These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Several malls across the island visited by infectious Covid-19 patients
Several malls across the island - VivoCity, Lucky Plaza, AMK Hub and Paya Lebar Square - were among the latest places visited by infectious Covid-19 patients, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday (Sept 7). Also newly added to the list of locations that coronavirus patients visited were Gardens by the Bay, ICA Building, Mustafa Centre and E!Hub @ Downtown East. MOH provides the list of locations that infectious Covid-19 patients visited for at least 30 minutes and the times they visited them to get people who were at those places at the same time to monitor their health closely for two weeks from the date of their visit. The full list of locations and times can be found on MOH's website. It has said that close contacts would already have been notified and that there is no need to avoid these places, as they would have been cleaned if necessary. On Monday, MOH announced 22 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest daily figure in more than five months since March 16, when there were 17 cases. Among the 22 was one patient in the community, who is currently unlinked. The 35-year-old Bangladeshi man was detected as a result of rostered routine testing of workers in the construction, marine and process sectors who live outside dormitories, even though he did not show symptoms. – The Straits Times
Air Selangor: Water supply in 1,156 areas fully restored
Water supply in 1,156 areas or 89.47 per cent of the 1,292 locations affected by unscheduled water cuts in the Klang Valley has been fully restored as of 6.30am today. Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) corporate communications head Elina Baseri said the remaining 136 areas are still in the recovery process. She said Petaling had recorded 95.72 per cent restoration; Gombak (94.89 per cent); Kuala Lumpur (85.02 per cent); Klang/Shah Alam (59.32 per cent) while Hulu Selangor, Kuala Langat and Kuala Selangor had achieved 100 per cent restoration of supply. "Eight areas still have not achieved full recovery although they are listed in areas (Petaling, Klang/Shah Alam, Gombak and Kuala Lumpur) which should have fully recovered at midnight, Sept 7, while 54 affected areas still have not received their supplies which should be restored at midnight, Sept 8. "Consumers are advised not to store and use water excessively to ensure that the recovery process in areas still affected by disruptions can proceed smoothly according to the restoration plan of Air Selangor," she said in a statement today. She said Air Selangor was making efforts to stabilise the distribution system to restore supply to the affected areas. – New Straits Times
Border areas on high alert after Covid cases surge in Myanmar
The Ministry of Public Health is still worried about Covid-19 infections in Myanmar following predictions that the virus could reach the Thai-Myanmar border in the next two weeks. The director of the Division of Communicable Diseases, Sophon Iamsirithavorn, said the Covid-19 situation in Myanmar was a great concern as the country was now reporting more than 100 cases per day in many cities. The disease had started to spread from Rakhine state on the west coast to the central region, he said, and although Myanmar's Covid-19 hotspots were still far from Thailand, it was forecast that the virus would spread to the border areas in two weeks' time. Dr Sophon said stringent measures had already been put in place along the border. Regarding South Korea's report of a 50-year-old infected man who had just returned from Thailand, he said officials in Bangkok had requested the person's details from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea so they could investigate the infection. Three Cambodian men were arrested while crawling under razor wire fences from Poipet in Cambodia and all were immediately screened for the virus. They admitted trying to sneak into Thailand to sell goods at the market, saying they used to be stall vendors there but the pandemic had prevented them from re-entering Thailand for more than four months. – Bangkok Post
COVID-19 protocol violators in Probolinggo made to sit in hearse with casket
The Probolinggo COVID-19 task force in East Java has ordered dozens of people at Maron Market to get into a hearse containing a casket used for transporting COVID-19 patients' bodies, after they were caught not wearing a mask. Some 50 sellers and customers took turns to stay in the ambulance for several minutes on Monday as a social punishment. "We punished 50 sellers and customers at Maron Market by making them stay in a hearse," the task force's security and law enforcement coordinator, Ugas Irwanto, told kompas.com on Monday. Prior to entering the hearse, the task force gave the violators face masks. Inside the hearse, Ugas added, violators were asked to reflect on their actions. The task force also reminded them how the COVID-19 pandemic had taken a lot of lives. The task force also imposed several other forms of punishment. "We ordered vendors to close down their shop for a week, confiscated violators' IDs for three months, and asked some of them to clean the market and open sewers," Ugas said. He said the task force would visit 34 other markets in Probolinggo in the next week to ensure residents remained disciplined in following the health protocols. As per Monday, Probolinggo had recorded 559 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 139 active cases, 393 recoveries, and 27 fatalities. – The Jakarta Post
Full disclosure sought on Manila Bay white sand project
An environmental group on Monday urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to fully disclose the studies and results of consultations they had carried out before proceeding to develop an artificial white sand beach on the rocky shore of Manila Bay. In a statement, EcoWaste Coalition said the DENR and the DPWH should make public all information on the steps they had taken that led to the government’s decision to spend P389 million in taxpayer money to build the artificial beach. Pending the disclosure, the group said, the two departments should stop developing the project, given evidence showing that dolomite – a type of calcium magnesium carbonate mineral pulverized to make the artificial white sand – can cause respiratory illnesses and is categorized as a potential carcinogen. “As the public has the right to know, we urge the DENR and the DPWH to post on their websites all pertinent documents that will provide environmental, health, legal and financial justification for pursuing this beautification project,” said Aileen Lucero, the coalition’s national coordinator. – INQUIRER.net
MoIT proposes overhaul of investment framework for power projects
The National Assembly's economic committee held a hearing on the development of Việt Nam's energy sector until 2030 yesterday. Speaking at the hearing, Trần Tuấn Anh, minister of industry and trade and leader of the ministry overlooking the energy sector, said the development of power supply was being held back by a number of shortcomings and limitations in the country's investment framework. Mustering the financial resources required to increase the country's energy supply, which was estimated at US$8-10 billion annually, has been difficult. State-owned enterprises have struggled financially, so the country must look to the private sector and foreign investors, who often require government assurances and other forms of assistance. Many key power supply projects, as a result, had experienced delays and this was likely result in a shortage of supply, Anh said, claiming barely over 60 per cent of planned output for the period would be connected to the national grid between 2020-2025. In addition, there is a mismatch in supply and demand in different regions across the country. While the northern and central regions experience an oversupply, the southern regions are often hit with shortages and can only meet 80 per cent of demand. Despite the rapid development of renewable energy, including in the central region, the national grid has not been able to handle its full output. Several solar farms in the provinces of Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận with a total combined output of 690 MW have had to cut back production. Anh said this issue would only be resolved at the end of the year when a number of infrastructure projects in the region were completed. – Viet Nam News
Preah Sihanouk gets Covid-19 lab
Preah Sihanouk province will become the second after Siem Reap to have a laboratory to test for Covid-19 after a plan was approved to build one at the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Referral Hospital. On Sunday, Minister of Health Mam Bun Heng, Minister of Environment Say Sam Al and provincial governor Kouch Chamroeun inspected the hospital in Commune IV, Sihanoukville. The laboratory is set to start construction soon. Bun Heng said the equipment for the laboratory will be shipped in from China. Provincial Department of Health director Lim Samean told The Post on Monday that the laboratory will be used to test for general diseases and Covid-19. The laboratory will eliminate the need to send samples to Phnom Penh to be analysed. An average of 200 to 300 samples are shipped from Preah Sihanouk to the capital every day. “Every day, Preah Sihanouk province still has [passenger] flights landing regularly. Sometimes we send 300 to 400 samples to test in Phnom Penh [per day]. And some days there are only 50-60 samples,” he said. Provincial hall spokesman Kheang Phearum said people travelling from abroad, including investors and tourists, especially from China, have to send their samples to be tested at the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) in Phnom Penh. “It takes at least two days to receive the results. It does not meet the necessary and practical needs in Preah Sihanouk province which is why we need the laboratory,” he said. – The Phnom Penh Post