These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Misrepresentations of Ceca have caused unnecessary public concern: PM Lee
Misrepresentations of the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca) has caused much unnecessary public concern, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who highlighted the recent Parliament debate on the matter. Mr Lee said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (July 6) that Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng had set out the facts about free trade agreements and Ceca to put the public debate on a sound factual basis. "Singaporeans are anxious about jobs, foreign competition, as well as the impact of the large number of foreigners working and living here," he said. "These are valid concerns which we will address. But if we put the blame on Ceca, that will not solve our problem but instead make it worse." Mr Lee stressed that Singapore needs access to global markets to earn a living. FTAs play a crucial role in letting the country do so, and he highlighted how Singapore's network of FTAs has created investments and opportunities for businesses here, as well as jobs for Singaporeans. "They have helped make us a leading global hub," added Mr Lee, who also thanked officers who have spent years negotiating FTAs. In two ministerial statements on Tuesday, Mr Ong and Dr Tan laid out the importance of free trade pacts and debunked falsehoods about Ceca, whose immigration-related elements have come under fire on social media and by the Progress Singapore Party (PSP). They also stressed that changes in foreign workforce numbers over time are to be expected, given that policies, as well as countries' industry needs, change over time. Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who was Singapore's chief negotiator on Ceca, also posted about the debate on Tuesday. "Both Ministers Ong Ye Kung and Tan See Leng gave comprehensive explanations to rebut baseless allegations made by the PSP that CECA gave professionals from India a "free hand" to enter Singapore. This is simply false," said Mr Heng. "Nothing in the agreement implies Singapore must unconditionally let in PMEs from India. Contrary to PSP's claim, our ability to impose requirements for immigration and work passes has never been in question in Ceca or any other FTA that we have signed. We must put a stop to this misinformation." Mr Heng, who rose to speak in the debate on Tuesday, said that he felt compelled to clarify one of the false allegations made related to a chapter in Ceca. This chapter, on the movement of people, pertains to temporary entry for individuals into both countries and has been highlighted as part of criticisms of Ceca paving the way for Indian professionals to take jobs from locals. He said in his Facebook post: "I put on record that we did not sacrifice our positions on the 'movement of national persons' as a bargaining chip during the negotiations. This chapter of Ceca - which some wrongly believed allowed Indian nationals free movement into Singapore - was one of the most difficult chapters to conclude. "But we did not and would not give away the rights to decide who can enter to live, work or reside in Singapore. In the end, we landed on an agreement that benefitted both countries, while also protecting our vital interests." – The Straits Times
Penang on track to becoming sustainable creative hub
Penang plans to launch empowerment programmes for the creative industry to equip it with enhanced capacity in bracing for a new beginning, as it moves towards herd immunity. State Tourism and Creative Economy (Petace) Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said they were researching policies from Indonesia and Canada, hoping to emulate their successes in establishing an active creative ecosystem that will give rise to Penang's Gross Domestic Products (GDP). He said Petace was drafting long-term strategies for the creative industry that would address the core areas of digitalisation, capacity-building and collaboration. "The empowerment programmes will benefit Penang's creative players such as artisans, artists, cultural heritage practitioners and others, and is expected to be launched in the last quarter of 2021. "The George Town World Heritage Day today is a good occasion for Penang to reflect on our progress, particularly in the heritage scene that is now given greater prominence under the 10-month-old creative economy portfolio," he said today. Yeoh said the Penang government's main aim of restructuring was to establish greater synergy between the distinctive yet inter-related fields of arts, culture and heritage, while giving importance to the potential areas of architecture, design, fashion, music and others. "In conjunction with George Town's 13th anniversary as a Unesco World Heritage Site, Penang is happy to share that we have been working on educational and outreach efforts by connecting with practitioners and encouraging cross-sector collaborations. "I would also like to congratulate George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) for being a remarkable example in World Heritage Site management throughout these years, made possible through holistic strategies, effective programmes and outstanding communities. "George Town's cultural diversity has witnessed centuries of changes and will certainly outlive this Covid-19 pandemic. As the integration of sectors take effect as a result of the creative economy portfolio, Penang is on track towards becoming a sustainable creative hub in the region," he added. – New Straits Times
80,000 impacted by huge blaze
At least 80,000 people have been affected by a massive fire that ravaged the Ming Dih Chemical Co factory complex in Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan on Monday. The blaze was brought under control briefly on Tuesday only to reignite amid the charred ruins of the factory on Tuesday around 4pm, prompting firefighters to spray flame retardant foam in an attempt to control the latest blaze. Overall, firefighters took more than 24 hours to douse the fire that followed an explosion around 3am on Monday. They earlier announced the fire was under control at 5am on Tuesday. One rescue worker was killed while battling the inferno and 40 others were injured including firefighters. Provincial governor Wanchai Kongkasem on Tuesday said that the damage from the fire spanned a vast radius around the burned-out factory, causing damage to private property and affecting 80,916 people across four tambons in Bang Phli district. Of the total, 34,736 people in 22,563 households were impacted in tambon Racha Thewa, 18,490 people in 12,363 households in tambon Bang Phli Yai, 23,277 people in 17,188 households in tambon Bang Kaew and 4,413 people in 4,177 households in tambon Bang Chalong. The explosion and the fire forced the evacuation of 1,992 residents living within a 5-km radius of the factory. Some of those affected took refuge at one of eight emergency shelters. Pol Maj Gen Chumphon Phumphuang, chief of Samut Prakan provincial police, said 183 people have so far filed complaints of damage against the company. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said the Pollution Control Department needs to ensure the air quality within 3-5km from the fire-gutted factory is safe before residents in the areas were allowed to return home. An initial inspection showed that the air quality within one kilometre of the site was harmful to health on Tuesday. Mr Varawut also noted the factory opened three decades when there was no environmental impact assessment (EIA) regulation in place. The area will also be inspected as to whether it was originally designated for commercial or residential purposes, he added. Meanwhile, Ming Dih Chemical Co has issued a statement expressing its profound regrets over the incident and pledged to offer compensation for all the damage that occurred. – Bangkok Post
Data shows NCR may be ‘Delta resilient’ in a few months – OCTA
Data in terms of COVID-19 vaccination shows that the National Capital Region (NCR) may be “Delta resilient” in a few months’ time, the OCTA Research said Wednesday. OCTA Research fellow and molecular biologist Fr. Nicanor Austriaco said that local government units in the NCR have so far administered the first COVID-19 dose to between 20 to 70 percent of their population. “Each LGU has vaccinated between 20 percent to 70 percent of their population, one dose, which suggests that a month from now or a month and a half from now, that [percentage] will be fully vaccinated people,” he said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel. “And so, the data suggests that in a few months, the NCR particularly, may be ‘Delta resilient’ and if this is the case, this is good news for the country,” he added. As of July 5, the Philippines has recorded a total of 19 cases of the highly infectious Delta variant, including two new cases reported on Monday. On Tuesday, the Philippines logged 4,114 additional COVID-19 cases. The Philippines has so far received 17 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, of which some 12 million have been administered. Of the administered doses, nine million were first doses and 2.9 million were second doses. However, some LGUs in Metro Manila had to suspend or limit their vaccinations. These LGUs include Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Malabon, Valenzuela, Makati, Caloocan, and Pateros. Meanwhile, the vaccine supply of Pasig has been dwindling and would only last for a few more days. Austriaco, however, believes that the national government is “doing as best as it can” despite the “severe global shortage” of anti-COVID jabs. “I am a Filipino-American and I have been struck by the tremendous gap between the U.S. and the Philippines, my two home countries, with regards to access to vaccines, so I am not going to fault the government at this time for the delayed rollout, we just simply could not get vaccines,” Austriaco, also a priest, said. “In terms of the vaccines… I’ve been impressed that given the severe global shortage, the Philippine government is doing as best as it can given that limitation to roll out to protect the Filipino people,” he added. – INQUIRER.net
City’s largest wholesale market closed after dozens of COVID cases detected
The Binh Dien wholesale market in HCM City’s District 8 was closed at 8am on Tuesday until further notice after the city’s largest wholesale market recorded at least 39 locally transmitted cases through mass COVID-19 testing. Speaking at an unannounced inspection at the market on Tuesday, Nguyen Van Nen, secretary of the city Party Committee, said: “We have no choice but to suspend the largest wholesale market to curb the spread. More cases are expected in the coming days as more people will be tested.” “The situation remains complex,” said Nen, adding that market management must work with local health forces to speed up the tracing of F1 cases (close contacts of COVID patients) and F2 cases (close contacts of F1). “Delay in the tracing process causes huge challenges in stopping the spread. If there is a shortage of medical staff, the management must report to the city so the city can arrange the personnel,” Nen added. Nen urged District 8 authorities to focus on tracing, zoning and rapid testing to ensure safety so that the market could reopen as soon as possible. The Department of Industry and Trade must learn a lesson from Binh Dien wholesale market and ensure COVID prevention measures are being followed at city markets. Phan Thanh Tan, director of Binh Dien market management company, said the market had established a steering committee for Covid-19 prevention and control, which was working with the local health sector to develop a pandemic prevention plan, requiring medical declarations and body temperature checks for everyone entering the market. The management is using advanced technology such as monitoring equipment, facial recognition and automatic temperature measurement devices that operate remotely via a camera system. As many as 8,000 small traders and workers at the market were vaccinated during the city’s fourth round of the vaccine scheme, according to Tan. Tran Thanh Tung, chairman of District 8 People’s Committee, said the district had been working with the Department of Industry and Trade to inspect pandemic prevention and control. Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of the Department of Industry and Trade, said the market was ordered to stop receiving goods and release all existing goods at the market. The department is working with retailers to buy goods to reduce cost damages to small businesses and ensure consumers’ needs. Small traders have been urged to sell goods online or by phone to maintain customers, according to Vu. The Binh Dien farm produce wholesale market has a total of 1,880 shops with total daily trade volume of 2,200 - 3,000 tonnes and total sales of VND4-4.5 trillion a month, according to the department. The market imports goods from 37 provinces and cities to be transported to 19 provinces and cities nationwide. About 5,000 cars, cargo trucks and 2,000 three-wheelers enter the market every day. The market has about 20,000 people working every night, posing a risk of infection. During the social distancing period, only 9,000 to 12,000 people have been working there. HCM City, the largest pandemic hotspot in the country with more than 7,100 cases as of Tuesday afternoon, continues to apply citywide social distancing under Directive No 10 until further notice. – Viet Nam News
The latest batch of one million vaccines arrive in the Kingdom
Cambodia yesterday received another one million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine which were purchased from China, while four million more doses (1 million Sinopharm and 3 million Sinovac) will be shipped on July 10. In August, Cambodia will receive an additional four million doses of the vaccine reaching the total of 20 million doses needed for the government’s plan to vaccinate 10 million people. Cambodia has received a total of 12,024,000 doses, including 4,200,000 doses of Sinopharm, 7,500,000 doses of Sinovac and 324,000 of Covishield or AstraZeneca, including the one million doses of vaccines that arrived yesterday, As of Monday, Cambodia has vaccinated 4,599,648 people which is equivalent to 46 percent of the population aged over 18 years. Ministry of Economy secretary of state Vongsey Vissoth, who is in charge of vaccine procurement, said the government was now considering immunisation for children and a third dose for people who have already been vaccinated twice to protect against Covid-19 variants. Health Ministry spokeswoman Youk Sambath said yesterday that there was no shortage of vaccines in Cambodia and more vaccines would arrive in the near future. Sambath said that the Vaccination Commission is currently in discussions with relevant officials about the feasibility of distributing a vaccine for children under the age of 18 and a third dose for Cambodians. “We will arrange for the vaccination of children under the age of 18 after we have vaccinated 10 million Cambodians, which is already the Cambodian government’s plan,” she said. She also rejected some rumours that a lot of people in the Kingdom have died of Covid-19 due lack of oxygen for treating patients in the centres. “We have enough oxygen to provide for treatment centres in order to save patients in critical conditions who need ventilators for fighting Covid-19 disease throughout the country,” she said. – Khmer Times
Myanmar sees record Covid-19 cases as junta continues assault on health workers
Myanmar has recorded another record number of Covid-19 cases, as well as 42 more deaths, with its already struggling healthcare system lying in tatters as the military junta continues its assault against medical workers defying its rule. There were 2,969 news cases logged on Monday, which topped a record of 2,318 set the day before and brought the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to 168,374, with a total of 3,461 deaths. Monday’s death toll was lower than the previous record of 48 set on October 11 last year, but that figure looked set to rise as doctors warned the country was now dealing with higher infection rates from new variants of the virus. Many medics who oppose the junta have been forced into hiding, including scores who face arrest warrants for their involvement in the Civil Disobedience Movement. Last month the junta detained the former head of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout and charged her with high treason after she became a prominent leader in the anti-coup movement. Medics and others have refused to be vaccinated under the regime to signal that they reject its legitimacy. With much of the population in open revolt against its rule, the coup regime has been unable to properly govern the country amid spiralling violence in cities and rural areas across the country. It is therefore unclear how an effective national strategy to contain the latest outbreak could work. One doctor said the proportion of his patients dying from the disease had increased because of new variants. “Now that the virus has mutated, the mortality rate of the disease has skyrocketed,” said Dr Kyaw Min Tun, who works at a free clinic treating coronavirus patients in Yangon. “Many of our clinic’s patients had low blood oxygen levels on arrival. We had to try our best to give them the fastest and most efficient treatment possible,” he added. Just before the February 1 coup, Myanmar had brought a surge of cases under control. After the power grab, testing and vaccinations were severely disrupted as healthcare workers went on strike and the junta responded with threats, arrests, and brutal violence. It is possible that many cases went unrecorded in the following weeks and months as the official seven-day average hovered at around 20 cases per day. In early June, recorded cases began to spike again. Cases have been rising in Yangon, Mandalay, Pathein, Myaungmya, Sittwe and Maungdaw. People have also tested positive in Myaungmya and Pathein in Ayeyarwady Region, and Buthidaung and Maungdaw in Rakhine. One Yangon resident told Myanmar Now that although three of their relatives were badly sick with coronavirus symptoms, they have decided to stay home. “The reason we’re not going to hospitals is that even if we did… they wouldn’t have any space for us and then, there’s going to be multiple transfers between hospitals, and on top of all that many of the hospitals are not accepting patients if they have lost their sense of smell,” the resident said. “Therefore, we are just choosing to consult with the doctors we know and treat the patients at home under their guidelines,” they added. The military council has said it plans to replace healthcare workers who have gone on strike and been forced into hiding. On Sunday evening, the military council issued a stay-at-home order in Pathein, Myaungmya and Thabaung townships, which included an order to close schools. In recent days more than 150 border guard police and their family members have tested positive for the virus in Rakhine State. – Myanmar NOW
COVID entry rules for foreigners align with global standards: minister
Foreign nationals entering Indonesia need to abide by standard procedures implemented globally, which also require them to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has said. "All foreign nationals entering Indonesia need to have their vaccine cards ready. So only those who have received their full vaccination doses (can enter)," he elaborated at an online press conference on Tuesday. Pandjaitan, who is also deputy chair of the National COVID-19 Handling and Economic Recovery Committee, said that aside from being fully vaccinated, foreign nationals will also need to take PCR swab tests prior to coming to Indonesia and once again upon their arrival. "They then have to stay under quarantine for eight days. Followed by another PCR test for which they have to test negative," he added. Similar procedures are being implemented in other parts of the world, although different periods of quarantine are being enforced everywhere, the minister pointed out. Pandjaitan, who is acting as coordinator for the emergency mobility restrictions (PPKM) on the islands of Java and Bali, said that there is nothing out of the ordinary in the procedures being implemented for foreign nationals entering Indonesia. He also asked those speaking against the rules to seek information, adding that the policy of keeping the nation's borders open for foreign nationals is being implemented on a principle of reciprocity. It has been reported earlier that starting from July 6, 2021, foreigners entering Indonesia will be required to show vaccination cards and a negative PCR result for COVID-19. Meanwhile, the rule on vaccination certificates will not apply to diplomats and for foreign ministerial-level visits, in accordance with diplomatic practices that are also applied by other countries. – AntaraNews.Com