These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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New Covid-19 test requirement for seafarers disembarking in Singapore for crew change
Seafarers getting off ships in Singapore will now need to take a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at the port where the ship last stopped and test negative before arriving here. This new requirement applies to all applications submitted from Monday (Feb 15) for seafarers who wish to disembark their ships here for a crew change, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in a circular issued on the same day. Currently, seafarers who wish to disembark in Singapore must not have gone ashore in the last 21 days before getting off the ship. They must also not have had any contact with known or suspected cases of Covid-19 during that period. In addition, a doctor in Singapore has to certify seafarers as "fit to travel" no more than 24 hours before they disembark. Those who take a Covid-19 serology test - that checks if a person had been infected in the past - must remain on board until a negative result is produced. Separately, MPA on Monday said it has facilitated crew changes for more than 100,000 seafarers in Singapore since March 27 last year. These seafarers come from all over the world, involving more than 5,000 companies and 6,700 ships. Senior Minister of State for Transport Chee Hong Tat called the achievement a "milestone" in a Facebook post on Monday night. He noted that border and travel restrictions have led to hundreds of thousands of seafarers globally being stranded at sea since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many seafarers had to work onboard ships beyond their contractual obligations and could not return onshore to their families, leading to crew fatigue and mental health issues, he added. "As a major maritime hub, Singapore has been doing our part to facilitate crew change to safeguard the well-being of seafarers," he said. "Over the past year, we have been working closely with industry associations, unions, maritime companies and international organisations to implement safe crew change protocols." – The Straits Times
PM urges Malaysians, non-citizens to register for Covid-19 vaccination
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today called on the people, including non-Malaysians in the country, to get themselves inoculated once the Covid-19 vaccine is available in Malaysia beginning next week. Although the government has not made it compulsory or mandatory for the people to get vaccinated, Muhyiddin said those who refuse inoculation could face restraints in moving around or engaging in businesses in the future. "For example, when a country introduces a requirement of sorts, once it has reached a stage when most of its people have been vaccinated. "The requirement would likely be in the form of a (health) passport for visitors to prove that they have been vaccinated as a move to protect the locals. "And if you are not vaccinated, there could be a restraint for you to travel and move around," he told a press conference which was conducted virtually here today. Muhyiddin had earlier launched the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Handbook. In his speech at the virtual launching ceremony, the Prime Minister announced that the first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is expected to arrive on Feb 21, earlier than scheduled. He said Malaysia expects to roll out its National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme on Feb 26, adding that he and front liners are scheduled to be inoculated on the same day. Also present were Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba. The Prime Minister also urged the people to register for the vaccination programme and get their first as well as second dosage of the Covid-19 vaccine to protect themselves and their loved ones. Muhyiddin said once everyone has been protected and the Covid-19 immunisation programme has been executed successfully, the positive impact would be felt by all. He cited the economic sector, which would benefit from it, including the tourism industry. "We can once again visit each other and conduct sports activities, but under the new normal. "This is what I meant when I said the vaccine is a light of hope for us to win in the fight against Covid-19. "It will open a new chapter with the roll out of the National Covid-19 Immunisation programme at the end of the month," Muhyiddin said. There are three phases under the National Covid-19 Immunisation programme. The first phase involves front liners, from Feb 26 to April this year. The second phase will run from April to October, involving high-risk groups; and the third phase, involving adults aged 18 and above, will take place from May 2021 to Feb 2022. The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Handbook can be downloaded at www.VaksinCovid.gov.my. – New Straits Times
Aid deadline pushed back after registration 'havoc'
The government on Monday pushed back the deadline for those without internet access to register for the "Rao Chana" aid scheme from Feb 25 to March 5th after commotions were reported across the country on the first day of in-person applications. "Please come and register on other days because there is still plenty of time. We are going to extend the deadline to make sure all who are entitled can register," the prime minister said after a first day many described as "havoc". "Today's disarray was because a lot of people turned up to register and there are a lot of documents that must be processed," he told the media. It was the first day that people without internet access were able to sign up for the "We Win" scheme at branches of Krungthai Bank and designated government processing facilities. Under the scheme, the government has pledged to supplement the income of 31 million people earning less than 300,000 baht a year by 7,000 baht spread over two months. The first lot of registrations for people using smart phone was started and completed between Jan 29-Feb 12. The registration on Monday was for those without mobile phones and those with special needs and disabilities. At one Krungthai Bank branch in Phayao province, more than a thousand mostly elderly residents turned up hoping for what turned out to be just 100 available appointments for the day. Frustration soon turned to outright anger and a number of verbal confrontations with staff and among those queuing was reported. For those unable to turn up in person, deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said the government will do its best to help people with disabilities register for the scheme. She said Krungthai Bank will send mobile units to communities while people with disabilities and bed-ridden patients can delegate registration to family members. In another development, the cabinet on Monday approved a financial relief package scheme for private employees covered by Section 33 of the Social Security Act (SSA) with registration set to begin on Feb 21. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said registration for Mor33 Rao Rak Kan (Section 33 We Love One Another), would run from Feb 21-March 7 with approved applicants required to confirm via the Pao Tang app between March 15–21. Those qualified to receive the financial aid will get a 4,000-baht subsidy via the app followed by 1,000 baht weekly from March 22-April 12. The eligibility criteria include having deposits in a bank account not exceeding 500,000 baht as of December 2019. – Bangkok Post
Duterte demands $16 billion for hosting US troops
In exchange for the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the Philippines should get something like $16 billion that Pakistan had received in counterterrorism assistance from the United States from 2001 to 2017, Malacañang said on Monday. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Philippines received only a total of $3.9 billion from the United States in the same period. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier said the US government must pay if it wanted to keep the VFA, an agreement signed in 1998 that allows American troops to come to the Philippines for joint military exercises with Filipino troops and humanitarian missions. He ordered the abrogation of the agreement last year, but suspended the move because of the coronavirus pandemic and “heightened superpower tensions.” Defense and foreign affairs officials have spoken against the termination of the deal, warning that the country could lose billions of dollars’ worth of assistance and that it could undermine Philippine defense and security arrangements. Many critics have said the VFA, which also provides rules for the entry and departure of military personnel and supplies, is just as detrimental. For instance, it abdicates Philippine sovereignty when trying US personnel who commit crimes, they say. Roque did not answer directly how the administration would make up for the benefits that the Philippines would lose should the VFA be terminated because Washington would not want to pay up. “The President has been clear. He wants compensation. If the Americans don’t agree, then there is also the previous declaration of the Filipino president that he will terminate the VFA,” he said. Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday scored the President’s remarks demanding that the United States cough up money in exchange for the VFA. She warned that such statements could be misconstrued as extortion. “It’s embarrassing,” Robredo said in her weekly radio show. “It’s like extortion. [It’s like we’re crooks] – if you want this, pay up.” Former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario on Monday called the President’s position “incomprehensible” and “unfortunate.” Del Rosario said Duterte should instead seek payment for P230 billion worth of damage from China for its massive marine destruction in the West Philippine Sea. Roque disputed allegations that the President’s demand constituted “extortion,” saying that seeking payment would protect the interest of Filipinos while providing the country with much-needed funds for COVID-19 response and for social services. “Pakistan got $16 billion. We think we should get something similar or close to that amount. But definitely, not the amount we’re currently getting,” he said in a press briefing. – INQUIRER.net
Prime Minister requests purchasing COVID-19 vaccine in February
Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has ordered the health sector to conduct all necessary measures to make COVID-19 vaccines available in Việt Nam this month either through purchasing or from UN organisations. He made the request while chairing a meeting of permanent Government members on pandemic prevention and control work held in Hà Nội on February 15, in response to complicated developments recorded in several localities nationwide. The PM also urged that the research and production of domestic vaccine be accelerated. He assigned the Health Ministry to decide options, partners and types of imported vaccines; identify prioritised groups for vaccination; and coordinate with the Finance Ministry in arranging needed financial sources. Lauding prompt and drastic efforts made by the health sector and many localities since January 27 to date, he underscored the fact that necessary social distancing measures have been implemented while thousands of medical personnel have been sent to COVID-19 hotspots. However, the situation remains complicated with a number of pandemic-hit areas including Hải Dương and Hà Nội yet to curb their local outbreaks, Phúc noted. The Government leader highlighted the need for more drastic implementation of his Directive 05 on urgent COVID-19 prevention and control measures, particularly in quickly zoning off outbreaks, larger scale testing, and speedy contact tracing. He agreed to proposals to halt the organisation of festivals and activities of mass gatherings, and told the education ministry to coordinate with localities to carry out online teaching in some localities. He ordered restriction on Lunar New Year visits and travel in the first lunar month and strict adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures, particularly wearing masks in public areas, with stricter sanctions on violators. The PM ordered localities to re-conduct COVID-19 testing for foreign experts and tightly manage quarantine sites to avoid cross infections, with the army tasked with managing these sites. He approved the enforcement of social distancing under Directive 16 in the entire Hải Dương Province, adding that Hà Nội and HCM City can implement the measure in high-risk areas. Ensuring food security, promoting local farm produce consumption, and tight monitoring of entry-exit activities are also necessary, according to PM Phúc. – Viet Nam News
New COVID-19 headache: More virulent UK strain found in three air passengers
Authorities are on the alert after a more virulent form of COVID-19 has been detected in the Kingdom. The government reported yesterday that the strain which originated from the UK was detected in three foreigners who flew into Cambodia from India and China. According to a statement released by the Ministry of Health yesterday, the new variant was identified by Institut Pasteur du Cambodge as 20I/501Y.V1, VOC 202012/01, and B.1.1.7, which now has emerged with a large number of mutations. The UK variant reportedly spreads more rapidly and is associated with increased risk of death. The strains of the deadly virus were detected in samples extracted from a 28-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman, both Indians, who flew into Cambodia on February 3 from India via Singapore and a 23-year-old Chinese woman who flew from China to Cambodia, passing through South Korea, on February 7. The three patients are now receiving treatment at the National Center for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control. “Medical scientists are finding along with WHO greater fatality, infecting speed and severity of the variant of which cases have been found in the country, the region and the entire world,” the ministry said in its statement. “Therefore, we would like to ask the people to always be cautious and never ignore the possibility of infections of this new variant in Cambodian community,” it added. In January 2021, it was reported that scientists from UK showed evidence that suggests the UK variant may be associated with an increased risk of death compared with other variants. However, more studies are needed to confirm this finding. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered the Ministry of Health and all relevant officials to strengthen measures to ensure migrant workers are not able to avoid going into quarantine when they return to the Kingdom. In a Facebook post yesterday, Mr Hun Sen said they should more strictly implement the “Sub-Decree on Health Measures to Prevent and Respond to the International Outbreak of Diseases”. He also instructed the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice to review the level of penalties in the sub-decree, as it is too low for some people to fear. – Khmer Times
Soldiers and police fire air guns into crowd of protesters at bank in Mandalay
Soldiers and police fired steel balls from air guns and used slingshots on Monday as they broke up a crowd of protesters in Mandalay who had gathered to urge Myanmar Economic Bank staff to join a general strike aimed at hobbling the military regime. Hundreds were gathered outside the branch at 26th and 82nd street shouting “Don’t go to work, break away!” when 10 military and police trucks arrived at about 4pm and began shooting without warning. They shot into the crowd as well as into the homes and shops of people who were watching the attacks from inside, Myanmar Now’s reporter on the ground there said. The township police chief had earlier warned the crowd not to block the way, but there was no warning that authorities would use violence against the protesters. The soldiers not only shot at the protesters but also, they shot at the people near the scene who were at that time looking at the situation from their houses and shops, said witnesses. “We were peacefully protesting but they ambushed us without warning,” said Ko Latt, one of the demonstrators. At least three were injured and two were arrested in the crackdown. A reporter was beaten and briefly detained, but released when he explained he was a journalist. “The military released two injured people when a volunteer team asked for them to be freed,” said another journalist who witnessed the attacks and requested anonymity. “The volunteer team is treating them at this moment. I saw two arrests; they ran after them and caught them.” Nu Nu Lwin, a 45-year-old local resident, said she was shot in the head with an air gun even though she wasn’t involved in the protest. “I live on 18th street and came around here to shop for some goods,” she told Myanmar Now. “Then lots of police trucks came so I was watching the situation. When clashes broke out, I tried to run but it was too late. I don’t know where it came from, I got shot to the head without any involvement in the protest.” After the protest was dispersed, about 50 soldiers blocked off the section of 82nd street where the bank is located, between 26th and 27th street, another local resident told Myanmar Now. Two teenage girls and a woman who live in the compound of the Mandalay Joon Mosque were also arrested on Monday afternoon, even though they didn’t participate in the protest, a family member said. Loved ones are concerned about the safety of the three, who are aged 65, 17 and 14, the family member said. – Myanmar NOW
Briton convicted in Bali cop killing freed from prison today
A Briton jailed for beating an Indonesian policeman to death in Bali with his Australian girlfriend was to be freed Thursday after more than four years in prison, authorities said. David Taylor is expected to be deported back to the United Kingdom after leaving Kerobokan prison on the Indonesian holiday island, an official told AFP Wednesday. "He'll be released tomorrow," said Bali’s justice department spokesman, I Putu Surya Dharma said on Wednesday. Taylor and his former girlfriend, Sara Connor, who was released from prison last year, were convicted in 2017 of fatally assaulting officer Wayan Sudarsa, whose battered body was found in the popular tourist area of Kuta the previous year. Wayan's blood-soaked body was covered with dozens of wounds on his neck, chest and head. Taylor was given a six-year prison term while Connor got five years. Both received reductions in their original sentences, which is common for prisoners in Indonesia. Taylor, a former DJ whose stage name was DJ Nutzo, had admitted getting into a fight with Sudarsa on the beach after accusing the officer of stealing Connor's handbag, hitting him with items including binoculars and a beer bottle. At the trial, Taylor claimed that he had feared for his life and acted in self-defence during the late-night brawl. Connor, a mother-of-two, maintained her innocence, insisting she only intervened to try to break up the fight. This claim was rejected by a Bali court, who said she held down the victim as Taylor beat him. The pair fled the scene but Connor's driving licence and ATM card were found next to the body. After police launched a massive manhunt for the couple, they took refuge in the Australian consulate in Bali but later handed themselves over to local authorities. At trial, prosecutors said the pair, who were tried separately, should not be convicted of murder because they did not intend to kill the officer. – The Jakarta Post