re asking the Myanmar authorities to set up the same facilities on their side,” he said.

However, U Myint Oo, deputy director general of the Immigration Department, said there might be some delay in implementing this arrangement.

While Myanmar has introduced electronic visa-on-arrival at Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw airports, he said that rolling the system out to remote border areas will be much more of a challenge.

“It is impossible to provide a visa-on-arrival service where the checkpoint is now. Myanmar is not ready to approve this,” he said.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 10 Feb 2015 20:36

http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Busi ... ?style=biz

MUMBAI: Malaysia's IHH Healthcare Bhd and U.S. private equity firm TPG Capital Management are vying to buy a controlling stake in India's Global Hospitals in a deal that would value the privately owned chain at US$350 million, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 10 Feb 2015 20:40

http://www.thanhniennews.com/business/w ... 38629.html

Eight Vietnamese projects developed with the World Bank's development aid funding have been put in a “black list” for slow progress, local media reported.

The list comprises projects that have been lagging behind schedule or failed to secure enough funds on time.

A Hanoi urban transport project stands out in this list as it is 60 months behind schedule, with only 30 percent of the total funding disbursed.
Other projects include a renewable energy development, a university and a few waste treatment facilities.

Keiko Sato, the World Bank Vietnam Portfolio and Operations Manager, said in a meeting in Hanoi on Monday that the number of blacklisted projects is increasing and no drastic change has been made for them. The common issues of these projects, he said, are that they were not well prepared.
...
...
Vietnam is now the fourth largest borrower from the World Bank, after China, India and Africa, with 52 projects worth US$9.7 billion.
...
The Washington-based lender also said 15.3 percent of 52 projects in Vietnam have “high risks,” but did not name these projects. The ratio was 19.6 percent in 2012.

Up to 80 percent of the finished projects have relatively good results, it said, which is much higher than the ratio in China, Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Pakistan.

....

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 11 Feb 2015 17:19

http://www.thanhniennews.com/business/v ... 38667.html

Vietnam will stop importing peanuts from India after a recent shipment was found to contain a foreign insect pest that authorities say can cause serious damage to local plants.

An official statement from the agriculture ministry said officials have found live groundnut pest Caryedon serratus Olivier in the shipment, which reached Hai Phong in northern Vietnam in early January.
The insect pest is ranked among seriously dangerous ones.

The ministry issued a ban of further imports on February 6. It will take effect in early April.
Officials will ask relevant Indian agencies to deal with the problem.

According to news website The Hindu, among the insect pests attacking groundnut especially during storage, Caryedon serratus Olivier is the only species known to infest both kernels and intact pods.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 11 Feb 2015 17:23

http://www.thaivisa.com/news/thailand/t ... sors/6698/

The Special Meeting on Precursor Control, which gathered concerned authorities from Thailand, Cambodia, China, India, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, reached a resolution on the formation of the taskforce on Tuesday.

The taskforce will have concerned authorities from the eight countries exchange information and knowledge about operations to block precursor supplies.

The operations include setting up checkpoints, a capability enhancement programme for personnel and exchanging information on precursor chemicals.

Thailand will coordinate the task force.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 13 Feb 2015 17:47

http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/ ... onger-ties

At a state banquet organised in his honour by the Indian president, {Singapore President} Dr Tan said Singapore-India relations will be elevated to a strategic partnership this year.

"Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be signing this milestone agreement later this year. There is much that both our countries can achieve by working together and much we can learn from each other," Dr Tan said.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 21 Feb 2015 18:47

Malaria threat:
http://www.thedailystar.net/malaria-on- ... reat-65901

Resistance to the drug that has saved millions of lives from malaria has been detected over a wider area than previously thought, scientists warn.

The ability of the malaria parasite to shrug off the effects of artemisinin has been spreading since it emerged in South East Asia. Tests, published in Lancet Infectious Diseases, now show this resistance on the verge of entering India.

Experts said the development was "alarming" and an "enormous threat".

Deaths from malaria have nearly halved since 2000, and the infection now kills about 584,000 people each year.

But resistance to artemisinin threatens to undo all that hard work, and it has been detected in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Blood samples from 940 people with malaria from 55 sites across Myanmar showed this resistance was widespread across the country.

One site, in the Sagaing region, showed that resistant parasites were just 25km (15 miles) from the Indian border.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 21 Feb 2015 18:51

http://www.businessinsider.in/Thailand- ... 318418.cms
Thailand has an aircraft carrier without aircraft.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 03 Mar 2015 17:47

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sin ... 49482.html

Trade between Singapore and India has almost tripled since the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement in 2005.

Singapore is currently India's largest source of foreign direct investment, amounting to S$7.7 billion in Fiscal Year 2013/2014. In addition, there are more than 6,000 Indian companies in Singapore, seeking to use the city state as a launchpad to other ASEAN economies.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 03 Mar 2015 17:48

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sin ... 89818.html

SINGAPORE: The Indian Navy sail training ship INS Sudarshini sailed into VivoCity for a port call on Monday morning (Mar 2), as part of a series of events to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and India.

The ship will be in Singapore from Monday to Saturday (Mar 7), said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in a news release.
...
...
he Defence Ministry said the port call underscores "warm and longstanding" defence ties between India and Singapore. Both sides have been conducting annual bilateral exercises since 1994.

Following Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen’s official visit to India last August, the two defence establishments agreed to strengthen relations under the ambit of an enhanced defence partnership this year.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 03 Mar 2015 17:50

Singapore firm Sembcorp Industries's first power project in India has commenced commercial operation.

The firm on Monday announced completion of the first 660-megawatt unit of the Thermal Powertech Corporation India (TPCIL) plant in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.

The 1,320 MW coal-fired power plant in the coastal town of Krishnapatnam comprises two units of 660 MW each, with the second unit expected to begin commercial operation in the third quarter of 2015.

The approximately $1.5 billion power plant utilises supercritical technology, which allows for enhanced efficiency and reduced emissions compared to other conventional coal-fired power plants, the company said in a statement.

With the completion of this first unit, the plant has begun supplying power to the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, helping to meet the increasing power demand in the southern region and supporting its economic growth.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 03 Mar 2015 17:54

http://www.niticentral.com/2015/03/03/i ... 04948.html

Kolkata, Mar 3 (PTI) Showcasing the massive impact of Indian cinema and the country’s digital prowess, an exhibition on films is travelling to Indonesia and Malaysia.

As part of the ‘Festival of India’ celebrations, the fascinating story of a modern and culturally diverse India has been developed by the Kolkata-based National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Culture.

Inaugurated in Jakarta last week, the exhibition will travel to various cities of Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Malacca till June.
....
The travelling exhibition ‘Life on the Silver Screen: The Fascinating Story of Indian Cinema’ is a portrayal of the impact of the Indian cinema on the society, its culture, economy and vice-versa......

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 04 Mar 2015 17:10

http://tuoitrenews.vn/politics/26393/vi ... ambassador

In this file photo, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh (L) is seen at the “Doing Business with Vietnam” workshop held in Vadodara, a city in the Indian state of Gujarat in January 2015.
Vietnamese Embassy in India
PrevNext

Hanoi always supports New Delhi’s “Look East” policy, Ton Sinh Thanh, Vietnamese Ambassador to India, has said while highly appreciating the South Asian country’s greater presence in Southeast Asia in general and Vietnam in particular.

>> Vietnam, India should strengthen trade, investment relationship: Indian Commerce Secretary
(see http://tuoitrenews.vn/business/25598/vi ... -secretary )

Ambassador Thanh made the statement in a seminar on the Indian policy held in the northeastern state of Meghalaya from February 26 to 28, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

The traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and India have continuously developed, especially since the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2007, the ambassador said.

Indian investors have invested over US$220 million in Vietnam so far while Vietnamese businesses have channeled around $26 million into their projects in India, the diplomat said.

India is currently one of Vietnam’s top 10 trade partners, with two-way trade soaring to more than $8 billion in 2014 from $1 billion in 2006, Thanh said, adding that the two nations are striving to take the figure to $15 billion in 2020.

The ambassador also highlighted the sound relationship and cooperation between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with bilateral trade rapidly rising to nearly $80 billion in the 2013-2014 fiscal year from $3 billion in 1994.

He added that the two sides expect to further increase their bilateral trade to $100 billion in 2015 and $200 billion in 2020.

The ambassador pointed to the importance of India’s North East region in the “Look East” policy thanks to its advantageous location in proximity to Southeast Asian countries.

In order to promote cooperation between the region and Southeast Asia, road and air connections should be improved, and specific activities should be organized to highlight North East as an attractive investment and tourism destination, Ambassador Thanh suggested.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 04 Mar 2015 17:13

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 425190.cms

NEW DELHI: Hoping to give more teeth to its Act East Policy, the Modi government has decided to expand India's economic links with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) by promoting private sector investments in these countries through a project development company.

This announcement was made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while presenting the annual budget. "The 'Act East' policy of the government of India endeavours to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations in Southeast Asia... A project development company through separate special purpose vehicles set up manufacturing hubs in CMLV," Jaitley had announced.

The Commerce Ministry had earlier sought a corpus of Rs 100 crore to provide an impetus to India's initiative to set up projects overseas, mainly in CLMV. India has strong cultural links in all these countries besides having strategic and security interests in Vietnam and Myanmar. Delhi has also been supporting development and capacity building projects in CLMV, official sources said.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 04 Mar 2015 17:16

Barry Desker on the fragility of ASEAN:
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/opinio ... n-20150304

There is a real worry that a "two-stage" Asean is emerging, with the six earlier members plus Vietnam leading the way while Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos remain mired in their least-developed country status.

The launch of negotiations for a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in November 2012 was a step forward.

Asean could avoid a choice between the two alternative economic visions.

More significantly, as a multilateral agreement, it offers the opportunity to avoid the trade-distorting aspects of single-country free trade agreements (FTAs), since Asean's partners - Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea - are states which have already concluded FTAs with Asean.

The presence of India in the group is, however, a point of concern as India has often been the cause of deadlocks in multilateral trade and economic negotiations.

During the 1996 negotiations for the first Information Technology Agreement, my Indian counterpart blocked a consensus, fearing a loss in customs duties.

He had no idea India's information technology industry would be a major beneficiary.

Despite the pro-business thrust of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration today, there will be a need to overcome the instincts of the Indian bureaucracy if RCEP negotiations are to be successfully concluded.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 06 Mar 2015 17:12

http://www.pattayamail.com/travel/thail ... ndia-45468

Bangkok, 5 March, 2015 – The Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Tourism and Sports joined hands for the first time to hold a business and tourism promotion event in India designed to position Thailand as a “Gateway to ASEAN.”

Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, was chosen for this inaugural event in view of the geographical proximity between Thailand and India, the strong transportation linkages and their long-standing bilateral economic, cultural and political relations.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 07 Mar 2015 20:03

http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/top ... 57732.html

Beijing: China has detained a senior army general and military strategist for graft and leaking state secrets to armed rebels in Myanmar, a media report said.

Major General Huang Xing, the former head of the research guidance department at the Chinese Academy of Military Science, was detained for "serious disciplinary violations" earlier this year, a phrase often used by the Communist Party to refer to alleged corruption.

He was among the 14 generals who have been detained over the last two months for alleged graft or related crimes, People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily said on Monday.

Huang's chief offence was violating military discipline by allegedly leaking state secrets to rebels in the Kokang region of northern Myanmar during fighting in the Southeast Asian nation in 2009, Hong-Kong based South China Post quoted Chinese officials as saying.

The main rebel force in Kokang is the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MDAA) who are ethnic Chinese and once formed part of Communist Party forces in the region.

The MDAA, led by ethnic Chinese commander Peng Jiasheng, has reached a peace accord with the Myanmar government which lasted until 2009 but again resurfaced recently prompting Myanmar to seek Chinese assistance to put it down.

The conflict also resulted in several thousand refugees to take shelter in China.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 07 Mar 2015 20:05

http://www.ianslive.in/index.php?param= ... ATIONAL/13

Yangon, March 7 (IANS) Myanmar authorities have reopened two border gates that were shut due to violent conflicts in Shan state's Kokang region.

A total of 180 internally displaced people have returned to Kokang regions' capital of Laukkai town through border post No. 125 and Yanlonkyaing border checkpoint on Friday, state-run Myawaddy Daily said on Saturday.

So far, 2,746 people from 946 households have returned home, Xinhua reported.

The government stressed the need to restore peace and stability and for the prevalence of law and order in the region to ensure security and to undertake rehabilitation measures.

Heavy fighting broke out on February 9 between security forces and the rebel group Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in Kokang region.

The conflicts occurred mainly in Laukkai, Koneyan and Yan Lone Kyaine. As a result, thousands of local people fled to Lashio, a city in Shan State bordering China.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 07 Mar 2015 20:06

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 479163.cms

Guwahati: The Assam Police are pressing for help from neighbouring Bhutan and Myanmar to nab top National Democratic Front of Boroland (Songbijit) militant leaders.

While the outfit's chairman, IK Songbijit, is suspected to have fled to Myanmar, his close associate G Bidai and other top leaders are believed to be in Bhutan.

"All possible processes to seek help are on," said Assam Police chief Khagen Sarma .