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.
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Taleban, striking dovish tone, pledges peace and women's rights under Islamic rule
The Afghan Taleban said on Tuesday (Aug 17) it wanted peaceful relations with other countries and would respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law, as it held its first official news briefing since its shock seizure of Kabul.
The Taleban announcements, short on details but suggesting a softer line than during its rule 20 years ago, came as the United States and Western allies resumed evacuating diplomats and civilians a day after scenes of chaos at Kabul airport with Afghans thronging the runway.
As they rush to evacuate, foreign powers are assessing how to respond to the transformed situation on the ground after Afghan forces melted away in just days, with what many had seen as the likely fast unravelling of women's rights.
During its rule from 1996 to 2001, also guided by syariah (Islamic) law, the Taleban stopped women from working and meted out punishments that included public stoning.
Girls were not allowed to go to school and women had to wear all-enveloping burqas to go out.
"We don't want any internal or external enemies," Taleban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Women would be allowed to work and study and "will be very active in society but within the framework of Islam", he added. - Straits Times
Almost 29 million Covid-19 vaccine doses administered as at Aug 17
A total of 28,837,742 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered under the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme (NIP) as of yesterday.
The Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee (JKJAV) through an infographic shared on its official Twitter informed that 17,437,286 individuals received the first dose while 11,400,456 individuals the second.
In terms of percentage, 53.4 per cent of the country's population has received the first dose while 34.9 per cent have completed two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Meanwhile, on the daily vaccination rate, a total of 525,111 doses were administered yesterday as compared to 501,776 doses on Monday, with 184,972 being the first dose and 340,139 the second dose.
NIP was launched on Feb 24 to provide vaccinations to curb the Covid-19 pandemic nationwide. - New Straits Times
Record 312 Covid fatalities
There were record 312 new Covid-19 fatalities and 20,515 new cases over the past 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Wednesday morning.
There were 20,267 cases in the general population and 248 among prison inmates.
Over the past 24 hours, 22,682 Covid-19 patients recovered and were discharged from hospitals.
Since April 1, around when the third wave of Covid-19 began, there have been 940,094 Covid-19 patients, 725,693 of whom have recovered.
Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 968,957 Covid-19 cases, 753,119 of whom recovered.
The death toll was at 8,191 the third wave and 8,285 from the beginning of the pandemic early last year.
The previous high of daily Covid-19 fatalities was at 239 on Tuesday when there were 20,128 new cases. - Bangkok Post
PNP probes killing of female journo inside QC salon
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, on Wednesday ordered the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) to look into all angles on the killing of a female tabloid editor inside her beauty salon.
“I have tasked the Quezon City Police District to thoroughly investigate this incident. Lahat ng anggulo ay ating titingnan upang malaman ang tunay na motibo sa krimen at madakip ang salarin (all angles must be looked into to determine the real motive behind the crime and arrest the perpetrators)," Eleazar said in a statement.
Initial investigation by the QCPD showed that the victim, Gwen Salamida, was shot dead by a gunman who barged into her beauty salon in Barangay Apolonio Samson on Tuesday afternoon.
Salamida was a former editor of "Remate" and has been working for "Saksi" at the time of her death. Her companion was also shot and remains in critical condition.
Police investigators are initially eyeing robbery as the motive behind the crime.
Eleazar extended his condolences to the family of the victim.
He also directed all police offices and units to remain alert against crime while enforcing quarantine protocols. – Philippine News Agency
Binh Duong ensures safe COVID-19-related waste treatment
As the healthcare professionals are racing to save lives in Binh Duong, environmental workers are also on the front line to make sure COVID-19 related waste from hospitals, quarantine facilities and locked down areas is properly collected and treated to prevent risks of disease transmission in the community.
Staff in the province are working around the clock collecting and classifying tonnes of medical waste and hazardous materials.
The average amount of COVID-19 related waste in Binh Duong is about 40 tonnes a day, with about 18-20 tonnes from quarantine and COVID-19 treatment facilities and the rest from locked down areas, according to Binh Duong’s Environment Protection Department.
There are 21 COVID-19 treatment facilities including five field hospitals, 143 quarantine centres, and 1,601 locked down areas.
Following the outbreaks of COVID-19 in the province, the amount of waste in quarantine facilities has increased, most is toxic medical waste and daily waste. - Vietnam News
Rapid vaccination rates ‘A cause for celebration’ and may indicate Cambodia will reopen ahead of neighbouring countries
Cambodia’s aggressive vaccination record is showing results that indicate it is becoming increasingly likely the Kingdom will reopen ahead of neighbouring countries.
The news follows analysis by Mekong Strategic Partners (MSP).
“I think it’s fair to say that Cambodia has exceeded everyone’s expectations. The government has been criticised in part for what they’ve got wrong or what they’ve done wrong, but you really need to give them full marks for how they’ve managed the vaccine programme,” MSP Managing Director Stephen Higgins told Khmer Times.
MSP analysed data from The Financial Times Vaccine Tracker, Executive One Consulting (Xl), Thompson Reuters, The Straits Times, the World Bank and Our World in Data.
David Benaim, founder of X1 forecast 70 percent of the Cambodian population, including children, will be fully vaccinated by Sept 21. A total of 80 percent of the adult population is expected to be fully vaccinated by Aug 31.
The Philippines is anticipated to follow and inoculate the same percentage of its population by March 22 next year.
Thailand and Indonesia are projected to reach the 70 percent mark by July 22, 2022.
Vietnam, according to Xl data cited by MSP, is expected to reach the threshold on Sept 22, 2022.
Cambodia ranked first in terms of vaccine doses per capita globally, having inoculated 1.7 percent from Aug 4 to 11, according to Financial Times data.
Phnom Penh is also the most vaccinated capital in the world with around 99 percent of adults fully vaccinated, according to MSP. - Khmer Times
Military arrests leader of Mandalay protest alliance
A youth leader from the Mandalay Protest Alliance Force, was arrested by the junta’s forces while driving near Mandalay University at around 5pm on Monday.
Plainclothes soldiers, arriving in domestic vehicles, stopped a motorbike driven by activist Kyaw Thiha—who is in his 20s—beat him, and took him with them at gunpoint, according to an eyewitness.
Thura Aung, a friend who had been staying with him and another leader of the alliance, said that over 20 troops later inspected Kyaw Thiha’s former home in Patheingyi Township at 8pm that night.
“They also raided the place where we were staying. We’re all on the run now. I still don’t know about our other comrades, but I’m in a safe place now,” Thura Aung told Myanmar Now.
The Mandalay Protest Alliance Force has been a frequent target of the brutal crackdowns by the military on anti-coup resistance. - Myanmar NOW
Indonesia marks 76th Independence Day with low-key celebrations
For the second consecutive year, the Indonesian people celebrated the country's Independence Day, which falls on August 17, at home as the nation was forced to hold events virtually owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, the 76th anniversary of Indonesia's independence was held amid the strict enforcement of level 4 public activity restrictions (PPKM), imposed by the government since July 3, 2021 to tackle an alarming surge in cases caused by the more contagious and deadly Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Owing to the pandemic, the annual tradition of holding competitions for people across the country to celebrate Independence day had to be discarded as such events usually pull large crowds. - AntaraNews.Com