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.
Dell launches US$50m R&D centre in S'pore, 1st team outside US to focus on user experiences
American tech giant Dell Technologies officially launched a new US$50 million (S$66 million) research and development centre (R&D) here on Monday (Feb 22) that will, for the first time outside the United States, have a team dedicated to improving user experiences. This includes developing a wellness tracker application built into a laptop that captures a person's seating posture and delivers prompts and alerts to encourage the user to move or make adjustments to address challenges from working from home, such as neck and lower back pain. The centre – dubbed a Global Innovation Hub and one of several in the world – will focus on making advances in digital transformation and experiences. Dell's investment in the hub, located in International Business Park in Jurong East and Changi Business Park, will also create more than 160 jobs – mostly for Singaporeans – in emerging tech, including for designers, developers and strategists. More than 75 per cent of the positions have already been filled in the last one year and the PC maker expects to hire the remaining employees for the hub by the end of the year. This complements Dell's announcement on Feb 10 that it had launched initiatives to help train 3,000 students, fresh graduates and mid-career professionals here in practical digital skills in cloud computing, data protection, and management, data science and data analytics over the next two years. The innovation hub's R&D areas include augmented reality (AR) to enhance customer experiences; cyber security to monitor threats and prevent security incidents; and digital analytics. Other areas it will look into include edge computing, or computing at or near where the data is located, which will take advantage of the roll-out of 5G mobile networks. Another area is cloud-native architecture, or software and systems designed specifically to be deployed over a network, which can be used to support building smart nations and to help modernise a workforce. Mr Amit Midha, Dell Technologies' president for the Asia-Pacific and Japan, and Global Digital Cities, said that the company's innovations in edge computing "will be driven from Singapore". He noted that in the next decade, edge computing is going to dwarf cloud computing, or the delivery of computer services and applications over networks. – The Straits Times
Students in KL all geared up for SPM
Some of the 2020 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) candidates met today were glad to finally be able to sit for their examination after more than a year of studying and preparing. Today, a total of 401,105 SPM students from the Class of 2020, nationwide, will sit for their Bahasa Malaysia papers. The examination which kicks off today is scheduled to end March 25. Alif Uzer Zulkilfi, 18, a student from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seksyen 5, Wangsa Maju said he was thrilled to sit for the examination after waiting for so long. "Of course, I am nervous to sit for the exams but after several times of it being postponed, I just want to get it over with. "We were lucky to have the extra time to study. I believe my batch is more ready than ever to face the exams and hopefully we are able to attain good grades," he said when met outside the school with his friends. When asked if students were nervous to enter the school after staying at home for so long due to the Movement Control Order (MCO) caused by Covid-19, student Daniel Hanazim said they were more worried about the paper they would be taking today. "There are concerns about being outside during the pandemic, but today I am more worried about SPM. "The teachers previously briefed us and they sent WhatsApp messages to our group to remind us of the Standard-Operating Procedures (SOP). "There is no assembly today unlike previous years when students were told to assemble before the exam. Due to physical distancing procedures, we were asked to head straight to either the hall or classrooms," he told the New Straits Times. Daniel,18, arrived at the school at 6.45am alongside Alif to wait for the rest of their friends. Another student Syakirah Kamil, who was seen entering the school confidently said she was nervous to sit for the examination. "Before leaving the house, my parents wished me luck and sent their prayers. I am just glad that I am finally sitting for my SPM but I am nervous... please pray for me," she said. Checks by the NST found that students were required to show their identification cards and examination slips apart from registering their details and undergoing temperature screening before entering the school compound. Due to the MCO, the Education Ministry had issued strict orders to not allow members of the media to interview teachers or enter the school grounds to prevent Covid-19 infection. Meanwhile, parents of 18-year-old autistic student Muhammad Hariz Zakwan Roslin Rahimi were present to send their son at 7am. Muhammad Hariz was seen checking his papers and examination slip, making sure he had everything prepared before entering the school. His mother, Norulhuda Abdul Halim said her son who was placed under the Integrated Special Education Programmes (PPKI) class was relieved to finally be able to sit for the examination today. "The SPM was postponed twice, so he was worried it would be postponed again, seeing the rise in Covid-19 cases. "As a parent, I am not too worried about sending him off today knowing the school management had sanitised the school and prepared the appropriate guidelines on the Covid-19 SOP," she said when met. Muhammad Hariz was diagnosed with autism since he was four-years-old and placed in PPKI classes at the age of 10. Norulhuda said Muhammad Hariz would be sitting for five core SPM subjects and one extra subject, Pendidikan Seni which was his favourite. "Due to his condition, we had to explain the reasons classes were done online. "He just needed assurance and explanations why this was happening, he enjoyed physical classes more but it was not possible during the pandemic. "After taking the classes online and having motivational classes with his teachers, Muhammad Hariz was feeling better. His friends were also very supportive of him," she said. – New Straits Times
Border alert in Mae Sai over anti-coup rally in Tachilek
Immigration police have stepped up their border watch duty in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai amid concern about a possible influx of Myanmar protesters fleeing a crackdown by authorities in Tachilek. Immigration Bureau commissioner Somgpong Chingduang said on Sunday immigration authorities at the Mae Sai checkpoint were ordered to keep a close watch on the situation in the Myanmar town, opposite the district, after authorities cracked down on rallies against the coup. Security authorities fired bullets at demonstrators in Mandalay on Saturday, killing two protesters in what was the deadliest incident since the army staged a coup on Feb 1. Thousands of protesters took to the streets again in Myawaddy town, opposite Mae Sot district of Tak, on Sunday and another rally, at which the number of demonstrators was not immediately clear, was held in Tachilek. The protest in Tachilek, the second in consecutive days, resulted in a closure of the checkpoint between the two countries for two hours before border trade was allowed to resume again. Pol Lt Gen Sompong said no protesters fleeing the Myanmar authorities will be allowed to enter Thailand, and all will be immediately pushed back from the border. Any new influx would put Thailand at risk of a wider spread of the coronavirus outbreak imported by the Myanmar migrants, he added. Anti-coup protesters plan their largest rallies yet in Myanmar on Monday. – Bangkok Post
Swaths of Surigao del Sur flooded as Auring heads for E. Samar
A river snaking through this city from the hinterlands of Surigao del Sur province swelled and spilled at the height of rains brought by Tropical Storm Auring, submerging villages in what residents described as the worst flooding in local history. Hundreds of families fled to evacuation centers as the rain, which started at 8 p.m. on Saturday and continued until noon the next day, triggered neck-deep floods in communities downstream of the Tandag River. The rampaging flood also carried a huge volume of debris, including logs, that had piled up near a bridge in Barangay Telaje, toward the mouth of the river. The state weather bureau on Sunday hoisted tropical cyclone wind signal No. 2 over several provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao as it expected gale-force winds when Auring enters and crosses the country on Monday. Auring (international name: Dujuan) slightly picked up speed on Sunday as it neared Eastern Visayas and Caraga regions, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said. As of 4 p.m., the storm was spotted 355 kilometres east of Surigao City in Surigao del Norte province, packing peak winds of 65 km per hour near the center and gusts of up to 80 kph. Forecasters said it might maintain its strength but would likely weaken into a tropical depression even before landfall. Auring, the first storm of 2021, is expected to hit the Dinagat Islands, Eastern Samar – particularly its southern portion, including Homonhon Island – and Leyte by Monday morning. Throughout Sunday, it was almost stationary over the Philippine Sea but later slightly accelerated at 20 kph, moving northwest. It is expected to blow toward the southern part of Masbate City by Monday afternoon, and head north-northwest of Coron, Palawan, by Tuesday. Signal No. 2 was raised over the central and southern portions of Eastern Samar and Samar, and the eastern portions of Leyte and Southern Leyte. In Surigao del Sur, floodwaters engulfed houses and communities, displacing 9,552 families, or 30,650 people, in 15 towns and two cities, provincial disaster response officials reported. The evacuees came from the towns of Barobo, Bayabas, Cagwait, Cantilan, Carmen, Carrascal, Cortes, Hinatuan, Lanuza, Lingig, Madrid, Marihatag, San Agustin, Tagbina and Tago, and the cities of Bislig and Tandag. In Barobo, 1,431 families from eight villages were taken to 14 evacuation centers while 306 families were moved to safety in Cortes town. “This is the first time that a flood this big happened in our village,” said Bernie Tradio Vistal, a resident of Purok Tulay Uno in Tandag’s Barangay San Agustin Sur. “The water was … up to our chest inside our house and I lost my boat, which rammed against the newly constructed bridge,” Vistal said. Rescuers waded through waist-deep waters to get to the flooded communities and in other towns of Surigao del Sur, while landslides closed roads in Lanuza, Marihatag and Cortes, all in Surigao del Sur, and in Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte. As of Sunday noon, floodwaters had engulfed most of the national highway leading to San Miguel in the interior. Apart from the swelling of tributaries, flooding hit some sections of Marihatag due to storm surge, according to several residents. Brig. Gen. Allan Hambala, head of the Army’s 401st Infantry Brigade, reported on Sunday that soldiers and policemen evacuated 1,003 families in Tandag’s 10 barangays and 3,602 families in the towns of Lanuza, Cortes, Carmen, Tago, Madrid and Cantilan. The Surigao del Sur II Electric Cooperative cut power in 12 flooded towns and cities. In Misamis Oriental, power interruptions hit the western part of the province as strong winds felled trees on transmission lines. – INQUIRER.net
State funeral held to commemorate former Deputy PM
A State-level funeral was held for Trương Vĩnh Trọng, former Politburo member, former Deputy Prime Minister and former Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs, in Hà Nội and the southern province of Bến Tre on Sunday. Party General Secretary and State President Nguyễn Phú Trọng sent a wreath in commemoration of the deceased, who passed away on Friday at the age of 79. At the great hall of Bến Tre People’s Committee, a delegation of the Party Central Committee led by Politburo member and Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc came to pay their last respects to Trương Vĩnh Trọng and offer condolences to his family. It was followed by a Government delegation, also led by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, a National Assembly delegation led by Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân, a Presidential delegation led by Vice President Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh, and a delegation of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee led by Politburo member and President of the Front Central Committee Trần Thanh Mẫn. A delegation of the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission led by Politburo member and Commission Chairman Phạm Minh Chính, and another from the Internal Affairs Commission headed by Politburo member and Commission Chairman Phan Đình Trạc, also came to pay homage to the late leader. The funeral was also attended by a delegation from the HCM City Party Committee led by Politburo member and Secretary of the committee Nguyễn Văn Nên, along with officials of Bến Tre Province led by Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Council Phan Văn Mãi. In attendance at the ceremony held at the National Funeral Hall in Hà Nội were former State President Trần Đức Lương and former Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Trần Quốc Vượng. Politburo member and Chairwoman of the Party Central Committee’s Mass Mobilisation Commission Trương Thị Mai; Politburo member, Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Theoretical Council and Director of the Hồ Chí Minh National Academy of Politics Nguyễn Xuân Thắng; and Politburo member and Secretary of the Hà Nội Party Committee Vương Đình Huệ also came to pay homage to the late official. A delegation from the Lao Embassy in Vietnam led by Ambassador Sengphet Houngboungnuang also took part in the ceremony, as did many delegations of central agencies and localities. – Viet Nam News
Cambodia’s COVID-19 positive cases has risen exponentially in 48 hours with tally now at 568 with 475 recoveries
Cambodia’s COVID-19 positive cases situation had worsened significantly since 20 February with the outbreak of the February 20 Community event where up to Sunday midnight, up to 78 people have been infected. In addition, there were four imported cases comprising a 43-year-old Cambodian male returning from Ghana through South Korea to Cambodia on 8 February 2021, with a total of 41 passengers, 38-year-old and 40-year-old Chinese males and a 29-year-old Chinese female turning from China to Cambodia on 11 February 2021. The other 31 patients connected to the February 20 Community Event comprise Cambodian and Chinese nationals aged between 11 and 71 years old. To date, Cambodia has confirmed 568 cases of COVID-19 with 475 recoveries and no deaths. – Khmer Times
‘It was like a warzone’ - soldiers linked to Rohingya atrocities involved in murders of Mandalay protesters
Amar Kyi could hear the gunfire and screams from her house as police and soldiers attacked unarmed protesters in Mandalay on Saturday. “It was like a war zone,” she told Myanmar Now. “They were firing non-stop. We were hiding inside terrified.” But when she and members of her family heard people shouting that someone had been shot, they put their fear aside and went outside to see who it was. “It was my son,” she said. Myo Min Tun, 42, is being treated at Mandalay General Hospital after being hit in the chest. He is one of at least 14 people who were seriously injured in the attack. Another two were killed. Wai Yan Tun, 16, was shot in the head and died instantly, while Thet Naing Win, a 36-year-old carpenter, died on the way to the hospital from a bullet wound in his chest. It is still unclear whether police or soldiers fired the fatal shots, but troops from the 33rd Light Infantry Division took part in Saturday’s crackdown at the Yadanarbon shipyard. The notorious unit was involved in the massacre of 10 Rohingya men and boys at the village of Inn Din in Rakhine state in 2017. Saturday’s violence began after hundreds gathered to support striking shipyard workers when police tried to arrest them. Staff from the Inland Water Transport Department, like many thousands of state employees around the country, are refusing to work to prevent coup leader Min Aung Hlaing from asserting power through government mechanisms. About 20 trucks full of security personnel arrived to stamp out the demonstrations near the Yadanarbon shipyard on Strand road, using catapults, water cannon and rubber bullets as well as live rounds. “It was utterly ruthless,” said an emergency worker who helped treat the injured and asked not to be named for fear of reprisals. Wai Yan Tun appeared to have been shot with “very powerful ammo” the emergency worker said. “The kid’s skull was cracked.” “There was no warning before they started firing,” he added. “It was complete tyranny against unarmed civilians.” It is still unclear how many were arrested, but video footage shared on social media showed soldiers rounding up several people. – Myanmar NOW
Jakarta floods claim five lives: disaster mitigation office
Floods triggered by incessant heavy rain in Jakarta on Saturday claimed five lives comprising one elderly man and four children, according to the capital city's disaster mitigation office (BPBD). Four children and one senior citizen died when Jakarta was hit by major flooding on early Saturday, Sabdo Kurnianto, Chief Executive of the Jakarta BPBD, said on Sunday. A 67-year-old man, resident of Jatipadang, South Jakarta, was found dead in his locked home that was submerged by flood waters, he said. Three small boys were swept away by strong flood current in South Jakarta and a seven-year-old girl drowned in floodwaters in West Jakarta. Meanwhile, the office had deployed personnel to carry out evacuation process of flood victims and distributed relief aid comprising food and equipment for cleaning homes affected by the flooding. "In accordance with the Governor's instructions, we will continue to carry out flood handling by prioritizing the safety of people," he remarked. Based on data from the Jakarta BPBD, the flood waters began to recede in a number of areas but there were still 49 neighbourhood units (RT) affected by the flood, or 0.161 percent of the capital city's total 30,470 RTs. "A total of 1,722 members of 514 families, all of whom are from the East Jakarta area, have been displaced. They have been accommodated in 10 shelters in East Jakarta," he noted. The flood waters reached a height of up to one meter in East Jakarta. The evacuation process of flood victims was conducted with the support of police and military officers. The Jakarta authorities called for assistance as flood victims still needed more relief aid such as food, drinking waters, medic kits, family kits, mattresses, blankets and masks. Jakarta residents living in flood prone areas are urged to remain vigilant as the Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has forecast that heavy rains would most likely to fall on February 22 and 23 in most parts of Jakarta and surrounding cities such as Bekasi, West Java. – AntaraNews.Com