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.
Stay informed with The ASEAN Post.
First day of new reusable mask distribution for Singapore residents mostly a breeze
Collecting the new reusable face masks was a smooth process for many Singapore residents on the first day of distribution by Temasek Foundation on Monday (Nov 30). Those whom The Straits Times spoke to said the vending machines were easy to use, as they simply had to select their mask size, and scan their identification card for redemption. Each person is entitled to one free mask kit, which contains a pair of reusable masks and three mask filters. A total of 1,200 vending machines are located island-wide, with collection points at more than 800 locations, including bus interchanges, community centres and resident committee centres, as well as Temasek Shophouse and Plaza Singapura, in this third round of mask distribution by the foundation. When ST visited Chong Pang Community Centre and Nee Soon Central Community Centre on Monday morning, there were small queues of five to six groups of people at each vending machine. Staff and volunteers were also deployed at most locations island-wide to help users select the correct mask sizes. The masks are available in four sizes - small, medium, large and extra-large - with the small ones intended for children under eight. A resident who wanted to be known only as Mr Goh, 67, who collected a large mask for himself at Chong Pang Community Centre, said that having staff around helped him to select his size more accurately. Another resident, who declined to be named, was collecting masks for herself and her daughter. "I didn't have any issues determining the size of the masks, as I often buy masks for the family, so I have a good gauge of what to get," she said. The girl said she had selected medium-sized masks for herself instead of the small ones, as her mother had suggested that they save them for future use, when their current ones get worn out. The mask distribution exercise will end on Dec 13. – The Straits Times
Malaysia's manufacturing sector recovery moderates further in November
The recovery in the Malaysian manufacturing sector continues to lose momentum midway through the fourth quarter of the year, said IHS Markit. According to IHS Markit Malaysia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), businesses had continued to scale back production, while new order inflows moderated. A rise in Covid-19 cases both domestically and around the world led to reduced demand for Malaysian manufactured goods while supply chains struggled to deliver inputs in a timely manner. "Nevertheless, Malaysian manufacturers were increasingly optimistic regarding the year-ahead outlook, with hopes that an end to the pandemic would give rise to a wider recovery in demand," it said. IHS Markit said a composite single-figure indicator of manufacturing performance had dipped fractionally for a fifth month in a row, down from 48.5 in October to 48.4 in November. It said this reading signalled a further moderation in the health of the manufacturing sector, although the trend appears to be flattening, while the deterioration was considerably less marked than that seen during the first wave of the pandemic. "The historical relationship between official statistics and the PMI suggests that while gross development product (GDP) continued to trend toward stabilisation, output in the manufacturing sector had stagnated as both the Malaysian economy and key international markets combated a resurgence in Covid-19 cases," it said. IHS Markit said both production and new order volumes had moderated in November, yet the pace of deterioration was markedly softer than in April. Firms commonly attributed the latest round of scaling back to the reintroduction of restrictions on movement which dampened domestic and external markets. "Greater restrictions led to a fall in new export orders, which reduced faster than overall new business inflows. A resurgence of infections in key markets such as India was cited as a contributor to ongoing weakness in exports, which fell for the eleventh month running. "Positively, staffing levels among Malaysian manufacturers edged towards stabilisation in the latest survey period," it said. According to IHS Markit, cost pressures on manufacturers were often attributed to raw material shortages, as firms reported the sixth consecutive rise in average cost burdens in November. The rate of input cost inflation accelerated compared to October and was the fastest in four months. "Higher costs were partially passed on to customers, as signalled by a further increase in output charges. In response to slower production and order volumes, Malaysian manufacturing businesses scaled back purchasing activity. "Holdings of raw materials and semi-finished goods also dipped midway through the final quarter of 2020, as did stocks of finished products," it added. Looking forward, IHS Markit said Malaysian manufacturers were increasingly optimistic regarding the 12-month outlook for production. "Positive sentiment was signalled for the eighth month running amid hopes that an end to the pandemic would bring about a return to normal operating conditions and boost production," it added. – New Straits Times
Health chiefs play down Chiang Mai lockdown talk
The Public Health Ministry has ruled out a lockdown in the tourist province of Chiang Mai as a result of a coronavirus scare involving a Thai returnee from Myanmar. "The ministry has been testing all those who came into contact with the patient and there has yet to be a positive result," Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control told media at a press briefing to allay fears of an outbreak in a province that relies on domestic tourism for income in the absence of foreign arrivals. "Widespread Covid-19 transmission is unlikely because people in Chiang Mai are still predominately wearing masks on a daily basis. The ministry will continue monitoring the situation for a further 14 days," he said. Of the 328 people believed to have come into close contact with the 29-year-old Thai woman who worked in Myanmar who tested positive, 107 were initially classified as being at high risk of contagion. Of those, 65 have already seen negative test results returned. Dr Opas asked people to remain calm and cautioned against "overreacting" after some schools announced their immediate temporary closure after the news first broke at the weekend, and reassured the media that all necessary precautions were being taken. In Chiang Rai public health chief, Dr Thossathep Boonthong gave further details about how two young women aged 26 and 23, were able to illegally enter Mai Sai district from Tachileik in Myanmar under the cover of darkness on Thursday night. Both worked at the same entertainment venue as the 29-year-old woman who tested positive in Chiang Mai. All three had gone to work in the Myanmar border town last month, but decided to return to Thailand after authorities imposed a midnight to 4am curfew to contain the local outbreak. – Bangkok Post
COVID-19 figures keep getting worse, says President
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has once again reminded the public of the risks of COVID-19 infection, after the national active case rate reached 13.41 percent, up by nearly 1 percentage point from last week. The rate of active cases is calculated by subtracting the number of COVID-19 recoveries and deaths from the number of confirmed cases. The statistic represents the number of cases still considered to be infectious. “Let us all be more careful because as per Nov. 29, our active case rate has increased to 13.41 percent,” Jokowi said during his opening speech of a Cabinet meeting in Jakarta on Monday as quoted by kompas.com. Indonesia’s active case rate last week was 12.78 percent. Its recovery rate has decreased to 83.44 percent from 84.03 last week, suggesting that the country was unable to properly handle the pandemic, Jokowi said. “These [figures] have gotten worse because we saw more new confirmed cases [this week] compared to the previous weeks.” The President specifically pointed at Jakarta and Central Java as the provinces that had recorded the highest new confirmed cases recently. On Nov. 21, Jakarta saw 1,579 new cases in a single day, while Central Java recorded 1,362 cases only on Nov. 13. Read also: Jakarta deputy governor tests positive, 'likely' got COVID-19 from staffer Jokowi once again ordered regional leaders to step up their COVID-19 handling efforts to curb the further spread of the disease. “It is a regional leader’s duty to protect their citizens, and people’s safety is a top priority.” As of Monday, Indonesia has recorded 538,883 COVID-19 cases, including 450,518 recoveries and 16,945 fatalities. Meanwhile, on Friday, Indonesia logged yet another daily record in coronavirus infections and fatalities, with the national COVID-19 task force confirming 5,828 new cases and 169 new deaths over the past 24 hours. The country had broken its previous daily case record on Wednesday with 5,534 new cases. Meanwhile, the previous high for deaths in a day was on Sept. 22, when the country reported 160 new fatalities. Jakarta still has the most cases on a regional level with 1,436 new infections, followed by Central Java with 963, West Java with 699, East Java with 428 and Banten with 191 new cases. Outside Java, Riau and West Sumatra recorded 261 and 239 new cases, respectively, while East Kalimantan recorded 165, Lampung 157 and North, South and Southeast Sulawesi respectively logged 152, 141 and 102 new cases, respectively. – The Jakarta Post
Duterte identifies party-list groups as ‘legal fronts of the communists’
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night lashed out at activist party-list groups, accusing them of acting as “legal fronts” of the half-a-century communist insurgency. Duterte vented his ire on these groups during his weekly update on quarantine restrictions – and in the wake of the outrage on social media prompted by a photograph of Army soldiers posing with the body of Jevilyn Cullamat, a rebel killed in a recent encounter and daughter of a party list lawmaker. Jevilyn, 22, was killed when a 12-man Army Special Forces team clashed for about 45 minutes with New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the mountains of Marihatag town, Surigao del Sur province, on Nov. 28. According to a military report, she was a medic for the rebels. The Army’s 3rd Special Forces “Arrowhead” Battalion on Sunday afternoon sent out information on Jevilyn’s death. Attached with the press release were three photos, including one of members of the Army unit, whose faces were blurred, posing with the rebel’s body and the firearms they seized from the NPA rebels. But the unit later advised the media to refrain from making the photo public. The slain rebel’s mother, Bayan Muna Rep. Eufemia Cullamat, condemned the desecration of her daughter’s body, calling as “vultures” the soldiers who made a trophy out of her bloodied corpse. Amid the reaction to the photograph, Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, “vehemently denied” that Jevilyn’s body was used as a war trophy. “The matter is already being investigated. And the one who caused that faces sanctions,” he said. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana himself said: “We will study how we can preserve the dignity (of the dead) and the privacy of the families. They (slain enemy fighters) have families. They just did not materialize out of nowhere. But Duterte’s remarks in his televised address to the nation on Monday night were in contrast to those of his defense officials. “These legal fronts of the communists, all of them, Makabayan, Bayan – they are all legal fronts. Gabriela,” he said in Filipino and English. “We are not red-tagging you; we are identifying you as members in a grand conspiracy comprising all the legal fronts that they have organized, headed by the NDF (National Democratic Front) and the New People’s Army, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).” “The Armed Forces of the Philippines is very correct. You are being identified as members of the communist so we know. That’s the truth,” the President also said. – INQUIRER.net
Vietnamese, Dutch PMs hold phone talks
Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc talked over the phone with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte on Monday. Appreciating the Dutch Government's provision of an aid package worth EUR2 million for flood victims in Việt Nam’s central region, Phúc said the two nations would continue working closely implementing cooperation programmes within the framework of their strategic partnership in response to climate change, water management, and natural disaster risk mitigation. Both leaders expressed their delight at the robust growth of the Việt Nam – Netherlands comprehensive partnership, which was established during Rutte’s visit to Việt Nam in 2019, despite COVID-19 impacts. Bilateral trade has now reached US$6.2 billion, up 2 per cent year-on-year. They believe the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, which took effect in August this year, will be a driving force and create opportunities for expanding cooperation between Vietnamese and Dutch enterprises. They were pleased with the development of the comprehensive partnership across fields such as politics-diplomacy, economy, and collaboration in agriculture and climate change adaptation. Phúc said Việt Nam always valued the growth of its friendship and multifaceted cooperation with the Netherlands, considering the country its top partner in climate change adaptation and sustainable farming development. He hoped for the European country's further assistance for the agricultural transformation plan in Việt Nam’s Mekong Delta for 2020 – 2023 and other cooperation programmes in the region. Rutte praised Việt Nam’s measures and efforts in COVID-19 prevention and control. Phúc said Việt Nam was willing to work with other nations in the work, as well as in trade reconnection and economic recovery. The Vietnamese leader also discussed outcomes of the 37th ASEAN Summit and related summits. He welcomed the Netherlands’ proposal to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), considering it an important basis to further promote the ASEAN-Netherlands and ASEAN-EU collaboration. Phúc said he hopes to soon host Rutte in his future visit to Việt Nam – Viet Nam News
Cambodia’s invincible super spreader causes up to 17 COVID-19 community infection cases
Although 17 cases, almost all related directly or indirectly via employment with the first case of community spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus in Cambodia – the 56-year old wife of the Director-General of Prisons – have been detected this far, contact tracing officials have become exasperated with the difficulty in finding out the “patient zero” of the case. It is essential to locate “patient zero” to determine how he or she got infected and start tracing back past activities and contacts and to determine when and where the 56-year old woman got infected. In medical terms, the first case in a chain of infections is popularly called “patient zero”. In epidemiological language, the first case in an outbreak to come to the attention of investigators is referred to as the “index case”. The actual individual who introduced the disease at the start of the outbreak is called the “primary case”. In this first community outbreak case in Cambodia, “patient zero” currently remains invisible and the 56-year old woman has been identified as the “index patient”. A health official speaking in confidence to Khmer Times last night said “It is critical for contract tracing officials to find the first known case because it helps work out how and where the outbreak occurred, and give an idea as to the possible extent of the infection in terms of geographical location and also possible patients. “In this November 28 community incident, we identified certain locations and because of this, schools, museums, and other places were shut and additional testing facilities were established. “What is critical is that the government continues to act swiftly and rapidly and minimize numbers of people gathering. The time the first patient showed symptoms and the time she went for test had considerable lapses and it is a challenge to back trace the contacts.” – Khmer Times