These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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8 workers injured in Tuas fire in intensive care
Eight migrant workers injured by the fire at an industrial building in Tuas are in intensive care, the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) said. "Once MWC is allowed to do so, we will be arranging for our staff to visit the affected workers and provide them with the necessary assistance", it said in a Facebook post on Wednesday night (Feb 24). Ten people were taken to hospital for burn injuries following an explosion at 32E Tuas Avenue 11 on Wednesday morning. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to the fire at about 11.25am and took eight workers to the Singapore General Hospital for burn injuries. The other two workers sustained minor injuries, according to another employer. Mr Wong Wee Chiang, 45, who owns mechanical engineering company P3 Project, told The Straits Times on Wednesday that one worker had burns on his hands and buttocks, while the other had been knocked to the ground by the blast. He took both of them to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital before SCDF officers arrived. MWC said that on-site accommodation for workers is no longer safe, and it has made its emergency housing support available to employers if they are unable to relocate their workers within a short time. The non-government organisation is also working with the Manpower Ministry to provide other forms of help to workers who live or work near the accident site. This includes referring those affected for stress or emotional counselling to non-profit organisations Silver Ribbon and HealthServe. – The Straits Times
30,852 police personnel to be vaccinated in phase one of NIP
Up to 30,852 police personnel are set to receive their vaccination in the first phase of the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme (NIP). Bukit Aman Management Department director Datuk Ramli Din said the personnel, who will be inoculated against the virus, are from eight states. "We had listed down 98,991 personnel to receive the vaccine, but to date, the number of recipients furnished to us by the Health Ministry is 30,852," he told the New Straits Times. Ramli said the personnel set to receive their jabs comprise 740 in Perlis, 13,775 in Selangor, 2,995 in Kuala Lumpur, 1,007 in Melaka, 2,808 in Pahang, 1,470 in Kelantan, 3,719 in Sarawak and 4,338 in Sabah. The vaccination exercise, he said, will begin on Feb 26 in Labuan, Sabah; Feb 27 in Maran, Pahang and Sarawak; March 1 in Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan and March 2 in Melaka. Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had yesterday received their first of two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. It marked the start of the nation's biggest ever vaccination programme which will take place in three phases, spanning a year. The first phase, conducted from now until April, would be for frontline workers, including healthcare practitioners and security forces, involving approximately 500,000 people. The second phase from April to August would involve the elderly aged 65 and above, high-risk groups and the disabled, totalling 9.4 million people. Phase three, which takes place from May to February next year, would be for 13.7 million Malaysians and foreigners aged 18 and above. – New Straits Times
Jailed ministers for instant chop
A major reshuffle is on the cards after three cabinet ministers were among 26 people who were on Wednesday given varying jail sentences for their roles in street protests that ousted the Yingluck administration. Digital Economy and Society Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta, Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan, both from the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), and Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam from the Democrat Party were found guilty by the Criminal Court of charges relating to demonstrations led by the now-defunct People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC). They were indicted on several charges including insurrection, criminal association, illegal assembly and obstructing others from casting votes during street protests between November 2013 and May 2014 to oust the Yingluck Shinawatra government. Mr Buddhipongse was sentenced to seven years; Mr Nataphol received seven years and four months and Mr Thaworn received five years. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Wednesday the cabinet ministers lost their posts as soon as the jail sentences were handed down, citing Section 160 (7) of the 2017 constitution. It says that a cabinet minister must not be a person who is sentenced to prison, regardless of whether the case is finalised or the jail term is suspended, except in cases where the charge is a minor one or involves defamation. Asked if these three cabinet ministers would also lose their MP status, Mr Wissanu said they would keep their parliamentary status if the court did not slap a political ban. Reports emerged that Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow and Deputy Labour Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat are eyeing the posts left vacant by Mr Buddhiponse and Mr Nataphol. The trio were among 39 people who were indicted on multiple charges and who pleaded not guilty during their arraignment at the Criminal Court in 2018. The treason charge against the 39 defendants was dropped. As the trial proceeded, one of the defendants, Gen Preecha Iamsupan, died. All defendants, apart from one, turned up for the ruling yesterday. Pol Lt Col Pattarapong Supiyapanich, who was detained in another case, heard the ruling via a video conference. Of the remaining 38 defendants, 26 were given varying jail sentences. The court suspended the terms for 12 while not doing so for the remaining 14. The court started reading the ruling shortly before 11am and finished at 5.20pm. Besides the cabinet ministers, former PDRC leader Suthep Thaugsuban received five years; Democrat MP for Chumphon, Chumpol Julasai, received 11 years and Democrat list-MP Isara Somchai received eight years and four months. Suvit Thongprasert, formerly known as Luang Pu Buddha Isara, was sentenced to four years and eight months while activist Samran Rodpetch was given three years and four months. – Bangkok Post
Senators slam gov’t ‘nurses for vaccines’ plan
How has this come to pass, senators demanded on Wednesday, a day after the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) was reported to have offered to deploy thousands of nurses to Europe in exchange for COVID-19 vaccines. The senators characterized the “nurses for vaccines” proposal as an outrage on Filipino migrant workers, who the labour department, they said, seemed to treat as commodities that could be bartered for other goods. The deployment of Filipino migrant workers is “not a barter trade,” said Sen. Joel Villanueva, head of the Senate labour committee. “We simply do not swap people for products,” he said in a statement. “But the big question is: How did we get to this situation? Clearly, it is out of desperation that forced otherwise good people to be more creative in finding vaccines for their country,” he said. Villanueva strongly disagreed with the proposal, but said he had no quarrel with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who reportedly spoke to the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the Philippines asking for donations of COVID-19 vaccines and offering in return an exemption from the 5,000-a-year ceiling on the deployment of Filipino nurses and other health workers to jobs abroad. But British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce told reporters on Wednesday that his government had no plans to enter into an agreement with the Philippine government that would allow the deployment of more nurses to his country in exchange for vaccines. “We’ve got no plans to link vaccines with those conversations around the recruitment of nurses,” Pruce said. “You know those two strands of conversation I think continue, but as I’ve said again, we have no plans to link those two issues,” he added. A similar offer was made to Germany, Alice Visperas, the labour department’s director for international labour affairs, reported on Tuesday. “Theirs is a [desperate] move,” Villanueva said. Speaking at a news forum on Wednesday, the labour department’s information director, Rolly Francia, clarified that what the agency had in mind was the protection of nurses by having them vaccinated before they arrived in their destination. “It is not the intention of the department to treat our nurses as commodities to be traded [for] vaccines,” Francia said. “I think we should focus on the intention. They wanted our nurses but if we deploy more nurses above the limitation, we have to make sure that they will be protected,” he said. Villanueva said the labour department was not solely to blame for going to such lengths to secure vaccines for the Philippines, as the country had been waiting too long to get protection from COVID-19 but learning that it had been missing out on opportunities to get supplies due to government officials’ blunders in negotiations with vaccine makers and the global procurement pool COVAX. –INQUIRER.net
PM asks for rapid COVID-19 vaccination distribution
Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc called for the COVID-19 vaccination programme to be organised quickly when he chaired the Government’s meeting with the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Wednesday. A Ministry of Health (MoH) report said that after eight days of social distancing in the northern province of Hải Dương, which is the epicentre of the current third infection wave in the country, logging over 600 patients since January 27, the number of new cases per day has shown signs of decreasing with an average of nine cases per day. Most of the patients had been quarantined previously. Speaking at the meeting, PM Phúc highly appreciated provinces’ and cities’ efforts to control the pandemic and said vaccines were key to reducing the number of COVID-19 cases across the world. The PM also noted that even though there were vaccines, it was still necessary to pay attention to disease prevention and treatment. PM Phúc also praised Hải Dương, Hải Phòng, HCM City, Hà Nội and Quảng Ninh as the localities that have strictly dealt with intentional violations of anti-pandemic regulations. The MoH has also seriously implemented the request of the Politburo and the PM to have vaccines ready in the shortest time possible. More than 100,000 doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Việt Nam Wednesday morning. The PM asked the National Steering Committee and authorities at all levels to focus on providing the vaccines with strong, timely and drastic measures. "Our strategy is that 100 million people are vaccinated," said Phúc. He stated that without enough vaccines for 100 million people at once, there must be a priority order, which should be medical staff at treatment and testing facilities, border guards, the army and the police in quarantine zones, voluntary pandemic prevention and control forces and other groups based on the Government’s resolutions. "A very important principle is that those with high risk first, low risk later, areas with outbreaks first, and then areas without the pandemic," the PM said. PM Phúc also mentioned the task of rescuing goods that may spoil like farm produce in Hải Phòng City, Quảng Ninh and Hải Dương provinces, adding that it was necessary to continue goods circulation and to support product consumption. He assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the MoH to ensure agricultural products in pandemic zones are consumed. The PM also asked to continue to strictly handle violations and make more efforts in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic so that no more localities face pandemic outbreaks. – Viet Nam News
Foreigners eligible for free vaccines
The Cambodian government is providing free vaccinations against COVID-19 to all foreigners living and working in the Kingdom. This was disclosed in a circular dated February 24, 2021, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to diplomatic missions in Phnom Penh and the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator. The ministry in the circular said: “All foreign nationals who are currently residing and working in Cambodia can get vaccinated against COVID-19 at no charge in accordance with Cambodian COVID-19 vaccination plans”. More details on the process of vaccinating foreigners will be released in the future, it said. The Australian Embassy also posted the news on its Facebook page, confirming that foreigners were eligible for vaccinations. “Australia is pleased that foreign nationals who are living or working in Cambodia will be able to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in line with Cambodia’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout. This is both a compassionate decision and a smart one because broad vaccine coverage across all groups in Cambodia will ultimately help protect everyone from COVID-19,” it said. A British expat who requested anonymity told Khmer Times she would accept a vaccine for free from the government because it could help get her life back to normal. An Australian expat in the food and beverage industry said he would also get a vaccine for free if offered. He added that he is pro-vaccination and didn’t agree with those who would doubt the effectiveness or importance of getting vaccines. Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh on Wednesday said it had received information that Sinopharm vaccines were being sold on the black market for between $120 and $450. The Ministry of Health denied the report, however. The Chinese Embassy said Chinese residents of Cambodia alerted the embassy to texts received promising vaccines if they paid $120. Posts on Chinese social media indicated that vaccines were being sold for $450 as well. According to Fresh News, the story first broke on Angkor Times and was spread on WeChat, saying “Cambodia sells China-aided COVID-19 vaccines at a high price.” The embassy also said that according to their understanding of the situation, the Cambodian government and military store the vaccines and that there was no way it could have slipped through to the open market. It said any messages proposing to have the vaccine are fake. The Chinese Embassy added that the vaccines are monitored closely and follow strict guidelines related to storage and transportation. It also noted that vaccines obtained on the black market and vaccinations administered by non-professionals pose health risks. To date, 10,115 civilians have been vaccinated in Cambodia. The country received 600,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China on February 7 and shipments of the Oxford/AstraZenca vaccine are expected to arrive in Cambodia by the end of this month, according to World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Cambodia Dr Li Ailan. – Khmer Times
Authorities blame death of protester shot in Mandalay on Covid-19
A man who was injured during a crackdown on protesters in Mandalay last week has died, bringing the total number of fatalities from the deadliest day of protests so far to three. According to his wife, Yar Zar Aung, 26, died at a military hospital in Mandalay on Wednesday morning and was cremated later the same day. “His body was cremated at 4pm at the Kyarni Kan cemetery. Only four family members were permitted to attend and we were only able to look at him from a distance, as they said he had died of Covid-19,” Phyu Phyu Win, the dead man’s wife, told Myanmar Now. “When we attempted to take his body [from the hospital], they wouldn’t let us. Instead, they said we had to cremate him right away,” she added. Noting that her husband had been severely beaten and had also suffered a gunshot wound to his knee, Phyu Phyu Win disputed the official cause of death. “I don’t believe that [he died of Covid-19]. He died of his injuries from being hit and beaten. When he was arrested, he didn’t have any symptoms of Covid-19,” she said. The wife of another patient at the hospital confirmed that Yar Zar Aung died at around 10am on Wednesday while receiving treatment for his injuries. “Yes, it’s true that he passed away. I just contacted his family. The soldiers and police are checking his body. I didn’t see any bandages on him. He had a gunshot wound and other injuries from being beaten,” said the witness, who asked not to be named. The woman, who said her own husband was at risk of losing his hand due to an injury inflicted during the crackdown, added that Yar Zar Aung’s body was under guard by the police. The hospital did not respond to requests for further information. At least 30 people were injured when soldiers and police used force to break up a demonstration near the Yadanarbon shipyard on Mandalay’s Strand road last Saturday. One of the protesters, 16-year-old Wai Yan Tun, was killed instantly when he was shot in the head, while another, Thet Naing Win, 36, died on the way to the hospital of a gunshot wound to the chest. The violence began after hundreds gathered to support striking shipyard workers when police tried to arrest them. – Myanmar NOW
1.3 million Indonesians get COVID-19 vaccine shots
A total of 1,363,138 Indonesians have been vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Wednesday, with 825,650 people receiving their second vaccine dose, too, according to the Health Ministry. The number of people receiving the COVID-19 vaccine rose by 93,233 on Wednesday compared to the day before. Meanwhile, the number of people receiving their second dose increased by 35,684, as per ministry data. The 1,363,138 Indonesians mainly comprised healthcare workers, who have been prioritized under the first phase of the vaccination program, and public service officers, who are being vaccinated under the second phase of the program. A total of 1,468,764 healthcare workers across Indonesia are expected to get vaccinated in the first phase of the vaccination program. The government has set a target of inoculating 181,554,464 people, or 70 percent of the total population of Indonesia, with the aim of building herd immunity against the coronavirus. It launched the second phase of the vaccination program on February 17, 2021, with the inoculation of traders in the textile market Tanah Abang in Jakarta. The next targeted group under the vaccination program are public service officers, including police and military personnel, and journalists. The government is planning a mass vaccination program for journalists and media workers at the Basket Hall of the Bung Karno Sport Stadium in Jakarta on February 25, 26, and 27 this year. – AntaraNews.Com