These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Ex-police NSF accused of insulting female colleague's modesty in police unit bathroom
A full-time national serviceman (NSF) with the Singapore Police Force allegedly insulted a female colleague's modesty while at a police unit last year. Jonathan Chua Wei Cong, now 23, is claiming trial to one count each of criminal trespass and insulting a woman's modesty. The alleged victim cannot be named due to a gag order. Chua, who has since completed his national service, allegedly committed the offences at around 5pm on March 12 last year. On the first day of his trial on Thursday (Nov 26), the court heard that Chua allegedly entered a toilet for women at the headquarters before placing his mobile phone at the top of a cubicle door. A female colleague was in the shower at that point. Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Zhi Hao told District Judge Brenda Tan that when the alleged victim saw the top half of the device pointing at her, she shouted. The perpetrator fled before she could catch a glimpse of him, but the woman told her superiors about the incident and a lockdown was ordered. Officers then inspected the phones belonging to more than 10 personnel present at the time, the court heard. The woman gave her in-camera testimony in court on Thursday. This means the hearing was not open to the public, including members of the media. In a statement after Chua was charged in court last year, police said that officers of the force, including national service officers, are expected to uphold the law and maintain high standards of discipline and integrity. "Those who commit criminal offences will be charged in court and dealt with in accordance with the law. As the court case is ongoing, we are unable to comment further," added its spokesman. The trial continues. For insulting a woman's modesty, an offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined. – The Straits Times
Border shootout: Thailand nabs 4, including 3 who sought hospital treatment
Thai authorities have detained four people following the shootout at the Malaysian-Thai border that killed a General Operations Force (GOF) personnel and seriously injured his partner. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin told the Dewan Rakyat that three of the suspects were caught when they sought treatment at hospitals in the neighbouring country. He also said Malaysian police have detained 19 people linked to the case so far. Of this, 15 are Malaysians and four Thai. "Our investigations found that the smugglers barter drugs from Thailand with ketum from Malaysia. "I stress that the government will not compromise with anyone (on this), and will take stern action against those involved." Hamzah further said that the ministry is drafting a comprehensive strategic plan to empower border controls. "Apart from the procurement of assets and state-of-the-art facilities such as drones, armoured personnel carriers, night vision goggles, GPS trackers and other equipment for border safety, the Home Ministry also feels that the preparedness and abilities of those stationed at the borders need to be boosted." He said this would be realised through training and strategic collaborations between local and foreign agencies. Hamzah said this while taking questions from Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai) on the incident. Hamzah also thanked the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah for conferring the Pingat Gagah Berani to both officers involved in the Nov 24 incident. He announced that both personnel, including the late Corporal Baharuddin Ramli, have been promoted to the rank of Sargeant. Baharuddin, 54, died at the scene while Corporal Norihan Tari was critically wounded in the shootout with smugglers about 600 meters from the Border Wall's TS9 control post in Padang Besar, Perlis on Tuesday morning. Baharuddin was injured on the left side of his abdomen before succumbing to his injuries, while Norihan was shot three times in his ribs and stomach. Norihan is undergoing treatment at the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital in Kangar. Both men were from the 3rd Battalion (Senoi Praaq/ the Orang Asli scheme), Northern Brigade of the GOF. – New Straits Times
Govt rolls out plan to eradicate rabies
The government is adopting a four-step measure to root out rabies as the country aims to be the first country in ASEAN to eradicate the deadly virus, according to the Department of Disease Control (DDC). Thailand has reported only three rabies infections so far this year, much fewer than in recent years, Opas Kankawinpong, the acting DDC director-general, said on Wednesday. He was speaking at a meeting to discuss government policy on how to stamp out rabies and on better safeguards against avian and other types of flu. Concerns about the risk of contracting flu generally increase with the onset of the cool season. Dr Opas, who chaired Wednesday's meeting in Nonthaburi, said the DDC is moving ahead with a four-step measure to root out rabies. If this goal was realised in the near future, Thailand would be the first Asean member state to be "rabies-free", according to the DDC. The steps involve vaccinating everyone who comes into contact with rabies or its carriers. Public health volunteers or state employees working in the field at risk of contracting rabies are to be vaccinated against the virus. Necessary support will be given to increase inter-agency cooperation in adopting strategies to combat rabies. The DDC will also work with the Department of Livestock Development and the Department of Local Administration to set criteria in assessing the risk of rabies outbreaks in areas prone to the disease. The assessment would help local authorities prepare counter-measures and certify areas, where rabies has been tackled, as free of the virus, said Dr Opas. Only three people have been infected by rabies so far this year, in Sa Kaeo, Nong Khai and Si Sa Ket, and all three died. They contracted the virus after being bitten or scratched by pet dogs and failed to seek medical treatment. The DDC said the infections this year were many fewer than the 18 recorded last year. – Bangkok Post
Indonesia breaks daily record with 5,534 new coronavirus cases
Indonesia logged yet another record in daily coronavirus infections on Wednesday as the national COVID-19 task force confirmed 5,534 new cases over the past 24 hours, shortly after the country observed several mass gathering violations. The previous record was on Nov. 13 when authorities confirmed 5,444 new cases across the archipelago, two weeks after a long weekend in late October. The new cases on Wednesday bring the overall tally to 511,836 cases nationwide. The COVID-19 task force also announced 114 new deaths, bringing the total fatalities to 16,225, and 4,494 new recoveries, totalling 429,807 recoveries in the country. There are now 65,804 active cases. Jakarta recorded the highest number of new daily cases at 1,273, followed closely by Central Java with 1,008 new cases, West Java with 741 and East Java 402. Central Java's active cases, however, has surpassed that of Jakarta, which now stand at 11,746 and 8,814, respectively. East Java continues to lead the death toll with 34 new deaths, bringing the tally to 4,249, higher than Jakarta’s despite recording only half as many cases as the capital. Jakarta logged 17 new deaths, totalling 2,578 to date. While the central government put Central Java's death toll at 2,162, its official website recorded 36 new deaths, bringing the tally to 3,387, revealing a gap of over 1,000 fatalities between central government and provincial administration data. Task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said on Tuesday that the long weekend observed in late October had resulted in "an increase in positive cases by 17 to 22 percent between Nov. 8 and Nov. 22". Wiku specifically singled out Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and law-enforcers, urging them to act on any violations of prevailing health protocols, which require physical distancing and a restriction on mass gatherings. The governor was recently slammed after Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab attracted a march of thousands of his supporters to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, upon his return from self-exile in Saudi Arabia. – The Jakarta Post
Antigraft task force can still probe lawmakers – DOJ
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday clarified that President Rodrigo Duterte’s refusal to investigate legislators suspected of lining their pockets with kickbacks from graft-laden projects did not preclude the anticorruption task force that he heads from conducting the probe. Guevarra reiterated that all public officials, including lawmakers, may be named in the criminal complaints that the Task Force Against Corruption would bring to the Office of the Ombudsman. “It’s the corrupt act or transaction that is being investigated. Whoever will be implicated, it will not matter if they are outside the executive department. That is how we should view it,” the justice secretary told the Inquirer. “During our meeting last Monday, I clarified that if in the course of investigating a particular act or transaction … (we find) certain government officials outside the executive department are involved, then these officials will necessarily be included in complaints that the task force may file,” he said. “The
President stated that if the involvement of a member of Congress, for instance, is germane to the anomalous transaction, then the latter’s inclusion in criminal charges will have to be endorsed to the Ombudsman through (my office),” Guevarra said. During his public address on Monday night, Mr. Duterte said he could not publicly disclose the names of lawmakers who allegedly got kickbacks from private contractors since they belonged to another branch of government. “If I cannot investigate the congressmen, then I have no authority to be releasing their names,” the President said. This position was in stark contrast to his vicious attacks against his fiercest critic, Sen. Leila de Lima, who was indicted and jailed after Duterte linked her to the illegal drug trade inside the state penitentiary when she was still the justice secretary. Using his “drug matrix,” the President had also named several judges and House members allegedly involved in narcotics. Duterte also seemed to contradict his own statements recently against the unabated corruption in government, which prompted him to direct Guevarra and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to lead the special antigraft body to put an end to the misuse of public funds. Guevarra stressed that Duterte was right in pointing out that, as chief executive, he had no power to have officials in the judiciary and the legislative branches investigated for administrative offenses, such as misconduct and dishonesty. – INQUIRER.net
VN Health ministry calls for testing of food packaging from COVID-19-hit countries
The Ministry of Health of Việt Nam has ordered the testing of samples of food packaging imported from countries with large COVID-19 outbreaks to head off potential exposure to the virus. The precautionary move comes as Việt Nam has largely controlled the domestic situation – it has gone more than 80 days without community transmission – but health authorities warn risks of virus resurgence remain real and significant. To strengthen prevention measures and prevent the spread of the coronavirus into Việt Nam, the Ministry of Health – standing member of the Central Inter-agency Steering Committee on Food Safety, asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Finance (the General Department of Customs), and the People's Committees of centrally-controlled cities and provinces to instruct authorities to take strict control measures, especially against frozen food imported products from countries with outbreaks. Samples should be collected and tested for the presence of the virus and the results submitted to the health ministry. The ministry also called for stepped-up information campaigns and awareness-raising efforts on COVID-19 prevention and control measures. Nguyễn Thanh Long, Minister of Health, said in a recent meeting that SARS-CoV-2 might be able to survive long on packaging in cold storage conditions, which could then transmit to humans. Long said this was a potential source of the virus being reintroduced into the country. China has reported that it has detected the coronavirus on frozen meat and seafood imported from several countries several times and has even imposed temporary bans, but World Health Organization (WHO) says the risk of catching COVID-19 from these sources is low compared to other more established routes of infections. "Coronaviruses need a live animal or human host to multiply and survive and cannot multiply on the surface of food packages. It is not necessary to disinfect food packaging materials, but hands should be properly washed after handling food packages and before eating," the WHO wrote on its website. – Viet Nam News
PM responds to criticism about not wearing a mask
During a meeting at the Peace Palace yesterday, Prime Minister Hun Sen responded to criticism from an unnamed radio station thought to be Radio Free Asia. A page on the station’s website dated November 13 said: A Hungarian cabinet member who tested positive for COVID-19 after travelling to Cambodia, setting off a quarantine of hundreds of Cambodian officials, was asked by the Phnom Penh government not to wear a mask while taking part in a signing ceremony last week, a member of his staff said Friday. “COVID-19 is now destroying us and requiring us to live in a new way, and this situation will continue for a long time. Obviously now we all wear masks,” Mr Hun Sen said, while acknowledging that in the past he did not wear a mask. He explained: “But now, here, if you all wear masks, what else do I need to wear? But I have my mask. But when I started talking, if I was wearing a mask, I could not speak clearly.” Mr Hun Sen called on the public not to blame the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade because he is a good friend of Cambodia. He said he was proud to successfully manage and end the “November 3 incident” through an immediate and effective response. He said that even though the “November 3 incident” restrictions have been lifted, people still need to practice COVID-19 safety measures and respect the “new normal” way of life. Mr Hun Sen also said that Cambodia is ready to provide medical aid and supplies if an outbreak of COVID-19 occurs in Timor Leste. Currently, Timor Leste has 30 cases of COVID-19. Cambodia is now providing help to Myanmar and will use three planes to airlift masks and medical equipment there today. On November 16, Cambodia donated two million face masks and some medical supplies to Laos. Mr Hun Sen said he did not care about recent public criticism over Cambodia providing the masks and medical assistance to Laos and Myanmar, because Cambodia has carried out many humanitarian activities, including dispatching peacekeepers overseas under the United Nations umbrella, noting that Cambodia is a small but big-hearted country. – Khmer Times