These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Singapore passports to be valid for 10 years, up from 5, for applications from October: ICA
Singapore passports will be valid for 10 years, up from the current five. This will be the case for citizens over 16 years old who apply for their passports on or after Oct 1, 2021. The fee remains unchanged at $70. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Friday (May 7) that this will reduce the frequency of passport renewals and offer more convenience to Singaporeans. For citizens below the age 16, the passport validity period will remain at five years as children's facial features continue to change as they grow. This means that the photograph on their passport needs to be updated more frequently. The Singapore passport used to be valid for 10 years until April 2005. The validity period was reduced to five years when the biometric passport system was introduced. It was reduced for ICA to monitor the stability of the technology, the authority said. Explaining the reasons for a change back to a validity period of 10 years, ICA said: "It has been 15 years since the introduction of the biometric passport. There is now widespread use of biometrics screening technology by immigration authorities around the world." ICA added that biometric passport technology has now stabilised and that it has greater confidence in the durability of the microchips embedded in such passports. "In view of these developments, ICA has assessed that it is now viable to increase the validity of the Singapore passport to 10 years without compromising security or global confidence in the Singapore passport," it said. – The Straits Times
Frontliners to Malaysians: Covid-19 is no joke, the war is not over
Malaysia's healthcare system is stretched as hospitals are running out of beds at intensive care units (ICUs) as Covid-19 cases show no signs of abating. Medical front liners from government and private facilities attending to Covid-19 patients nationwide took to social media calling for the public to realise how severe the situation is in the country, urging them to take immediate precautionary steps to slow the spread of the coronavirus. "Our Covid-19 ward is full. Our Covid ICU is full. We are overwhelmed. We are tired. We are seeing patients deteriorate every day," a doctor from a hospital in Petaling Jaya wrote on Facebook. She called on Malaysians to help save the country's healthcare system by adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOP) at all times. Hospital ICUs, she said, are collapsing and it is by minimising social activities that the public can immensely help reduce the transmission rate of the virus. "Please spread awareness and share that our healthcare (system) is collapsing due to those not following SOPs and gallivanting around like we have won this war. We are still battling Covid-19 in the wards. "We can go for tarawih prayers next year, we can go to Ramadan bazaars, Raya shopping and, we can spend Hari Raya with our loved ones next year. We can enjoy social activities again once the pandemic is under control. "There will be no next year if this pandemic is not curbed," she cautioned. Most of her patients, she said do not know where they contracted Covid-19. Some of them had attended family dinners while others got it merely by visiting a close friend. "It just takes one person and a few minutes to spread this deadly virus. Wear your masks and keep your sanitisers with you. We beg you. Help us help you. Stay safe, follow SOPs. "It starts at home and it starts with you. Think of the elderly and immunocompromised patients that we have to treat and are critically ill in the wards. "What if they were your parents, grandparents and loved ones. Awareness usually comes too late for some when they lose their loved ones. Don't let it be you. "I am writing this with a broken heart and a splitting headache from wearing a PPE in the ward the whole day, fasting and rushing back to break fast with my kids who are also fasting. – New Straits Times
Foreigners to get 'equal access'
Three million foreigners living in Thailand have as much right to Covid-19 vaccinations as Thais because the goal is to achieve herd immunity, the government declared on Thursday. The policy is to vaccinate everyone in Thailand no matter whether they are Thais or foreigners. This would be carried out with people's consent and without discrimination, said Rungruang Kitpati, spokesman for the Public Health Ministry. Some expats have vented their frustrations on social media about a lack of public information, problems registering for vaccinations and the lack of private vaccines. "Anyone living in Thailand, be they Thai or foreign, will be able to get the vaccine if they want it," Opas Kankawinpong, head of the disease control department, said on Thursday. "No one is safe until everyone is safe." Thailand's population is estimated at 70 million, of whom about three million are foreigners living here long-term, said Dr Opas. "To protect this country against the novel coronavirus, we need to immunise at least 70% of the total people living here," he added. He said the Public Health Ministry had vaccinated a vast number of legally registered immigrants in Samut Sakhon. "Foreigners who want vaccinations can also contact their own embassy to get one," he said. Dr Opas said the process for foreigners to register their interest would be the same as for Thais -- those in vulnerable and risky groups, such as healthcare staff, those living in at-risk areas, the elderly and those with underlying diseases, would be vaccinated first. The government's mass immunisation programme has not started yet, since only frontline workers are getting their shots from a small stock of 2.5 million Sinovac doses. The government's main stock is expected to come from a local manufacturer, who is set to reproduce AstraZeneca's vaccines from supplied ingredients from next month. Pensom Lertsithichai, news division director at the Foreign Ministry, acknowledged that it was not yet possible for foreigners to apply for vaccines via the Mor Prom medical app or Line account but the Public Health Ministry was working on the issue and hoped it would be updated by next month. "The ministry is trying their best to help foreigners, so they can either use the mobile app or contact hospitals directly and register to be vaccinated," she said. For the second phase, she said that would start in June and run until the end of this year. The public and foreigners would be included in this phase, depending on their membership of at-risk groups. Regarding Mor Prom, the medical application, and Line Official account platforms, she said the system did not allow foreigners to register for a jab at present, though the Public Health Ministry was working on it and aimed to have the change made by June. "Foreigners might also be able to contact hospitals directly as soon as possible," she said. The state sector had also insisted the only way the private sector could gain access to the vaccines was through jabs purchased by them. "This is because vaccine producer usually does not sell vaccines to the private sector but rather goes through the government. Therefore, public entities such as the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation can act on behalf of the private sector in securing supplies," she added. – Bangkok Post
Gov’t needs P90-B to buy vaccines in 2022, pandemic czars tell senators
The government will be needing P90 billion next year for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, the country’s pandemic czars told the Senate leadership in a meeting Thursday night. Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Lacson held a meeting with vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., testing czar Vince Dizon and contact tracing czar Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong. Thursday night’s meeting was disclosed by Lacson in a tweet Friday. Lacson told INQUIRER.net that among the points raised by Dizon, Galvez, and Magalong during the meeting is the need for the inclusion of a P90-billion vaccine procurement fund in the 2022 budget. “They will need P90 [billion] for next year’s vaccine procurement budget to be included in the Regular Budget of DOH (Department of Health) to be itemized for vaccines, instead of putting it under the Unprogrammed Fund in order to ensure its availability,” the senator said. The pandemic czars also told the two senators, according to Lacson, that P20 billion is also needed this year under the proposed Bayanihan 3 for the purchase of vaccines. “That’s their request but I told them to check with [Department of Budget and Management] first if the amount could be sourced from realignments from other executive agencies with still unused appropriations before we consider to include it in Bayanihan 3,” he added. Several bills have been filed in Congress seeking a third Bayanihan measure that aims to aid Filipinos and revive the country’s economy amid the pandemic. In the House of Representatives, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said the lower chamber will expedite the approval of the bill. Meanwhile, there are at least two similar measures filed in the Senate. The pandemic czars also told the two senators, according to Lacson, that P20 billion is also needed this year under the proposed Bayanihan 3. “I suggested to try first to be realigned from the unused appropriations of several executive agencies as it is allowed under the Constitution as well as the extended effectivity of the Bayanihan law already passed,” Lacson said. The senators and the pandemic czars likewise discussed “immediate legislative action” to rid the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of “red tape,” which is “hampering” the government’s pandemic efforts. – INQUIRER.net
10 positive cases reported in National Cancer Hospital in Ha Noi
Another hospital in Ha Noi has been hit by an outbreak of COVID-19. The National Cancer Hospital, commonly known as K Hospital, reported ten positive cases on Friday, all patients and their relatives. Ha Noi authorities and officials from the Health Ministry visited the hospital in Thanh Tri District early Friday morning without entering the campus. People’s Committee Chairman Chu Ngoc Anh called on citizens to be more responsible with prevention and control measures. Director of the National Cancer Hospital Le Van Quang locked down all three hospital branches in Hoan Kiem District, Tam Hiep Commune and Tan Trieu Commune in Thanh Tri District. All medical workers, patients and their relatives must remain inside the buildings until further notice. This is the second hospital site to detect a cluster of COVID-19 cases. Earlier this week, a number of staff, patients and their relatives at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases tested positive. Ha Noi Chairman Chu Ngọc Anh said they are not considering locking down the entire capital city at this time. “Authorities are working to trace all suspected cases,” he said. Secretariat of the city Party’s Committee Dinh Tien Dung called on people to stay at home unless absolutely necessary. “People must ensure disease prevention and control measures as well as co-operate with authorities to detect and trace suspected cases, which is very important for the city to fight against COVID-19,” he said. Ha Noi’s Centre for Disease Control on Thursday night reported three more cases. One is a 25-year-old woman who was taking care of her husband at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, another is a 41-year-old man from Thuong Tin District who stayed at the Muong Thanh Hotel in Da Nang. His wife’s brother has also tested positive. The Ministry of Health has asked medical workers, and anyone working at healthcare centres and hospitals to avoid visiting places deemed at risk like parties, parks, cinemas, bars and karaoke venues. On Tuesday, police in Thach That District, Ha Noi, raided a karaoke bar in Thach Hoa Commune and found six men and seven women using drugs. Police seized two grams of ketamine and 1.3 grams of MDMA. 10 of the 13 people tested positive for narcotics. – Viet Nam News
Lockdowns ‘Knocked Down’: PM orders governors to ease harsh measures on people
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday ordered all provincial and city governors to ease extreme entry and exit measures and conditions imposed on travellers. In a voice message, the Premier said that after the lockdown had been lifted in Phnom Penh and Takhmao city he has noticed that some governors have issued extreme measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 such as requiring travellers to enter quarantine for 14 days. “We have already lifted the lockdown, but imposing such measures is still the same as lockdown, and it is similar to creating states in a single state,” Mr Hun Sen said. “Such measures should only be applied to individuals who are suspected of having COVID-19.” He ordered the governors who have already imposed the strict measures to adjust and water down the rules “immediately” to facilitate the travel of the people. “I’m not disagreeing on testing people, but asking everyone to enter quarantine when he or she enters your provinces … will obstruct the socio-economic progress in the country,” he added. Phnom Penh City Hall said yesterday that people in the capital are free to travel to other provinces but they have to adhere to pandemic prevention measures imposed by the respective provincial administrations. Keut Chhe, Deputy Governor of Phnom Penh, said people from other provinces could also enter the capital but those from high-risk areas would have to test for COVID-19 first and be quarantined for 14 days. “People can go to the provinces but have to follow the rules of each provincial administration, such as in Tbong Khmum province where the authorities have stated that those wishing to enter be quarantined for 14 days,” Chhe said. “People from Red Zones wishing to enter Phnom Penh have to undergo sample testing, but if they come from a Yellow Zone where there is no infection there is no need for this,” he added. Chhe said local authorities must use Rapid Test kits to screen those who are from high-risk areas. Prey Veng Provincial Governor Chea Somethy said yesterday that people who come from the capital and other provinces must be tested for COVID-19 virus and be quarantined for 14-days. “For outsiders who travel to the territory of Prey Veng province, it is absolutely necessary to quarantine for a 14-day period and provide samples for testing,” he said. Somethy added that those who are only passing through Prey Veng province are exempt from the measures. He said the measures taken by the province are to prevent the spread COVID-19 into community. The Preah Sihanouk Provincial Administration yesterday announced that people who intend to enter Sihanoukville, which has some parts locked down, must comply with conditions imposed by the local authorities. These include having a COVID-19-free certificate issued by a state-run or private hospital authorised to treat the disease and where applicable, a card showing the traveller has been inoculated with two doses of a vaccine. – Khmer Times
Jailed Myanmar Now reporter put in solitary confinement after starting fast for Ramadan
Kay Zon Nway, a Myanmar Now reporter who was arrested while reporting on an anti-coup demonstration in Yangon in late February, has been put in solitary confinement at Insein Prison after she began fasting for Ramadan, her lawyer said. The reporter was charged under Section 505a of the Penal Code for incitement, which carries a prison sentence of up to three years. She has been in solitary since April 28, but her lawyer, Nilar Khine, only found this out when she saw her at a hearing on Thursday. “She says she hasn’t done anything,” Nilar Khine said. “Some people do sit-in protests in prison, but she’s fasting because it’s Ramadan. She’s being put in confinement for no reason.” Prison officials could not be reached for further details on her situation. Thursday’s hearing was held not at a court but at the prison. A woman who was recently released from Insein after being arrested for protesting told Myanmar Now that Kay Zon Nway was falsely accused of going on hunger strike when she began fasting for Ramadan. “Kay Zon Nway is fasting for religious reasons but some individuals told the prison officials that she was protesting,” the woman said. “That’s why they’re doing this.’ The plaintiff in her case, a deputy police major at Sanchaung police station, testified at Thursday’s hearing that she was arrested for inciting protests under the Myaynigone bridge in Sanchaung, Nilar Khine said. In response Nilar Khine told the hearing that Kay Zon Nway has the right to report under Myanmar’s media law. “They accused her of incitement but she only had her phone and a tripod for the phone when she was arrested. Those are items used for reporting, not protesting,” the lawyer said. The case against freelance reporter Soe Yarzar Tun, who has been hit with the same charge as Kay Zon Nway, was also heard at Thursday’s hearing. The next hearing is scheduled for May 20. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, 48 reporters are now being detained in Myanmar. – Myanmar NOW
Govt hits brakes on 'mudik' for second year as pandemic lingers
Mbok Ija, a housemaid who worked without a break for the last two consecutive years, was excited when her son told her on the phone to pack her bags for Eid al-Fitr celebrations. He was sending a chartered car to ferry her to her rural home in East Java so she could join in the festivities with relatives. Ija said her son was aware that the government has once again banned homebound travel, locally known as ‘mudik’, which usually involves a mass exodus as millions of people leave big cities and head for their rural hometowns for Eid al-Fitr. To avoid any trouble, Mbok Ija left for East Java at 4 a.m. on May 1, 2021, ahead of the ‘mudik’ ban, which is being enforced from May 6-17, 2021, as part of restrictions to check the spread of COVID-19. Homecoming activities, wherein travellers meet their relatives, usually involve direct physical contact, such as shaking hands and hugging, which could transmit the coronavirus more quickly. This concern has prompted President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to urge regional leaders to intensify dissemination of information on the ‘mudik’ ban and health protocols campaigns to avert any further rise in coronavirus transmission. He has also asked the regions to continue with COVID-19 mass vaccination programs. "Vaccination in regions should not stop. The central government's task is supplying the vaccine for the regions to keep stocks of it. Five percent is sufficient for stock. Administer it (COVID-19 vaccine) to the public," he ordered. The government has also tightened procedures for Indonesian Immigrant Workers (PMI) keen on returning to their hometowns by strengthening the procedure, which now mandates two PCR tests and a four-day isolation. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, which was first reported in Wuhan, China in late 2019, the Indonesian government has imposed sanctions and restrictions on public activities, including on mobility and religious activities in places of worship. The government has also imposed a ‘mudik’ ban for two years in a row. Thus, like last year, Indonesian Muslims, who constitute nearly 90 percent of the country’s population of 270 million, have once again been forced to change their tradition of praying in mosques during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Normally, during this month-long period of fasting, Indonesian Muslims break their fast at sunset with relatives, friends, or colleagues in restaurants or hotels, but this year, such gatherings have been banned. This year, the Ramadan fasting month began on April 12, 2021 and will end on May 13, with Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr amid continued restrictions and sanctions in view of the prolonged pandemic. Though many people have complained of being fed up and bored with staying home for the past one-and-a-half years, the authorities have decided to tread with caution. Government spokesperson for COVID-19 Handling, Prof. Wiku Adisasmito, has asked people to learn from India, where the COVID-19 pandemic has turned into a “tsunami”, and urged them to comply with the ban on the Eid al-Fitr homecoming exodus to avoid a spike in infections following the long holidays. In addition to the ‘mudik’ ban, the government has also imposed restrictions on travel within the country two weeks prior to and after the ban period. "When the number of cases is high, health facilities will not be adequate in the event of a large increase in cases," Adisasmito remarked during an online press conference monitored from Jakarta on May 6, 2021. He, however, pointed to non-compliance to the ban among people, many of whom travelled to their hometowns before the ban on the homecoming exodus came into force. Head of Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo, who is concurrently heading the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, has also urged people to not breach the homebound travel ban. The government is concerned that any large-scale movement of people before the Ramadan fasting month ends and during the Idul Fitri holiday season could trigger coronavirus spread. "We do not want a family gathering to end with tragic events. We (can) lose our beloved ones (due to COVID-19). Please do not let such tragedies occur," Monardo appealed. He described the government's ‘mudik’ ban as a strategic decision. The key takeaway from the long holidays during the pandemic, when scores of people embarked on travel, has been that they were followed by an increase in active cases and the death rate, he pointed out. The task force head cited as examples the long Eid al-Fitr holidays in 2020, Christmas 2020, and the New Year, saying the mortality rate jumped between 46-75 percent and active cases were up by 70-116 percent post the holidays. – AntaraNews.Com