These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Singaporean businessman charged with funding terrorist attacks in Syria
A Singaporean businessman has been charged in a district court with helping to fund terrorist attacks in Syria. Mohamed Kazali Salleh, 50, appeared in court via video link with a shaved head and a blank expression as three charges of terror financing were read out to him in Malay on Monday (July 19). The court heard that Kazali intends to plead guilty and is intending to get his own lawyer. He is currently detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA). The prosecution asked that no bail be offered to Kazali as this would be "prejudicial to the security of Singapore" and "special arrangements" have been made to remand him. No bail was offered and Kazali’s case will next be heard on Aug 11. According to court documents, on three occasions between December 2013 and early 2014, Kazali allegedly provided money to a "Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin" intending for the money to be used to facilitate terrorist acts in Syria. On one occasion, he is accused of handing over RM1,000 to Wan Mohd Aquil at a bus terminal in Johor Bahru. The other two occasions involve Kazali allegedly remitting US$351.75 and RM500 through Western Union in Singapore and in Malaysia respectively. Under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act, introduced in 2002 to counter terrorism financing here, Kazali faces prison time of up to 10 years or a fine of up to $500,000, or both penalties, on each charge. In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that Kazali, who was based in Malaysia, was arrested by Malaysian Special Branch officers in December 2018. He was then deported to Singapore and issued an Order of Detention under the ISA in January 2019 for his support of ISIS. “He was a close associate of Syria-based ISIS militant Malaysian Wan Mohd Aquil bin Wan Zainal Abidin, also known as Akel Zainal, believed to be the most senior ISIS fighter in Syria prior to his reported death in March 2019,” said MHA. Akel, who was a member of 1990s Malaysian rock band Ukays, reportedly instructed two Malaysian ISIS supporters to attack places of worship and police stations in Malaysia in 2019. The plots were foiled when the supporters were arrested in November 2018. MHA said on Monday that if convicted, the Order of Detention against Kazali will be cancelled and he will serve the sentence imposed by the court. Should Kazali be sentenced to a prison term, he will be held separately and continue to undergo rehabilitation “to prevent him from spreading his radical ideas to other inmates”, said MHA. At the end of his sentence, an assessment will be made to see if he has been successfully rehabilitated or remains a threat to society. “If he remains a threat, he may be detained further under the ISA,” MHA added. The Ministry said that Singapore is committed to combating terrorism financing regardless of whether the money is used to facilitate terrorist acts locally or abroad. It reminded the public that they should not remit money or provide any support to a terrorist organisation and urged anyone with information on such activities to inform the authorities promptly. – The Straits Times
Good news on easing restrictions to be announced after Raya, says DPM
The much-anticipated announcement by the government to ease restrictions on those who have been vaccinated will be made soon after Hari Raya Aidiladha, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri said. According to him, the technical working committee under the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee (JKJAV) is currently looking into making some restrictions more flexible for the public. He said the results of the study by the JKJAV will be discussed in the National Recovery Council soon before a final decision is made. "As announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, we will provide some flexibility for the people who have received both doses of their vaccine. "At the moment, the technical committee is looking into the details such as who will this new flexibility apply to, how far they get to travel or which type of business will also be allowed (to operate). "God willing, this will be announced after Hari Raya Aidiladha," he told the media at the Defence Ministry, here, after launching the Mindef Prihatin programme today. Mindef Prihatin is a programme championed by subsidiaries of the ministry in providing necessary assistance and food aid to those affected during the current Covid-19 pandemic including army personnel and veterans. Recently, Muhyiddin said the government is planning on relaxing some restrictions to serve as a benefit or incentive for those who have completed the two-dose vaccination. Muhyiddin said the relaxation could include permission to go shopping or cross district despite the movement control order. This would be in line with the opening of more economic sectors when states transition to Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), especially in the Klang Valley. When asked on the spike in the number of daily Covid-19 cases caused by factories and companies which refused to adhere to the standard operating procedure (SOP), Ismail admitted the current RM50,000 fine was not real deterrent. "Now that we are under a state of emergency, the government was able to amend the fine under the Emergency Ordinance from RM1,000 to RM50,000 for companies but this will only last until Aug 1 when the emergency ends. "When we go back to Act 342 (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988), the fine will be RM1,000, so obviously these companies will not be afraid and will continue to disobey the SOPs. "What is RM1,000 for these companies when they can make profits of tens of thousands of ringgit a day? "There's no word yet on (increasing the fine) but I have been hearing from many people that it looks like the RM50,000 is not enough to stop these companies from breaking the SOPs," he said. Today, the New Straits Times reported the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) urging the government to impose harsher penalties on employers who breach the Covid-19 SOPs. MEF president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said while some employers adhere to the SOPs, there are also those who disregard the safety of their employees, giving a bad image to other employers nationwide. – New Straits Times
Govt sticks to 10-million jab pledge
The Department of Disease Control insists it has ample supplies to administer 10 million doses a month of AstraZeneca and Sinovac to those living in Bangkok and surrounding provinces. Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said the government will increase the pace at which it is vaccinating people living in in high-infection areas after having almost completed its initial target of immunising healthcare officers. Next to receive their shots will be those suffering from chronic health complaints, which are estimated to have a 70% higher chance of dying from infection than healthy individuals. Next on the list of priorities will be Bangkok, its neighbours and other areas with high infection rates. When asked how much AstraZeneca formula it has available, Dr Opas said the government was looking at other brands with a strong reputation and had recently placed an order with Pfizer. As to the question of whether more Sinovac vaccine will be ordered, he said the cabinet agreed there was evidence that Sinovac can help lessen critical symptoms. Sinovac has come under fire recently after evidence emerged of people having received both doses but still falling ill with the virus. Dr Opas also told a media briefing yesterday that the use of a mix of vaccines may help to boost immunity against emerging strains of the virus. He said immunity could be achieved two weeks after taking mixed doses for a month and added the government hopes cross-vaccination will help it maximise its current resources and administer five million doses of Sinovac and six million doses of AstraZeneca a month. The government has come under pressure after reports emerged of people who had received the full course of Sinovac treatment becoming infected with Covid-19. Meanwhile, a recent poll by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University showed that most people think the Covid-19 situation is extremely serious and will take at least two years to abate. The poll was conducted online among 1,702 people nationwide during July 5-15, as the numbers of infections and deaths were rising but vaccinations were proceeding slowly. Concerning the seriousness of the Covid-19 situation, 60.9% thought it was extremely serious, 24.1% very serious and 14.95% fairly serious. Of the respondents, 36.7% thought it would take more than two years for the country to recover; 25.9% said two years; 27.6% said one year; and 9.7% thought six months. – Bangkok Post
Seniors priority for J&J Janssen jabs – DOH
The Department of Health (DOH) said the Janssen vaccines of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) should be administered exclusively to the elderly population, as they “continue to be at risk of severe COVID-19 or hospitalization.” The country faces the threat of a surge of the more contagious Delta variant of the novel coronavirus since the DOH reported 11 local cases of the variant over the weekend. Amid that development, the Philippines received a total of 3.2 million Janssen vaccines donated by the United States and delivered through the COVAX global vaccine pool. In a July 16 communication, the DOH advised government hospitals to prepare against a variant-driven surge and said the single-shot “J&J vaccines [are] to be used solely on A2 to prevent hospitalization and deaths.” A2 refers to senior citizens as they rank second in the government’s five priority groups for vaccination. Despite that advisory, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said, when reached for comment on Sunday, that the Janssen vaccines may also be administered to the A3 priority group, or people with comorbidities. Cabotaje said the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) would initially allocate 100,000 Janssen vaccines per region. The undersecretary heads the NVOC. Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday said the government should roll out the vaccines in COVID-19 hot spots, especially those with recorded Delta variant cases, so the country could swiftly mitigate the threat of this more infectious strain. “We need to prioritize [the Janssen rollout] in areas where there are Delta variants, because it’s only one dose. This means 3.2 million people will already be fully vaccinated with this,” Robredo said on her Sunday radio show “Biserbisyo.” “We need to get ahead of transmission in these areas through inoculation,” she added. Robredo reminded the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) that the country’s health-care system would not be able to handle surges of the Delta strain if it becomes the dominant strain here. “We need to get ahead of this fast,” she said. “Even though we have cases now here, we can still mitigate it through vaccination.” But the NTF had also said it aimed to prioritize areas classified as high risk and densely populated, as well as those geographically isolated and disadvantaged. In its advisory on Thursday, the task force also directed the regional and local vaccination centers to “strictly prioritize” those who remained unvaccinated under the A2 and A3 priority groups. The NTF said that as of Wednesday, only 2.6 million seniors, who make up 31.9 percent of the A2 group, and 3.3 million of the A3 group, or 46.74 percent, were inoculated with a first dose. According to the task force, some 5.8 million under A2 and 3.7 million under A3 remain unprotected. “We reiterate that COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility must be utilized on a priority basis to complete the vaccination of priority group A1 (health-care workers) and increase coverage in priority groups A2 and A3,” the NTF said. “We also reiterate … [the need to] deploy post-haste all available vaccines in order to speed up the rate of vaccination and expand our coverage especially given the threat of the new COVID-19 variants,” it added. – INQUIRER.net
Viet Nam named among world’s top 20 host economies for FDI for the first time
Viet Nam was named among the world’s top 20 host economies for foreign direct investment (FDI) for the first time in 2020 with an inflow of US$16 billion. The country was up five places against last year’s ranking to reach 19th on the list, according to UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s World Investment Report 2021. While global FDI flows fell by 35 per cent to $1 trillion amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the lowest level since 2005 and almost 20 per cent lower than the 2009 trough after the global financial crisis, the FDI in Southeast Asia, considered an engine of global FDI growth for the past decade, contracted by 25 per cent to $136 billion, said the report. It stated that Viet Nam remained among the three largest recipients in the region with a decline of only 2 per cent, while the remaining two of Singapore and Indonesia suffered drops of up to 21 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively. According to UNCTAD, a slight decline in FDI to the country was due to significantly lower investment contractions in manufacturing and realty activities. However, thanks to the rise in investment in electricity projects, including a $5 billion gas-fired power plant proposed by ExxonMobil (US) and a $2.2 billion coal-fired power plant developed by Thai MNEs in the Quang TRi Economic Zone, the flow of FDI was still okay. As investors, Singapore and Japan topped the list of countries and territories having investment projects, in which Singapore’s reached $5.64 billion, 37 per cent of the total and Japan invested $2.44 billion, a surge of 67 per cent in investment compared to 2019. UNCTAD pointed out local measures to promote investment, including the permission for certain disputes between foreign investors and the State to be taken to international arbitration, were keys to attract FDI inflows. The report also said the Vietnamese government has expanded the list of business lines eligible for investment incentives, along with the publishing of a detailed list of conditions applied for businesses to be considered high-tech enterprises eligible for tax incentives as good points. “Viet Nam for the first time introduced a negative list on market access, affording foreign investors with national treatment (NT) except in the sectors included in that list. The country also raised the cap on foreign ownership in domestic airlines.” According to the report released late June, the US continued to be the world’s largest FDI recipient, followed by China and Hong Kong (China). UNCTAD expected global FDI flows to bottom out in 2021 and later recover some lost ground, with an increase of about 10-15 per cent. The report said: “This would still leave FDI some 25 per cent below the 2019 level,” adding current forecasts show a further increase in 2022 when the upper bound of projections would bring FDI back to the 2019 level. The report concluded: “Prospects are highly uncertain and will depend on, among other factors, the pace of economic recovery and the possibility of pandemic relapses, the potential impact on FDI of recovery spending packages, and policy pressures.” In the first six months of 2021, the total FDI commitments to Viet Nam declined by 2.6 per cent year-on-year to $15.27 billion, the FDI disbursement rate, however, rose by 6.8 per cent to stay at $9.24 billion. Currently, Viet Nam has totally 33,787 foreign investment projects with a combined registered capital of $397.89 billion, while the disbursed amount stood at US$241.1 billion, 60.6 per cent of the committed amount. – Viet Nam News
Concern over possible new C-19 mutations being more dangerous
The Health Ministry is concerned about the discovery of more cases of the Covid-19 Delta and Alpha variants in the country, especially if they mutate into another strain as has happened in some other countries. It fears that if these variants mutate, the severity of transmission may be worse than it is now. India and the UK have reported new mutations which have been termed Delta Plus which is now present in nine other countries. Delta Plus is a sub-lineage of the Delta variant first detected in India, which has acquired the spike protein mutation called K417N. Some scientists worry that the mutation could make it more transmissible. In India, researchers observed mutations separate from Delta in a sub lineage of the virus that they dubbed “Delta Plus”. It has not yet been designated a variant of concern by the WHO or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Researchers in the UK have reported a shift in symptoms that may be associated with the Delta variant. Data from an app that more than four million people in the UK downloaded to report symptoms, vaccination status and other demographic information daily, found that the most common symptoms of Covid-19 are now headache, sore throat, runny nose and fever – similar to what people may experience with a severe cold. Scientists are raising concerns that the Delta Plus variant may have an increased ability to transmit, but they also note that this strain’s transmissibility is likely similar to that of the pre-existing Delta variant. A virologist Dr Jeremy Kamil, from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, told the BBC that “Delta Plus might have a slight advantage at infecting and spreading between people who were previously infected earlier during the pandemic or who have weak or incomplete vaccine immunity.” But he also noted that this is not much different from the Delta variant. Other experts have also raised concerns about the Delta Plus’s potential to reduce the effectiveness of monoclonal antibody treatments. On Friday, the Ministry of Health announced that 37 more people had been infected with the new Delta variant, all of which had been imported. Ministry of Health spokeswoman Or Vandine said on Saturday by Twitter that Cambodia is now facing a possibility of the Covid-19 infections “crossing a red line” if individuals and families still did not pay attention to preventive measures. “Wake up everyone in taking action responsibly together if we do not want to go through a public health tragedy,” she said. “Can we all imagine that if the Alpha and Delta variants jointly mutate, the severity of transmission may be more dangerous than now,” Vandine said. In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Health said that 34 of the new cases of the Delta strain were migrant workers returning from Thailand and three others were Indonesian who flew in on July 5. They tested positive on Wednesday. The Health Ministry has reported that so far from March 31 to July 14, Cambodia has detected a total of 75 cases of the Delta variant. Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday announced plans to inoculate children aged from 12 to 17 years old to build immunity in society, especially with the planned reopening of schools. In a special voice message, Mr Hun Sen announced the vaccination plan, calling it a milestone in the reopening of society, especially in education by reopening schools at least at secondary level. “With serious consideration for the environment, social resilience and the future of children and youth, in particular, focus on the welfare related to the reopening of schools, which is a huge loss for the world, as well as Cambodia in training human resources, where schools have been closed for so long, so indeed we must administer vaccines for children,” Mr Hun Sen said. He said there are two million children aged between 12 and 17 and Cambodia will need an additional four million doses of vaccines. Mr Hun Sen instructed Vongsey Vissoth, chairman of the Vaccine Procurement Commission, to source for any type of vaccines for the purpose. He also called on residents, especially parents and guardians, to get their children vaccinated to receive protection against Covid-19. He said for a start, inoculations for children would be in Phnom Penh and Kandal and later in Preah Sihanouk province. In another development, Preah Sihanouk Referral Hospital has started producing its own oxygen instead sourcing it externally. Dr Seng Nong, director of Preah Sihanouk Provincial Referral Hospital, said on Saturday that the hospital is currently equipped with an oxygen generator with a capacity of 35 cubic metres per hour and it can produce 420 cubic metres a day. “This is a new achievement that we can supply patients in time when they need oxygen,” Dr Nong said. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health yesterday reported 845 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number in the Kingdom to 67,181. Of the new cases, 315 are imported and the rest are linked to the February 20 Community Event. The ministry also announced 30 more deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 1,106. At the same time, the ministry also recorded 975 recoveries, bringing the total number in the Kingdom to 58,930. – Khmer Times
Junta turns phones against their owners in a bid for total control
Nandar (not her real name), a 27-year-old saleswoman from Mandalay, was walking down a street in Myanmar’s second-largest city one day in April when she was stopped by a member of the junta’s armed forces and ordered to hand over her mobile phone. “They looked at my photo gallery. They read through my messages. And they checked my Facebook Messenger account. Then they asked me if I was involved in the protests. They wanted to know which side I supported in politics,” she said. Luckily, she had already taken the precaution of deleting any incriminating photos or messages. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let her off with a perfunctory roadside interrogation before sending her on her way. If they had found something they considered suspicious, these tense few minutes might have ended very differently. Like thousands of others around the country, she could easily have found herself behind bars. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an advocacy group based in exile, the regime is increasingly turning Myanmar citizen’s mobile phones into weapons to be used against them. The AAPP, which says there are at least 5,100 people still being held in the country’s prisons for opposing the February 1 military takeover, calls the current situation the worst in Myanmar’s long history of oppression. “At no time in the past has it been as bad as it is today,” said a spokesperson for the group, who asked not to be named because he fears for his family’s safety. The military’s goal, he said, is to instil fear in everyone by violating their privacy on every level, whether by raiding their homes or confiscating their phones. While Nandar was fortunate enough to walk away from her encounter with a junta foot soldier, the experience has had the effect on her that the regime hoped to achieve. Since then, she said, she has been afraid to use Facebook or other social media. “I used to share a lot of posts and photos on Facebook,” she said, adding that many of her acquaintances have created new accounts in the hope that they won’t be easily detected. Even then, she said, most people she knows avoid crowded areas where they are more likely to meet soldiers or police who will demand to see their phones. “Most people only use small side streets now,” she said, describing how the atmosphere of fear has altered everyday life under a regime that is desperate to consolidate its control over a citizenry that has overwhelmingly rejected its right to rule. In Yangon, the former capital, young people say they are especially at risk because it is their generation – known as “Generation Z” – that has been at the forefront of the anti-coup movement. “Anything that shows we support the movement, such as a photo of the three-finger salute, is enough to get us imprisoned and tortured,” said one young Yangon resident. As someone who regularly moves around the city, he said he takes care to avoid areas where armed resistance fighters have attacked regime forces or assassinated military informants. Places where there have been explosions targeting government buildings or properties belonging to military allies are the most dangerous, he said. The worst thing you can do if you are questioned is betray your fear, said one young woman who was recently subjected to a thorough interrogation while traveling from Yangon to her hometown of Pyapon in Ayeyarwady Region. “If a person looks nervous, they will go out of their way to make them even more afraid,” she said of the soldiers who stopped her. “I just showed them my phone and didn’t let on how afraid I was.” She added that the troops who took her phone didn’t just look at her social media accounts. They also examined the apps she used for financial transactions, such as KBZ Pay and Wave Pay. – Myanmar NOW
Indonesia can still singlehandedly tackle pandemic: official
Chief of the Mitigation Team of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) Moh. Adib Khumaidi has expressed strong belief that Indonesia still had the capability of handling the COVID-19 pandemic on account of its adequate human resources, thereby annulling the need for doctors from overseas. "We do not need foreign doctors. We are still capable," Khumaidi stated via an online media discussion on Monday. Khumaidi reiterated the significance of mapping out resources of doctors, whether general practitioners or specialists. The efforts encompass pinpointing their locations and evaluating their competencies. He expected that the available human resources would be sufficient to meet the well-being needs. Instead of foreign doctors, Indonesia needed medications, medical equipment, and oxygen that can be supplied from overseas, Khumaidi stated. Khumaidi also pointed to a surge in the number of active cases, from six percent to 18 percent, thereby implying an increase in COVID-19 patients offered hospital care and under self-isolation. Khumaidi stated that the figure brings to light the gradually increasing load on healthcare workers. Should it increase furthermore, the system could likely collapse. "The parameter is clear. When the patients pile up in emergency facilities, (it causes an) increase in capacity to the point that tents have to be set up near hospitals, thereby exacerbating the current condition (issues) of lack of bedding, oxygen, medications, and health equipment," Khumaidi explained. "A condition in which a functional collapse occurred, but we cannot say (it applies) generally. If we want to talk about the general (condition), we must have a mapping," he stated. Khumaidi suggested the regional governments to map out their medical facilities, such as supply and demand, capability to serve patients, as well as the health workers' needs. – AntaraNews.Com