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.
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Jetstar to operate transit flights through Singapore, fourth airline after SIA Group to do so
Changi Airport will open up further to transit passengers, with Jetstar Asia on Friday (Nov 20) announcing that those on its flights from six South-east Asian cities will be able to transit via Singapore to other destinations from Dec 1. It is the fourth airline allowed to operate such transit flights after the three airlines under Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group - SIA, Scoot and SilkAir - began doing so in August. Such a move is expected to give traffic at Changi Airport a small boost, although aviation experts have said that demand for these flights will likely remain low, given continued restrictions on international travel and the lack of a meaningful travel bubble in South-east Asia. The transit flights apply to Jetstar Asia passengers departing from Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Phnom Penh. Those transiting will have to wear a wristband throughout their journey so they can be identified by airport and airline staff. Jetstar Asia said they will as far as possible be kept separate from other passengers by being seated together near the front of the aircraft. They will disembark from the planes first and board last, and will be kept at a transit holding area or hotel during their time in Singapore, which must not exceed 48 hours. However, those arriving from Vietnam will be exempted from these regulations, as it is one of the countries Singapore has decided to unilaterally lift border restrictions to. Singapore did so in October after assessing that visitors from Vietnam were unlikely to have the coronavirus due to the country's public health surveillance system and low infection rates. Visitors from Vietnam are able to go about their activities in Singapore after a negative Covid-19 swab test upon arrival here and need not serve a stay-home notice. The transit flights are a "positive step in the airline's recovery", said Jetstar Asia chief executive officer Bara Pasupathi. The budget carrier had cut a quarter of its Singapore-based workforce, including 220 pilots, in July, and retired five of its aircraft. It now has a total fleet of 13 aircraft that flies to nine cities. – The Straits Times
'Not giving up on Zoo Negara family'
Walking through Zoo Negara's main entrance, which of late has been devoid of the hustle and bustle of excited visitors, has been a heart-breaking experience for Zoo Negara deputy president Rosly @ Rahmat Ahmat Lana. With its shutters down and closed to visitors since the enforcement of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), this only meant that the national zoo's revenue, derived mainly from ticket sales, has plummeted to zero. Currently surviving on monetary donations from the public obtained during the MCO and paying visitors during the Recovery MCO, which can last only for the next three to four months, Rosly is racing against time to raise more to keep Malaysia's first local zoo afloat. The worry is causing Rosly sleepless nights. Yet it hasn't stopped him from going to the zoo daily to ensure operations continue to run smoothly under strict standard operating procedures. He said it was also vital for him to ensure that his 140 staff as well as the animals, such as giant pandas, Malayan tigers and spotted deer, were hale and hearty during the pandemic. "I take a look at the animals and wonder what their fate is in the future. There are over 4,000 animals in our care and they must be fed sufficiently despite the tough financial circumstances. "Thank God they are safe and in good health. There are no problems so far as I am more than committed to taking care of them and seeing to their needs – from their food and vitamins to medical attention." Rosly said they "lived a nightmare" during the MCO in March when the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic forced them to dip into their emergency funds of RM1 million to keep the zoo going. The zoo, opened in 1963 and managed by the Malaysian Zoological Society, needs RM1 million each month to operate. – New Straits Times
Prayut threatens protesters
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday declared that "all laws and all articles" will be enforced against protesters who break the law. Gen Prayut gave his warning in a statement issued from his office, in the face of street rallies by pro-democracy protesters demanding his removal, as well as reform of the monarchy. He said the government and various agencies had tried to find a peaceful way out of the conflict, following legal procedures. However, the situation has showed no sign of easing, despite the government showing its sincerity about solving the problems, the premier said, adding that security agencies had done their job in maintaining peace and order and dealing with protests with the utmost care, in line with international standards. "The situation is not easing in a good direction and there is a tendency for conflict to escalate into more violence. If not addressed, this could cause damage to the country and the beloved institution, as well as to peace and the safety of people's lives and property," Gen Prayut said in the statement, which was in Thai. "It is necessary for the government and security agencies to intensify their actions by enforcing all laws and all articles to take action against demonstrators who break the law and show no respect for the rights of other people. "Action will be taken in line with the country's judicial process and international standards," he said. The statement did not specify whether this action would include the use of Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law, which forbids insulting the monarchy and comes with a hefty prison sentence. Gen Prayuth said earlier this year the law was not being used, at the behest of His Majesty the King. – Bangkok Post
N. Sumatra man 'disappointed' after selling million-dollar space rock for Rp 200m
A 34-year-old man in North Sumatra who sold a meteorite that smashed through his roof for Rp 200 million (US$14,000) found out later that he could have received 100 times the sum as the space rock is actually worth around $1.85 million. Joshua Hutagalung said he felt "cheated" after selling the rock to United States meteorite expert, Jared Collins, for a much cheaper price than its true value, refuting reports from foreign media that had painted him as a sudden multimillionaire after making the sale. “I have spent all the Rp 200 million I got from selling the meteorite to Collins on helping my family and orphans, building a church and repairing my parents’ graves,” the coffin maker told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. On Aug. 1, Joshua was working on a coffin when the space rock suddenly smashed through the roof of his living room in his house at Setahi Nauli village, Kolang district in Central Tapanuli regency. Joshua said he was surprised by the booming sound and was at first afraid to approach the fallen object. He then found that it was a meteorite that had left a large hole in his roof and was embedded 15 centimetres deep in the ground. “I lifted it up, and it was warm. That’s when I thought that it must be a meteorite falling from the sky because it was impossible for someone to throw a rock of that size onto the roof,” he said. Joshua immediately shared his discovery with his friends on Facebook, and his post soon went viral. Two days after the discovery, a local resident offered Rp 1 billion for the space rock, which Joshua rejected after thinking the bargainer was not serious. “He made his offer lightly, so I refused to sell it.” Two weeks later, Collins flew from his residence in Bali to visit Joshua. The meteorite expert told Joshua that he learned of the latter’s discovery through the media. “He offered Rp 200 million for the meteorite. I refused. He then added Rp 14 million for repairing the roof that had been damaged by the meteorite,” said the father of two, “After considering it, I agreed with Jared’s offer." A number of foreign media outlets, including UK tabloids the Sun and Daily Mail, called Joshua an "instant multimillionaire", saying that he had been given the amount equivalent to 30 years of his salary for the space rock. According to the Sun, fragments of the meteorite had been put up for sale on eBay for 757 pounds sterling per gram, valuing the rock at nearly 1.4 million pounds sterling, or $1.85 million in total. Collins shipped the space rock to America, where it was bought by Jay Piatek, a doctor and meteorite collector from Indianapolis, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Texas, US, which the media quoted. – The Jakarta Post
Gov’t eyes COVID-19 vaccination of 50 to 60 percent of population
The government wants to vaccinate 50 to 60 percent of the country’s population against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to achieve herd immunity, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the government was initially planning to vaccinate 20 percent of the population but this target was raised during a discussion of the DOH with the National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. “When we were discussing and as directed by our vaccine czar Sec. Galvez, we would want to have this expanded coverage for this vaccine that at least 50 to 60 percent of the population can be vaccinated,” she told ABS-CBN News Channel. “So, if and when we have these vaccines’ priorities, we need to be able to cost as I have said the end-to-end process, and eventually we will be able to expand the coverage to include at least up to 50 percent of the population for these vaccines,” she added. According to Vergeire, such a percentage of coverage for vaccination is necessary to achieve herd immunity or a concept in vaccination wherein enough people in a specific area are protected against infectious disease. “So, it is really important that we can expand coverage with this target that we have but as we have said we will be prioritizing specific populations first and then we can be able to roll it out and hopefully we can achieve the 60 percent targeted population,” she added. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said that healthcare workers, uniformed personnel, and the poor will be among those to be prioritized in getting the COVID-19 vaccine once it is available. Earlier, US biotech company Moderna announced that its experimental vaccine against COVID-19 was found 94.5 percent effective based on early results from a clinical trial with more than 30,000 participants. Pfizer and BioNTech also said that a completed study of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine showed it was 95 percent effective. – INQUIRER.net
VN’s digital economy to reach $14 billion in 2020
Southeast Asia’s digital economy remains resilient at $100 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) despite headwinds and is on track to cross $300 billion in GMV by 2025, according to a report from Google, Temasek and Bain & Company. Indonesia and Việt Nam continued to grow at double-digit rates, and Singapore remains a regional enabler for growth, despite short term GMV decline due to the online travel sector. The report, which covered Indonesia, Malaysia, Việt Nam, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, showed that Internet usage in the region continues to multiply, with 40 million new users this year alone. That pushed the total number of internet users in these Southeast Asian countries to 400 million or nearly 70 per cent of the population. The coronavirus brought about a permanent and massive digital adoption spurt, with more than one in three digital service consumers (36 per cent of total) new to the service. Of the number, 90 per cent intend to continue their newfound habits post-pandemic, it said. Many of the new users came from non-metropolitan areas in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The report looked at seven internet economy sectors in Southeast Asia, including e-commerce, transport and food delivery, online travel, online media, financial services, health technology and education technology, with health and education technology added to the 2020 version. E-commerce is expected to grow by 63 per cent to $62 billion in 2020 and is poised to hit $172 billion in 2025. Digital financial services are also gaining momentum as more small-and-medium-sized businesses have become receptive to accepting online payments. Digital payments are set to grow from $600 billion in 2019 to $620 billion in 2020 and could reach $1.2 trillion by 2025. The health technology and education technology sectors received a boost from the pandemic as many people turned to online health consultations while schools shifted to remote learning. Investments in those sectors are growing. Online travel and transport sectors were hit the hardest as the pandemic ground international travel to a halt while many people began to work from home or became concerned about sharing transport. Still, the report predicted online travel to rebound to $60 billion by 2025. – Viet Nam News
Get up and about: PM orders reopening of schools and allows activities curbed over ‘November 3 incident’
Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered the reopening of schools, museums, cinemas and other venues after the fourth tests on more than 1,400 people affected by the “November 3 incident” came back negative for COVID-19. The order comes after Mr Hun Sen announced that quarantines over the “November 3 incident” would end today for Phnom Penh and Kandal, Pursat, Prey Veng and Kampong Thom provinces, while Kampong Chhnang province will end them on Saturday. Kep, Preah Sihanouk, Kampong Cham provinces will end quarantines on Monday and Preah Vihear and also Ratanakiri provinces on Wednesday. Mr Hun Sen delivered a voice message on Wednesday night, deciding to allow schools to reopen on Monday. He also allowed the wedding ceremonies, which residents decided to suspend in the past to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but said people had to adhere to preventive measures as instructed by the Ministry of Health. “Please facilitate marriages, just pay attention to hygiene issues, such as the requirements of the Ministry of Health,” Mr Hun Sen said. “We should remain cautious, but we must not shut down the economy and other socio-economic movements. Take care to solve the problem. Conduct checks to facilitate activities and remind the people to always be careful, such as temperature checks, hand washing, social distancing and so on,” he added. Kang Phirun, who will marry next month, said he was pleased to hear that the “November 3 incident” was coming to an end, and the government is allowing weddings again. He added that his and his fiancée’s parents decided to have the wedding day on the “12th day of the 12th month” (December 12), and they planned to only invite about 100 relatives and friends. “We can now invite up to 500 relatives, friends and guests. We will remain vigilant, such as by checking guests’ temperatures before they enter the ceremony, distributing disinfectant alcohol and following food hygiene,” he said. – Khmer Times