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: 265,000 foreign workers get the nod to restart work
The Covid-19 restrictions had forced firms in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors to halt work since April, with many still unable to fully resume operations. But the dark days in all three sectors have begun to recede. As of Tuesday, 265,000 foreign workers in the sectors have been given the green light to return to work, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Of these, 180,000 are residents in dormitories. This is a 73 per cent increase from a fortnight ago, when just 104,000 workers from these sectors in dorms were allowed to do so, the MOM said in a statement on Tuesday (Aug 4). In a separate update on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health added that the authorities remain on track to clear all foreign worker dormitories of Covid-19 by Friday. But 17 standalone blocks in eight purpose-built dormitories will continue to serve as quarantine facilities. They currently house about 9,700 workers, the authorities said. – The Straits Times
Rosmah's trial vacated as her lawyer is unwell after suffering a fall
Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's corruption trial was vacated today after her lawyer said he needed to go to the hospital after suffering from a fall at his condominium last night. Azrul Zulkifli Stork informed High Court Judge Mohamad Zaini Mazlan at the onset of the hearing that he was in pain and would not be able to start with the cross examination of a key prosecution witness in the case, Saidi Abang Samsudin - who is the managing director of Jepak Holdings Bhd. "I would like to apply for the hearing to be vacated today as I need to go to the hospital," he said. Lead Senior Prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram did not object to the application. "If he is unwell then he is unwell...I have no objection," he said. Zaini later fixed August 17 for the continuation of the trial. Rosmah, 69, is on trial for soliciting RM187.5 million from Jepak Holdings to help the company secure a RM1.25 billion project to supply solar hybrid energy to 369 schools in the interior of Sarawak. She is also accused of receiving RM5 million and another RM1.5 million in 2016 and 2017 respectively to ensure the company got the project. – New Straits Times
Vorayuth warrant still in place
The arrest warrant for Red Bull scion Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya has yet to be revoked as previously requested by the police, Vicha Mahakun, who heads the independent panel examining the 2012 hit-and-run case confirmed on Wednesday. He was speaking after a second meeting of the panel, set up as ordered by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha amid public outrage over public prosecutors' decision to not indict Mr Vorayuth. The panel had learned from the chief judge of Southern Bangkok Criminal Court that police had requested the warrant be cancelled but the step was opposed by a group led by former Bangkok senator Rosana Tositrakul who petitioned the court against the police's request. The court had therefore asked the police to withdraw their request, which they eventually did, said Mr Vicha. Especially now that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has announced new evidence in the hit-and-run case and that a fresh probe was likely to be ordered, the warrant should not be revoked, he said. – Bangkok Post
Airlangga University expels student over 'sexual mummification' of multiple victims
Airlangga University (Unair) in Surabaya, East Java, has officially expelled a student who had reportedly tricked multiple victims into performing an act known as “bondage mummification” under the pretence of academic research. In a statement published on Wednesday, the university acknowledged that the accused student, Gilang, had committed sexual assault on the victims. Prior to his expulsion, the Unair rector, Mohammad Nasih, and its ethics committee had conducted an online meeting with Gilang's family, in which the latter admitted his actions and expressed regret. The case, which gained public attention after several first-person accounts of the allegations made the rounds on Twitter, had tarnished the university's reputation, said the rector. "We think this case [involving] G has caused immense damage to Unair's reputation as a state university that upholds excellence with moral values," Nasih said, referring to Gilang by his initial, in a statement posted on Unair's official website. – The Jakarta Post
PhilHealth officials ordered to present SALNs in House probe
A House of Representatives panel that opened its own investigation of alleged irregularities and corruption in Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Wednesday directed more than a dozen of the state health insurer’s top officials to disclose their assets and net worth as part of a lifestyle check. “It is critical that we see their SALN (statement of assets, liabilities and net worth) in order for us to see the real situation of PhilHealth,” said Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor, who led the inquiry by the House committee of public accounts. The move followed a testimony in the Senate’s own inquiry on Tuesday by a former PhilHealth antifraud legal officer who said members of the health insurer’s executive committee were part of a “mafia” or “syndicate” that allegedly made off with P15 billion in company funds. Lawyer Thorrsson Montes Keith earlier alleged that PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales had become a “coddler” of the syndicate. Morales denied the allegation. – INQUIRER.net
Ninth person in Vietnam dies of COVID-19 complications
Another patient has died of COVID-19-related complications, the ninth fatality in Vietnam so far. The latest person to succumb to the disease is a 67-year-old woman from Duy Xuyen District in the central province of Quang Nam, also connected to the coronavirus hot spot in Danang. The death was announced on Thursday morning by Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son. The woman had a number of underlying medical conditions including a history of renal failure, lupus and type 2 diabetes. On July 18 she was taken to the emergency room at the Department of Nephrology, Danang Hospital. The patient was later transferred to the Family Hospital. She tested positive for COVID-19 on August 2 and her condition worsened over the next two days. On Tuesday, she was placed on a ventilator to help her breath but two days later slipped into a deep coma and was pronounced dead in the early hours of Thursday morning. – Viet Nam News
Women, Activists Decry Decency Clauses in Draft Public Order Law
An Interior Ministry official on Wednesday said the draft Law on Public Order, which rights advocates say looks to control Cambodians’ behaviours, does not prevent women from wearing revealing or see-through clothing, and was being misrepresented. Rights advocates, Cambodian women, and social media users have strongly criticized a section of the draft law that looks to govern the clothing worn by people, by preventing men from being topless and women from wearing see-through or revealing clothes. The article falls under the “National Tradition and Dignity” section of the draft legislation, which also restricts artistic expression. – The Cambodia Daily