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.
Singapore ranks 4th-safest place amid Covid-19 pandemic: Study
Singapore is among the safest places to live during the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study says, indicating that the authorities are well placed to lift restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of the coronavirus. The country ranked fourth, just ahead of Japan, out of 200 nations and territories in a survey that took in 11,400 data points in categories that include quarantine efficiency, monitoring and detection as well as emergency preparedness. The top spot went to Switzerland followed by Germany in the ranking released on June 4, done by Deep Knowledge Group, a consortium of companies and non-profits owned by Deep Knowledge Ventures, a Hong Kong-based investment firm. The results bode well for efforts to lift some of the safe distancing measures after the circuit breaker period that ended on June 1. – The Straits Times
Bangladesh to refuse Rohingya detained in Malaysia
Bangladesh refuses to take back 269 Rohingya refugees detained by the Malaysian coastguard while they were adrift on a damaged boat. "Bangladesh will not take them. Bangladesh is neither obligated nor in a position to take any more Rohingya," Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told Anadolu Agency. Malaysia on Monday detained 269 Rohingya refugees and found a dead body on a damaged boat off the resort island of Langkawi. Later on Tuesday, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, told local media that the Foreign Ministry would ask Dhaka to take back the refugees if they were found to have fled camps in Bangladesh's south-eastern district of Cox's Bazar, home to more than one million Rohingya refugees. In reply to a written query from Anadolu Agency over the issue, Momen declared Bangladesh's position against accepting such a request from Malaysia. – New Straits Times
Stranded Thais arrive home from Tokyo
One-hundred-and-thirty-eight Thais stranded in Japan by the Covid-19 pandemic returned home on a special flight from Tokyo on Tuesday. Japan Airlines Flight JL 031 touched down at Suvarnabhumi airport at 2.53pm. The returnees were met by officials from the departments of disease control and defence. They included a monk and four diplomats. During health screening, 10 of the returnees were found to be feverish, were separated from the group and taken to a hospital for examination. The rest were taken by buses to Bangkok Center Hotel and Mövenpick Hotel in Bangkok and the H2DO Hotel in Samut Prakan for 14-day quarantine. – Bangkok Post
Families snatch dead bodies of COVID-19 patients from hospitals for burial
Despite the strict protocols in place surrounding the burial of victims and suspected victims of COVID-19 there have been a number of incidents reported recently of family and friends forcibly carrying off the bodies of dead patients from hospitals to be buried according to their own wishes. On June 3, hundreds of people descended on Dadi Hospital in Makassar, South Sulawesi, to take away the body of a patient under surveillance (PDP) who died two days after being admitted to the hospital. Hospital director Arman Bausat confirmed the incident, saying that the hospital could not do much to prevent the removal as some of those at the scene were armed with sharp weapons. CCTV footage showed seven people entering the intensive care unit (ICU) room and immediately taking the body away. – The Jakarta Post
Terror bill in Duterte hands as calls for veto mount
Opponents of the antiterrorism bill may have to wait for up to 30 days before they can take the next legal step against the proposed law, but some of them are appealing to President Duterte to veto the entire measure or parts of it that are deemed unconstitutional. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Malacañang on Tuesday received the enrolled copy of the bill signed by both Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Senate President Vicente Sotto III. “We have a 30-day period to review, either to veto or to sign the bill. Otherwise, if the President does not act on it, it will become law,” Roque said. He assured the public that Malacañang would carefully study the bill’s provisions and officials would advise the President regarding any unconstitutional provisions that would warrant a veto. – Philippine Daily Inquirer
North-South Highway project to use public investment
The National Assembly discussed changing to the public investment model for the North-South Highway during a meeting on Tuesday in Hà Nội. The Ministry of Transport proposed three sections of the national highway, Vĩnh Hảo-Phan Thiết, Mai Sơn-National Route 45 and Phan Thiết-Dầu Giây, employ a public investment model. The remaining five sections would use the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Explaining the shift in policy, Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thể cited great difficulties to secure the needed investment as banks were tightening their purse for long-term loans in a post-COVID-19 financial market. In addition, it has been difficult to find interested parties for projects under the build-operate-transfer model as the country still lacks an effective risk-sharing mechanism for investors. – Viet Nam News
Hun Manet Appointed to Lead Ruling Party’s Youth Movement
Prime Minister Hun Sen’s eldest son General Hun Manet has been appointed to lead the ruling CPP’s purported 1.8 million-strong youth movement, a promotion that one analyst called a “preparation” for Manet to one day lead the nation. Manet, 42, was promoted from vice president to head of the party’s youth wing by the CPP Central Committee’s 34-member standing committee, which is led by Hun Sen, according to a party statement dated Monday. His promotion was made based on Manet’s professional capacity, a request from the assignment committee and a recommendation from the standing committee, which consists of senior party leaders, including Manet himself, said the announcement and CPP spokesman Sok Eysan. – The Cambodia Daily