These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Couple lost $277k in staycation scam on Carousell; 65% spike in scams in 2020
Planning a staycation at Marina Bay Sands turned into a nightmare for a young couple who were scammed over $277,000 by a Carousell seller, who offered discounted hotel stays in Marina Bay Sands. Ivan and his girlfriend Jessica (not their real names), both in their 20s, were repeatedly assured by the Carousell seller that they would get their money back. The 27-year-old even gave them an address to pick up the $277,000 he took from them in a bag full of cash, but he always cancelled the meetings at the last minute. This was one of the 3,354 police reported e-commerce scams last year, the police announced on Tuesday (Feb 9) when releasing their yearly statistics. Ivan and Jessica, both in their 20s, eventually decided to report him to the police and the scammer was charged in court last month. "We usually go on Carousell for our staycations and we do that quite frequently. And so, when we chanced upon this seller, we went to look at his reviews as usual and saw he was quite reliable," said Ivan at a media conference held by the police on Monday. The couple paid $29,000 initially for nine hotel suites with three-night stays. However, the Carousell seller made up excuses to siphon more money off them, such as by claiming that they needed to pay cancellation fees even though he did not secure the booking for them. He convinced them to transfer more money to him so that he could purportedly pay off other buyers and have his bank account unfrozen by the authorities. To stop them from going to directly to the hotel, he told them that he booked the rooms under a Paiza membership which does not allow members to sell rooms. He also claimed that he could pay them back, by showing them he had about $230,000 in his bank account. Eventually, the couple gave him more than $277,000 over a four-month period. "The reason why this amount went up so high is because we were so wrapped up in this situation and we didn't know what else to do, how to get this money back... (and) because he gave us hope that we will get this money back," said Ivan. The scammer was arrested on Jan 21 and has been charged in court. – The Straits Times
Three-day quarantine for ministers not 'blanket procedure', says Health DG
The three-day quarantine and surveillance period for ministers returning from official visits abroad as provided under Section 29 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Exemption) Order 2021 is not a blanket procedure. Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the length of the period would depend on the risk evaluation conducted by the Health Ministry before a minister departs for the trip. Explaining the procedure involved under Section 29, Dr Noor Hisham said prior to the trip abroad, a minister is first required to apply for an Exemption Order with the Cabinet for approval. "Once approval is obtained from the Cabinet, we (the ministry) will conduct a risk evaluation by scrutinising the activities involved during the official visit. "The (full scope of the) activities must be briefed. The activities must also not involve large crowds or take place in public places. "The most important thing is that the mode of transportation for the official visit must be via a private aircraft. "Official trips where commercial flights are used would not be considered (to be granted the Exemption Order)," he said during a press conference on the Covid-19 situation in the country here today. He also elaborated on the wordings used to explain the conditions of the Exemption Order. "The condition states that Cabinet ministers who return from official visits abroad will only have to undergo three days of observation or surveillance until they are discharged. "I would like to emphasize the wording of the provision, in which a minister who returns from an official visit abroad could be placed under surveillance for a period of seven days or 14 days and have the surveillance period extended to 21 days (until the ministry is satisfied that the minister would not pose any danger to the public after being discharged). "The three-day period would only be granted after a risk evaluation and once the ministry is satisfied with the (travel) bubble related to the official visit," he said. Section 29 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Exemption) Order 2021, exempts ministers from Section 15 of the same order. Section 15 requires individuals who are allowed to enter the country or returning from abroad to be placed under a 10-day mandatory quarantine period upon arrival. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, in exercising the powers conferred to him by Section 29, signed the federal gazette which took effect on Feb 9. – New Straits Times
Thai jab drive 'has not failed'
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday insisted that Thailand has not failed in its procurement of Covid-19 vaccines and demanded that the media stop comparing Thailand with other countries. His comments followed criticism that Thailand was slow to procure vaccines while several neighbouring countries have already started their roll-outs. The country has not failed in this regard as it has become a base for the production of vaccines with the same formula as the leading university in England, he said, referring to the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine. Thailand is part of a supply chain which will make it easy for procurement and distribution of vaccines in the future. This is better than waiting for vaccines produced by other countries, which may have an impact on the country's vaccination programme, Mr Anutin said. "Thailand had devised a carefully planned vaccination programme. But when a second wave occurred, it was necessary to adjust the plan," he said. "While the second outbreak was the result of violations of laws – illegal entry and gambling – some are trying to point the finger of blame at public health officials," Mr Anutin said. "I don't want anyone to compare the Thai public health system with other countries because Thailand ranked high on the list of countries that are successful in containing the Covid-19 outbreak," he said. He also said the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines is expected to arrive in the country this month and it will be administered to those who need it most, as planned. He said his medical teams and officials are working hard to bring Covid-19 vaccines to the country and they are highly concerned about the safety of Thai people. Last month, the Lowy Institute ranked Thailand 4th for its successful handling of Covid 19 in the Covid Performance Index of 98 countries worldwide. Mr Anutin also hit back at critics of the government's vaccination programme, saying a lack of information will cause public confusion. He also rejected a claim by some media outlets that Thailand has not registered vaccines so they cannot be used. "I once said vaccines are a delicate issue. Therefore, those who know nothing about it or do not have enough information but speak through the media will cause confusion among the public," Mr Anutin said. Public criticism of the vaccination programme is mounting as countries which are part of the Covax agreement are now preparing to roll out their inoculation drives. At the start of the pandemic, Thailand decided against joining the programme to pursue its own deals with vaccine manufacturers, as by law, the government is not allowed to spend money on vaccines which have not been proven to be effective. In August last year, the Public Health Ministry and the National Vaccine Institute began seeking deals with vaccine manufacturers. Mr Anutin also said on Tuesday local administration organisations and the private sector are not allowed to buy any Covid-19 vaccines by themselves for the time being. Producers were testing their vaccines in human trials and agreed to sell them to governments for emergency use only, he added. Vaccines would be used to prevent severe symptoms that may cause death, though whether they can prevent infections has yet to be confirmed, Mr Anutin said. Asked how the government will screen imported vaccines, Mr Anutin said that producers will send information to the government and when the vaccines arrive, the Department of Medical Sciences will examine them to ensure they are in line with safety standards. Mr Anutin said China has confirmed that it has approved exports of its Covid-19 vaccines to Thailand. China has registered the vaccines for emergency use and Thailand is also ready to do the same, he added. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Tuesday Thailand will have 2 million Covid-19 vaccine doses by the end of April, beginning with 200,000 doses this month. Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting at Government House, Gen Prayut said 800,000 more would be delivered next month. A further 1 million doses will arrive in April, Gen Prayut said. – Bangkok Post
Vaccine delivery dry run goes well
A dry run of the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday gave the public a peek into how the government would handle the highly perishable drugs. But not knowing when exactly this month the first batch of 117,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine would arrive – the Feb. 15 arrival reported earlier is just an indicative date – the government could only do so much to prepare logistically. In the dry run, officials were most concerned about transporting the temperature-sensitive vaccines at the shortest time possible. The plan was to carry the vaccines from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 in Pasay City to the vaccine warehouse of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City. From there, the vaccines would be distributed to COVID-19 referral hospitals across Metro Manila. Dry runs were also conducted in Cebu City and Davao City on Tuesday, but it was unclear whether mock vaccines were also flown to Visayas and Mindanao islands, as the government plans to do. Carlito Galvez Jr., who handles procurement for the government’s vaccination program, described the dry run as generally “smooth,” with the time allotted for every step of the delivery process significantly reduced – at least in Metro Manila. From a Philippine Airlines plane, 23,400 empty vials of mock vaccines held in plastic-covered credo cubes were offloaded and then carried on forklifts onto reefer vans, or refrigerated vehicles, with temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. The mRna Pfizer vaccines require storage temperature of minus 80 degrees. The vans, escorted by policemen, covered the distance of 21 kilometres from the airport to the RITM in 20 minutes. Galvez said half of the estimated actual time was saved because the Bureau of Customs had agreed to give advance clearance to the vaccine shipment and do away with the usual cargo inspection. At the RITM, the offloading, receiving and inspection for storage in ultralow temperature freezers took 83 minutes, not the estimated 150 minutes. From the RITM warehouse, officials said, the loading of vaccines onto reefer vans that would carry them to hospitals or vaccination sites would take 30 to 45 minutes. Galvez said there was “no room for error” in the rollout. “The longer the vaccines stay outside the warehouse, the higher the possibility of spoilage, so we are trying to get the transport time even shorter,” he said. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III expressed satisfaction at how the practice went. “So far so good. We were able to do it much faster than what was planned,” Duque said. He said half of the Pfizer delivery would be stored for 21 days then administered to the recipients as they became eligible for their second shot. Galvez said Tuesday’s dry run was only the first in a series to “perfect” the rollout, and succeeding “internal rehearsals” would be conducted because each vaccine brand had to be handled differently. “All plans, more often than not, are excellent on paper,” Duque said. “But there is also a saying that the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Earlier, the government said the first vaccines would be given to health workers in four COVID-19 referral hospitals in Metro Manila – Philippine General Hospital in Manila, Lung Center of the Philippines and East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, and Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Caloocan City. But in a television interview on Tuesday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said other hospitals in Metro Manila, as well as hospitals in Cebu City and Davao City, would also get vaccines for their staff. From the RITM warehouse, officials said, the loading of vaccines onto reefer vans that would carry them to hospitals or vaccination sites would take 30 to 45 minutes. Galvez said there was “no room for error” in the rollout. “The longer the vaccines stay outside the warehouse, the higher the possibility of spoilage, so we are trying to get the transport time even shorter,” he said. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III expressed satisfaction at how the practice went. “So far so good. We were able to do it much faster than what was planned,” Duque said. He said half of the Pfizer delivery would be stored for 21 days then administered to the recipients as they became eligible for their second shot. Galvez said Tuesday’s dry run was only the first in a series to “perfect” the rollout, and succeeding “internal rehearsals” would be conducted because each vaccine brand had to be handled differently. – INQUIRER.net
Door opens to growing level of FDI
Việt Nam’s effective control over the COVID-19 pandemic along with it signing a host of new free trade agreements has resulted in many global tech giants shifting their investment to the country. Foxconn, Luxshare, Pegatron, and many leading manufacturers of components and products for 'giants' such as Apple, Sony, and Microsoft have recently invested in Bắc Giang Province and Hải Phòng City in Việt Nam’s north. Analysts believe these big names could create a new wave of investment in the country. The People’s Committee of Bắc Giang Province has recently issued an investment certificate for the Fukang Technology factory project invested by Foxconn Singapore PTE Ltd at the Quang Châu Industrial Park, with registered capital of US$270 million. The factory will produce iPhone, iPad and MacBook for Apple in Việt Nam, with a production scale of 8 million units per year. The Foxconn Technology Group, meanwhile, has constantly expanded its scale of investment and established a range of companies since 2007. Its total investment in Việt Nam stood at $1.5 billion as of last December, of which Bắc Giang had received about $900 million. It expects to invest an additional $700 million in the province this year. Total registered FDI into Việt Nam was $28.53 million last year. In total, 33,070 FDI projects were operating in the country as of the end of last year, with total capital of $384 billion and disbursed capital at $231.86 billion. Bắc Giang also granted investment certificates to three FDI projects in the electrical and electronic sectors in the early days of the new year. Risesun Investment Pte Ltd from Singapore will invest $75 million in a plant producing plastic and composite products and $6 million in another factory manufacturing PVC decorative film at the Hòa Phú Industrial Park. Ja Solar Investment (Hong Kong) Ltd will invest $210 million in a photovoltaic manufacturing plant at the Quang Châu Industrial Park. The northern port city of Hải Phòng, meanwhile, granted investment licences to three investment projects of the Pegatron Group, a supplier for Apple, Microsoft and Sony, in March last year. Pegatron also plans to invest $1 billion in an electronics manufacturing plant in the city. Total investment in the three projects of the group at the Nam Đình Vũ Industrial Park stands at around $1 billion. It is also planning to move its R&D centre from China to Việt Nam at an appropriate time. After being granted an investment certificate four months ago, Universal Global Technology (Taiwan), a member of the ASE Holding Co., officially began construction of a factory at the city’s DEEP C Industrial Zone producing electronic circuit boards for wearable devices (watches, phones and earphones) for leading global electronics companies. – Viet Nam News
Bursting at the seams: Quarantine centres nearing full capacity with returnees
The continuing deluge of Cambodian returnees from Thailand has compelled Oddar Meanchey and Battambang provinces to look for additional venues for quarantine and or building additional ones. Oddar Meanchey’s 17 quarantine centres are at full capacity and as a result, three new centres have been added, bringing the total in that province to 20. Between 150 to 400 Cambodians are crossing the Chong Chom border in Thailand’s Surin province through O’Smach international border checkpoint daily. Dy Rado, deputy governor of Oddar Meanchey province told Khmer Times that December 21 last year, when the outbreak of COVID-19 in Thailand spiked, to January 8 this year, up to 15,000 Cambodians have crossed the border back into Cambodia and straight to the various quarantine centres. “Many of our earlier 17 centres are at full capacity and as such, we have opened three additional facilities to cater to incoming returnees. We fear more numbers will cross the border closer toward Khmer New Year. “We are also looking at the practicality of building new centres if the situation continues to worsen as the current 20 centres are also nearing full capacity. The government has provided a budget of $195,000 for the additional quarantine centres along with 4,000 essential kits comprising blankets, pillows, mats and other basic essentials.” He also allayed earlier fears of utilities issues during the onset of the dry season as he said that Oddar Meanchey authorities had planned for the utilities such as sufficient water and electricity. Banteay Meanchey province, on the other hand, still has sufficient room and space to accommodate its returnees as the numbers crossing its borders average between 150 to 300 per day. Its deputy governor Ngor Meng Chruon said that from December 21 last year until January 8 approximately 9,000 Cambodians have crossed into the country from Thailand, mostly near the O’Baichoan, located 25 kilometres from Poipet city, across the Thai border province of Sa Kaeo, about 48 kilometres away. “We are prepared and equipped to receive between 400 and 500 returning Cambodians daily and the situation in Banteay Meanchey is well under control. We do not see the need for any additional quarantine centres. “As for utilities, we are concerned about water supply as we draw water from rivers and during the dry season, the water levels could be very low, thus hampering adequate water supply. We do not foresee any issues with electricity supply at this point of time,” he said. Battambang province faces the same issue as Oddar Meanchey as several of the quarantine centres, especially in Kamrieng and Sampov Loun districts are already full. Kamrieng’s deputy governor Kong Sambath told Khmer Times that three quarantine centres in Kamrieng, Sampov Loun and Phnom Proek are at full capacity. – Khmer Times
Two people in critical condition after police shoot peaceful protesters with live bullets in Naypyitaw - doctor
Two people were fighting for their lives on Tuesday after police fired live bullets into a crowd of peaceful protesters in Naypyitaw, a doctor at a hospital in the capital told Myanmar Now. A 30-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were in critical condition after being shot, the doctor said, requesting anonymity. The attack came as demonstrators calling for the fall of the new dictatorship braved water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas during a fourth day of mass nationwide demonstrations against last week’s coup. Tuesday’s protests went ahead in defiance of a ban on gatherings of more than four people imposed by the new regime on Monday. The two injured protesters were among a crowd that gathered at the Thabyay Gone Centre in Naypyitaw that was also pummelled with jets of water and about 50 rounds of rubber bullets. Than Htike Aung, a reporter with the Mizzima news website, was injured by a rubber bullet during the attacks. Two others were also injured. In Mandalay, where dozens have been violently snatched off the streets and arrested, police fired tear gas at a crowd of protesters. About a dozen police and military trucks blocked the entrance to University Avenue at Hledan junction In Yangon as a large crowd gathered there. On Monday, a week after staging a coup against a newly elected government, the military released a statement warning that action would be taken against “wrongdoers” if the protests continued. Later that evening, the General Administration Department announced the ban on gatherings and an indefinite 8pm to 4am curfew. The department said groups of people had been trying to disrupt public stability, safety and law enforcement, which can cause riots, and that gatherings, giving speeches, and protesting were therefore banned. Aung Myo, a 50-year-old protester who helped lead hundreds rallying in Yangon’s Thaketa township on Tuesday, said people did not need to follow the orders imposed by the military. Thousands of civil servants from the ministries of foreign affairs, education, agriculture and health, as well as staff from the Anti-Corruption Commission and the railways department have joined walkouts throughout the country aimed at crippling the regime. At least one police officer in Naypyitaw and four police officers in the central town of Magwe have also joined the protests, with some wearing red ribbons, the symbol of the civil disobedience movement. Khun Aung Ko Ko, the police lieutenant who joined demonstrators in Naypyitaw, called for the “fall of dictator Min Aung Hlaing” in a printed statement handed out to protesters. – Myanmar Now
Two Christians publicly flogged in Indonesia for drinking, gambling
Two Christian men were publicly flogged Monday in Indonesia's ultra-conservative Aceh province for drinking alcohol and gambling, in a rare instance of non-Muslims facing a punishment frequently condemned by rights groups. The caning comes less than two weeks after a male couple were flogged nearly 80 times each for having gay sex, which is outlawed under local Islamic law. On Monday, the two accused received 40 lashes each from a masked sharia officer who beat their backs with a stick. One of them, identified only as JF, said he chose flogging to avoid a criminal prosecution that could have seen him jailed up to six months. "The Sharia police gave us options and we consciously decided to comply with the Islamic criminal code. No one forced me to choose it," he told AFP. Aceh is the only province in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country that imposes Islamic law. Non-Muslims who have committed an offence that violates both national and religious laws can choose to be prosecuted under either system. Flogging of non-Muslims is rare, however, with only a handful subjected to the punishment in recent years for crimes including gambling and selling alcohol. The two Christians were among seven people publicly flogged in the province on Monday. The five others were Muslims who were whipped for adultery and drinking alcohol – both violations of religious law. Human rights groups have slammed public caning as cruel, and Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has called for it to end. – The Jakarta Post