These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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No active Covid-19 clusters for the first time since Feb 3
There were no active Covid-19 clusters for the first time since Feb 3, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday (Nov 24). This is after the cluster at Cassia @ Penjuru at 15 Penjuru Walk was closed as it had no new cases for the past two incubation periods, or 28 days. On Tuesday, MOH also announced 18 new coronavirus cases including 13 foreign domestic workers. With Tuesday's new cases being all imported, it means that there were no new community cases and none from worker's dormitories for the 14th day in a row. This is the longest stretch without a community case since the first coronavirus case was reported in Singapore on Jan 23. There were 12 days between the first reported case, which was imported, and the first recorded community cases on Feb 4. Tuesday's new cases take Singapore's total to 58,183. The new patients were placed on stay-home notices on arrival in Singapore. Of the 18 new cases, two were Singaporeans who returned from the Netherlands and Indonesia. There was also a 37-year-old male work pass holder and a 35-year-old female dependant's pass holder who arrived from Pakistan, as well as a 47-year-old male short-term visit pass holder who arrived from the Philippines to board a ship docked in Singapore. Overall, the number of new cases in the community has remained low, with no new cases in the past week. With eight cases discharged on Tuesday, 58,064 patients have fully recovered from the disease. A total of 37 patients remain in hospital while 39 are recuperating in community facilities. One patient is in critical condition in the intensive care unit. Singapore has had 28 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes. – The Straits Times
Number of Terengganu flood evacuees rising
Kemaman became the latest district to be hit by floods in Terengganu with the number of evacuees in the state continue to increase to 690 people from 184 families as at 8 am today compared to 389 people (94 families) recorded last night. Currently there are 23 temporary relief centres (PPS) operating statewide and Dungun recorded the highest number of PPS at seven locations which housed 131 people from 34 families, compared to only 69 people from17 families placed in four PPS previously. Terengganu Disaster Management Committee Secretariat chief, Lt Col (PA) Che Adam A Rahman said that in Setiu, two more PPS were opened bringing the total number of PPS in the district to six which accommodated 125 people from 40 families compared to 69 people from 17 families who were sheltered at four PPS last night. "There has been a slight increase in the number of evacuees in Kuala Nerus at 206 people from 52 families compared to 156 people from 32 families previously and they are housed at four PPS. "Similar development in Kuala Terengganu where the number of evacuees increased slightly to 101 people from 27 families compared to 53 people from18 families reported last night and they are currently placed at two PPS," he told reporters today. In Marang, the number of those seeking shelter at three PPS has also increased to 90 people from 21 families compared to 33 people from seven families last night. Che Adam said that currently only one PPS operating in Besut to accommodate 10 people from five families while in Kemaman, there was also only one PPS to house 27 people from five families thus far. "This latest data shows that all districts in Terengganu have been affected by floods except in Hulu Terengganu. However, the residents there are advised to be vigilant with the current weather changes," he said. The data provided by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage shows that reading at Sungai Setiu at the Jambatan Permaisuri is at 9.33metres (m), which is above the danger level of 8.80m; while Sungai Nerus in Kampung Langkap records a reading of 20.98m, which is above the warning level of 20m. The other three rivers in Kemaman, Hulu Terengganu and Marang have also exceeded the alert level. – New Straits Times
Protesters told CPB off-limits
Police have warned anti-government protesters at Wednesday's rally in Bangkok to stay at least 150 metres away from the Crown Property Bureau (CPB). A Bangkok police source said 6,000 policemen had been assigned to handle Wednesday's protest and he vowed that they would enforce the law against all offenders. Pol Maj Gen Piya Tawichai, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB), said on Tuesday that demonstrators must not enter within a 150-metre radius of the premises under the public assembly law. The MPB has prepared crowd control units and set up security checkpoints to handle the demonstrators. It will also cordon off the streets leading to the CPB, Pol Maj Gen Piya said. If protesters breach the cordon, police would take measures to stop them, he said, pointing out that officers are duty-bound to uphold the law. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said on Tuesday that the CPB was off-limits to protesters but also warned against any efforts to hold a counter-demonstration against the planned anti-government rally. Gen Prawit said the authorities would ensure there was no confrontation between the two rival groups and that he had instructed police to keep an eye on so-called "third-party" activists who might try to instigate violence. A source said Gen Prawit and representatives of the security agencies on Tuesday attended a war room set up at the Five Provinces Bordering Forests Preservation Foundation on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road to monitor the activities of the anti-government group. Pol Col Kissana Phathanacharoen, deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police, said that the protest movement led by Ratsadon (People's Movement) and the Free Youth group had not sought police permission to hold Wednesday's rally. He said that while the right to hold rallies was guaranteed by the constitution, demonstrators must adhere to the public assembly law by asking for police approval at least 24 hours in advance. Their rallies must also be peaceful and not infringe on others' rights, he said. Army chief Gen Narongphan Jittkaewtae said that police would be the main enforcer of the law on Wednesday but that soldiers would also be on hand to assist them if required. The pro-democracy Free Youth group on Tuesday asked supporters to first meet at 3pm at Democracy Monument on Ratchadamnoen Avenue before moving on to the nearby CPB in Nakhon Ratchasima Road to "reclaim assets that should have belonged to people". – Bangkok Post
COVID-19 claims life of Indonesian Medical Association official
The recent death of Andrianto Purnawan, the head of the Indonesian Medical Association’s (IDI) public participation acceleration team for COVID-19 mitigation, adds to the rising number of medical personnel who have succumbed to the coronavirus. Andrianto died at the age of 38 last week at Dr. Soetomo Regional General Hospital (RSUD) in Surabaya, East Java, after being treated for about 15 days for COVID-19. Hailing from Malang, East Java, Andrianto’s last deployment was at RSUD Soeradji Tirtonegoro in Klaten, Central Java. “Please pray for and forgive Dr. Andrianto Purnawan,” IDI spokesperson Halik Malik said as quoted by antaranews.com on Thursday. Halik said Andrianto, who was active in the association’s COVID-19 task force, was also directly involved in collecting funds for protective health equipment from various parties and promoting coronavirus prevention efforts through writing and online discussions. He added that Andrianto had long been known for his active involvement in a Muslim student health institution and various disaster social services in Indonesia. “It’s really a great loss for all of us,” Halik said. Earlier this month, the association’s mitigation team announced that a total of 282 medical workers had died of COVID-19. “They comprised 159 doctors, nine dentists and 114 nurses,” the association’s mitigation team leader, Adib Khumaidi, said as quoted by kompas.com recently. Adib said the doctors included 84 general practitioners, 73 specialists and two residents. They came from 20 provinces and 71 cities/regencies. Based on provinces, he added, East Java lost the most with 36 doctors, followed by Jakarta with 26, North Sumatra 24, West Java 12 and Central Java with 11. “During the current pandemic, medical workers are heroes in the real sense of the word. They are courageous and strong in a time of fear,” Adib said. Responding to the fact, the Indonesian Doctors Council (KKI) has reportedly announced its commitment to accelerate regulations related to the creation of new medical workers to fulfil the need. “We will try to accelerate regulations to create new doctors, dentists, and specialists so that the need will be fulfilled,” said KKI chairman Putu Moda Arsana. The KKI would cooperate with the Education and Culture Ministry, Health Ministry and the academic hospital association to discuss the matter, he added. He said there were currently some 230,000 doctors and dentists — comprising 149,231 general practitioners, 42,528 specialist doctors, 34,466 dentists and 4,480 specialist dentists. Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy had previously asked the IDI to be responsible for protecting all doctors. – The Jakarta Post
Senate bill seeks to monitor POGOs, penalize ‘tech giants’ in bid to stop sex trafficking
In a bid to stop sex trafficking in the country, Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a bill that would monitor activities of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) and penalize “tech giants” that allow the use of their facilities for trafficking. Hontiveros filed Senate Bill. No. 1929 after she led an investigation which revealed how women were trafficked into the Philippines to service Chinese POGO employees. “Halos isang taon namin inimbistigahan ang mga korap sa Bureau of Immigration na naging daan sa pagtatraffick ng napakaraming babae sa ating bansa,” the senator, chair of the Senate women committee, said in a statement on Wednesday. (It has been a year since we investigated the corruption with the Bureau of Immigration that served as a pathway for trafficking of a lot of women in our country.) “The rise of POGOs has also been found to increase the vulnerability to trafficking and prostitution of our own women, our own girls,” she added. The measure seeks to amend the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 to include responsibilities for the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to address policy gaps in the said law. It also seeks to recognize the use of online and digital platforms for human trafficking. “Hindi pwedeng hands off ang mga tech giants sa isyung ito. Their platforms have made it easier and faster for many abusers to violate our women and children,” the senator said. (Tech giants should not be hands off in this issue. Their platforms have made it easier and faster for many abusers to violate our women and children.) “It is high time that they be made accountable for their products, and for them to also help secure a measure of justice for victim-survivors,” she added. Under the bill, penalties will be imposed on private facilities, such as internet service providers, financial intermediaries, transport services including their online applications, “that knowingly allow the use of their facilities, whether digital or physical, for purposes of trafficking.” – INQUIRER.net
Viet Nam remains at high risk of COVID-19 infections: health minister
Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long has warned that Việt Nam remains at high risk of COVID-19 infections from abroad as the number of cases in many countries keeps rising. Speaking with local authorities of 63 provinces and cities during an online meeting on Tuesday, Long warned of illegal immigration at borders which increases the risk of infections. He said that on Monday alone, 5,000 people entered Việt Nam via roads. Seventy-seven of them were found to have entered illegally via borders in northern localities while in the south, each area reported two to three illegal entries. He expressed concern over the fact infection rates showed no signs of slowing down in many countries, saying that if Việt Nam were in that situation, the country’s medical system would struggle to meet the treatment demand. Every repatriation flight bringing Vietnamese from overseas records positive cases, he added but in spite of quarantine periods, Long warned there is no guarantee some of those cases may spread into the community. He noted that the infection risk was high at quarantine camps at hotels and non-military sites, urging local authorities to take responsibility in supervising those facilities. He added that medical facilities are also a possible source of community transmissions as almost all of them have resumed operations and the number of visitors started to increase. Meanwhile, both public and private hospitals have loosened COVID-19 prevention and control measures. In a recently released directive, the Ministry of Health said COVID-19 prevention and control work must be tightened at the highest level in the winter season and in the time when important political events to be held. According to the ministry, the COVID-19 situation continues to get more complicated, particularly in winter when countries have seen a rise in virus cases with social distancing measures brought back in many places, especially Europe. Việt Nam may have gone more than 80 days without community transmission, but the risk of infection always remains high due to possible exposure to the virus from imported cases. The Minister ordered directors of local health departments to strictly take prevention and control measures. – Viet Nam News
English proficiency index shows Cambodia’s language skills progress
Cambodians are increasingly learning English as their second language and the country has been ranked 84th out of 100 countries in the world in English proficiency according to the recent EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) 2020. The country landed 94th in last year’s survey, moving up ten places this year. However, it has remained under the “very low” proficiency designation since its inclusion in 2014. Among 24 countries in Asia, Cambodia ranks 18th. Singapore, with very high proficiency English skills, settled at the tenth spot among 100 countries globally, but first in Asia. The Philippines is second in Asia followed by Malaysia, South Korea, Macau, China and India. Thailand is 89th among the global rankings while 20th in Asia. Vietnam got the 65th spot and 13th in Asia. Tajikistan, a country in central Asia was ranked lowest both globally and in Asia. Several factors have affected the Kingdom’s English proficiency skills. One is poverty, that has been a problem in the country for a long time. Some children are forced to stop going to school at a very young age in order to help their parents to earn money. Another factor is that lower income families send their children to public schools where the standard of English taught is lower than in private schools. Veary Ath, a mother of three from Boeng Tumpun commune in Meanchey district in Phnom Penh, enrolled her twins in a private school at a very young age. They both started when they were three. At the age of five, her twins already speak English remarkably while her two-year old youngest son is also starting to learn English. “Nowadays, it’s most common for a majority of parents in Phnom Penh to enrol their kids in private schools early. We see English as an important international language that kids will need for their life and career in the future,” she said. Fluent English speakers in Cambodia are mostly found in the major cities – Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The EF EPI, an international education company, sponsored the study released last week by ranking the countries and regions through a standardised test. The index is an online survey which was first published in 2011, based on test data from 1.7 million examinees. – Khmer Times