These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.
Ahmad Idham clarifies Netflix censorship issue
National Film Development Corporation (Finas) chief executive officer Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nadzri yesterday clarified the issue surrounding his suggestion that digital content on streaming platforms such as Netflix be regulated.
“What I proposed was for some form of collaboration between Finas and the National Council of Women's Organisations to hold a forum or seminar to debate this issue in the context of strengthening digital content in the future,” he said. He also clarified that Finas had no authority to censor digital content. – New Straits Times
Singapore non-oil exports shrink 12.3% in October, worse than expected
Singapore's non-oil domestic exports (Nodx) remained mired in negative territory for an eighth consecutive month in October, coming in worse than analysts expected. Shipments sank 12.3 per cent, from an 8.1 per cent drop in September, with the pace of decline reversing three consecutive months of easing despite talks of an interim trade deal between the United States and China in the bruising trade war.
The drop was larger than an expected 10 per cent fall from a year ago, according to a Bloomberg consensus poll, and lowest since June's 17.4 per cent decline. – The Straits Times
380,000 meth pills seized in Chiang Mai bust
Soldiers of the Pha Muang Force seized about 380,000 methamphetamine pills at a border village in Chiang Dao district yesterday morning, local media reported. Acting on a tip-off from a border watch network, three teams of soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Company of the 4th Cavalry Task Force were sent to Ban Arunothai village in tambon Muangna. – Bangkok Post
Jokowi seeks to tighten grip on state enterprises
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo seeks to tighten his grip on key state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by reshuffling their executives and ensuring that the new appointees are able and willing to support the development agenda for his second term in office. Jokowi is now leading a team tasked with reviewing all SOEs and – if necessary – appointing new president directors, presidential spokesman Fadjroel Rahman said over the weekend. – The Jakarta Post
Duterte urged to control use of vaping
Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go on Sunday underscored the need to control the use of e-cigarettes or vapes after the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed that a 16-year-old girl from Central Visayas had become the country’s first patient suffering from vaping injury.
Go, chair of the Senate health committee, said he would ask President Duterte to issue an executive order regulating the manufacture, distribution, sale and use of all kinds of e-cigarettes, which have become popular among teenagers. – Philippine Daily Inquirer
Elephants returned to natural habitat
After serving the tourist sector at Angkor resort for years, five out of the 14 elephants from the Angkor elephant community were transported to live in a natural habitat, said Apsara National Authority spokesman Long Kosal on Sunday. Kosal said the elephants, an attraction that served as a mode of transport in Angkor resort, had given national and international tourists a lot of wonderful memories.
However, in an effort to provide a natural living environment for them and to promote sustainable tourism, it was necessary to stop using them as a mode of transport in the tourism industry. – Phnom Penh Post