These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.
Stay informed with The ASEAN Post.
Singapore raises 2021 growth forecast to 6-7% amid rising Covid-19 vaccination rates
Singapore upgraded its economic growth forecast range for 2021 to 6 per cent to 7 per cent, in view of the better-than-expected performance of its economy in the first half of the year and as Covid-19 vaccination rates gain pace in key advanced economies and at home.
The new prediction compares with the previous official growth forecast of 4 per cent to 6 per cent, made first in November last year and maintained in May.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), which announced the forecast, said that while Covid-19 cases continue to be on the rise globally due to the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, vaccination rates have also picked up in key advanced economies such as the United States and the eurozone, which have in turn allowed them to press on with their reopening plans.
In contrast, regional economies, which have been slow to vaccinate their populations, have had to reimpose restriction measures to curb a resurgence in infections. This has in turn dampened their growth outlook, MTI said.
"On balance, the recovery in external demand for Singapore for the rest of the year remains largely on track," the ministry noted. – Straits Times
Umno split reaches grassroots
Cracks in Umno appear to have reached the grassroots, with members in Umno divisions and branches nationwide split over whether to support the party president.
Social media posts by grassroots Umno members on supporting or criticising Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin are heating up as both sides work on their narratives to gain support.
Sources in state Umno chapters said party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahidi Hamidi no longer enjoyed unquestioned support from grassroots leaders.
"Division leaders in the same states have yet to agree on issuing a collective press statement to express their unanimous stand that they no longer support Muhyiddin's leadership.
"Not all are with Zahid anymore. Friends in other states are saying the same thing too about their areas," sources told the New Straits Times.
Another party source said several grassroots leaders wanted to break from tradition of being a yes-man to the party leadership, citing the severity of the Covid-19 situation in the country as why the current government needs to stay.
"It's a simple logic. Malaysia needs to get back up, which means incessant politicking needs to stop because it is distracting everyone from focusing on the real issue, which is the current state of the people in the country. – New Straits Times
Virus restrictions 'still necessary'
As Thailand's Covid-19 infections have yet to peak, the public should comply strictly with measures and restrictions which are meant to contain the spread of the virus, such as getting a vaccine as quickly as possible, urged the dean of Siriraj Hospital's Faculty of Medicine, Prasit Watanapa, on Tuesday.
Dr Prasit, who spoke on Facebook to provide an update on the country's Covid-19 situation, said he arrived at the conclusion after assessing daily case figures and trends.
According to him, Thailand's Covid cases have yet to peak as there are still many people who violate public health guidelines and restrictions which are intended to curb the spread of Covid-19, by gathering in public places.
He also added some schools are still organising activities, which facilitates the rapid spread of the virus.
"But if everyone strictly complies with Covid-19 measures I believe the number of new cases will drop sharply between September and October. Meanwhile, the government must speed up vaccinations to cover at least 25% of the population by the end of this month," he said.
"I'd say this is possible if no unexpected events, such as a massive cluster outbreak, take place.
Dr Prasit said that the Delta variant of Covid-19 has prompted the global community to strengthen safeguards to prevent disease transmission. – Bangkok Post
Cops told to strictly enforce NCR outdoor exercise ban
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, on Wednesday, ordered all police officers to strictly enforce the prohibition on outdoor exercises for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period in the National Capital Region (NCR).
"The prohibition on all outdoor activities is the collective decision of all Metro Manila mayors that need to be implemented by the PNP for the safety of all, especially now that there are a lot of cases involving children, and even babies, who got infected with the coronavirus disease 2019," Eleazar said in a statement.
He called the prohibition on all outdoor activities very timely, considering that the Philippines has been declared as "high-risk" for Covid-19 due to the increasing number of infections.
The measure, he added, is needed to ensure that the situation would not worsen the country's health and economic situation.
Eleazar also directed police commanders to maximize the information drive on the measure through the PNP’s social media accounts and through Oplan Bandillo where policemen warn the public through a megaphone or speaker system installed in roving police vehicles.
He appealed to Metro Manila residents to abide by this rule and cooperate with authorities. – Philippine News Agency
Việt Nam looks to become AI hub in ASEAN by 2030
The Vietnamese Government has issued a national strategy on the research, development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) till 2030 with a view to gradually turning Việt Nam into an innovation and AI hub in ASEAN and the world.
Minister of Science and Technology Bùi Thế Duy said the strategy aims for Việt Nam to be among four leading countries in ASEAN and 50 nations globally in terms of AI research, development and application by 2030; build 10 prestigious AI trademarks in the region; and develop three national big data and high-performance computing centres.
By 2030, Việt Nam will set up 50 interconnected open databases in economic sectors in service of the effort.
To such end, the country is fine-tuning legal documents and creating a legal framework regarding AI, as well as promoting international cooperation in the field. – Vietnam News
Cambodia to achieve 10 million people vaccinated target 8 months ahead of schedule
As Cambodia successfully vaccinated its 8th million adults against COVID-19, equivalent to 80 percent of the initial target of 10 million people, the target to achieve up to 80 percent herd immunity revised target is expected to be achieved by November, well ahead of the planned completion.
This does not include the under-18s being inoculated and the booster doses being administered to frontline workers, which in effect, will bring the total inoculated against COVID-19 and with booster doses to fight the Delta Variant of the SARS-CoV-2 strains.
“The journey toward the target of 10 million people is not far from us. We will achieve it seven to eight months ahead of the previous plan,” stressed Prime Minister Hun Sen on his official Facebook page last night.
The Premier also expressed his congratulations to Ms. Thoeung Tha who is the 8 millionth person vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic. – Khmer Times
Man detained on suspicion of harbouring PDF fighters dies in Myingyan prison
A man who was jailed on suspicion of hosting resistance fighters in his home in Mandalay Region has died after a month in detention, his daughter told Myanmar Now.
Maung Htay, 55, from Kywe Chan village, passed away in Myingyan prison. Authorities told his family he died of heart problems, and later claimed he also had Covid-19, but the family say they don’t trust this explanation and were not allowed a close look at his body.
The prison notified the family about his death on Monday morning, said the daughter, who asked not to be named. When they arrived at the prison, they were only allowed to see his body from outside the morgue; officials said they could not go inside because of the risk posed by Covid-19.
But the family saw doctors and prison officers enter the morgue without any personal protective equipment, the daughter added.
“They could have notified us of his condition early on,” the daughter said. “I told them he wouldn’t have had to die if he had been hospitalised early. We saw with our own eyes that no one was wearing PPE.”
The family asked to be able to bring the body back to his village for a funeral, but prison officers refused, again citing the pandemic. Officials then cremated Maung Htay’s body at the Suu Chan Kone cemetery at around 3pm the same day, before the family was able to get a closer look at the body.
While it was true that Maung Htay had a heart condition, the daughter said, it was manageable and he was successfully treating it with medication before his arrest.
“Dad was on some medication for his heart but it was not full-blown heart disease. He didn’t get to see a doctor after they arrested him,” she said. – Myanmar NOW
COVID-19 rise could worsen national economy: President
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has asked stock market players to remain alert as a rise in the COVID-19 transmission rate could worsen the national economy in the third quarter of 2021.
"Since the beginning of July (2021), the increase in COVID-19 confirmed cases has forced us to enforce more restrictions which have impacted our national economy,” he remarked at the 44th anniversary of the Indonesian capital market's reactivation here on Tuesday.
However, he said that he believes the domestic stock market can still grow. During the implementation of
large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), the value of daily transactions at the national stock exchange crossed Rp7.5 trillion, he pointed out.
Furthermore, after the PSBB ended and community activities restrictions (PPKM) were enforced, the daily transaction value still rose to Rp13.1 trillion, he noted and called on all stakeholders to maintain the growth momentum.
We have to make various attempts to maintain the growth -- increase public trust in the capital market; accelerate digitization; improve service quality; as well as enforce firm and transparent regulations. We have to enhance our national economic ecosystem together," he emphasized.
The President also lauded the significant rise in the number of investors as of July 2021, noting most were domestic and millennial investors. This will strengthen the domestic capital market to face pressures in future, he said.
"Moreover, our number of initial public offerings have remained the highest in ASEAN. It has been our achievement for four consecutive years," he added.
In the second quarter of 2021, Indonesia emerged from an economic recession to clock 7.07 percent year-on-year growth. It was the nation's first positive growth in five consecutive quarters. – AntaraNews.Com