These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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NUS had 71 complaints of sexual misconduct involving students in past five years
A total of 71 complaints of sexual misconduct involving students were made to the National University of Singapore (NUS) in the past five years. The number was highest in 2019, when 25 such reports were made. This was the year former NUS student Monica Baey sparked a discussion about sexual misconduct by voicing her frustration that the university had not done more against a male student who had filmed her in the shower at the Eusoff Hall student residence. In its first report on sexual misconduct, sent to students and staff on Wednesday (Jan 6), NUS laid out a summary of past and present cases, including the type of complaints it received, and a breakdown of last year's cases. The university said the report will be provided every six months, with the hope of strengthening and deepening trust within the NUS community. NUS had 12 complaints of sexual misconduct in 2020. During the year, its board of discipline or disciplinary appeals board also dealt with another three cases involving students, acting on complaints made before 2020. In one case, a male student trespassed into multiple hostel rooms on the campus to steal female underwear. He also masturbated on some of the undergarments, NUS said. The case was reported last February to the NUS Office of Campus Security, and was dealt with by the board of discipline. The student was suspended for six semesters, and referred to the University Health Centre for assessment and treatment of his psychiatric condition. He was also barred from campus during the period of suspension and received an official letter of reprimand. Nine of the 12 complaints of sexual misconduct NUS received last year were reported to the police. Seven of the cases took place on campus, while the rest happened off campus or online. – The Straits Times
Bursa Malaysia opens lower
Bursa Malaysia opened lower this morning, bucking the regional trend as the market's risk appetite was curbed by renewed concerns over possible lockdowns in certain states and the uncertainties in the local political scene. At 9.06 am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) lost 9.52 points to 1,582.45 after opening 2.44 points weaker at 1,589.53, compared to Wednesday's close of 1,591.97. On the broader market, losers led gainers 363 to 149, while 1,305 counters were unchanged, 266 untraded and 13 others suspended. Volume stood at 859.88 million units worth RM358.78 million. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd head of research Kenny Yee Shen Pin said the FBM KLCI, which was sold down rather heavily yesterday, might see some bumpy roads ahead. "Nonetheless, we expect some bargain hunting to emerge, thus we expect the index to trend within the 1,585 - 1,600 range today," he said in a note today. Meanwhile, crude palm oil futures had breached the RM4,000 per tonne level, while oil benchmark Brent crude closed higher at US$54.30 per barrel following the decline in supplies. In the local market, heavyweights Maybank eased four sen to RM8.20, Public Bank fell 20 sen to RM20.14, Tenaga gave up 16 sen for RM10.26, Petronas Chemicals slipped two sen to RM7.08, and Top Glove trimmed three sen to RM5.73. On the contrary, IHH Healthcare bagged eight sen to RM5.63. Of the actives, Advance Synergy discounted one sen to 17 sen, while Vortex, Ageson, Iris and Talam were flat at six sen, 13 sen, 37 sen and three sen, respectively. On the index board, the FBM Emas Index was 76.08 points lower at 11,403.41, the FBMT 100 Index decreased 78.64 points to 11,145.15, the FBM 70 decreased 147.71 points to 14,515.72, the FBM Emas Shariah Index contracted 61.79 points to 12,786.63 and the FBM ACE shed 29.72 points to 10,535.56. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products and Services Index slipped 0.66 of-a-point to 171.91, the Financial Services Index eased 119.16 points to 14,851.21, while the Plantation Index gained 3.05 points to 7,350.22. – New Straits Times
Measures tightened in 5 areas
The government on Wednesday tightened Covid-19 control measures in the country's most at-risk provinces, with an emphasis on screening people leaving and entering them. Samut Sakhon, Chon Buri, Rayong, Trat, and Chanthaburi, which had been among 28 provinces designated as maximum control zones, have now been renamed "maximum and strict control zones", according to the announcement in the Royal Gazette. The new directives were issued by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha under the state of emergency imposed to curb the pandemic. Disease control measures will be stepped up in those five newly-designated zones and residents must be equipped with the Mor Chana and Thai Chana contact tracing apps at all times. Tougher travel restrictions will be imposed in the provinces, with authorities having the power to examine and control the use of transport routes and vehicles. More checkpoints will be set up to screen people entering and leaving the designated zones and those trying to do so must show it is absolutely necessary. The government also vowed to take decisive action against state officials and anyone else involved in illegal labour smuggling, as well as officials who are negligent or complicit in allowing illegal gambling dens to operate, which has been blamed for new clusters of Covid-19 infections. Offenders of the new directives will be liable to a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine of up to 40,000 baht. Those who intentionally conceal travel information or give false information will also face legal action under the Communicable Disease Act. Sophon Iamsirithaworn, director of the Communicable Diseases Division under the Department of Disease Control (DDC), said new infections were expected to rise over the next two weeks. These were mostly linked to Samut Sakhon, the epicentre of the new outbreak, gambling dens in Rayong, cockfighting rings in Ang Thong and several entertainment venues in the Pin Klao area of Bangkok. "In light of this, it is necessary to step up disease control measures to stem the spread of the disease,'' Dr Sophon said. DDC director-general Opas Karnkawinpong said the new outbreak had now spread to 56 provinces, with most in Samut Sakhon, Bangkok and the eastern provinces. – Bangkok Post
Densus 88 shoot dead two militants linked to Philippines church bombing
Two militants linked to a 2019 church blast in the Philippines have been shot dead by police, authorities said Wednesday, as officers arrested scores of pro-Islamic State radicals. The shootings came as the National Police counter-terrorism squad, Densus 88, raided a hideout of extremist group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) in Sulawesi island's Makassar city, they said. Two suspects were gunned down when they "resisted arrest" and attacked officers, police said, adding that a third suspect suffered gunshot injuries and was being treated in hospital. Another 17 militants were detained. Later Wednesday, police said the two dead suspects were involved in financing the Philippines' worst terror attack in years, which killed 21 and injured scores more in 2019. "The two were involved in transferring money to the bombers of the church in Jolo, Philippines," national police spokesman Ahmad Ramadhan told reporters, without elaborating. In early 2019, two explosions ripped through a Catholic church on the Philippines' Muslim-majority island of Jolo, killing worshippers at Sunday mass and security forces – raising fears about growing links between militants in Southeast Asia. IS claimed responsibility for the cathedral blast, saying two suicide bombers detonated explosive belts. The pair were later identified as an Indonesian militant and his wife. The Jolo attack was carried out days after voters approved expanding Muslim self-rule in the south aimed at ending a decades-old rebellion for independence or autonomy for the sizeable Islamic minority of the mainly Catholic Philippines. On Wednesday, police said the two men shot by authorities were members of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a local terror network which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and its violent ideology. Members of JAD staged a wave of suicide bombings at churches in Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya in 2018, killing a dozen congregants. – The Jakarta Post
3 suspects in Dacera death freed amid cries for justice
State prosecutors on Wednesday ordered the release of three men held for the death of a 23-year-old flight attendant, saying the evidence presented by police investigators was “insufficient” to show that she was raped and killed after attending a New Year’s Eve party in a Makati City hotel. Instead of recommending their outright criminal indictment, the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office opted to start a regular preliminary investigation of the case on Jan. 13 to determine the alleged role of the suspects being linked to the death of Christine Angelica Dacera, which the police had quickly declared “solved.” The office of the city prosecutor ordered the release of John Pascual de la Serna III, Rommel Galido and John Paul Halili, who had been in police custody since their arrest on Jan. 1. Eight others were named respondents in the complaint filed by Dacera’s mother, Sharon Rose Faba Dacera. Contrary to the claim of the Philippine National Police, which announced Dacera’s death as a “rape-slay” incident, the Makati prosecutors said it was still uncertain if she was really sexually abused before she was found unconscious in the bathtub of her rented room in City Garden Grand Hotel. “After a thorough examination of the evidence presented on inquest, this office finds that there are certain matters that need to be clarified to determine the participation and culpability of each respondent for the alleged rape and killing of … Dacera,” the prosecutors said in a three-page resolution. “At this point, the pieces of evidence so far submitted are insufficient to establish that she was sexually assaulted or raped. And if sexual assault/rape was committed, who is/are the person/s responsible?” they added. The Makati police released De la Serna, Galido and Halili around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, after receiving a copy of the resolution. The three suspects maintained their innocence. – INQUIRER.net
More than 32 million workers impacted by pandemic in Việt Nam
The labour market in the fourth quarter of 2020 showed many signs of improvement compared to the previous quarter, but many in Việt Nam still suffered from job or income losses, according to the General Statistics Office of Việt Nam (GSO). In Wednesday meeting reviewing the labour market situation of the fourth quarter and whole of 2020, GSO noted that as of December, there were are 32.1 million people aged 15 years and over negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including losing their jobs, taking time off work, and reducing working hours. Up to 69.2 per cent of people faced income reductions, 39.9 per cent had to cut working hours and take time off work, and about 14 per cent had to stop working altogether. The service sector was most affected by the pandemic with 71.6 per cent of workers affected, followed by industry and construction with 64.7 per cent, and the agriculture, forestry and fishery sector with 26.4 per cent. The labour force aged 15 and over in the fourth quarter of 2020 was 55.1 million people, an increase of 563,800 people compared to the previous quarter, but lower than the same period of 2019. This once again confirmed the recovery of the labour market after recording a decline in the second quarter of 2020. Generally, in 2020, the labour force aged 15 and over reached 54.6 million people, a decrease of 1.2 million people compared to 2019. Out of the 1.2 million people pushed into unemployment, 51.6 per cent were women and most of them of working age. In the 2016-2019 period, the average annual labour force increased 0.8 per cent. If the workforce in 2020 maintained the same growth rate as in the 2016-2019 period and there was no COVID-19 pandemic, Việt Nam’s economy would have 1.6 million more employees. In other words, the pandemic has deprived 1.6 million people of the opportunity to enter the labour market. Average monthly income of employees in the fourth quarter of 2020 reached VNĐ5.7 million (US$247), up VNĐ212,000 (US$9.1) against the previous quarter and down VNĐ108,000 from the same period of 2019. – Viet Nam News
Cambodia’s Mekong water levels to drop due to power grid maintenance in China
The water outflow at Jinghong hydropower station in China’s Yunnan province is dropping due to power grid maintenance during 5 – 24 January, leading to changes in river water levels along the Mekong River in Thailand, Lao PDR, and Cambodia, according to a press release from the Mekong River Commission. According to a notification from China’s Ministry of Water Resources that the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) received on Jan. 5, the “maintenance of transmission lines of the power grid” will result in water outflow reduction at 1,000 cubic meters per second (m³/s) from 5 to 24 January. The amount of water flow will be gradually restored to its normal operation status on Jan. 25, the notification said. However, the ministry did not specify the river level before the reduction or the volume to be restored on 25 January. Based on the MRC’s observed water level data at Jinghong available until 4 January, the outflow level started decreasing from 1,410 m³/s on 31 December, 2020 to 768m³/s on 1st Jan. 1, 2021, representing an almost 50 percent drop. But the flow rose slightly to just 786 m³/s over 1 to January. As a result, water levels along the Mekong River are likely to drop by about 1.20 metres, according to MRC’s observed and forecasting water level data. In Chiang Saen – the first monitoring station on the Mekong River in Thailand located approximately 300 kilometres away from Jinghong – the water already dropped by about 2 metres during 2 and 4 January. The level is expected to slightly increase up to 0.05 metres during 5 and 11 January. The stretches from Vientiane to Paksane of Lao PDR, including Nongkhai of Thailand, will experience a drop of 0.22-0.35 metres in their water levels during 5 and 11 January. In the Mekong mainstream from Thailand’s Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan and Khong Chiamto Lao PDR’s Thakhek, Savannakhet and Pakse, the water levels will fall slightly less, varying between 0.03 and 0.15 metres between 8 and 11 January. In Cambodia, the water levels along the Mekong in Stung Treng, Kratie, Kampong Cham, Phnom Penh, Koh Khel and Neak Luong did not see any apparent decrease yet until 5th January. The river level at these locations is expected to not change significantly, only dropping between 0.03 and 0.07metres during Jan. 9-11. Navigation activities on the Mekong River, especially around the areas close to Jinghong, may be affected more than the other places during this period. Some local livelihood activities such as river weed harvesting and fishing may also be affected, said Dr Lam Hung Son, Head of the MRC Regional Flood and Drought Management Centre, adding that the Centre will continue to monitor the situation closely. – Khmer Times