These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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MRT, bus commuters could be subject to frisk searches under proposed laws
Commuters taking the bus or train here could be subject to frisk searches by police officers and other "senior approved persons" under proposed laws introduced in Parliament on Monday (April 5). Under the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill, a "frisk search" refers to a search conducted by quickly running one's hands over an individual's outer clothing. The Bill will amend the Road Traffic Act and the Rapid Transit Systems Act to give police officers and authorised personnel broader powers to screen and search commuters. Current laws allow for searches only on bags or other items carried by commuters. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the amendments will allow security checks to be carried out at designated entrances of bus interchanges, before fare gates at MRT and LRT stations, or any parts of these transport nodes. If necessary, checks can be carried out on board buses and trains. The public transport system can be an attractive target for security threats due to its vulnerability and the potential for mass casualties, the LTA said. "There is a need to step up our existing security measures to stay vigilant against any potential security attacks," it added. Under the proposed laws, these security checks include walking through a metal detector, passing belongings through an X-ray machine and allowing them to be inspected, as well as removing garments such as jackets, gloves, shoes or hats. The checks can be conducted by police officers, whether or not they are in uniform, and "approved persons" who include employees of bus and rail operators. These approved persons must be authorised by the LTA in writing to exercise any power under the proposed laws at a specific bus, train, bus interchange or train station. Only police officers or "senior approved persons" will be given powers to conduct frisk searches, as well as to use handheld scanners to screen commuters. These senior personnel are auxiliary police officers in uniform, security officers engaged by bus or rail operators, and outsourced enforcement officers appointed by LTA. Those who refuse to be screened may be asked to leave the bus, train, interchange or station. – The Straits Times
Private hospitals volunteer to assist with vaccine registration
The Association of Private Hospital Malaysia (APHM) is in communication with the Special Committee on Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee to sort out finer details to register patients for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP). APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh said it also proposed to start almost immediately. "We hope to increase the options for the public and private patients to register manually with the assistance of our staff at our private hospitals into the system."This will be for the free vaccines provided by the government. Private hospitals are currently in discussion to confirm our commitment to vaccinate the public using the vaccines provided by the government," he said in a statement today. This came after Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba was reported as saying the ministry would identify the causes of the majority of Malaysians who have yet to register for the Covid-19 vaccine. It was also reported that the ministry was targeting 70 to 80 per cent of the population in Malaysia to register for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme. So far, only 7.6 million out of 26.7 million had registered through the MySejahtera application. Dr Kuljit said there were about 210 private hospitals in this country with 152 members of APHM which were strategically situated throughout the country including the main towns in Sabah and Sarawak. He pointed out that there were 1.1 million admissions in private hospitals and 3.8 million out-patient visitations in 2018. "We believe with these numbers, our effort in getting more citizens and other residents in this country registered for the vaccine will enhance the vaccination programme," he added. According to the statement, APHM was also hopeful with the effort of assisting patients in private hospitals with the vaccination programme and private hospitals could also commence the private vaccination programme parallelly for economic front liners as soon as the availability of vaccines is attained. – New Straits Times
City bars in three districts shut
Entertainment venues in three Bangkok districts have been ordered closed from April 6-19 to contain the spread of Covid-19, city governor Aswin Kwanmuang announced on Monday. The decision to temporarily close the venues in Klong Toey, Watthana and Bang Khae was reached at the Bangkok's communicable disease committee on Monday evening. If the disease spreads to other districts, the affected establishments will also be shut. "We're monitoring the situation," the governor said. The closure affects 196 entertainment establishments in the three districts, he added. The Public Health Ministry also plans tougher restrictions on other eateries and entertainment venues in Bangkok and surrounding provinces ahead of the Songkran holiday next week after new clusters of infections were detected in night-entertainment venues in the capital. Closing hours will be brought forward from 11pm to 9pm with a ban on the sale of alcohol. Department of Disease Control (DDC) director-general Opas Karnkawinpong said the number of Covid-19 infections is expected to rise after new clusters of infections were detected in a Narathiwat prison and Bangkok bars. In light of this, the meeting of the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) on Monday agreed that Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, and Nakhon Pathom will be designated as red zones under maximum control. Eateries in the red zone provinces will be allowed to open until 9pm. Customers will be allowed to dine in but no consumption of alcoholic beverages will be allowed. Entertainment venues can open until 9pm. Customers will be allowed to eat in but no alcohol consumption will be permitted. Department stores and shopping malls can still operate as usual, under health and safety protocols. Schools and education institutes will remain open. The proposals will be presented for consideration by the subcommittee of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Wednesday. The new restrictions will be enforced for two weeks and they will then be assessed, Dr Opas said. After fewer cases were reported, Covid-19 infections on Sunday made a comeback in the capital as health authorities said cases linked to the entertainment cluster had risen to 71, according to the DDC. Of the 71 cases, they are scattered in Bangkok (45), Pathum Thani (11), Nonthaburi (8) and Nakhon Pathom (7), according to the DDC. The cluster is thought to have originated at an entertainment venue in Pathum Thani province before spreading to others in Thong Lor and Ekamai in Bangkok. "Employees were the conduits as they contracted the disease from customers and then spread it to others. Most patrons also visited more than one place and musicians and employees working at entertainment places tend to work multiple jobs, accelerating the spread," Dr Opas said. He identified risky behaviour such as not wearing masks, shouting, drinking – which led to poor judgement – and sharing glasses. – Bangkok Post
No sufficient data on Ivermectin as COVID-buster – FDA
There’s not enough data to prove that the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin – whether compounded for humans or not – can treat or combat COVID-19, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director Eric Domingo stressed Tuesday. Domingo made the remark after Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor announced that he is giving away compounded Ivermectin to Quezon City residents. “There is no conclusive data at this time to show that Ivermectin is effective in treating COVID-19. It is an anti-parasitic drug,” Domingo told INQUIRER.net. Asked if it also applies to the compounded version of the drug, Domingo said: “Not enough data.” Currently, there are no registered Ivermectin drugs for human use in the Philippines, according to the FDA. Domingo, however, said licensed pharmacies can compound Ivermectin as long as a patient has a prescription from a doctor. Domingo, nonetheless, clarified that compounded Ivermectin cannot be mass produced as doctor prescriptions cannot cover multiple individuals, meaning, an individual has to secure his or her own prescription. “This is a pharmacy with a special permit to do compounding. They compound the [medicine] per patient prescription,” Domingo said. “Compounding is per patient prescription so no mass production,” he added. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) has said it does not back the use of Ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19, since it does not have statistically significant evidence of efficacy against the new coronavirus disease. – INQUIRER.net
Party chief holds phone talks with Russian President
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong held phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, during which the leaders informed each other about recent major affairs and achievements of the two nations. Trong told Putin about the outcomes of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)’s 13th National Congress, Viet Nam’s progress after 35 years of national reform, as well as the country’s visions, targets and orientations for future development, among others. Expressing his gratitude toward Russia’s support for Viet Nam, the Party leader stated the Vietnamese Party and State always valued the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia. He hoped the bilateral ties would grow fruitfully for the sake of the two countries' peoples in contribution to regional and global peace and development. For his part, Putin congratulated Trong on his re-election as General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee for the 13th tenure and Nguyen Xuan Phuc on his election as State President of Viet Nam. Both leaders stressed that the Viet Nam – Russia relations had been thriving in almost all fields and that the sides would continue taking specific measures to foster their cooperation in security, defence, energy, oil & gas, economy, trade, education and training, and tourism. They laid special emphasis on further collaboration in COVID-19 prevention and control via mutual support regarding vaccine research and production. The leaders shared a common stance on the need of building healthy international relationships of mutual respect, friendship, equality, mutually beneficial cooperation; and settling disagreements through dialogues and peaceful measures in the current international context. Viet Nam and Russia would continue to collaborate more effectively at regional and international forums for peace, stability and development in Asia - Pacific and the world, they said. The Vietnamese Party chief took the occasion to invite Putin to officially visit Viet Nam this year and attend the closing ceremony of the Viet Nam Year in Russia and the Russia Year in Viet Nam. The Russian President accepted the invitation with pleasure. – Viet Nam News
Curfew to be extended if COVID-19 situation does not improve
The two-week-long curfew imposed as a temporary administrative measure would be extended if the new infections of COVID-19 remain high, according to the Ministry of Health. “One or two weeks would be added to the currently-imposed curfew if the number of locally-transmitted cases are still high,” said Mrs Or Vandine, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Health and Chairwoman of the Ad-hoc Commission for COVID-19 Vaccination, while paying an inspection visit to the vaccination process at the Ministry of Information this morning. She also re-appealed to people to strictly practice the health preventive measures to avoid the deadly virus infection. On April 1, Phnom Penh municipal administration imposed a two-week-long curfew from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am, in a move to contribute to cutting off the transmission chain of COVID-19. The 8:00 pm-to-5:00 am curfew covers eateries, coffee shops, restaurants, except takeaways, as well as gatherings, except among family members in the same house, funerals, and gatherings of health staff and competent authorities on duty. Moreover, travelling within the Phnom Penh geographical area is banned during curfew for two weeks, except for emergency health and family reasons, medical staff, fire fighters, armed personnel, factory workers, and so on. Those who fail to follow the directive will be punished as stated in the Law on Measures to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 and Other Severe, Dangerous and Contagious Diseases, and other relevant regulations. As of Monday, Cambodia’s tally of COVID-19 reached 2,752, of which 2,222 are related to the third cluster infections known as the Feb. 20 Community Event. A total of 1,747 cases have so far recovered, with 21 deaths recorded. – Khmer Times
Greatly outgunned but determined to defend themselves, Kalay protesters manage to even the score
On the evening of March 28, the remote town of Kalay in Sagaing region became the scene of a pitched battle between regime forces and a determined band of protesters opposed to the return of military rule. It was, as elsewhere in the country, a David and Goliath struggle, with soldiers and police using sniper rifles, machine guns, and hand grenades against the protesters, none of whom had ever faced such a barrage of lethal fire in their lives. Despite this, however, the protesters more than held their own. Four of them died that night, but so did an equal number of the enemy, including an officer or two. The protesters also managed to wound 17 of their heavily armed attackers. This came as a real surprise to many. After two months of a one-sided war that has so far cost the lives of more than 550 civilians, it was the first time that regime forces had suffered significant losses. The reason for this is that in almost all cases, they alone had the capacity to kill. In Kalay, however, it was a different story.
While the Kalay protesters could not match the firepower of their adversaries, they were not unarmed. Many had what are known locally as “Tumi guns” –handmade rifles normally used for hunting. “It’s true that our weapons can’t compare to theirs. We are just peaceful protesters standing up for what we believe. But if they come and attack us, we will fight back with what we have,” one of the town’s defenders told Myanmar Now. – Myanmar NOW
Some 128 died in East Nusa Tenggara flash floods, landslides
Death toll from flash floods and landslides amid extreme weather triggered by Tropical Cyclone Seroja in the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara increased to 128 as of late Monday. "In total, 128 people lost their lives during the extreme weather in several parts (of the province)," Head of the Center for Disaster Data, Information, and Communication at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Raditya Jati stated in Jakarta on Tuesday. The deaths comprised 67 in Lembata, 49 in East Flores, and 12 in Alor. Meanwhile, 72 people are still missing, comprising 28 in Alo, 23 in East Flores, and 21 in Lembata. According to data from the BNPB Operation Control Center, a total of 2,019 families, or 8,424 people, took refuge and 1,083 families, or 2,683 people, were affected by the disaster as of 23:00 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) on Monday. "Most people that fled their homes are found in East Sumba reaching 7,212 (1,803 families), 958 in Lembata, 672 people (153 families) in Rote Ndao, 284 people (63 families) in West Sumba, and 256 in East Flores," Jati remarked. The extreme weather sparked by Tropical Cyclone Seroja could potentially affect East Nusa Tenggara in the next few days. The tropical cyclone has affected the provincial capital of Kupang and the districts of East Flore, Malaka, Lembata, Ngada, West Sumba, East Sumba, Rote Ndao, and Alor. The tropical cyclone affected houses and public facilities. No less than 119 homes incurred serious damage, 118 homes sustained moderate damage, and 34 homes suffered slight damage, while serious damage was caused to 14 public facilities and light damage to one public facility. The tropical cyclone's seeds were detected since April 2 and triggered heavy rainfall and high waves. Effects of the cyclone were felt in most areas of East Nusa Tenggara. – AntaraNews.Com