These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Expect long winter for tourism in Singapore as recovery could take 3 to 5 years: STB chief
The tourism industry must be prepared for a long winter, as international travel could take three to five years to recover even if a vaccine for the coronavirus is developed soon. But businesses cannot go into hibernation mode if Singapore is to come roaring back as a top destination for high-value tourists when the situation begins to normalise. This was the stark message from the Singapore Tourism Board's chief executive, Mr Keith Tan, to industry members at a virtual roundtable on Thursday (Sept 24). "It will take many years, possibly three... to five years for... international visitor arrivals to return to 2019 pre-Covid-19 levels," Mr Tan said. Echoing the bleak outlook, Association of Singapore Attractions chairman Kevin Cheong urged operators that are barely hanging on to cut their losses. "If you think the light at the end of the tunnel is around the corner, this is not a corner. It is a huge turnpike," said Dr Cheong. STB's Mr Tan said the Government will do its best to aid the industry, such as by s
timulating local demand through its domestic tourism campaign and spending vouchers. He also urged firms to develop offerings that can help differentiate Singapore as a travel destination, saying that support will be available to sustain these capabilities. – The Straits Times
A lean year for City Hall
A lean year may be on the cards for Kuala Lumpur City Hall after it registered RM700 to RM800 million in lost revenue so far. The council is also RM1 billion short of its initial revenue projection for 2020. Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan said this, among others, was due to the six-month rental relief programme for residents in its public housing flats and traders operating in the authority's premises, as well as a major drop in the collection of assessment taxes. "The RM700-RM800 million losses were mostly captured from March to now. As of August 31, we have collected RM1.5 billion. This is a major reduction from what we projected earlier." In 2019, while announcing the budget, Nor Hisham said that a revenue collection of RM2.523 billion was projected, including RM1.24 billion (49.1 per cent) from assessment taxes. The projection was a 2.3 per cent increase from 2019's budget of RM2.466 billion, excluding funds from the government and others, while the total allocation for the 2020 budget was RM2.972 billion. Nor Hisham said the council has not terminated any of its staff but management expenditure has been slashed extensively. "At the beginning of the year, we had planned to hire around 1,000 people to fill up vacancies of those who have retired and so on, but we only recruited 500. While we are understaffed, the work needs to continue so the staff now have additional duties and roles." He said City Hall had also hired those who had been retrenched to fill in critical vacancies. In his 2019 budget speech, Nor Hisham had said that the 2020 spending was divided into management expenditure at RM1.826 billion and development expenditure at RM1.146 billion. – New Straits Times
Govt to step up haze battle
The government is aiming to curb man-made bushfires, a key factor in the seasonal haze in 17 northern provinces, by tackling the root causes, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Thursday. These include poaching and encroachment on forest land by farmers, he said. Gen Prayut was speaking at a meeting with governors of the 17 provinces affected by the seasonal haze in Chiang Rai's Muang district yesterday. "It's important to eradicate the root cause of wildfires that result from villagers' way of life," he said. "And more farming space should be provided to farmers who need it to protect natural resources from being destroyed." Many villagers depend on hunting and foraging to make a living. Gen Prayut said authorities must put in a concerted effort to tackle the severity of the northern haze problem. The government plans to support the fight to prevent wildfires by supplying local people and organisations with new technologies such as tools to find water sources for agriculture purposes, he said. Mobile applications, designed to help combat wildfires, will also be distributed to local authorities to help resolve these problems and improve their work coordination, the PM said. Each province should have a single command headed by the provincial governor to fight wildfires and haze. He also stressed the importance of cooperation between state agencies, adding members of the public should help raise awareness about wildfires. – Bangkok Post
Danger at home: Families urged to avoid gatherings as new clusters emerge
Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Bintang Puspayoga has urged families to avoid hosting or attending family gatherings. “We highly recommend that all families in Indonesia refrain from taking part in large family gatherings amid the pandemic,” Bintang said as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday. Bintang suggested that families instead interact with each other online. She said she had been summoned by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo following the emergence of COVID-19 infection clusters in families. Jokowi ordered her to continue proclaiming the importance of upholding health protocol in public, especially within extended families. “Our campaign includes promoting the importance of wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining physical distance. This needs to be [communicated on a massive scale] with the help of those who focus on women’s issues and Family Welfare Movement (PKK) members,” Bintang said. She advised people to wear masks inside their homes, especially if some family members are particularly vulnerable. “Women as the household managers should always remind their family members to wear masks at all times, even inside the house,” she said. Previously, the COVID-19 task force in Depok, West Java, revealed that the region had seen new family clusters that had been caused by residents working outside of Depok and bringing the virus home. An official of the Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Agency said the agency would disperse public wedding receptions held in the capital city amid the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) policy. – The Jakarta Post
PNP rescues 4 minors from cybersex operator
The Philippine National Police (PNP) Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC) rescued four minors who were allegedly exploited by a cybersex operator for paying customers abroad. In a statement on Friday, the WCPC said a six-year-old boy and three girls aged 9, 10, and 17 years old were rescued in a police operation in Taguig City on Thursday. The rescue operation was conducted by the Taguig City Police’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division led by Col. Maria Sheila Portento together with the Taguig City Social Welfare and Development Office and International Justice Mission. MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC) rescued four minors who were allegedly exploited by a cybersex operator for paying customers abroad. In a statement on Friday, the WCPC said a six-year-old boy and three girls aged 9, 10, and 17 years old were rescued in a police operation in Taguig City on Thursday. The rescue operation was conducted by the Taguig City Police’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division led by Col. Maria Sheila Portento together with the Taguig City Social Welfare and Development Office and International Justice Mission. The WCPC added that they arrested one suspect, who is one of the victim’s relatives. The identities of the victims and the arrested suspect were not disclosed by police to protect the children. In the same statement, Portento said the children were forced to perform sexual acts in front of a camera. They were then watched online. Police said the viewers send payments using cash transfers and other online platforms. “The videos and photos are also often sold and resold online repeatedly, or shared openly, perpetuating the abuse,” said Portento. – INQUIRER.net
Bright prospects for fisheries sector in final quarter
The COVID-19 pandemic could provide a good opportunity for the Vietnamese fisheries sector to increase its share in oversea markets, especially with foreign rivals engulfed by lockdowns or other forms of restrictions, experts have said. Braving certain difficulties, fishery exports had shown signs of recovery with export orders rising more than 10 per cent recently, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). State management agencies and seafood exporters both predict better business prospects in the last three months as the demand for fishery products post-pandemic in both domestic and overseas markets will increase sharply. Ngô Tường Lan, deputy secretary general of the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said COVID-19 was an opportunity for the domestic fishery industry to adapt and develop. Việt Nam’s rivals such as India, Indonesia and Ecuador are under lockdown and quarantines to combat the pandemic, which has driven their production and exports down by 30-50 per cent. “This is a great opportunity for Vietnamese seafood exporters to increase their market shares,” Lan told a recent conference on promoting seafood production and consumption. Particularly, the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will open doors to the EU, along with a recovery in other important markets like China, Japan and the United States. Under the EVFTA, about 220 fishery products will enjoy tariff lines ranging from zero to 22 per cent, most of the high tax lines of 6-22 per cent will be reduced to zero per cent immediately after the agreement takes effect and the remaining tax lines will be phased out after 3-7 years. – Viet Nam News
PM Hun Sen asks Russia to help provide COVID-19 vaccine to Cambodia
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday asked Russia to provide COVID-19 vaccine to Cambodia in a move to stem spread of the virus across the country. This proposal was made during a meeting between Mr Hun Sen and Anatoly Borovik, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Cambodia. Mr Hun Sen said on his Facebook page that Cambodia congratulates Russia on the discovery of the COVID-19 vaccine. He added that the discovery of the COVID-19 vaccine could help the world fight the disease, which is facing a number of challenges, including socio-economic issues and the relations between many countries in the world. Ministry of Health spokeswoman Or Vandine told Khmer Times yesterday that it’s good that the prime minister is asking for a vaccine from Russia, which is a friend. If Russia decides to give us [Cambodia] the vaccine, it depends on the decision of the government. “The ministry abides by the head of government’s instructions and recommendations,” she said. “The requests can be made because this is in Cambodia’s interest, and the provision of the vaccine is not immediately available, and we are continuing to see the effectiveness of the vaccine.” On August 11, Russia announced the launch of their COVID-19 vaccine, after human trials in May. According to Reuters, Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed the success and announced that Russia is the first country in the world to allow the use of the world’s first new respiratory vaccine after a trial on May 17. – Khmer Times