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: Four students and school teacher among new cases in the community
Four students and a school teacher among the 20 community cases announced on Tuesday. The students are from Bedok View Secondary School, East Spring Primary School, Jurong West Primary School and Jurong West Secondary School, while the teacher is from Assumption Pathway School, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a statement. The four students are linked to household infections and were on home quarantine orders before they were later swabbed as close contacts of their household members. These students were well when they were last in school the previous week and investigations are currently under way for the teacher. Beyond existing safe management measures, MOE said the affected schools have implemented additional precautions, including a thorough cleaning and disinfection of school premises. About 60 students and 10 staff each in Assumption Pathway School, East Spring Primary School, Jurong West Primary School and Jurong West Secondary School who were in contact with the confirmed cases have been issued a 14-day leave of absence by MOE or home quarantine order by MOH. – The Straits Times
Bukit Bintang wild party: Teens among those nabbed
Police arrested 21 individuals, including upper secondary students, who attended a wild party at a service apartment in Bukit Bintang here early Saturday morning. Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Mohd Fahmi Visuvanathan Abdullah said those arrested in the 4.30am raid were aged between 15 and 40. He said during the raid, police investigated 34 individuals, including 28 men and six women at the residence. "Of the total, 21 people were found to be positive for methamphetamine. Those found to be negative for urine tests were released unconditionally," he said in a statement today. One of those arrested was a private college student. "As for those underaged who were arrested, they were remanded for two days starting last Sunday and the rest were remanded until today (July 7)," he said. The case is being investigated under Section 15 (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. – New Straits Times
'Travel bubbles' plan tipped to be put on ice
Travel bubbles are likely to be delayed after several countries eyed for the scheme have seen a resurgence of Covid-19 cases, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). CAAT director-general Chula Sukmanop said even though talks about travel bubble arrangements are being thrashed out with a number of countries including China, Japan and South Korea, the scheme will be put on hold due to a spike in infections. He said Thailand will be closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation this month. The government has come up with a plan to launch travel bubbles with several countries with low coronavirus risk and initially the arrangements were to be adopted with the first group of international leisure travellers in August at the earliest. – Bangkok Post
Sumatran orangutan released into wild after testing negative for COVID-19
The North Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) recently released a 13-year-old Sumatran Orangutan into Mount Leuser National Park in Langkat regency, North Sumatra. The animal was the first orangutan released into the wild during the COVID-19 pandemic. Agency head Hotmauli Sianturi said the orangutan, named Maria, was released on Saturday under the strict health protocols to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. "All the officers who were directly involved in the release had tested negative for COVID-19. Before she was released, officials from the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) Primate Research Center tested Maria for coronavirus using a PCR test, and the result came back negative," Hotmauli told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. – The Jakarta Post
Top Manila prosecutor shot dead, becomes 50th in list of slain lawyers, judges
The inquest division chief of the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office was killed on his way to work in a hail of bullets that ripped through his car on Tuesday, police said. Jovencio Senados, 62, who was being driven from his home in Calamba City, Laguna province, died outright from multiple bullet wounds inside his vehicle on Quirino Avenue around 11 a.m. The inquest prosecutor was sitting beside his driver, Feljie Bagares, his nephew. Bagares was unharmed but complained that his ears hurt from the loud gunfire. Senados was the 50th victim of deadly attacks on lawyers, prosecutors and judges under the Duterte administration, according to the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL). – INQUIRER.net
Ministry calls for drastic measures to control dengue fever
Dengue fever infections could spike nationwide if drastic measures to control the disease are not taken, the Ministry of Health has warned. According to the ministry, since the beginning of this year, dengue fever has been reported in almost all localities in Việt Nam. By the middle of last month, nearly 30,000 dengue cases had been reported in 58 provinces and cities, of which, three people in the provinces of Bình Định, Bình Phước and Tây Ninh died of the disease. Up to this week, 12 provinces and cities across the country, namely Nghệ An, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, Thừa Thiên-Huế, Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Phú Yên, Khánh Hoà, Bến Tre, HCM City and Hà Nội, reported new dengue cases weekly. In the last six months, Hà Nội confirmed 634 dengue cases in 28 out of 30 its districts and 198 out of 579 communes/wards. – Viet Nam News
Students Worry About the National Examination Amid School Closures and Online Teaching
Weeks before the national high school examinations, students would have likely been poring over their textbooks, revising lessons, and meeting with teachers and classmates to prepare for the important test ahead. That is not the case this year because students are still unaware of when these examinations will be held, which are usually conducted in late July or early August. As the number of novel coronavirus cases increased in Cambodia, the Education Ministry decided to close schools indefinitely on March 14, to prevent the spread of the virus, which has so far resulted in 141 positive cases and zero deaths. VOA Khmer spoke to students that are nonetheless moving ahead with their preparations for the annual test. They are busy flicking between Telegram groups and Zoom calls, discussing their notes with friends and attempting to understand the syllabus. – The Cambodia Daily