These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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President Halimah, PM Lee join 300 civil servants for National Day observance ceremony
President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong were virtually joined by over 300 civil servants on Friday (Aug 6) for this year's National Day observance ceremony at the Istana. President Halimah welcomed Prime Minister Lee at the Istana on Friday morning for the annual event. Civil servants from various government agencies such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau attended via video conference application Zoom. The hybrid format was to ensure a safe celebration amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat were among the 300 virtual attendees. Donned in Singapore's red and white, participants in the ceremony recited the pledge and sang the national anthem together. This year's national day song, 'The Road Ahead', was played for the flag-waving audience at the end of the ceremony. Composed by singer-songwriter Linying and music producer Evan Low, the song has been favourably received by the public, as shown by over 3,000 videos of users participating in the song's dance challenge on popular video sharing app TikTok. The song is available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music. The postponed National Day parade will be held on 21 August at Marina Bay, after the end of phase two (Heightened Alert) Covid-19 restrictions. – The Straits Times
PM confident he has support of majority
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is confident that he still commands the support of a majority of the members of Parliament to continue heading the government. He said although there have been announcements by some quarters saying that they have withdrawn their support for him and the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, there were still some confusion over the matter. "I am confident I still have the support despite these announcements. They may say this (not supporting me) publicly but behind the scenes, we don't know because this is a political matter. "I have had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah) and we had a discussion on various matters including whether I have the necessary support. "To settle this issue, we need to bring it to Parliament and Tuanku agreed to it since it is a complicated and confusing matter," Muhyiddin said after presenting food aid to recipients in the Pagoh parliamentary constituency. Also present were his wife Puan Sri Norainee Abd Rahman and Bukit Kepong assemblyman Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal. The prime minister said he was neither scared nor worried and was willing to face any consequences. "I am confident the issue is not about me. It is true that the vote of confidence is for the prime minister because that is the normal motion in Parliament. "However, what should be considered is whether the country can face the current problems when there are reshuffles and changes that can lead to a chaotic political situation. "I'm not saying that this is what I predicted but this can affect the National Recovery Plan and the measures that I mentioned before such as the vaccination programme," said Muhyiddin, adding that he would leave it to the discretion and consideration of the members of Parliament. "I will leave it to them. It is up to them to think of what is appropriate for them to do," said Muhyiddin. – New Straits Times
100K in home isolation
Nearly 100,000 Covid-19 patients in Bangkok have now been placed in home isolation as cases continue to soar in the country. Thailand logged a record of 20,920 new daily cases and 160 fatalities on Thursday. "The number of patients in home isolation in Bangkok reached almost 100,000 as of Aug 5," Apisamai Srirangson, assistant spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Thursday. The CCSA's operations centre was also briefed on the work of 232 centres set up to look after patients in home isolation in the capital, she said. "All sectors are working hard to ensure people are looked after safely and quickly," Dr Apisamai said. She added the Department of Health Service Support under the Public Health Ministry has amended regulations to allow the public to buy antigen test kits (ATKs) for self-testing. The Food and Drug Administration has approved 19 ATK brands and more companies are expected to submit proposals for approval, Dr Apisamai said, adding ATKs must be bought at hospitals or pharmacies. ATKs are not permitted to be sold online or at convenience stores, she said. She added the National Health Security Office's board has approved a budget allocation of 1 billion baht to purchase 8.5 million ATKs and give them to the public for self-testing. The public can look up authorised venues selling rapid antigen services on koncovid.com, she said. As for proactive testing in Bangkok, people can check the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) public relations department's Facebook page for information, she said. According to the BMA, 20% of people using ATKs since July 20 tested positive for Covid-19. "According to the policy of the Department of Medical Services, people who are infected with Covid-19 must be given timely medical treatment," Dr Apisamai said. "If test results show positive, don't panic. Just register by calling 1330 or contact the hospital where you were tested." She said a total of 383,607 vaccine doses were administered to Thais on Wednesday, bringing the accumulated vaccine doses administered to 18,961,703. Moreover, there are also 50 hotlines at Bangkok's 50 district offices for people searching for information, Dr Apisamai said, adding more than 5,000 people called the numbers on Wednesday alone. She said there are 64 community isolation facilities in Bangkok, with 6,958 beds, noting 3,015 or 43% of them are occupied by patients. Another 100 community isolation facilities were set up by several communities, she said. Dr Apisamai said the community isolation programme has the support of hospitals, communities, and non-government organisations. For example, Rajavithi Hospital has provided support for the community isolation facility at the Bangkok Youth Centre (Thai-Japan) in Din Daeng district, while the Police General Hospital has supported community isolation at Wat Borommaniwat in Pathumwan district, she said. Bangkok Hospital has provided 122 additional hospital beds and another 24 intensive care unit beds and arranged 77 beds for hotels transformed into hospitals, Dr Apisamai said. Other private hospitals which stepped in to help include Samitivej Hospital and its branches, Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Bangkok Hospital Pattaya and Piyavate Hospital, she said. These hospitals have arranged 2,500 beds for hospitals, 98% of which have been occupied, Dr Apisamai said. – Bangkok Post
PH hits single-day record of 710K jabs
The Philippines has vaccinated 710,482 persons against the coronavirus in a single day, a record high since the vaccination rollout began in March. At the Laging Handa briefing Friday, deputy chief implementer and testing czar Vince Dizon said the record was made on Aug. 5, a day before the reimposition of a two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila. "We hit a record high. We must sustain this,” Dizon said. As of Aug. 5, the total number of vaccine doses administered is 23,199,187. Of this number, 10,705,190 are second doses. Dizon clarified that vaccination against the coronavirus is not required for the issuance of a quarantine pass, debunking fake news circulating on social media. “Walang ganun. Hindi po puwede ‘yan (There is no such thing, such restriction is prohibited)," Dizon said. He added that under an ECQ status, the strictest, the public should stay home and go out only for essential activities. On Thursday, people who wanted to get vaccinated swarmed several vaccination sites in Manila, Las Pinas City and Antipolo City. Many went home disappointed after the vaccination was cancelled in some areas. In the same briefing, Interior Secretary Jonathan Malaya said Metro Manila mayors have agreed to impose a no walk-in policy at vaccination sites during the entire ECQ period, which ends on Aug. 20. The reimposition of the ECQ is aimed at curbing the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant. – Philippine News Agency
Viet Nam denounces China's military drill in Hoang Sa islands
Viet Nam on Thursday condemned China’s newly announced military drill near its Hoang Sa (Paracels) archipelago as a serious violation of the country’s sovereignty. Spokesperson for the foreign ministry Le Thi Thu Hang made the comment during the press briefing in Ha Noi, in response to a military drill held between August 6-10 in the northern part of the South China Sea (known in Viet Nam as the East Sea) between Hainan Island and Paracel islands by unspecified arms/units of the People’s Liberation Army. “As constantly reiterated, Viet Nam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence proving its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) islands, in line with international law,” Hang said. The area marked for exercise covers 100,000 sq.km of water, including large parts of Hoang Sa islands which belong to Viet Nam but much of it has currently been under China’s control after a violent seizure by Chinese forces back in the 1970s. “China’s military exercise in the Hoang Sa islands area constitute a serious violation of Viet Nam’s sovereignty, go against the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, complicating the situation and is not helpful to either the ongoing negotiations between China and ASEAN on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea nor the maintenance of peace and cooperation in the South China Sea,” the Vietnamese diplomat said. “Viet Nam asks that China respects Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands, put an end to the act and not to repeat offences of similar nature that complicates the situation in the South China Sea,” the spokesperson stressed. The exercise came as the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting and related meetings are still ongoing, while Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi has insisted during an ASEAN-China session on Tuesday that the two sides have maintained “a stable situation in general and freedom of navigation and overflight have been protected by the law.” He also called for vigilance against “some countries outside the region” that have become “biggest disruptors” in the sea in thinly veiled criticism of other international actors such as the US or EU in defiance of China’s vast claims of the resource-rich sea. Regarding India's announcement of sending four warships to the South China Sea to participate in multilateral and bilateral exercises, including with Viet Nam, the spokesperson said Viet Nam’s consistent policy is that its maritime activities of countries inside and outside the region need to strictly comply with the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Any activity should make responsible contributions to the maintenance of peace, stability, security and safety, order, rules of law, and cooperation at sea for the sake of common interests, in line with the aspirations of countries in the region and the international community, the Vietnamese diplomat noted. – Viet Nam News
Cautious optimism as Cambodia records lower figures for the 5th day in a row – but watch out for the ‘Delta’ variant
For the 5th day, daily case totals were lower in Cambodia – but news of more ‘Delta’ cases in Phnom Penh and the provinces shows that The Kingdom still has a long way to go before the ‘all clear’ is sounded. Cambodia today announced a daily new cases total of 588, bringing the COVID case total to 80,813 cases. These figures are certainly lower than before – and massively lower than in Cambodia’s neighbours of Thailand and Vietnam – but, as The Royal Government has said, Cambodians need to be ‘careful and be disciplined’ to ensure that the new variant does not spread further. However, widespread flouting of lockdowns and curfews has led observers to ask whether further restrictions may be implemented in the capital in the near future – as well as in The Kingdom in general. Daily imported cases are causing concern for The Kingdom with another 165 imported cases being announced today – bringing with them the danger of the ‘Delta’ variant crossing over the now closed border from Thailand and then moving into the community, Continued ‘spikes’ of new cases announced today in Battambang, in particular, show that the provinces – where the majority of local and imported cases are now being reported – are the new battleground for COVID in Cambodia. This means that the total number of Community Cases is 69,113 with 11,700 cases being imported. Cambodia also announced 19 new deaths, bringing the total to 1526 direct deaths from COVID-19 in Cambodia. Recoveries outpaced new cases with 624 new recoveries announced today – meaning that the active case total dropped slightly to 5,235. – Khmer Times
15 village administrators resign in Sagaing’s Palal Township
At least 15 village administrators have resigned since the beginning of the month in Sagaing Region’s Palal Township, according to local sources. The resignations began after the Palal People’s Defence Force (PDF) released a statement on July 29 warning administrators not to support the regime’s efforts to rule. “I’ve seen 15 administrators resign so far. Some posted their reasons on social media. Others will follow, I’m sure,” said one resident of the area. One village administrator who asked to remain anonymous said that he resigned because he didn’t want to collaborate with a junta that oppresses ordinary citizens. “I don’t want to work with them anymore because they keep killing civilians, and do nothing to protect us [administrators]. We have to stand on the side of the civilians,” he said. He added that he was already a village administrator prior to the February 1 military coup. He also said that he has had no response to his resignation from the regime. Since early May, there have been numerous attacks all over the country on local officials suspected of acting as junta informants. A Palal PDF spokesperson told Myanmar Now that the warning issued last week means that from now on, anyone who cooperates with the regime can be considered a target. “Whoever supports the military council’s administrative mechanisms will be regarded as an enemy of the people and will be eliminated,” he said. Local sources told Myanmar Now that at least 10 alleged military informants have been killed in the area since July. Although the deadline for resignations was originally set for August 1, this has been extended by one week, according to sources close to the PDF. According to a list made by the township’s general administration office in 2019, Palal has a total of 189 villages, each with its own administrator. There have already been a number of resignations by local administrators in various part of Sagaing Region in recent months. In early June, a village administrator in Khin Oo Township stepped down shortly after the shooting death of Ye Tun, the administrator for Paw Oo ward in Taze Township. Two other local officials were also killed in the township later that month. Six village administrators resigned in Kalay Township in June, followed by eight more in Kawlin Township on July 4. There have also been unconfirmed reports that Soe Myint, the administrator of Nanda Win ward in Monywa, the reginal capital, submitted his resignation recently after contracting Covid-19. – Myanmar NOW
State Logistics Agency targets herd immunity through mass vaccination
Indonesia's State Logistics Agency (Bulog) has collaborated with the Mulia Health and Dental Care (MHDC) Group to host free vaccination at Oryza Building, the State Logistics Board Office in Jakarta, to inoculate people to achieve herd immunity sooner. "Currently, we all are racing against time when it comes to creating herd immunity, which can be the public's wall of defense in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. We continuously work together to coerce and remind families, friends, or neighbours to immediately get vaccinated," Bulog Chief Budi Waseso noted in a written statement here on Friday. The three-day public mass vaccination was held from August 5 to August 7, 2021, with a total of one thousand participants. Some 300 participants from Jabodetabek area are projected to partake in the program. Waseso noted that Bulog had hosted the Bulog Cares (Bulog Peduli) Program to voice their concern for the public as well as their support for the government's mass vaccination program. The program is expected to expedite the vaccination rate of the public, thereby reducing the number of COVID-19 cases nationwide. Maemunah Ali from the MHDC Group said that her side supported the Bulog Cares program. She pointed out that the program’s vaccine recipients were eligible if they met requirements, such as being healthy; currently not having fever, cough, or flu; and being well-rested. The people with uncontrolled comorbidity, such as diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune conditions, thyroid, and cancer, could not partake in the program. The vaccination program has been well-received by the public. Some 99 percent of the available stocks of vaccine were used up on the first day. It is expected that more Indonesians will come forward to get inoculated to help bring the pandemic in Indonesia under control. – AntaraNews.Com