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.
Sri Lankan inmate with Covid-19 was jailed for overstaying, hospitalised for dengue
The Sri Lankan prison inmate who was the sole community case on Monday (Aug 3) had served a four-week jail sentence for overstaying in Singapore without a valid pass and was awaiting repatriation when he tested positive for Covid-19. He was also admitted to Changi General Hospital during his jail term for dengue and went for a related medical review at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital after his sentence ended. This is according to replies by the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Tuesday night regarding queries from The Straits Times on the 26-year-old inmate. Noting that he is currently well, they said that the man had undergone at least three swab tests during his stay at Changi Prison Complex and had had his temperature taken three times a day while he was in ICA's custody. It is unclear where he was infected with the coronavirus, but he has been classified by the Ministry of Health as a local community case. The man arrived in Singapore on Jan 2 on a short-term visit pass and was arrested by ICA on June 30 for being in the country without a valid pass, said SPS and ICA. – The Straits Times
Parliament to discuss foreign workers, flying car today
The government's efforts to reduce the country's dependence on foreign workers as well as the progress in the development of the flying car industry are among topics to be discussed during the Parliament sitting today. According to the Order of the Meeting on the Parliament official website, the issue on employment of foreign workers, who dominate the manufacturing and construction sectors, will be raised by Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (BN-Baling) to the Minister of Human Resources during the oral question and answer session. Abdul Azeez is also expected to ask on the outcome of efforts made by the government to reduce unemployment among locals following the Covid-19 pandemic. The issue on the flying car will be raised by Datuk Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli (PH-Lumut) through a question to Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development. There will also be a question by Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PAS-Kuala Krai) to the Minister of Environment and Water on the rationale of having a special ministry to be responsible for environment and water. He also wants to know the ministry's main focus and objectives. The Parliament sitting, which enters the 14th day today, will also continue the winding up of the debate of the royal address by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong by seven ministries. – New Straits Times
PM vows to change charter
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has vowed to push for constitutional amendments, saying the government will present its own version of a charter rewrite bill in the next parliamentary session. Speaking after a cabinet meeting, the prime minister said his position has been to support the House committee assigned to study charter amendments. If and when the opposition submits a charter change bill to parliament, the government will also present its version, Gen Prayut said. "We will have to wait for the proposals from the committee. The government is already preparing its own version of the bill. I expect that constitutional amendments will be considered at the next parliament session. The government is ready to cooperate fully," Gen Prayut said. The premier's move comes amid mounting calls for controversial charter changes, particularly from the opposition and student activists. – Bangkok Post
Bio Farma ready to produce 250 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by year’s end: Minister Erick
State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir, who also helms the national economic and COVID-19 recovery committee, has claimed that state pharmaceutical holding company PT Bio Farma is ready to produce 250 million doses of the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine per year by the end of 2020. “I have ensured that Bio Farma is ready to produce 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine per year, and by the end of the year will be able to produce 250 million doses per year,” Erick said during an inspection of Bio Farma’s laboratories and production facilities in Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday, as quoted in a statement. He said the committee had focused on doubling the availability of vaccines and therapies as they were crucial in accelerating the national recovery process. The Sinovac vaccine is among the most promising candidate vaccines in the country. Bio Farma president director Honesti Basyir said last month that the company had expected to distribute 40 million doses of the vaccine per year as soon as the government authorized its widespread usage. – The Jakarta Post
P15 billion went to PhilHealth ‘syndicate’ – whistle-blower
About P15 billion of the funds of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) fattened the wallets of a “syndicate’’ in the state-run health insurer in 2019 alone, according to a former antifraud officer of the corporation, who called it the “crime of the year.” Lawyer Thorrsson Montes Keith told a Senate hearing on Tuesday that all members of PhilHealth’s executive committee composed the “mafia,” which had been allegedly defrauding the corporation for the past several years. “My primary job as antifraud legal officer of PhilHealth is to spy on corrupt personnel … What I have discovered in PhilHealth may be called ‘crime of the year,’” said Keith, who quit his post on July 23. “I believe, based on my investigation, that the (public) money that had been wasted or stolen was more or less P15 billion,” he said, likening the rampant questionable transactions in PhilHealth to a pandemic. – INQUIRER.net
COVID-19 outbreak brought under control in central region: Deputy PM
The new COVID-19 outbreaks in Danang City and Quang Nam have been brought under control, but the number of infection cases will continue to rise, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. The number of deaths related to the disease will also increase in the coming days. These are patients in critical conditions, requiring dialysis and emergency resuscitation, according to the committee. Speaking at a meeting of the committee on Tuesday, Tran Dac Phu, former director of the Preventive Medicine Department, said based on the sample testing of infected cases and through epidemiological investigations, the number of cases in the community was not high. Six cases have so far been detected and there have been no cases of infection from these patients. All cases were linked to the three hospitals in Danang, he said. Sample testing in Ha Noi, HCM City and some major medical facilities showed that no COVID-19 infection cases have gone undetected in the community, except for cases related to Danang. – Viet Nam News
Gov’t pressures KTV, nightclubs to remain closed
Municipal and provincial authorities are doubling down on their efforts to enforce virus prevention measures by actively enforcing the temporary suspension of karaoke parlours and nightclubs, a directive that was first issued by the government on March 17. If business owners do not comply, their businesses will be closed. Siem Reap provincial deputy police chief Soeun Sen told The Post on Monday that 10 large karaoke parlours, 16 beer gardens, seven nightclubs, and three cinemas have been closed in the province, in line with Ministry of Health guidelines. Prime Minister Hun Sen recently advised karaoke parlour and nightclub operators to shift to simple restaurants to stay open, he said. He said three karaoke parlours in the Kingdom had been disguising themselves as restaurants to stay open. “We closed those locations and made the owners stop their actions. If they continue to open, we will close their businesses,” Sen said. He said that the authorities are continuing to follow the government’s advice by forcing karaoke parlours and nightclubs to suspend their businesses. – The Phnom Penh Post