Myanmar state contract / Philippines asset recovery / Viet Nam efforts reflection

Mon Unity Party Calls for Probe of 1-Billion-Kyat Road Contract.  The founding members of the Mon Unity Party (MUP) have asked the Union and Mon State governments, as well as the state parliament, what action they plan to take in the case of a 1-billion-kyat road project that was offered without a tender process. They accused the state’s chief minister of abusing his power to offer the project to a favored company.

Lawi Weng/The Irrawaddy: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/mon-unity-party-calls-probe-1-billion-kyat-road-contract.html

 

Duterte gives go signal to sell Marcos jewelry.  President Duterte of the Philippines has approved the sale of around P700 million (approx. US$ 13.4 mil) worth of jewelry that formed part of the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the family of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, directing government agencies to ensure that the people would benefit from the proceeds.

Julie M. Aurelio/Inquirer.net: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1125286/duterte-gives-go-signal-to-sell-marcos-jewelry

 

The Costs of Trong’s Crusade against Viet Corruption (Opinion).  “…the [General Secretary of the Community Party of Viet Nam, Nguyen Phu Trong’s] era is likely to be remembered as a time of missed opportunities, the war on corruption aside…Meanwhile, modernization, globalization and crony capitalism have spawned urgent problems, including growing income inequality, environmental degradation and underfunded public health and public education systems.”

David Brown/ Asia Sentinel: https://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/costs-nguyen-phu-trong-crusade-against-viet-corruption/