These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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ExxonMobil to cut 300 jobs in Singapore, citing 'unprecedented market conditions' due to Covid-19
ExxonMobil will cut about 300 positions from its workforce in Singapore, where its largest refinery is located, by the end of 2021. This represents about 7 per cent of its headcount in the Republic, as unprecedented market conditions resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated ongoing reorganisation, it said on Tuesday (March 2). The oil major has over 4,000 employees in Singapore, where its biggest integrated petrochemical complex is also housed. Its refinery has a capacity of about 592,000 barrels a day. In its statement, ExxonMobil said that Singapore continues to be a strategic location for the company, with a world-scale manufacturing complex and a talented workforce. It remains committed to providing energy and products that are essential for society, while managing operations safely and responsibly, including reducing the risks of climate change, the firm added. "This is a difficult but necessary step to improve our company's competitiveness and strengthen the foundation of our business for future success," said Ms Geraldine Chin, who took over as chairman and managing director of ExxonMobil Asia Pacific in January. “We are providing transitional support to our colleagues who are impacted and are focused on getting through this challenging time.” The cuts in Singapore follow ExxonMobil’s announcement last October, when it said that it would slash its global workforce by 14,000 or 15 per cent by the end of 2022. Then, its spokesman said that the cuts would come through attrition, targeted redundancy programmes and scaled-back hiring. The oil giant is one of Singapore’s largest foreign investors, with over $25 billion in fixed asset investments. – The Straits Times
Khairy: Private hospitals already being used as vaccination centres
Private hospitals such as Pantai Hospitals are already being used as vaccination centres for private health care workers for phase one of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. Khairy, who is also the Coordinating Minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, said the government will include more private hospitals for phase two and three as announced previously. "It will be all hands-on deck. 75,000 to 150,000 (vaccinations) per day throughput is for later phases," he said in a Twitter posting today. He was replying to former health minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad's tweet which stated that the government should engage the private sector in a "Public-Private Partnership" that is both effective and transparent for the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out, if public hospitals capacity is insufficient. Dzulkefly said it was to ensure the success of the Zulkifli immunisation programme and achieve herd immunity earlier (80 per cent of the population inoculated). Malaysia kicked off the first of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme's three phases on Feb 24, with the first roll-out to take place from February to April this year, involving 500,000 front liners. The second phase will be from April to August involving senior citizens aged 65 and above, high-risk groups as well as persons with disabilities (PwD), involving some 9.4 million people, while the third phase from May this year to February 2022 will cover both Malaysians and non-citizens aged 18 and above, targeting more than 13.7 million people. – New Straits Times
Thai Airways seeks to raise B50bn
Thai Airways International (THAI) says it plans to raise about 50 billion baht over the next two years as the financially struggling flag carrier submitted its business rehabilitation plan on Tuesday. Chai Eamsiri, acting executive vice president of THAI's Finance and Accounting Department, said an initial amount of 30 billion baht must be raised by June this year to pay for operational costs and compensation for employees who have resigned. The funds may be sought by borrowing from financial institutions, seeking investment allies or through a debt-to-equity conversion, he said. In negotiations with creditors over the rehabilitation plan, the company has not asked for haircuts or debt reductions out of fear that creditors may not approve the plan. Instead, THAI has asked for a three-year debt moratorium after which the debt will be repaid, Mr Chai said. Chansin Treenuchagron, the airline's acting president, said that the company submitted its rehabilitation plan to the Legal Execution Department, with debt amounting to about 410 billion baht and 13,000 creditors in total. THAI's creditors will meet on May 12 to vote on the rehabilitation plan and if the majority of creditors vote in favour, the plan will be forwarded to the Central Bankruptcy Court for consideration, Mr Chansin said. The court is expected to decide whether to endorse the plan between June and July, he said before adding that if the plan is endorsed, the company will conduct its business according to the plan. Mr Chansin said THAI has nominated the airline's independent director Piyasvasti Amranand and Chakkrit Parapuntakul, the company's second vice chairman as rehabilitation plan administrators. He said the airline has also downsized, with the number of about 29,000 employees in 2019 reduced to 21,000 currently. This year, between 6,000 and 7,000 employees are also expected to take part in the company's mutual separation plans, which would lead its workforce to be reduced to about 14,000 to 15,000 by the end of this year which would suit the company's future business plans, Mr Chansin said. – Bangkok Post
Delivery of 1M Sinovac vaccines to PH expected on 3rd week of March
The Philippines is expecting to receive one million doses of Sinovac’s vaccines in the third week of March once it signs the purchase order with the Chinese firm, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Wednesday. “Binubuo na po namin ngayon yung tinatawag na [purchase order], supposed to be dapat ngayon po mapirmahan namin yung purchase order para at least makuha na namin sa third week ng March,” Galvez said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel. (We are crafting the purchase order; we’re supposed to sign the puchase order today so we can receive the vaccines in the third week of March.) The one million doses of CoronaVac from Sinovac is part of the 25 million doses that the Philippines earlier secured. The country received 600,000 doses of CoronaVac donated by the Chinese government, which were used to kickstart the Philippines’ vaccination program. “Lahat po ng kontrata, meron pong indemnity agreement. Ang maganda po sa Sinovac, hindi sila masyadong mabusisi katulad ng western, ng Pfizer,” Galvez said when asked if the deal with Sinovac had an indemnification clause. (All contracts have an indemnity agreement. But what’s good about Sinovac, they aren’t so fussy like the western, like Pfizer.) The delivery of more than 100,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccines had faced delays due to issues on the indemnity agreement. At least 2,793 individuals have so far been vaccinated in the Philippines after the government rolled out the Covid-19 vaccine. – INQUIRER.net
HCM City to focus on AI in aim to become ‘smart city’ by 2030
HCM City authorities plan to promote Artificial Intelligence (AI) as part of its effort to become a smart city with e-government, e-enterprises and an electronic society by 2030. Dương Anh Đức, vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, said the plan, part of the programme on “research and development of AI applications in HCM City for the 2020-2030 period”, will play an important role in smart-city development in the next five years. Under the programme, a database of all sectors, ranging from housing, transport and environment to healthcare, will share data among all the city’s administrative departments. This will help social organisations, businesses and residents have better access to public information and services online provided through mobile devices and other means, according to Đức. The programme also focuses on researching and developing technologies using AI, developing human resources for AI through education and training, and enhancing academic communications with foreign AI professionals. The city will focus on developing start-ups and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the field of AI. The city is encouraging businesses to apply AI to enhance competitiveness and is also calling for investment in the field and promotion of AI products made by Vietnamese. The city aims to increase by 20 per cent per year the number of scientific works, AI patents and AI applications, and invite leading AI experts to work short or long term in the city. It has also called for investment in telecommunications and IoT (Internet of Things) infrastructure, and e-identification platforms in order to develop a digital government and economy. The city will set up AI hubs that will include AI training centres, AI research clutters and a centre for AI start-ups, which will be connected with one another through the city’s data centre and infrastructure. The city aims to complete its shared database and open data ecosystem by 2025. When the shared database and open data ecosystem are completed, they will be connected to national databases to serve the city’s e-government. The city also aims to offer all public services online by 2030. “Data is currently shared and used mostly by the city’s district authorities, administrative departments, people and businesses. So, utility apps will become a necessary tool to serve people better,” Võ Thị Trung Trinh, deputy director of the city Department of Information and Communications, said. Dozens of apps in the transport, housing, and health sectors have appeared in recent years. They are easy to use and available on both Android OS and iOS operating systems, she said. The city has introduced apps that help people notify authorities about incidents like broken water pipes, downed power lines and fallen trees. The city has also digitised about 60 per cent of civil status books, and the work is expected to be available in June. Based on this database, other departments like education and health will upgrade their databases. – Viet Nam News
Feb 20 incident C-19 scourge spreads to factory
The February 20 Community Incident continues to plague the Kingdom with a woman linked to it, becoming the country’s first factory worker to be infected with COVID-19. Authorities are now scrambling to test more than 4,000 people after the 48-year-old garment worker tested positive yesterday. Phnom Penh Municipal Health Department yesterday took samples from around 700 out of 4,030 workers and staff of Y&W Garment CO LTD in Dangkor district’s Prek Chrey village. Ngy Mean Heng, director of the Phnom Penh Municipal Health Department said that so far, the department’s emergency response team has taken samples of 700 people who had been in direct or indirect contact with the woman who tested for COVID-19 virus positive. He said the woman who tested positive is linked to the February 20 Community Incident, one of 24 new cases linked to the outbreak which the Health Ministry announced yesterday. According to Mean Heng, the woman had likely got the coronavirus from her son, who works as a driver for a Chinese national who had also contracted the virus in the February 20 incident. The woman and the rest of her family have been sent to Phnom Penh’s Prek Pnov Quarantine Centre to receive treatment and to be placed in quarantine. Health Ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine could not be reached for comment. Commenting on yesterday’s positive case, Ath Thorn, president of Cambodia Labour Confederation, posted a Facebook message reminding workers to adhere to preventive measures against the virus. He said that the COVID-19 pandemic still a serious concern due to the February 20 Community Incident. “We are worried for garment workers because they work in large numbers, travel and eat together. In case of an infection among them, it could be a large spread,” Thorn said. “Please will workers continue to wear masks, wash hands, practise social distancing and following the Health Ministry and the government’s measures against COVID-19,” he added. The Health Ministry yesterday reported another 24 positive COVID-19 cases related to the February 20 Community Incident, bringing the tally to 340 and overall infections since the first case was detected in the end of January 2020 to 844. – Khmer Times
Two high-ranked police officers in Mandalay join in the CDM movement
Two police officers whose ranks are at the station chief have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the dictatorship. Lieutenant Major Tun Tun Win, chief of the No. 5 police station in Aung Myay Thar Zaw township in Mandalay, joined in the CDM on February 28, and Police Captain Kyaw Kyaw Oo, the chief of the No. 3 police station in Chan Aye Thar Zan Township, has joined in the CDM on March 2. They sent letters declaring their participation in CDM, to their township police chiefs, and they have disclosed them to the public through their Facebook profiles. They said that the military dictators are committing injustice and unlawful acts upon the people to keep the power in their hand, those two police station chiefs said. Lieutenant Major Tun Tun Win has also urged his fellow police forces to join in the CDM to become the police whom the people love and want. In the letter to his chief, the Major Lieutenant Major Tun Tun Win wrote, “I no longer want to be the police for the dictators who have seized the power unlawfully and also have no strength to keep living under the shadow of injustice regime. As I just want to be the people’s police, I have joined in the CDM movement standing with people to eradicate the dictatorship.” Police captain Kyaw Kyaw Oo has also written in his letter to his chief that he has served over 26 years as police and he has only been taking 5 days of leave throughout his service. However, he said that he is no longer able to internalize serving under the dictatorship. Myanmar Now is still trying to be able to contact them to know more about their participation in the CDM movement but still cannot get confirmed yet directly from them. However, when Myanmar Now reporter contacted Lieutenant Major Police Myo Min Latt from Aung Myay Thar Zan township police station, “He (Lieutenant Major Police Tun Tun Win) didn’t come to the station since 28 February, and since then, still, we cannot contact him.” In Mandalay protests, soldiers and police have not only committed lethal crackdowns but also, they have been getting into the community wards of the government employees of Myanmar Railway who joined in CDM at night time and they shot with guns. Some of the people welcomed such participation of high ranked police officers in Mandalay, but some think that could be a cunning conspiracy of the dictators to have their men among the people. “They have already been a part of the brutal crackdown over the inoffensive people. Since they are still under that image, we have no special pity sense for joining CDM. Instead, I even think that could be a trick,” Ma Pan Nu, a teacher from a private high school in Mandalay said. Dr Khun Kyaw Oo, a former NLD MP, said that standing at the right side is never late for such government employees from the administration mechanism. “Whether it is true or not, joining into CDM is a thing to be seen optimistically. If it is true, it is better. Since other police joined in the CDM though they cannot disclose to the public due to their situation, however, which is a good act to welcome,” he said. During this week, some police, including a Major, from Mandalay, Naypyitaw, Yangon, Bago, and Kayah, have joined the civil disobedience movement. In Naypyitaw, No. 18 and 19 Security Police Forces, Lieutenant Captain Myo Min Thu and six privates, have also joined the CDM today. – Myanmar NOW
Voice of the people prompts President to roll back liquor regulation
Indonesian President Joko Widodo rolled back a presidential regulation allowing investments in the liquor industry on Tuesday, nearly one month after he signed it. Announcing the revocation of the investment permit on the Indonesian Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel, he said his decision was prompted by inputs from several figures, including the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI), and regions. The move earned him praise from various sections of society, including Indonesia's leading Islamic organizations and the opposition camp. Mathla'ul Anwar, a Muslim organization based in Banten province, heaped praise on the head of state for deciding to reverse the regulation. "Alhamdulillah (Thank God), he listened to the aspirations of multi-faith communities," Mathla'ul Anwar general chairman KH Ahmad Sadeli Karim told local journalists. The Mathla'ul Anwar opposed the regulation for opening up investment for manufacturing alcoholic beverages and their trade in Indonesia right from the start. The presidential regulation, signed on February 2, 2021, was issued as a follow-up to the job creation law passed by the House of Representatives (DPR) last year. The regulation was mainly targeting the alcoholic beverages industry in the provinces of Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, North Sulawesi, and Papua. It sought to allow foreign and domestic investors as well as cooperative units and small and medium enterprises to invest in the liquor industry. But the attachment pertaining to the investment permit for liquor industry in the presidential regulation was rejected by the public. This public sentiment was echoed by figures from multi-faith communities, with Filep Wamafma, a member of the Regional Representatives' Council (DPD), urging President Jokowi to pull the plug on the investment permit. "We appeal to Mr. President to revoke the government's investment permit for the alcoholic beverages industry in Papua," Wamafma said in a press statement last week. He cautioned against a surge in crime rate following liquor intake in the country's easternmost province. Alcohol consumption in Papua also contributed to a relatively high death rate, he argued. Local media outlets quoted Papua Governor Lukas Enembe as saying that around 22 percent of deaths in the province are caused by liquor. The consumption of alcoholic beverages is also believed to have contributed to shortened life expectancy of native Papuans. On Tuesday, President Jokowi's decision to revoke the regulation was lauded not only by religious figures but also Mardani Ali Sera, a legislator from the opposition camp at the House of Representatives (DPR). According to Sera, the President finally paid heed to the sentiments and inputs of different elements of the society. A lesson stands to be learnt from this matter – that building a nation necessitates upholding principles, he remarked. President Jokowi's decision ultimately reflected his attention to the public's voice, though all stood to take a cue from this case for the future, he added. “Mr. President alone has affirmed that development of Indonesia's human resources is directed to be (his administration's) main priority," he stated. Reversing the controversial decision would salvage the government's prioritized programs that have been firmly prepared by President Widodo, he remarked. Meanwhile, deputy head of the House Legislation Body, Achmad Baidowi, has pressed the House to pass the alcohol prohibition bill in the wake of the grave threat posed by liquor, especially for the young generation. – AntaraNews.Com