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.
48-year-old man who recovered from Covid-19 dies after fainting at temporary housing site for migrant workers
The Republic has recorded its 11th case of a patient who tested positive for the coronavirus but died from other causes. The Ministry of Health (MOH) in its Tuesday evening (June 23) update said a 48-year-old male Indian national who was earlier assessed to have already recovered from the coronavirus died from ischaemic heart disease. He fainted on Tuesday morning at a temporary housing site for migrant workers and was taken to the emergency department at Singapore General Hospital. He tested positive for Covid-19 on May 15. MOH has said that only cases where the primary or underlying cause of death is attributed to Covid-19 are added to the official death count. "This is consistent with international practice for classifying deaths," it said. – The Straits Times
Students glad to return to face-to-face learning again
Students are relieved they are finally able to return to school, though with stringent standard operating procedures (SOP) to follow. After being away since March due to the Covid-19 outbreak, students are anxious and happy at the same time, to return to face-to-face learning again. A Form Five student of SMK Anderson here, Usamah Ariffin Abdullah said he believed face-to-face teaching was more effective than online learning. "I have no mobile phone and I need to borrow it from my mother. It's hard to concentrate at home and I keep getting interrupted whenever lessons are online," he said. Usman who had his right leg amputated after being involving in an accident two years ago stressed that e-learning could never compare with physical classes. "I am glad that schools are now open and I can meet my friends too. I have no problem following all the SOPs set by the government," he said. – New Straits Times
Airlines to get new relief measures
Aircraft parking charges will be waived and a discount on landing and take-off fees offered to all domestic and international airlines in the latest relief package approved for aviation operators, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). The package was given the green light at a Civil Aviation Committee (CAC) meeting chaired by Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob on Tuesday. The move improves on relief measures provided at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic to help airlines save on expenses, that had included a 50% discount on parking fees. Parking fees are now free until the situation returns to normal, CAAT director-general Chula Sukmanop said on Tuesday. – Bangkok Post
COVID-19: PSBB unlikely to be reinstated as Surabaya mayor claims infections on 'downward trend'
Surabaya, the capital of East Java, continues to defy calls to reinstate large-scale restrictions (PSBB), which were officially lifted earlier this month, despite the continued increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city. Home to some 2.8 million people, Indonesia's second largest city accounts for nearly half of East Java's more than 10,000 confirmed cases, emerging as a new epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak following a surge of new cases starting from the end of last month. Despite the steady rise in cases, Surabaya and its satellites cities of Sidoarjo and Gresik, decided to lift their PSBB measures on June 8. Instead, the local administration has shifted its focus to reopening a number of sectors to keep the economy afloat, insisting that the latest numbers reflected a “downward trend” in the number of coronavirus cases recorded in the region. – The Jakarta Post
Virus side-lines iconic Philippine jeepneys, drivers
The Philippines’ iconic passenger jeepney was one of the first casualties of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, with the government imposing a tight lockdown that side-lined Manila’s “king of the road” and its thousands of poor drivers. The restrictions imposed three months ago barred most public transport, forcing the gaudily decorated jeepneys off the road. Many of the jobless drivers have resorted to begging in the streets, displaying cardboard signs bearing pleas for money and food on their jeepneys. “A little help please for us drivers,” one sign said. In a once-bustling passenger terminal in Quezon City’s Tandang Sora village, about 35 drivers have turned their jeepneys into tiny shelters. They squeezed in cooking stoves, a few spare clothes, cell phone chargers and electric fans to fight off the tropical heat and mosquitoes in the cramped passenger compartment where they have now lived and slept for months. – Philippine Daily Inquirer
PM asks for renewable energy priority
All economic sectors could take part in electricity generation in association with environmental protection, the Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said, with priority being given to renewable energy. Presiding over a regular Government meeting in Hà Nội on Monday on the development mechanisms of power sources and networks, Phúc applauded efforts made by the electricity sector to ensure sufficient power supply for production and daily activities during the summer period. “Power generation must follow market rules, so it is important to ensure competitive power prices,” Phúc said. Phúc asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant agencies to ensure power supply and the safety of electricity networks during national development. The ministry was asked to develop detailed plans which clearly pointed out responsibilities of individuals or organisations in case the power supply was insufficient or disrupted. – Viet Nam News
A Year On, Workers Still Haunted By Sihanoukville Building Collapse
Construction workers, their families and civil society groups on Sunday commemorated the collapse of a building in the coastal city of Sihanoukville last June, with some workers refusing to resume work in the sector. The building, which was owned by a Chinese national, collapsed on June 22, killing 28 workers and injuring 26 others. Construction worker union Building and Wood Workers Trade Union Federation of Cambodia held a commemorative and religious service on Sunday to remember the deceased. Sok Kin, who heads the union, said that little had changed for construction workers across the country, estimating that 70 to 80 percent of workers had no access to safety equipment, such as harnesses, gloves and hard hats, at the worksite. – The Cambodia Daily