These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Foreign worker levies for S Pass and work permit holders to be waived for SHN period: MOM
Foreign worker levies for S Pass and work permit holders, including those for migrant domestic workers, will be waived for their stay-home notice (SHN) period from January to September this year, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Thursday (April 1). This is to help employers manage the increased costs associated with the Government's updated measures to reduce the risk of importing Covid-19 into the community, the ministry said in a statement. Employers with workers serving their SHN from March to September will not be required to pay levies for the duration that their workers are on SHN, said MOM. As for employers who have already paid levies for their workers' SHN period in January and February, the waivers will be effected as an adjustment and used to offset June's levy, which is payable in July. Since January 2021, the Government has put in place additional border measures and safeguards to reduce the risks of importation of Covid-19 into the community, said MOM. This includes limiting entry approvals for work pass holders and requiring newly arrived S Pass and Work Permit holders, including migrant domestic workers, to undergo on-arrival testing and serve an SHN. "While employers have cooperated with these measures in the interest of public health, some have given feedback that these additional measures have also translated to increased costs," said the ministry. – The Straits Times
Ministry wants 100k Neighbourhood Watch members to register for Covid-19 shot
The National Unity Ministry is targeting 100,000 members of the Neighbourhood Watch, especially the elderly, to register for the Covid-19 vaccination under the National Immunisation Programme within two weeks. Its minister, Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique, said 62,256 Neighbourhood Watch Community members out of a total of 248,000 had registered to receive the vaccination. Halimah said campaigns had begun to encourage Neighbourhood Watch members to register for the vaccination, adding that the ministry hoped it could achieve the target. She said this after the signing of a note of cooperation between the Neighbourhood Watch and the Health Ministry here yesterday. Present was Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba. On March 29, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the second phase of the immunisation exercise for the elderly, the disabled and the chronically ill would begin on April 19, adding that the appointment notice would be given beginning April 5, two weeks before the appointment date via the MySejahtera app, a telephone call and short messaging service. Halimah said Neighbourhood Watch members would be mobilised, especially in rural areas that did not have good Internet access, to help people register for the country's largest vaccination programme. In Dungun, Deputy Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad said some two million people living in rural areas have registered for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme. He said the number represented only one third of the rural population and the ministry was trying its best to get the rest of them on board with the help of its agencies. "A total of 191 Rural Community Centres now play the role of helping people in rural areas to register as Covid-19 vaccine recipients. The name list of those who have registered will be submitted to the Health Ministry." He said this after officiating at the Central Terengganu Development Authority Excellent Service Award 2020 ceremony here yesterday. Present were its chairman Datuk Razali Idris and managing director Tengku Ahmad Nadzri Tengku Musa. Rahman also urged various quarters, including non-governmental organisations, to help the government in getting more rural people to register. – New Straits Times
Govt lures wealthy foreigners
The government has set a "proactive economic plan" aimed at drawing at least 1 million high-income foreign tourists and foreign investors in the new S-Curve industries as part of efforts to free the country from the middle-income trap. Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said that a meeting of the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, approved last Friday in principle a plan to promote investment and tourism for a post-pandemic economic recovery. Concerned agencies have been given one month to present details of the plan before the next meeting of the CESA, he said. "When the meeting endorses the details, state agencies will step up efforts to attract a first investor by June, with an aim of promoting investment, tourism and stimulate domestic consumption," he said, adding the government has set the target of achieving 4% economic growth for this year and next year. In terms of tourism, a proposal will be put forward to amend regulations governing foreign property owners to allow them to buy houses in Thailand more easily. This is intended to draw high-income retirees from Europe, Scandinavia, Japan and South Korea to live in Thailand, said ML Chayotid Kridakon, adviser to Mr Supattanapong. Under a short-term plan, the government will attract foreign tourists with high incomes from around the world, particularly retirees, to visit and settle in Thailand. "There are about 200 million of them around the world and we have set a target of drawing one million to Thailand each year," said ML Chayotid, a former managing director for JP Morgan Thailand. "These people earn about 300,000-400,000 baht a month. If one million of them are here in Thailand and spend about 100,000 a month each, Thailand will get about 1.2 trillion baht a year from them." Mr Supattanapong said the plan aims to achieve continuous economic growth by 4-5%, and a study by the Bank of Thailand shows that if such growth continues for six to seven years, Thailand will be able to free itself from the middle-income trap. Plans are to improve regulations on immigration and applications for visas and work permits for foreign experts to work in Thailand, such as improving the requirements for foreign expats to report their whereabouts every 90 days to authorities, he said. Tax structures will also be tweaked to attract foreign investors to set up their regional offices in Thailand such as reducing corporate income tax for them, as well as improving privileges and benefits for regional hubs, retirees, self-employed people and start-ups, he said. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith insisted on Wednesday the government would not consider raising the 7% value-added tax (VAT) at least for the next couple of years. The government now looks set to keep the 7% VAT intact for another year from Sept 30 when the extended period of maintaining the same 7% VAT expires. As the ministry is in the process of revising the country's tax rates, one important requirement is the new tax rates will have to support the government's development of the new S-curve industries, he said. Asked how badly the government will miss its tax revenue target this year, he said the outcome of tax collections by end-June will tell. – Bangkok Post
West Philippine Sea ‘ours’ despite China-built structures, says DFA chief
Manila’s top diplomat on Thursday asserted the Philippines’ ownership of maritime features in the West Philippine Sea despite China’s massive construction in the area. “Within our EEZ (exclusive economic zone) so it’s ours. The durability and vintage of the structures don’t matter. Ours,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said on Twitter. He was responding to a query regarding structures that are being built and already established in the West Philippine Sea, which were seen during a routine patrol of the area by the Philippine military on Wednesday. During that patrol, the Philippine military aircraft was asked by a Chinese fleet to “leave immediately.” “This is Philippine government aircraft. We are conducting routine maritime patrol over Philippine EEZ, and we are proceeding based on our planned route,” replied the Philippine military response to the Chinese challenge. Manila and Beijing have long been locked in a maritime dispute and in 2013, the Philippines filed a case with the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague challenging China’s sweeping claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, including parts of the West Philippine Sea. In July 2016, The Hague-based court handed down a historical decision in favour of the Philippines and invalidated China’s nine-dash line claim but Beijing has repeatedly refused to recognize the ruling. – INQUIRER.net
'Vaccine passport' mechanism needed to promote trade, investment: PM
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered the health, tourism and diplomatic sectors to study and issue a 'vaccine passport' mechanism in order to promote trade and investment while addressing the Government’s regular meeting on Wednesday. The government leader demanded the health sector submit a plan on the matter as soon as possible. Assessing the implementation of the socio-economic development plan in the first three months of the year, the PM said the country witnessed better outcomes in both production and business with many economic indicators continuing to grow in the context that the COVID-19 pandemic has been kept under control. Accordingly, the nation’s GDP expanded 4.8 per cent in the first quarter, while the State budget revenue increased by over 30.1 per cent. The country enjoyed a trade surplus of over US$2 billion. The country has fulfilled the dual goals of containing the COVID-19 pandemic and boosting production and business, he said, attributing the positive results to the engagement of the entire political system and especially the leadership of the Party. The PM also noted that Viet Nam's diplomatic achievements were confirmed and the country's international prestige enhanced. He asked for more efforts in preventing COVID-19, promoting bilateral trade and investment, while stressing the need to build plans of action to implement the resolution of the 13th National Party Congress. The Prime Minister instructed the Defence Ministry to continue to tighten border management to effectively combat illegal entry in order to prevent COVID-19 from entering Viet Nam. He asked the finance ministry to strengthen budget discipline and cut spending, while the banking sector was required to do better in curbing inflation and minimise bad debt. The Ministry of Industry and Trade should pay more attention to promoting the sales of agricultural products for farmers, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was tasked with directing the prevention of drought and salinity, he said. PM Phuc told the Ministry of Transport to continue promoting key projects, especially ensuring that the Trung Luong - My Thuan expressway project is completed in June as scheduled. – Viet Nam News
Curfew order: PM signs sub-decree on restrictions in high-risk C-19 areas
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday issued a new sub-decree on COVID-19 Prevention Measures, which rolls out several restrictions for civilians and businesses, including a curfew, in areas which have high risk of COVID-19 spread. According to the new sub-decree signed by the Premier and obtained by Khmer Times, governors of Phnom Penh and provinces/cities all over Cambodia will be given the authority to issue the preventive measure to contain the spread of coronavirus within their territories while “minimising the repercussions of the pandemic on the society and economy of the Kingdom of Cambodia.” “Governors of Phnom Penh and provinces/cities are handed the authority to take measures in some parts of areas in their territories, where there is a high risk for COVID-19 spread,” the sub-decree said, adding that the restriction shall not last longer than two weeks. The sub-decree added that the local authorities can restrict or even prohibit residents in the high-risk areas from leaving their houses or current lodging. However, it gives several exceptions, including travelling to buy food and other necessities, to health facilities for medical reasons or to be tested for COVID-19, to fulfil legal and social obligations, to work (working documents are required) or for emergency reasons concerning families or relatives. Gatherings, other than a few exceptions such as for sample collection, COVID-19 vaccinations, and funerals that follow the Health Ministry’s guidelines, are also banned in the high-risk areas by the sub-decree. The sub-decree also gives the authorities the power to temporarily close down businesses in the areas, save the essential ones such as restaurants which provide takeaway food, hospitals/health centres and pharmacies and logistics. Online businesses, meanwhile, will be allowed to operate. The most outstanding part of the sub-decree, however, is Article 8, which is entirely about curfew, which has never been rolled out before by the government. “All kinds of allowable travelling … are prohibited from 20:00 pm (8pm) to 5:00 am, except for emergency health reasons or emergency situations concerning family, logistics, work for the public good and travelling to work at the places which are allowed to stay open,” the article says. – Khmer Times
Villagers interrogated after explosion at a military base in Bago region
Eight residents of Thayet Kone, a village located near the military’s Infantry Battalion (IB) 54 base in Bago region, were interrogated on Tuesday following an explosion at the base. The explosion occurred at around 4pm on Tuesday, and three men in their fifties and five youths were taken into custody two hours later, according to local sources. “At first they said they were only getting them as ‘guides’, and then they arrested them,” a resident of Thayet Kone told Myanmar Now. “The other thing is the village has supported [anti-coup] protests. They wanted to know who was involved in the protests and who had stickers and signs. They also asked what we knew about the explosion,” the villager said. “We’re all just farmers. We said we didn’t know anything. And then they tortured us,” he added. The IB 54 base is located at the 39-mile mark on the Yangon-Mandalay highway, between the villages of Wingabaw and Bawnatgyi. Thayet Kone, a predominantly ethnic Karen village, is the nearest civilian settlement. The detained villagers were released at around 1am on Wednesday, but one of the older men had heavy bruises all over his face, local sources said. It was unclear what caused the explosion on Tuesday, but it was believed to have been either a hand grenade or a non-lethal stun grenade. No casualties were reported. A similar attack also took place at the base on March 18. The majority of Thayet Kone inhabitants have actively participated in anti-dictatorship protests held in the towns of Bago and Phayargyi. – Myanmar NOW
Govt targets to produce 600,000 electric cars in 2030
The Industry Ministry is targeting to produce 600 thousand units of electric cars and 2.45 million units of battery-powered motorcycles in 2030. The production target of battery-powered electric vehicles will hopefully be able to reduce CO2 emissions from cars by 2.7 million tons and from motorcycles by 1.1 million tons, Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said in a written statement released on Wednesday. So far, three domestic companies have built facilities for manufacturing battery-powered electric vehicles, with a combined production capacity of 1,480 units per year, he informed. To push the production of battery-powered electric vehicles, the government is providing fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to consumers as well as manufacturers, he said. The incentives for consumers include zero percent luxury sale tax (PPnBM), a 10-percent cap on regional tax, zero percent down payment, low interest, electricity connection discount, special police number, among other things, the minister informed. Meanwhile, the incentives for manufacturers cover tax holiday, mini tax holiday, tax allowance, import duty exemption, government-borne import duty, and super tax deduction for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D), he added. "The automotive industry is one of the key sectors contributing significantly to the national economy. Right now, 21 four or more wheeled vehicle manufacturers are operating in Indonesia," he said. Nearly 38 thousand workers are directly employed by the automotive industry and more than 1.5 million people are employed along the value chain of the industry, he pointed out. "The production and wholesale of four or more wheeled vehicles in the January-February period reached 152 thousand units and 102 thousand units, respectively," Kartasasmita said. To boost the sale of locally-made, four-wheeled motor vehicles with an engine capacity of up to 1,500 cc, the government has relaxed the government-borne luxury sale tax (PPnBM-DRP) from March 1 to December 31, 2021. "Starting April 1 (2021), the relaxation will be expanded to (four-wheeled motor vehicles), with an engine capacity of up to 1,500 cc," the minister said. Based on the new regulation to be issued, the local purchase of vehicles with engine capacity of below 1,500 cc will be lowered to 60 percent from 70 percent. "The reduction of local purchase under the first phase of the sale luxury tax relaxation program will hopefully attract investors to increase investment for supply chain in Indonesia and will benefit the public and the government," Kartasasmita said. – AntaraNews.Com