These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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50,000 staff in education sector receive Covid-19 vaccination letters; over 80% have made appointments
Over 80 per cent of staff in education institutions who have been invited to take the Covid-19 vaccine have made appointments to do so, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong. Close to 50,000 letters were sent out on March 10 in the first batch of invitations, encouraging educators to take their jabs so as to reduce the risk of transmission in the community. The response from the education sector has been very positive, said Mr Wong, noting that some staff have already taken their first jab. "(I'm) very glad to see them step forward, in the spirit of protecting not just themselves, but their students and school community," said Mr Wong in a Facebook post on Thursday (March 25). The vaccination exercise for teachers comes as the Ministry of Health expands the national vaccination programme to personnel who offer essential and front-line services. More than 150,000 teachers and other staff will be offered the Covid-19 vaccine, the Ministry of Education had said earlier this month. The exercise covers those working in primary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges and Millennia Institute, as well as those in special education schools, the Institute of Technical Education and polytechnics. Vaccination will also be extended to staff at pre-schools licensed by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and all MOE-registered kindergartens, as well as those in early intervention centres and programmes funded by or registered with ECDA for children with developmental needs, aged six and under. Staff of private schools registered with the MOE that have full-time students below 18 years old, private education institutions - including international schools - with full-time students below 18, and madrasahs, will also be offered the vaccine. In his Facebook post, Mr Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19 with Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, shared some anecdotes from educators who have taken the vaccine or plan to do so. One of them was Mr Tan Fong Wei, who is a subject head at Kranji Secondary School. Commenting on his experience of taking the jab, Mr Tan said: "There was some numbness at the area where the jab went in, but I could still go about my day." He advised those who were worried that they could take the vaccine in their non-dominant arm. Meridian Primary School head of department Han Zi Rui said she was motivated to take the vaccine to protect the children under her charge. "I chose to get vaccinated for my children - both my two little ones at home, and my hundreds of children in school," she said. – The Straits Times
Government gets RM48 million from Jho Low's father
The High Court here today allowed the government to forfeit more than RM48 million seized from Tan Sri Larry Low Hock Peng, the father of fugitive businessman Jho Low. Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan made the decision after allowing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) application. Hock Peng's accounts were frozen by the authorities as part of their investigations on whether the money in his accounts was part of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) loot. MACC deputy public prosecutor Shafinaz Shabudin during the proceedings said no third party appeared to contest the forfeiture action. The government had on March 29, 2019 filed a civil forfeiture action to freeze seven bank accounts belonging to Hock Peng with intention to forfeit it, claiming the amount in the accounts was derived from money laundering activities. The cash seized included money that was in Hock Peng's current and fixed deposit accounts in RHB and Malayan Banking branches in KLCC and Plaza MWE, Penang. The money seized included: RM20. 7 million in current account (RHB bank); RM300,000 fixed deposit (RHB bank); RM500,000 fixed deposit (RHB bank); RM20 million fixed deposit (RHB bank); RM6.6 million fixed deposit (Malayan banking); RM462,618 in current account (Malayan banking); RM318,021 in current account (Malayan banking). Hock Peng also known as Larry Low, along with his son, have both been on the run since the government initiated moves to get back billions of ringgit linked to 1MDB. The forfeiture was among the first one initiated by the government on matters related to the sovereign wealth fund. It was done under Section 56 of the Anti Money Laundering, Anti Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001. It was reported that besides money in the bank accounts, authorities had also seized Jho Low's family home in Penang, which was named El Nitsjo. – New Straits Times
Accused casino kingpin charged with murder of informant
Police have re-arrested and accused casino operator for allegedly ordering the murder of a man who snitched on an illegal gambling den in Pattaya. Somchai Jutikitdecha, aka Longjoo Somchai, 56, was detained at his two-rai residence on Rat Bamrung Road in tambon Noen Phra of Muang district about 6am on Thursday. When no-one answered the door bell at the gate to the property, police used a ladder to climb over the wall and enter the grounds. Mr Somchai was charged with ordering the death of taxi motorcyclist Prathum Sa-adnak, 47. Prathum was shot dead behind Muang Pattaya 8 School in Pattaya on July 28, 2020. Police arrested Manas Imnam, 39, and Niphon Panthong, 47 for the murder. Initially, the suspects said they had a personal conflict with the victim. The victim's relatives did not believe it and complained to national police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk. A police source said Prathum had taken photos of a place in Pattaya used for illegal gambling, and which was subsequently raided by police. The angry owner had ordered gambling den supervisors Suphan Mai-ngam, 53, and Thaworn Sarakul, 53, to hire someone to kill the informant, the source said. Mr Suphan and Mr Thaworn were arrested on Dec 9 and detectives soon linked them to Mr Somchai. Mr Somchai was arrested in mid-February for allegedly operating a network of gambling dens in the East. The crowded casinos were blamed for the spread of Covid-19 to many provinces. Mr Somchai was released on bail shortly after his arrest. He is now back in custody. In the same raid on Thursday, Mr Somchai's 26-year-old son, Thana, was also arrested. He is accused of hosting gambling, and money laundering. – Bangkok Post
CHR raises concern over reports of non-front liners jumping vax line
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Thursday raised its concern over reports that public personalities, government officials, and non-front liners are supposedly jumping the vaccination priority line meant for health care workers. “As it stands, the Philippines has a limited number of vaccines allocated for medical front liners. Individuals excluded from the priority list that jump the vaccination queue selfishly deprive health care workers of much-need vaccines,” CHR Spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said in a statement. Further, she said these reports of individuals who are not the government’s prioritized sector for vaccination “jeopardizes succeeding, agreed upon, free vaccine allocations from the COVAX facility, which calls for the priority inoculation of agreed-upon groups.” According to the country’s vaccination priority groups, frontline healthcare workers are the first to be immunized against COVID-19, followed by senior citizens and people with comorbidities. The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) recently said five mayors were issued show-cause orders by the agency for getting vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of the prioritized sector. The Department of Health (DOH) also said it received reports that non-front liners are already getting vaccinated. The agency urged the public to report to them any individual they see jumping the priority line. The DOH had reported the matter to the DILG, which said that it would look into the reports. The CHR welcomed the move to investigate the matter in order “to hold alleged violators to account.” “We continue to stress that an effective national vaccination strategy is a vital component of an efficient national health care program, and is an important component of the equitable distribution of vaccines,” De Guia said. “In the continuing effort to address the severity of the current health situation, CHR urges the government to sustain its efforts on vaccine utilization to prevent spoilage and to refrain from misleading comments that renege on previously agreed upon indemnity fund for vaccine side effects,” she added. The CHR also called on the government to “better clarify and coordinate” with the private sector the necessary requirements and expenses, should private companies wish to import their own dosages, to prevent bottlenecks in the procurement and distribution of vaccines in the country. – INQUIRER.net
Delivery of first coronavirus vaccine shipment from COVAX to Việt Nam delayed to mid-April: UNICEF
The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX initiative to Việt Nam originally slated for late March has now been delayed until mid-April due to production issues, a UNICEF official has confirmed. Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative to Việt Nam, which is responsible for the procurement, transport, storage, and delivery of the vaccines, told Việt Nam News on Wednesday that 811,200 Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses – fewer than the original plan of 1.1 million doses for late March – are scheduled to arrive in the country in the next three weeks. Around three million more doses will be arriving by the end of May, pending operational and supply constraints, a statement from UNICEF Việt Nam reads. Commenting on the adjustment of delivery date and initial quantity of COVAX vaccines to the country, Rana Flowers said the company has not been able to fulfil “the number they have predicted, and that they are going more slowly at this point in time.” The number of doses that COVAX initiative has hoped to distribute is at the moment late and "recalibration" is needed to ensure equitable access among the countries they are trying to reach, the UNICEF representative said. “We have clearly communicated with the Vietnamese officials that the scenario changes every day and therefore a firm commitment can only be given within 24 hours prior to the shipment arriving,” she added. The UNICEF official added that the COVAX Facility is confident they will be able to deliver the full commitment of 30 million doses this year to realise its promise of giving enough doses for 20 per cent of the population, but the detailed delivery timeline after May is not yet available. AstraZeneca is boosting its production in many countries across multiple continents to shorten its lead times so a greater supply can be expected in from all of those facilities, Rana said. “It’s just taking them a bit longer to get those production facilities off the ground than AstraZeneca had predicted,” she added. Đặng Đức Anh, director of National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and head of the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation, has also confirmed that the 29.87 million doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines that the Vietnamese Government purchased from the manufacturer via Việt Nam Vaccine Company (VNVC), with first shipments initially planned for second and third quarter of 2021, will be postponed. The limited number of vaccine manufacturing plants meeting the standards of WHO leads to current shortage, Đức Anh said. Việt Nam started its national COVID-19 vaccination drive earlier this month with 117,000 doses bought commercially from AstraZeneca with frontline workers first in line to receive the jabs. Nearly 38,000 people have been vaccinated as of Tuesday, and no severe abnormal side effects have been observed. Việt Nam is also banking on homegrown COVID-19 vaccines, not only to serve the domestic demands but also to export the surplus to other countries. The frontrunner among the three currently being developed in the country, Nano Covax by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, is undergoing second phase of human trials, with results expected in May. The third and final phase of human trials is scheduled to take place around May to September, and registration for circulation will be pushed forward to September, three months earlier than planned. – Viet Nam News
Super-spreader fears: Pursat authorities arrest PP quarantine dodger
Authorities in Pursat province are scrambling to trace people who came into contact with a potential super-spreader who fled Phnom Penh to avoid having to quarantine after knowing he came into contact with a friend who became infected with COVID-19 due to the February 20 Community Event. The provincial administration on its Facebook page said the man was arrested by military police in Pursat city’s Lor Lok Sor commune yesterday morning after a manhunt was launched for him following information from Phnom Penh health officials. The man from Kandal province’s Muk Kampuol district had fled Phnom Penh a few days ago and freely roamed around Pursat city. He went on drinking sprees with friends and is known to have visited the Nokor Meas Guest House, Lav Siev Eng Restaurant, a local barber shop and Somneang Soksan Restaurant among several other places. The administration identified the man as Muon Sophorn, 35, living in Krom village, Prek Angchanh commune, Muk Kampuol district, Kandal province. Nget Seila, an administration official, yesterday confirmed the case and said all information regarding it had been posted on the Facebook page. The post said that provincial police had taken Sophorn for testing and provincial health authorities had placed him in quarantine while awaiting the results. It said the places he was known to have visited have been temporarily locked down while contact tracing is being conducted. The administration said so far, four people, including two motorcycle taxi drivers who gave him rides, have been detained by the police and sent for swab tests and quarantine. According to a sub decree issued by the government, Sophorn faces a fine of up to $1,250 for avoiding quarantine. If he is found to be COVID-19 positive and has passed the virus to the others, he could face up to three years in prison and a fine of $2,500, according to the newly-promulgated law on “Measures to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 and other Deadly and Serious Infectious Diseases”. – Khmer Times
Regime detains bank officials in latest bid to force private banks to reopen
The junta-controlled Central Bank of Myanmar has arrested top officials of several private banks in an effort to pressure them to resume operations, bank employees say. Despite making repeated calls on the banks to reopen, the regime has yet to get Myanmar’s banking system restarted since it largely shut down in the wake of the February 1 coup. Most banks in Yangon and other centres around the country remain closed in defiance of the Central Bank’s warnings of “consequences” if they don’t go back to business as usual. This stalemate has resulted in the arrest of senior officials from several banks, according to bank employees who say that even branch managers have been targeted. “They have arrested bank officials. It’s basically kidnapping. Some are on the run, and some have quit,” a bank manager told Myanmar Now. Many of the orders have come directly from Than Than Swe, the junta-appointed deputy governor of the Central Bank, who officials say has even advised the regime on how to punish those who fail to comply. Some in the industry say that Than Than Swe and the bank’s board of directors should be held accountable by the international community and the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, which represents Myanmar’s ousted civilian government. On Tuesday, the deputy governor sent another letter to private banks, this time saying they would be fined if they do not reopen. The letter, written by deputy managing director Tin Nyo Htun on behalf of Than Than Swe, states that the size of the fine would be determined by the scale – big, medium, or small – of the bank. It mentions that 49 private bank branches that did not reopen between March 15 and March 19 as ordered had been already been fined 5 million kyat ($3,550), and that the money has been taken from the banks’ accounts at the Central Bank. This was followed on Wednesday by another letter warning private banks, financial companies and mobile banking services to start taking action against employees who have not been coming to work. A major cause of the shutdown is that many people working in the banking sector have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement aimed at ending military rule. Meanwhile, in mid-March the regime claimed that it had taken legal action against the SME Development Bank for alleged money laundering. The charges were made in connection with about $1.5 million in funding from the Open Society Foundation, run by American billionaire George Soros. – Myanmar NOW
Two firms under scanner for fraud involving COVID-19 funds
West Sumatra Provincial Police is investigating two companies in connection with a fraud involving budget funds allocated for the handling of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The two companies have been accused of supplying hand sanitizers to the West Sumatra Provincial Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD) at unfair prices, chief of the public relations section of the West Sumatra Provincial Police, Senior Commissioner Satake Bayu, informed here on Wednesday. "We continue to collect evidence and information to disclose the case,” he said. Police have so far interrogated seven people in connection with the case, including member of the West Sumatra Provincial Legislative Assembly (DPRD), Nofrizon, chief of the rehabilitation section of BPBD in West Sumatra, Suryadi, and the treasurer of BPBD in West Sumatra. The Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation has summoned three representatives of the two companies for questioning, he said. Investigators have sought several documents from the BPBD in relation to the purchase of medical supplies using COVID-19 budget funds, he added. Meanwhile, chief of the Corruption Crime Sub-directorate of the West Sumatra Provincial Police, Commissioner Agung B, said his agency has collected several documents from the BPBD and is waiting for a report on the State Audit Board’s findings on the utilization of the COVID-19 budget. “We have written to the secretary of the West Sumatra Provincial Legislative Council to get the documents and are waiting (for the documents),” he informed. "We have also involved external parties and conducted a case reconstruction at each phase of the process," he said. In response to a report of BPBD returning budget funds, he said the police will seek evidence of the funds returned. "If they have returned it, we will ask for the evidence of the returned funds and will conduct an evaluation, which will involve a crime expert and a corruption crime expert,” he added. – AntaraNews.Com