These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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S'porean ex-religious teacher detained under ISA for terrorism-related offences
A 34-year-old Singaporean housewife and former religious teacher has been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for planning to travel to Syria to take up armed violence for terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Internal Security Department (ISD) on Wednesday (June 9) said Ruqayyah Ramli was radicalised by her husband, who was earlier arrested for similar offences. She had failed to respond to religious counselling after his arrest, and refused to turn away from her radical path. Ruqayyah, who was detained in April, had previously been issued a restriction order (RO) under the ISA in August last year, after her husband was detained under the Act. "Since being placed on RO however, there has been an escalation in Ruqayyah's radical behaviour and involvement in activities prejudicial to Singapore's security," said the ISD. "Ruqayyah has refused to make any genuine effort to participate in the rehabilitation programme, and remains entrenched in her radical beliefs. She continues to support ISIS' violent actions and believes in the use of violence against the perceived enemies of Islam." Under the restriction order, a person is not allowed to change their residence, employment or travel out of Singapore without official approval. They are also barred from issuing public statements or joining organisations without approval. ISD said Ruqayyah had persisted in communicating online with overseas ISIS supporters who were associates of her husband, in breach of her RO condition. "She was thus detained to prevent her from progressing further down the violent radical path," the ISD added. Ruqayyah, who was accredited by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) in September 2017, has had her accreditation suspended. – The Straits Times
As Covid death toll rises, bodies wait in queue for last rites
The high death toll due to Covid-19 in Malaysia lately has caused the National Institute of Forensic Medicine (IPFN) to face a bitter situation when experiencing backlogs in the management of the bodies, as a result of the outbreak and non-Covid-19 death cases. In contrast to the management of bodies of non-Covid-19 patients, the Covid-19 deaths need to be managed with the utmost care by the front liners, and expedited for burial or cremation. Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) forensic pathologist Dr Salmah Arshad said the existing space in the IPFN morgue was not sufficient, and the victims were now placed in containers which were turned into makeshift morgues that could store 12 to 20 bodies of Covid-19 patients. She said the IPFN morgue can store up to 36 bodies but there were additional spaces for this purpose, including the Tunku Azizah Hospital (up to 10 bodies), Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital (four) and the National Cancer Institute (two). There are 52 coffins, and back-up containers to store the bodies. "For bodies that are to be cremated, it depends on the crematorium. In the Klang Valley, there is only one location, which is managed by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). DBKL also provides non-Covid-19 cremation services, so we have to wait for our turn," she told Bernama. According to Dr Salmah, for the remains of non-Muslims, the next-of-kin can choose whether the body is to be buried or cremated, and each cremation process takes between two and three hours, compared with non-Covid-19 cases, which take 45 minutes to an hour. The 41-year-old specialist doctor, who has been in the forensic field for 13 years, said that the increase in the number of brought-in-dead (BID) cases due to the outbreak was increasingly worrying. She said during the first wave of the pandemic, the death rate of Covid-19 outside the ward was only one or two cases a month, compared with now which reached three or four such cases daily. "Compared with last year, we rarely receive cases (deaths) at home, (on the contrary) we receive cases at the hospital. That means patients are admitted to the ward, are treated, and die in the hospital. What worries me now is the deaths outside the hospital, which have not been treated. The symptoms are too rapid and this is depressing. "Indeed, there have been changes. In the past, we expected deaths involving elderly patients, and diseases such as heart, kidney and obesity. In the first wave, those were the factors that contributed to the risk of death last year. "We cannot predict the third wave because it involves both young and old. The youngest we received who died at home was in their 20s and had no illness. "Now everyone has to be careful and follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs), because everyone can be exposed and die because of Covid-19," she said, and advised people to be vigilant, even with the neighbours next door. She did not rule out the possibility that mutations and variants in the virus contributed to changes in the categories of victims, including young people with no history of health problems. – New Straits Times
NACC hits Preecha over assets
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) on Tuesday said it will ask Gen Preecha Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's younger brother, to acknowledge charges of concealing assets belonging to himself and his wife. The commissioners voted 9-0 that there were grounds to the allegation against Gen Preecha, also a senator, a source said. Niwatchai Kasemmongkol, the NACC deputy secretary-general, told Isranews Agency the NACC was in the process of laying charges against the accused. Gen Preecha would give further statements to the commission before the case is concluded. After that the case will be submitted to the commissioners who will decide whether to forward it to prosecutors. He was accused of falsely declaring his assets and liabilities while serving with the National Legislative Assembly formed after the National Council for Peace and Order toppled the Pheu Thai-led government in 2014. The alleged false declaration has to do with Gen Preecha's failure to include his house in Phitsanulok and a bank account belonging to his wife, Pongpuan, in the couple's asset list. Gen Preecha said he explained everything to the commission in January and February and would let the law run its course. He insisted that he filed his assets and liabilities properly. The NACC also found grounds to allegations against three current MPs and one former MP who allegedly let fellow lawmakers use their voting cards in parliament, said a commission source. In one case, Chalong Thoetwiraphong, a Bhumjaithai MP for Phatthalung; Phumsit Khongmi, a Bhumjaithai MP for Phatthalung; and Natee Ratchakitprakanr, a former Bhumjaithai list MP, were accused of dereliction of duty for allowing other lawmakers to get hold of their MP cards to vote during a House deliberation of the budget bill last year. In another case, it is alleged that Thanikan Phonphongsarot, a Palang Pracharath Party MP for Bangkok, gave her card to a fellow MP to vote on her behalf. The six involved could face up to 20 years in prison, a fine of between 20,000 and 200,000 baht, or both. – Bangkok Post
Galvez: 3.2M Sinovac, Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine jabs to arrive June 10
Some 3.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines are expected to arrive in the Philippines on Thursday, June 10, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said. One million of which will be from China’s Sinovac BioTech vaccines, CoronaVac, which will be intended for the A4 priority group of the government’s vaccination program. Meanwhile, 2.2 million will be US-made Pfizer vaccines from COVAX facility, Galvez said. He apologised to local government units (LGU) for the lack of vaccine supply, pointing out that the delivery of three million vaccine doses was slightly delayed due to logistical challenges. “Ako ay humihingi ng mga pasensya sa LGUs dahil talagang medyo na-delay ‘yung three million na intended for the A4 for June dahil nagkaroon tayo ng logistical challenges,” he said in an interview over ABS CBN’s TeleRadyo. (I ask for the patience of LGUs because the 3 million doses intended for A4 priority group was delayed.) “Supposed to be, may seven million doses tayo noong May pero ang nakuha lang ay 4.5 million. ‘Yung three million na ‘yan ay mapupuno this coming June, so na-delay lang ng two weeks,” he added. (We were supposed to get seven million doses in May but we only got 4.5 million. The remaining three million will come in June, so it has been delayed for only two weeks.) The Antipolo city government earlier reported that it had to halt its COVID-19 vaccinations due to the lack of vaccine supply. “Bukod sa A1, A2 at A3, MALAPIT NA din daw payagan ang A4 simulan … pero wala namang bakunang dumarating,” the government said in a Facebook post on June 6. – INQUIRER.net
Government plans to borrow VND1.7 quadrillion in 2021-23
The Vietnamese Government plans to borrow more than VND1.7 quadrillion (US$73.2 billion) in the 2021-23 period to meet the capital demand for socio-economic development, according to the public debt management plan for the next three years approved late last week. The borrowing aimed to ensure a balance for the State budget and promote socio-economic development at an appropriate level of cost risk. Of the sum, around VND1.6 quadrillion would be borrowed for the central budget while VND134.4 trillion would be for refinancing. The plan also aimed to tightly control debt indicators to ensure budget safety and accelerating the development of the domestic capital market. The Ministry of Finance asked the Government to be active in issuing bonds, restructuring debt portfolio and developing the Government bond market. In addition, the ministry must arrange resources for debt payment to prevent overdue debts which might affect the Government’s international commitments. The Government would limit the issuance of new guarantees for enterprise loans with the increasing rate of the total outstanding Government-backed loans not exceeding the growth rate of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Regarding the borrowing of local governments, the deficit level would be capped at about 0.2 per cent of GDP. The increasing rate of short-term foreign commercial loans of enterprises and credit institutions would be controlled at less than 18-20 per cent per year and below $6.35-7 billion for medium- and long-term loans to ensure the country’s foreign debt within the allowable limit. In 2021, the Government would borrow more than VND624.2 trillion, around 84 per cent of which were from domestic lenders and the rest from foreign sources. Of the figure, VND318.87 trillion would be spent in offsetting overspending, VND260.9 trillion for repaying debts and VND44.4 trillion for refinancing. This year, the Government must repay debts worth VND394.5 trillion. Compared to GDP which was worth VND6.3 quadrillion in 2020, the amount of debt the Government must repay this year was equivalent to 6 per cent. Meanwhile, GDP growth rate was at just 2.91 per cent last year due to the impacts of COVID-19. Local governments would have to borrow VND28.79 trillion and pay debts worth VND6.6 trillion, including VND2.66 trillion in interest, this year. The Government asked the Ministry of Finance to develop the public debt management plan for the 2021-25 period, together with a public debt strategy for 2021-30 and a project to improve the credit rating to 2025 with a vision to 2030 as well as a project to promote the application of information technology in public debt management for approval. – Viet Nam News
Typhoon TS KOGUMA to hit Cambodia
The Ministry of Water Resources has issued an alert warning people of the imminent approach of a strong southeast monsoon and the fourth typhoon TS KOGUMA 21.04. The ministry said the strong southwest monsoon is scheduled to arrive today until June 15 while the typhoon is expected on June 12. The typhoon is expected to travel from Hainan Island in China to the South China Sea before reaching Cambodia, and is expected to hit the coastal provinces hard so they need to brace for this typhoon. TS KOGUMA 21.04 means Tropical Storm, while KOGUMA is the name proposed by countries in Southeast Asia. It is not the name of the person who found this storm and 21.04 means this is the fourth storm in 2021. The ministry also warned those going out to the sea to be careful of thunderstorms, huge waves and strong winds during this period. The weather situation is expected to cause provinces in the central lowland to have low temperatures of 23 to 26 degrees Celcius and a highs of 31 to 34 degrees Celcius causing those in the northeast and southern part of the provinces to have moderate to heavy rain with gusts. Similar temperatures and weather conditions are expected in provinces along the Dangrek mountains and northeast plateau. The coast will experience low temperatures of 22 to 25 degrees Celsius and highs of 26 to 29 degrees Celcius with strong winds, thunder and lightning, heavy rain and high waves on the sea surface. On Monday, strong winds damaged three houses in Ratanakiri province’s Lumphat district with a child suffering minor injuries. – Khmer Times
Roughly 800 soldiers have fled the military since the coup, says defector
About 800 soldiers have left the military to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) since the February 1 coup, a former captain who is helping people to defect has told Myanmar Now. Lin Htet Aung, 29, defected in late March and has since teamed up with more defectors to assist others in leaving the military. He served in the 528th Infantry Battalion under the Triangle Region Command in eastern Shan state. About three quarters of those who have defected are ready to join the People’s Defense Force (PDF) to fight against the regime, he said. The rest would like to help the revolution in other ways but do not want to fight, he added. Around 100 of the defectors had been serving as officers with ranks including major, captain, and lieutenant. Some have travelled to border regions controlled by ethnic armed groups and are giving crash courses in combat to people who fled cities to take up arms against the junta. Most defectors are from the navy and air force; soldiers from infantry regiments have found it more difficult to flee due to the fear of repercussions against their families. “The main reason they can’t defect is because they’re performing frontline operations and are separated from their families,” said Lin Htet Aung. “They don’t have access to our statements either, so that doesn’t help,” he added, referring to public pleas by defectors for other soldiers to join CDM. Between 40 and 50 of those who have defected left their families behind in military housing, he said. “They don’t know what to do and they have no support. There’s no way for them to reach out to their families.” Most of the defectors are aged between 20 and 35 and no one above the rank of major has defected. “We don’t expect anything from those in higher ranks,” Lin Htet Aung said. “The higher up they are, the more scared they are of losing their positions.” “If they defected this fight would be over quickly,” he added. Lieutenant Htet Nay Bala, 24, defected on March 7. He said he fled the 269th Infantry Battalion in Chin State after the regime ordered attacks against peaceful protesters across the country. “Instead of protecting the people after taking their taxes as salaries, this institution is committing all these atrocities. So, I no longer want to be a part of it,” he said. “Everyone felt their future being taken away when the coup happened,” he added. “As a youth who loves my country, I’ll continue with the revolution. There’s no turning back.” – Myanmar NOW
Two doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered to 11.3 million Indonesians
The Indonesian government administered the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to 11,356,025 people, as of Tuesday, or an increase of 158,956 from the previous day, according to the COVID-19 Handling Task Force. Meanwhile, the first dose was given to 484,564 people in a single day, thereby bringing the total to 18,260,482 individuals so far. The Indonesian government has, until now, administered the COVID-19 vaccine mostly procured from China's Sinovac in addition to the AstraZeneca vaccine obtained from the COVAX Facility. The figure constitutes 28.14 percent of the total 40,349,049 people targeted by the government to receive vaccines in stages I and II prioritizing health workers, the elderly, and public officials. The government has set a target to vaccinate a total of 181.5 million Indonesians, or 70 percent of its total populace, to build herd immunity against the novel coronavirus disease. Some 1,393,951 healthcare workers have completed the COVID-19 vaccination process out of the total targeted 1,468,764 healthcare workers. A total of 2,347,490 elderly people received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine out of the targeted 21,553,118 senior citizens. A total of 7,613,387 public officials received two jabs of the COVID-19 vaccine out of the 17,327,167 people targeted by the government. Indonesia recorded the addition of 6,294 fresh COVID-19 cases within the last 24 hours, while 5,805 COVID-19 patients made a recovery and 189 people succumbed to the virus. – AntaraNews.Com