These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Inbound travellers to Singapore can purchase insurance for Covid-19 related costs
Inbound travellers arriving in Singapore can now purchase insurance coverage for Covid-19 related costs incurred during their stay here. Changi Airport Group (CAG) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said in a joint statement on Wednesday (Nov 18) morning that three insurance companies have developed travel insurance products which provide at least $30,000 in coverage for Covid-19 related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs. The minimum coverage sum was decided based on recommendations by the Ministry of Health (MOH), which considered bills for Covid-19 treatment at private hospitals. The three companies providing insurance coverage are AIG Asia Pacific Insurance, Chubb Insurance Singapore Limited and HL Assurance. While AIG and HL Assurance have started selling their insurance products, Chubb's will be available from Nov 27. Under present rules, inbound foreign travellers entering Singapore through various safe travel lanes are required to bear the full cost of medical treatment, tests and isolation, should they be suspected of being infected with Covid-19 or require medical treatment for the virus while in Singapore. As such, the travel insurance plan will help them cover some of these costs, said CAG and STB. Mr Lee Seow Hiang, CAG's chief executive and co-lead of the Alliance for Action on Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences under the Emerging Stronger Taskforce said: "We have been actively engaging the insurance community since August this year, through an Expression of Interest exercise, to develop inbound travel insurance products as Singapore progressively reopens. "We noticed such products were not available on the market, and wanted to encourage insurers to develop such products and offer them to travellers at a reasonable price." – The Straits Times
Socso receives 388 complaints on Wage Subsidy Programme
The Social Security Organisation (Socso) has received 388 complaints against employers over the Wage Subsidy Programme (WSP) since its implementation in June, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan said. According to him, of the 388 complaints received, 156 cases involved false claims and misuse of the WSP funds while the remaining 232 cases are currently under investigation. "As of Nov 11, 2020, Socso received 388 complaints against employers who misused the WSP involving nearly RM20 million. "Socso will suspend payments to employers suspected of making false claims until all investigations on the complaints are completed. "Socso has also taken action against some employers who failed to comply with the stipulated conditions," he told the Dewan Rakyat today in response to Charles Santiago (Pakatan Harapan-Klang). Santiago had asked the minister to state the number of companies that are getting the WSP as well as those that had gone bankrupt and according to Saravanan, as of October, 2,713 small-medium enterprises (SMEs) have closed shop. Saravanan who is the Tapah member of parliament said so far, with the help of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), an arrest has been made in Kedah last month over the misuse of the WSP funds while five more cases are currently being investigated. He said 5,537 employers have been blacklisted for violating the terms and conditions such as sacking of employees and not paying the contributions to Socso. "SOCSO will display the list of employers who have received the WSP assistance on Socso's Prihatin website (https://prihatin.perkeso.gov.my) for employees' information," he said. – New Straits Times
Chaos outside parliament
Pressure is mounting on parliament to accept the controversial charter amendment bill sponsored by civil group Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) after clashes between pro-monarchy supporters and anti-government protesters erupted on Tuesday, leaving several people injured. Police used water cannon to fire teargas solution to disperse anti-government demonstrators who tried to break police lines, barbed wire and barriers to get to the gates of parliament. A group of demonstrators wearing helmets and other protective gear reached the line of concrete barriers and razor wire near Bang Krabue intersection in front of parliament at 2.30pm. They then attempted to breach the barricade. Police used a water cannon truck to fire salvos and force them back. Protesters then threw smoke bombs and bags of paint towards rows of riot police on the other side. After that brief confrontation, police tried to start negotiations with a representative of the approaching men, who were apparently acting as an advance guard for the demonstrators behind. Pol Col Kissana Phathanacharoen, deputy police spokesman, said police warned demonstrators not to tear down the barricades and when they refused to back off police fired four more salvos from the water cannon. The first three consisted of plain water. When that failed to deter the demonstrators, he said, police then used the water cannon to fire a liquid that included teargas. Rally leaders earlier announced they planned to stay overnight outside parliament ahead of Wednesday's decision by MPs on whether to accept for deliberation a proposed constitutional amendment drafted by iLaw. That is one of seven charter change drafts submitted to the parliament, the other six having been sponsored by government and opposition parties. – Bangkok Post
Police adamant about stopping 212 reunion rally in Jakarta
The police have asserted that they will not allow the 212 reunion rally to take place in December, saying that authorities will disperse the event if it goes ahead, so as to ensure the enforcement of COVID-19 protocols in Jakarta. “We will not allow [the rally]. We will not issue the permit and we have been clear on the matter," National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Awi Setiyono said at a press conference broadcast by KompasTV on Tuesday. Awi said National Police chief Gen. Idham Azis had firmly ordered the chiefs of all regional police as well as police officers on the ground to enforce health protocols indiscriminately in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. "If anyone still gathers [in crowds], we will disperse them. This is a very clear order from the chief,” Alwi said. The 212 Alumni Brotherhood (PA 212) recently announced that it would stage a mass reunion at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta. The group, which is closely associated with the controversial Islam Defenders Front (FPI), is known as the driving force behind the sectarian rally held on Dec. 2, 2016, to demand the prosecution of then-Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama for blasphemy. PA 212 deputy secretary-general Novel Bamukmin confirmed the plan to hold the reunion rally, but still could not reveal further details on the matter, tribunnews.com reported. The plan for the reunion this year coincided with the return of FPI leader Rizieq Shihab to Indonesia following approximately three years of proclaimed self-exile in Saudi Arabia. Rizieq's arrival caught public attention as thousands of his supporters gathered around Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, to welcome him on Nov. 10, causing traffic congestion and disrupting flights. The firebrand leader again drew ire after he gathered huge crowds during the commemoration of Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (Maulid) and the wedding of his daughter over the weekend in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) had ordered Rizieq to pay a Rp 50 million (US$3,536) fine for violating COVID-19 protocols during the events. The police are currently investigating possible violations of health protocols during the event, with suspects, if any, to be charged under Article 93 of Law No. 6/2019 on health quarantine. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and other city officials were summoned for questioning related to the case at the Jakarta Police headquarters on Tuesday. – The Jakarta Post
Palace: ‘Spare tire’ Robredo made it appear she was in charge
Malacañang on Wednesday said that Vice President Leni Robredo became the most recent target of President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades because she made it appear that she was in charge of typhoon response efforts. A visibly irritated Duterte started his weekly talk to the nation by falsely calling Robredo “dishonest” for supposedly claiming he was absent during Typhoon Ulysses’ onslaught. Robredo never issued any remark asking for Duterte’s whereabouts when Ulysses wreaked havoc and caused massive flooding over parts of the country, only of real-time updates via her Twitter account when several netizens asked for help following massive flooding in Cagayan and Isabela due to Typhoon Ulysses. But presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made an issue out of Robredo’s “postings.” “He must have his reasons but I, myself, I do know that the President also noted the fact that in many of her postings, the Vice President made it appear that she was the one who called out the marines to give necessary aid to the victims of the Cagayan floodings,” he said in an interview over CNN Philippines. “But actually, the chain of command is the President [is] on top of the armed forces and taking orders from him and no one else. That’s the context of what the President must have said. And it was not just one post that the Vice President was making it appear that she was in charge,” he added. Roque admitted that he was “not sure” if Robredo actually asked for Duterte’s whereabouts after the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo became a trending topic. However, he insisted that the President has his “basis” for making such remarks. When several netizens sought for help via social media after massive flooding in Cagayan, Robredo posted updates on Twitter about her office’s coordination regarding rescue efforts with authorities. But Roque viewed this as a chance for Robredo to disparage or put the president in bad light. “Now is not the time for politics and I think the records will bear me out that every opportunity, the Vice President welcomes [the] opportunity to take a snide at the President. At a time of pandemic and even at a time of typhoon,” Roque said. – INQUIRER.net
Việt Nam needs solutions promoting sustainable seafood exports to the EU: experts
Việt Nam needs to strengthen measures to achieve the sustainable development of seafood exports to the EU market, especially after the EVFTA comes into effect, according to experts. The country gained US$183.4 million in seafood export value to the EU in two months after the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) came into force, said Phan Thị Thu Hiền, lecturer and expert on EU market from the Foreign Trade University. “The EUTR1 certificate of origin (C/O) applications of exported seafood accounted for nearly 80 per cent of total C/O applications, ranking second in the top export commodities,” Hiền said. Vietnamese exporters have had good compliance with the rules of origin to utilise the EVFTA, she said. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has also supported Vietnamese firms in complying and successfully applying the preferential EUTR1 C/O, including introduction and communications about the EVFTA and its rules of origin, training and consultancy, help desks, and manual and e-guidance publications. The EU is one of the biggest export markets of Việt Nam’s fish and fish products with a value of US$1.3 billion in 2019, accounting for 15.1 per cent of the total seafood export value of Việt Nam. However, Việt Nam’s seafood products exported to the EU are mainly semi-processed products, according to the Việt Nam Institute of Economics and Fisheries Planning. In addition, the EU is a large market with many import orders while Việt Nam has not developed production and processing chains so it has missed many chances of exporting seafood to the EU. To have efficient and sustainable seafood exports to the EU, the Government and competent authorities need to have training programmes and public-private dialogues about IUU and the EVFTA, Hiền said. They need to modernise and standardise documentation and fishery statistics, she said. They should also apply information technology (IT)-driven risk management and control and develop IT infrastructure, applications and platforms. For local farmers and export processing firms, she said, they should know about fundamental principles of the EU’s IUU regulations, preventing violations. Those could ensure efficient seafood exports to the EU market. – Viet Nam News
Businesses struggling to cope post-floods
People in flood-affected areas, like Dangkor district, are struggling to get their lives back to normal. Their businesses have been dramatically affected along with enduring increased threats of waterborne diseases. Mok Lina, a doctor who sells medicine in Borey VIP, said that due to the floods in early October she has lost around $1,000 in income. “Flash-floods this year have really affected my business. The water level this year was even higher than last year. As my house was completely flooded, I was stuck inside and could not go anywhere or continue with my business,” Lina said. She added that before the floods, she would earn around $200 to $300 per day in her clinic from providing treatments and selling medicinal supplies to patients. Tang Ly, a construction material vendor in Dangkor commune, said that she had not expected this year’s flash-floods to affect her house. Ly said: “This year, half of my house was flooded, which severely affected my family’s income. I was barely able to pack my belongings when the floodwaters hit. The floods this year have made it very difficult to gain any revenue.” Yon Yoeun, a grocery seller, said this year’s flash-floods were unusually high, forcing his sales to be suspended for nearly two weeks before the water receded. Yoeun added that this year’s floods had destroyed more than $2,000 of his stock. “This year, the continuous rains have caused a big loss for my business,” he said. Health Ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine said: “Post-floods, waterborne diseases have been in control and the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control has done a good job in bringing the situation under control.” Flash-floods cause severe impacts for both man-made and natural environments, especially within urban areas, the effects of flash-floods can be catastrophic. This year’s flash-floods have taken 44 lives, hit 20 provinces and Phnom Penh, affected 149,857 families (about 599,428 people) and seen 47,584 evacuated. The floods have also submerged about 134,003 houses, 284,961 hectares of rice fields, 97,029 hectares of subsidiary crops and 951 schools that have been damaged or destroyed. – Khmer Times