These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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S'pore businessman Ng Yu Zhi, linked to alleged fraud of $1 billion, accused of cheating some notable lawyers
Several notable names in the legal fraternity were purportedly cheated by a Singaporean businessman who is alleged to be involved in a $1 billion fraud scheme. Ng Yu Zhi, 34, director of Envy Asset Management and Envy Global Trading, is said to have swindled investors into putting at least $1 billion into nickel deals that never took place. The investors were promised varying returns averaging 15 per cent over three months. Ng, who was arrested in February, was previously facing 18 charges for cheating, fraudulent trading and forgery. On Monday (June 28), he was slapped with another 13 similar charges. He is accused of criminal breach of trust involving more than $200 million. The alleged victims named in the new charges include the general counsel for Temasek International Pek Siok Lan, criminal lawyer Sunil Sudheesan and ex-president of the Law Society Thio Shen Yi. The lawyers were allegedly cheated of $5.5 million, $1 million and $87,000 respectively. Other notable names allegedly cheated by Ng include the chairman of Vickers Capital Group Finian Tan and chief executive officer of Chuan Hup Holdings Terence Peh. The charge sheets state that the investment professionals were swindled of US$19.2 million (S$25.8 million) and $3 million respectively. As of last month, at least four lawsuits had been filed by investors seeking to claim some $50 million from Envy Global Trading and Ng. The Commercial Affairs Department has seized about $100 million of assets from him. Neither of Ng's firms is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). MAS stated that it had been informed in March that Envy Asset Management claimed it was applying for a licence, even though no application had been submitted. Ng is out on bail of $1.5 million. He has to continue wearing an electronic tag and comply with a curfew from 10pm to 6am. His bail is believed to be the highest sum imposed since electronic monitoring was introduced as a condition of bail in 2018. He is expected to be back in court on July 5 for a bail review. – The Straits Times
'PM will decide when Parliament sits'
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will decide when Parliament can reconvene, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said yesterday. He said the Emergency Ordinance disallowed Parliament from sitting, so a notice to reconvene could be issued only after the emergency ended. "The emergency proclamation ends on Aug 1. That's when the laws on the convening of Parliament come into force again," Takiyuddin said after attending a Covid-19 outreach programme at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Hall here yesterday. "The prime minister will decide when it will be suitable to convene Parliament." He said the prime minister would inform the Dewan Rakyat speaker, who would notify members of parliament within 28 days. "That's in the rules." To a question on whether the sitting would be held in a hybrid online and in-person format, Takiyuddin said a hybrid session was an option if a normal physical sitting was not suitable. He said this was suggested by the Dewan Rakyat speaker to the government. "In the recent statement issued by the Dewan Rakyat speaker (and Dewan Negara president), a hybrid Parliament sitting is an option only if the sitting could not be (fully) held physically. "It means that a number of parliamentarians are required to attend in person while the rest will join online. "(For instance,) several meetings, including the cabinet, were held online." Present with Takiyuddin at the event was Kelantan Health director Datuk Dr Zaini Hussin. Takiyuddin said Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun had said they were studying the possibility of holding a hybrid parliamentary sitting. Rais and Azhar, in a joint statement on Friday, said a hybrid Parliament sitting was expected to be held either at the end of August or the first week of September. They said the Parliament Special Committee, tasked with looking into a hybrid sitting, had considered all aspects and was ready to convene the hybrid session soon. The special committee said it expected the legal aspects of reconvening Parliament to be resolved by the end of July, if approved by the House Committee and Standing Orders Committee. – New Straits Times
Capital reports first Beta strain case
The first case of Beta variant, originally detected in South Africa, has been found in Bangkok, a source said. An initial investigation found that the infected patient is linked to an infection case in Narathiwat, according to the source. Department of Medical Sciences director-general Supakit Sirilak will hold a press conference on the issue on Monday. The Beta variant found spreading in the deep South of Thailand is believed to have come from Malaysia. Eleven new Covid-19 clusters were found in eight provinces on Sunday, with authorities keeping a close watch on factories, markets and construction camps in high-risk areas. The 11 new clusters – four of which were reported in Bangkok – brought the country's total number of active Covid-19 clusters to 111. These include a construction camp in Huai Kwang, a bakery factory in Lat Krabang, a construction camp and a hotel in Bang Phlat district. The seven remaining clusters were reported at a garment factory in Samut Sakhon's Krathum Baen district; a market in Nonthaburi's Pak Kret district; a market in Chon Buri's Muang district; an electronic devices factory in Ayutthaya's Bang Pa-in district; a mechanical parts factory in Lop Buri's Muang district; a natural resource office in Suphan Buri's Muang district; and a police training centre in Surat Thani's Muang district. Infections in Bangkok and its surrounding provinces are showing no sign of letting up and the situation in some southern provinces is worrisome, a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) meeting was told. The meeting, chaired by National Security Council chief Gen Natthapol Nakpanich, found that cases in the northern and southern regions were mostly linked to social gatherings, while most of the infections in the eastern and central regions were reported in factories and large-sized markets. The country on Sunday reported 42 more Covid-19 fatalities and 3,995 new cases, including 45 in prisons and 35 imported cases, which brought the accumulated toll to 1,912 deaths and the number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 244,447. According to the Department of Corrections, the number of inmates infected with the virus stood at 35,980 and 4,377 were being treated. Of the imported cases, 31 were from Cambodia and while travellers from Uganda, Kenya, Malaysia and Myanmar accounted for the rest. Bangkok logged the highest number of both deaths and new transmissions on Sunday, registering 137 new patients and 27 fatalities. Meanwhile, the surrounding provinces of Samut Sakhon saw 289 cases, Samut Prakan 231 cases and Nonthaburi 195 cases. Chachoengsao, Nakhon Pathom and Pathum Thani logged two fatalities each on Sunday, while one death were reported in Phetchaburi, Chon Buri, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nonthaburi, Prachin Buri, Pattani, Yala, Udon Thani and Uthai Thani. Meanwhile, the number of "white" provinces with zero cases was down to six, namely Lamphun, Lampang, Phrae, Mae Hong Son, Bung Kan and Mukdahan. The surge in Covid-19 infections in Greater Bangkok and the southernmost provinces prompted the government to enforce stricter measures in the provinces for one month starting today. Meanwhile, 241 people were arrested for illegal entry on Sunday, 122 from Cambodia, 56 from Myanmar and 14 from Laos. – Bangkok Post
New COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila dip by 9 percent
COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila decreased by nine percent last week as the reproduction number in the capital region remains below one, the OCTA Research said Monday. In its latest monitoring report, OCTA Research said there are 667 average daily new COVID-19 cases per day in Metro Manila from June 21 to 27, lower than the 731 cases per day from June 14 to 20. “This corresponds to an average daily attack rate (ADAR) of 4.83 per 100,000 [population]. An ADAR less than 5 per 100,000 means the NCR is classified as a moderate-low risk area,” the independent research group said. Meanwhile, the reproduction number in Metro Manila was at 0.80 from June 21 to 27, slightly higher than the 0.71 from the previous week. Reproduction number is the average number of cases that could stem from one positive case. Nationwide, the reproduction number from June 21 to 27 was 0.92. OCTA also reported that the positivity rate, or the percentage of positive test results from all conducted tests, in the region remained at seven percent over the past week. In terms of healthcare utilization, Metro Manila posted a 36-percent hospital bed occupancy, 45-percent ICU bed occupancy, and 32-percent mechanical ventilator occupancy – all within safe levels. According to OCTA Research, Navotas, San Juan, and Pateros had the least number of new cases per day in the previous week. Navotas only had five new daily cases, and San Juan and Pateros both had seven. Navotas also had the lowest ADAR at 1.93. Six other LGUs – Caloocan, Marikina, Malabon, Valenzuela, Quezon City, and Manila likewise had an ADAR of less than five per 100,000 population, which classifies them as moderate-low risk areas. “The other LGUs are considered moderate risk areas, with an ADAR between five and 10 per 100,000,” the research group said. Based on OCTA Research’s metrics, LGUs with an ADAR of less than one is classified as low risk, while those with ADAR greater than 10 is classified as high risk. – INQUIRER.net
Businesses want bank loans rolled over, interest waived
Tran Tuan Anh, director of a three-star hotel in HCM City’s District 1, said hopes of a business revival after earlier waves of COVID-19 were contained have vanished with the latest outbreak, and bankruptcy looms. “My business incurred huge losses during previous waves of the pandemic. After it was well controlled, I borrowed some money from a bank to renovate the hotel and offered promotions to attract travellers during the Liberation Day and May Day holidays and summer break. “We were happy to get many customers in late April and early May, and hoped to revive our business. But the fourth wave of COVID-19 has extinguished our hopes, customers have cancelled their bookings. “We had some money in reserve and so were able to survive previous waves, but now we have run out. If we cannot get bank loan interest reduced, frozen or rolled over, the risk of going bust is very high.” Nguyen Dang Hien, vice chairman of the Food and Foodstuff Association of HCM City and general director of Tan Quang Minh Manufacture and Trading Company, said his industry is also facing difficulties. “The prices of inputs and additives have increased sharply, while most food products are in the list of price-stabilised goods, meaning it is difficult for businesses to increase prices.” With firms also investing a lot of money to ensure hygiene and food safety and make their factories safe amid COVID-19, costs have increased sharply, he said. Most businesses in the sector have yet to benefit from the Government’s support packages last year, especially in terms of interest rate waiver and reduction, and the association wants the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) to soon add food and essential goods producers to the list of beneficiaries, and accelerate disbursement of loans to buy and stockpile inputs and expand production, he said. With tourism being one of the industries hardest hit by the pandemic, the HCM City Tourism Association has called on the SBV, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and city People's Committee to offer more support to travel businesses affected by COVID-19 like reducing interest rate on existing loans, not designing unpaid debts as bad debts and rolling over the loan principal for 24 months. Nguyen Thi Khanh, the association’s chairwoman, said some businesses have gone bankrupt and many are at risk of not being able to pay their debts. “The difficulties faced by the travel, hotel, resort, restaurant, and service supply chain segments have had a big impact on other industries such as road transport, aviation, railways, waterways, and others. “Therefore, creating specific preferential mechanisms to enable tourism businesses to overcome their difficulties and resume operations soon will also help revive other industries." The city Department of Transport has also urged the People's Committee and the SBV to direct banks to reduce interest rates and roll over loans given to transport firms. According to the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ data, so far this year 1,365 businesses have been affected by the pandemic and more than 42,500 workers have lost jobs while 410 companies want to apply for bank loans to pay salaries. Some 2,274 firms have closed down while 9,308 others have temporarily ceased operations this year. – Viet Nam News
Cambodia’s airports ready for tourists, air bridges, travel bubbles by ‘end of 2021’
Cambodia’s tourism industry is anticipating the return of travellers by the end of this year with a focus on traditional regional markets, particularly those from China, Korea, Japan, Thailand and Singapore, according to Alain Brun, the chief executive officer of Cambodia Airports. Government meetings with the tourism industry indicate stakeholders are eying an earnest re-opening by the fourth quarter, according to Brun. The government has set an ambitious goal to vaccinate 10 million by January and already more than 32 percent of its target group has been inoculated, making it among the most highly immunised populations in the Asia-Pacific region. Tourism accounts for some 32.7 percent of the Kingdom’s gross domestic product. “Some recovery could take place by this year-end [but] even [then], we would still be far from pre-Covid levels of traffic at airports. For this to happen, we must maintain momentum in vaccine jabs to ease cross border travels and quarantine measures for fully vaccinated visitors,” Brun told Khmer Times. France’s VINCI Airports owns 70 percent of Cambodia Airports and Muhibbah Masteron Cambodia owns the remainder. The firm operates three international airports: in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. During the initial stages, the Kingdom will eye bilateral agreements with traditional partners, such as China and Thailand. The government is closely studying the possibility of travel bubbles and green air corridors with countries that have put in place stringent measures to fight Covid-19, according to Brun. “We are closely studying the Phuket model in Thailand to learn from its experience. It is indeed an island, but Cambodia will be an island itself because most of the adult population will be vaccinated soon and the levels of inoculation will likely be better than in Phuket,” said Brun. “The travel industry is 100 percent in favour of travel bubbles and we should find a balance between public health safety and implementing green air corridors between countries that have strictly monitored the Covid-19 situation, which is the case with Cambodia,” he added. The Thai government is set to waive quarantine requirements for vaccinated foreign visitors beginning next October and Phuket will be a testing ground beginning on July 1. The model may be implemented in tourism-dependent Siem Reap town, which was recently awarded Trip Advisor’s “World’s Top Luxury Tour Award”. “We plan to heavily promote Siem Reap as travel begins to resume. It is not the first time that Trip Advisor has recognised Siem Reap but the award comes at an opportune time because countries are prioritising vaccination campaigns and people are getting ready to travel,” said Brun. Cambodia Airports has been subsisting through the pandemic because of business travel and air cargo traffic. Brun said that air freight levels at Phnom Penh International Airport in June were only 15 percent below 2019 levels, indicating that the economic global recovery is under way. – Khmer Times
Tanker discharges jet fuel at Yangon’s Thilawa Port
A tanker ship carrying aviation fuel arrived in Yangon’s Thilawa terminal on Sunday morning for discharge after departing from Singapore’s Jurong Island earlier this week, according to sources at the terminal and vessel schedules published by the Myanma Port Authority (MPA). The Panama-registered tanker SANTYA is loaded with Jet A1 fuel, the MPA’s documents seen by Myanmar Now showed. The fuel can be used both for commercial aviation and military aircraft. The ship berthed at the Puma Jetty in Yangon’s Thilawa Port on Sunday early morning with security personnel from the navy present at the jetty, according to a source at the terminal who asked not to be named. There were also unmarked tanker trucks located around the jetty to transport the fuel, he added. “The ship’s name is SANTYA. It had called at the terminal frequently before, too. The navy has deployed many security forces there,” he told Myanmar Now. According to the MPA’s daily berthing schedules, the SANTYA will depart the Puma jetty at around 6pm on Monday after discharge. It is unclear which petroleum company supplied the shipment and how much fuel was delivered. According to the marine tracking website FleetMon, the SANTYA is operated by ENEOS Ocean Shipmanagement and previously called at Thilawa in April and May from Singapore. Since seizing power on February 1, the coup regime has launched multiple aggressive airstrikes in Kachin, Kayah, Chin and Karen states, displacing tens of thousands of civilians in its bid to crush armed resistance to its rule. Activists from Justice for Myanmar accused the company of being “reckless” for supplying jet fuel to Myanmar “while the illegal military junta is in power, conducting indiscriminate airstrikes, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity with total impunity.” Justice for Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung pointed out that ENEOS is largely owned by Japanese financial institutions who have a duty to stop the company “from contributing to grave human rights violations in Myanmar.” Puma Energy, based in Singapore, started distributing aviation fuel under the name National Energy Puma Aviation Services as a joint venture with the state-owned Myanmar Petroleum Products Enterprise in 2015. On February 11 the company said it had suspended its operations in Myanmar for safety reasons following the coup, leaving its local partner to take over. The company also suspended petrol sales at the Myitkyina airport in Kachin State in late May, saying its trucks were experiencing difficulties reaching the area. Puma Energy’s Yangon office did not answer calls seeking comment on the Sunday shipment to its jetty. On Friday, another ship called Yu Dong berthed at the Myat Myittar Mon jetty, located next to the Puma jetty, and discharged “diesel oil and motor gasoline,” according to the MPA data. It departed the jetty on Sunday afternoon. The same ship had called at Yangon port in April and discharged a PetroChina shipment of 13,300 tonnes of Jet A1 fuel at the Puma jetty, according to both the MPA data and a report by Reuters. Myat Myittar Mon jetty is run by a company by the same name and owned by businessman Win Myint, chair of the Myanmar Petroleum Trade Association. On May 17, the company released a statement rejecting an accusation that it had been supplying the military with aviation fuel and declaring that it would bring lawsuits against those who made such allegations. – Myanmar NOW
Over 13 million Indonesians fully get vaccinated: COVID-19 task force
Indonesia's COVID-19 Task Force announced that as of Sunday at 12 noon, the country has got 13,109,031 fully-vaccinated citizens. The total number of fully-vaccinated citizens was reached after 90,507 more Indonesians got their second dose of COVID-19 vaccines in the past 24 hours, the task force noted. The single-day increase of second-dose recipients, however, was much lower than that of the first-dose ones that was recorded at 1,083,632, according to the task force. The single-day increase has brought Indonesia's first-dose recipients to 27,115,763 as of Sunday at 12 noon, the task force said. Over the past few weeks, Jakarta and several other provinces across Indonesia have witnessed an alarming resurgence of COVID-19 cases amid the government's ongoing vaccination drives. Indonesia's daily coronavirus cases climbed by 21,095 on Saturday, taking the total number of cases recorded since the start of the pandemic in March, 2020 to 2,093,962. Jakarta added the highest number of daily cases at 9,271, followed by West Java (3,787), Central Java (2,305), East Java (989), and Yogyakarta (782). Only North Kalimantan reported no new cases, according to the government's COVID-19 Task Force. In response to the alarming resurgence of cases, President Joko Widodo has highlighted the necessity for state institutions and all levels of government to be on the same wavelength. The current situation that Indonesia is facing is still an extraordinary one and must be responded to with fast and appropriate policies, the President added. Such a fast and appropriate response requires state institutions, the central government, and regional governments to be on the same frequency, he said on Friday. The COVID-19 pandemic initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and thereafter spread across the world, including to nations in the Asia-Pacific region. The Indonesian government announced the nation's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020. Since then, the central and regional governments have striven incessantly to flatten the nation's coronavirus curve by applying healthcare protocols and social restrictions. As part of efforts to win the fight against COVID-19, the Indonesian government has also been conducting a nationwide vaccination program to contain infections since January 13, 2021. Indonesia recently received 10 million doses of bulk vaccines from China's Sinovac. As of June 20, 2021, the nation has received 104,728,400 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, comprising 94.5 million Sinovac vaccines, 8.228 million AstraZeneca vaccines, and 2 million Sinopharm vaccines. – AntaraNews.Com