These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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6,370 jobs available in Singapore's manufacturing sector; 1 in 10 in hard-hit marine and offshore industry
About 6,370 jobs are on offer in the manufacturing sector, with one in 10 from the hard-hit marine and offshore sub-sector. These make up over 60 per cent of the more than 10,400 job, traineeship and training opportunities available as at the middle of last month, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in its weekly jobs situation report on Monday (Nov 9). This is about double the 3,200 job openings in the sector as of the end of August. Within the sector, electronics, precision engineering and food manufacturing had the greatest number of available openings, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo at a virtual media conference. She added that it is important to give job seekers an idea of the range of options available to them, and help them to get into these openings. Of the jobs available now, seven in 10 are for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs). Electronics engineers can earn monthly salaries of between $4,300 and $6,000. The median monthly pay is $4,700. The salary for mechanical engineers is about $3,500 and $5,250 a month, with a median of $$4,150, while that of manufacturing engineering technicians is $1,700 to $2,750, with a median of $2,000. Software, web and multimedia developers are paid between $3,500 and $5,000 monthly, with a median of $4,250. About 30 per cent of the jobs available are non-PMET roles. Apart from jobs, there are about 2,710 company-hosted traineeships and attachments, as well as 1,330 training opportunities. Some 2,120 people have been placed into jobs, traineeships and training positions in the manufacturing sector as of the middle of last month, up from about 730 in end June. – The Straits Times
Almost 45,000 find employment through placement programme, MYFutureJobs
Up to 44,940 unemployed Malaysians have found jobs through the Re-employment Placement Programme and the MYFutureJobs portal, the Dewan Rakyat heard today. Deputy Human Resources Minister Awang Hashim said 95,161 applications were submitted to the portal, comprising job-seekers aged between 20 and 29, including university graduates and school-leavers. "The ministry also organised Socso Karnival Penjana on Oct 30, which saw 229 programmes held with the participation of 541 employers. A total of 4,060 graduates and other job seekers have been hired through this. "The government also conducts engagement sessions with private employers to address the issue of unemployment, especially in light of the (Covid-19) pandemic, while instructing them not to retrench their workers so easily," he said in reply to a question from Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PH-Pandan). Other initiatives, he said, include a structured internship programme, the Scholarship Talent Attraction & Retention (STAR) initiative, and the hiring incentive programme MyApprentice, as well as upskilling and reskilling training programmes. "We also assist job seekers by looking at vacancies (in government agencies) by liaising with the SPA (Public Services Commission) and JPA (Public Services Department) to place the unemployed. There are some 500,000 job opportunities available for those affected by the pandemic." Awang said the government is also taking necessary steps to create new jobs in the information technology (IT) sector, among others, following recent reports by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which outlined 10 sectors that would see job declines due to the pandemic. According to the report, the jobs include data entry, accounting, book-keeping, payroll, administration, factory work, business services and administration, management and auditing. – New Straits Times
Palace march turns ugly
Authorities on Sunday escalated tensions by using water cannon against the protesters who planned to march to the royal palace to submit a petition to His Majesty the King. Meanwhile, a network of royalist groups said they intended to submit letters to the prime minister and army chief to call for a power seizure. The anti-government protesters under the banner of "the People" gathered on Sunday afternoon at Democracy Monument to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a rewritten constitution and reform of the royal institution. Their leaders did not say where they were heading, although the Free Youth group and affiliates announced that they were going to the Grand Palace near Sanam Luang. The protesters broke through a police cordon in front of Rattanakosin Hotel before stopping in front of the Supreme Court where three public buses and barbed wire fencing had been deployed to block the roads. A water cannon truck was positioned behind. Previously the police had issued a warning that the protest group must not enter within a 150-metre radius of the palace and instead send their representatives to talk. Volunteer marshalls tried to keep the protesters about 500 metres away from a police cordon. However, at 6.20pm the protesters tried to push aside the buses that were impeding their progress to the palace. After collectively moving one bus aside, they found themselves faced with barbed wire and police vans. After 10 minutes of escalating tension, the police deployed the water cannon for a minute or two after the rallygoers ignored warnings to halt their march towards the royal residence. This time the water sprayed from the cannon was not laced with any chemicals, as had been the case during an Oct 16 event, according to members of the protest group that the Bangkok Post spoke with. Officers then apologised for the use of the water cannon but warned the protesters to keep at least 10 metres away from their cordon. However, this admission only served to further rile the crowd, who yelled taunts and obscenities as security forces struggled to keep the situation under control. Many demonstrators then moved to the open space at Sanam Luang while their leaders negotiated with a police team led by Pol Lt Gen Phukphong Phongpetra to end the stalemate. – Bangkok Post
Police collect nearly Rp 5 billion in fines from COVID-19 protocol violators
The National Police collected nearly Rp 5 billion (US$351,729) in fines from violators of the government’s COVID-19 health protocols between Sept. 14 and Nov. 5. The police were joined by the Indonesian Military (TNI) and local stakeholders to net health protocol violators through Operasi Yustisi, which aims to monitor and discipline the public over health protocols. The operation was carried out in several regions. “As of Nov. 5, our joint team has slapped violators with fines over 82,457 times, with a total value of Rp 4.8 billion,” National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Awi Setiyono said on Sunday as quoted by tempo.co. He went on to say that the police had handed the funds over to the state coffer. Read also: From sweeping to digging, Indonesia gets creative in handling violators of COVID-19 protocols In addition to fines, the police also issued nearly 10 million written and oral warnings, Awi said. The force also temporarily closed down nearly 2,000 businesses found to have violated existing health protocols. Awi said the fines and sanctions were in line with Presidential Decree No. 6/2020 on the enforcement of COVID-19 protocols. He warned that repeat offenders would eventually become subject to imprisonment. “If [an individual] continues to violate [the protocols] despite having been warned multiple times, then like it or not, we will have to enforce the law,” Awi said. Previously, the Jakarta administration reportedly collected around Rp 4 billion in fines from residents violating COVID-19 health protocols as stipulated in Gubernatorial Regulation No. 51/2020, which entered into force on June 4. – The Jakarta Post
DA assures 3-month rice supply despite typhoon damage
The Department of Agriculture (DA) assured on Monday that the country has enough supply of rice for the next three months despite the P5.6 billion damage to the agriculture sector left behind by typhoons Quinta and Rolly. “Dito sa damages ng Quinta at Rolly – ito ‘yung dalawang talagang sobrang losses natin – ay meron tayong P5.6 billion na losses sa overall agriculture, pero ang pinaka-tinamaan dito ay ‘yung sa palay,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in an interview on ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo. (Because of Quinta and Rolly, we have recorded P5.6 billion in overall damage to the agriculture sector. But the most affected were rice farms.) “Kung i-convert natin ‘yung tama sa palay sa daily consumption natin sa Pilipinas ay apat na araw lang ang bumaba. So apat na araw i-minus natin dyan sa meron tayong present inventory na 94 days, so minus four meron pa tayong tatlong buwan na sapat na bigas para sa ating bansa,” he explained. (The damage is equivalent to four days of daily rice consumption, hence, if we subtract it from the present inventory equivalent to 94 days, we still have three months of supply of rice in the country.) Dar also assured that the DA is prepared for the possible impact of the La Niña phenomenon to agriculture. He added that La Niña will even be beneficial for farmers as it is predicted to become “moderate.” “Handang-handa po tayo sa sinasabi nila na La Niña. Sabi po nila ay moderate La Niña ito. Ang ibig sabihin hindi po masyadong malakas at that will be very beneficial sa ating pagsasaka kung mayroong ulan during that period until the first quarter of next year. So, we are prepared for that,” said Dar. (We are really prepared for La Niña. They say this will be a moderate La Niña, which means rains will not be too heavy. It will be beneficial for farming if there will be rain during that period until the first quarter of next year. So, we are prepared for that.) The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration earlier said that most parts of the country will experience near to above normal rainfall conditions as the La Niña season will continue to persist until the first quarter of 2021. – INQUIRER.net
Keys to Việt Nam’s success in COVID-19 treatment
Expanding COVID-19 testing is one of four key measures that played a decisive role in treating the disease caused by the coronavirus in Việt Nam, said a top health official. Associate Professor Lương Ngọc Khuê, director of the Medical Examination and Treatment Administration under the Health Ministry said at a meeting last week that until now, there are more than 50 hospitals and institutes across the country eligible for conducting COVID-19 tests. When the pandemic was first reported in the country, only three units were allowed to offer the tests. With the expansion of the testing network, hospitals were more active in testing, thus helped save time for patients and reduced the burden on the preventive medicine sector in testing at-risk people. At the meeting on reviewing COVID-19 treatment and mapping out new tasks, Khuê, who is also Deputy Head of the Treatment Subcommittee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, pointed out drastic measures that contributed to their achievements in COVID-19 treatment. First, Khuê mentioned a reasonable patient allocation based on their health conditions. Accordingly, critically-ill patients are treated at central hospitals while healthcare centres and hospitals at lower levels – communes, districts and provinces – would deal with other patients. Secondly, Việt Nam has been regularly updating diagnostic and treatment guidelines as recommended by the World Health Organisation or treatment experience of countries around the world. The country has issued four protocols on COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment. It also considered and implemented different treatment methods including the use of antiviral and anti-malarial drugs, as well as convalescent plasma therapy. Specific healthcare guidelines were developed, for example, those for people with chronic diseases, people with disabilities and 37 criteria for safe hospitals amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Another effective measure is the establishment of the centre for management and administration to support professional diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients, Khuê said. The centre regularly organises online conferences and invites leading professors across the country to consult on serious cases, discuss optimal treatment methods for patients and share treatment and care experience. – Viet Nam News
Cambodia’s COVID-19 positive cases tally climbs yet again to 297
Two more Cambodian nationals who returned home from abroad were tested positive for COVID-19, thus bringing the tally to 297. The two were a 29-year-old male from Kien Svay district, Kandal province, and a 38-year-old male from Daun Keo city, Takeo province. They had both flown back to Cambodia from Japan via Seoul, South Korea on 26 October. Both were tested positive on the 13th day of their quarantine. The 297 confirmed cases include 185 Cambodians, 45 French, 18 Chinese, 13 Malaysians, 9 Indonesians, 7 Americans, 6 British, 3 Vietnamese, 3 Canadians, 3 Indians, 1 Belgian, 1 Kazakhstani, 1 Hungarian, 1 Polish, and 1 Pakistani. At the same time, there is no new recovered case; the number of cured patients thus remains at 288 or 96.97 percent of the total confirmed cases. Meanwhile, on November 8, 2020, 52 more people who had been in either direct or indirect contact with the Hungarian Foreign Minister were tested negative. The total number of people tested now stands at 944. – Khmer Times