Microsoft bets big on Asean; Malaysia calls out casino rumours

This week in Asean: 

• Vietnam: Inflation hits highest level in 15 months
• Thailand: Proposes upping its daily minimum wage
• Indonesia: Seeing steady investment flows, easing inflation

Dear BT reader,

I hope you got a good rest over the Labour Day holiday. South-east Asia is also in need of much respite, not just from a fiery US dollar that’s left regional currencies battered, but also from an extreme heatwave that’s killed 30 in Thailand, shut down Philippine schools and dried up rice fields and rivers in Vietnam.