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.
Coronavirus: Singapore looks well placed to further ease restrictions, say experts
Although Covid-19 cases in the community have crept up since the country exited its circuit breaker last week, this is not cause for alarm, because the numbers reflect aggressive testing and "hidden reservoirs" of infection, rather than an increase in cases due to the easing of measures. Ten days since Singapore began reopening schools, and some economic activities and services resumed, the situation remains in check, said Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. "I do not see anything that is out of the norm, and (the data) reflects a situation that remains under control," he said. At this rate, Singapore is well placed to move from phase one to phase two of its reopening, which would mean a further easing of restrictions to allow even more businesses and social activities to resume, said Prof Teo and other experts interviewed. – The Straits Times
Would-be pilgrims accept haj decision
Those who were supposed to perform their haj this year have taken the news of the postponement of the annual event in their stride. Rasmi Wajana, 68, from Tawau, Sabah, said although disappointed, she believed it was necessary for the safety of the pilgrims. "This year was supposed to be my turn after waiting for eight years. "This decision was not easy for everyone but it had to be made," said Rasmi, who was supposed to perform the haj with her son, Darwis Riduan, 48. Although she had spent close to RM20,000 on the trip, she would not ask for a refund as she wanted to secure a place in the pilgrimage next year. "I want to keep my money in Tabung Haji (TH) and hope to be selected again next year. Everything happens for a reason," she said. A representative from MKM Ticketing Travel and Tours, which handles haj packages, said it had anticipated the deferment. – New Straits Times
How has Thailand kept the lid on Covid?
It’s a mystery, although a very welcome one. The novel coronavirus has infected more than seven million people around the globe, and killed more than 400,000 of them. Yet Thailand, which was the first country to record an infection outside China, has so far been relatively unscathed. No new cases were recorded on Thursday, leaving the accumulated total at 3,121 – 2,987 of whom have recovered. Just 58 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak began in January. How has the kingdom escaped the horror that has gripped much of the world? On the evening of June 10, a panel of experts convened at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand to discuss possible explanations. – Bangkok Post
COVID-19 task force to trace contacts of dead ‘ojek’ driver after mugging
The Surabaya COVID-19 task force in East Java will trace the contacts of DAW, a 39-year-old app-based motorcycle taxi (ojek) driver, who died in an accident following an attempted mugging. Surabaya COVID-19 task force deputy chief Irvan Widiyanto said the team had been testing DAW’s family members and the drivers who came to the funeral to determine if they had caught the illness. “We are still looking for people who came to the location. After we find them, we will conduct rapid tests on them because the deceased reportedly tested positive,” Irvan said, as quoted by kompas.com. DAW died on June 4 after an unidentified group of people attempted to mug him on Jl. Darmo Harapan Sukomanunggal in Surabaya, East Java. Medical workers later found that he was positive for COVID-19 and planned to bury him according to COVID-19 protocol. – The Jakarta Post
On Independence Day, ex-chief justice Sereno urges Filipinos to fight for rights
Former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Friday urged Filipinos to continue fighting for their rights “so we might truly become ‘the sovereign Filipino people’ envisioned by the Constitution.” Sereno made the call as the country celebrates its 122nd Independence Day—with various groups holding physical protests despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and bad weather brought by Tropical Depression “Butchoy.” “I encourage my fellow citizens, especially the youth, to continue fighting for the rights of our people so we might truly become ‘the sovereign Filipino people’ envisioned by the Constitution, who in full faith implore the ‘aid of Almighty God’ to help us establish a ‘just and humane society’,” Sereno said in a statement. – Philippine Daily Inquirer
Việt Nam opposes China's illegal activities in East Sea
Việt Nam has condemned China’s reported laying of submarine cables in the Hoàng Sa (Paracel) archipelago as illegal and invalid. Foreign ministry spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng made the statement on Thursday during a briefing in Hà Nội in response to reports from vessel tracking software and satellite imagery indicating a Chinese ship might be conducting installing undersea cables in the area. “Việt Nam has sufficient historical evidence and legal basis to assert its sovereignty over the Hoàng Sa (Paracel) and Trường Sa (Spratly) archipelagos in line with international laws,” Hằng said. – Viet Nam News
Card swapping: The Mekong countries’ problem with activist kidnapping
These were the words of Sitanan, sister of Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit, in a phone interview on June 10. The frustration and anguish in her voice transcended the language barrier, evident even before Globe reporter Wanpen Pajai had begun translating. While Sitanan may hope that Wanchalearm is the last forced disappearance associated with Thailand, the reality is that politically motivated abductions remain commonplace across the Mekong subregion’s borders, and they are unlikely to end with her brother. Sitanan was the last person to speak with the 37-year-old. She was on the phone with him and heard his poignant, potentially final, words “I can’t breathe” as he was bundled into a car by armed men near his riverside home in the Phnom Penh suburb of Chroy Changvar on June 4. – The Cambodia Daily