These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Biden says Aug 31 deadline in Afghanistan might have to be extended
United States troops may stay in Afghanistan past an Aug 31 deadline to evacuate Americans, US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday (Aug 18) as the Pentagon said the US military does not have the ability to reach people beyond the Kabul airport.
"If there's American citizens left, we're going to stay until we get them all out," Mr Biden told ABC News in an interview conducted on a day many US lawmakers pressed him to extend the deadline that he had set for a final pullout.
Mr Biden has come under fierce criticism for his handling of the withdrawal, which in recent days has been dominated by scenes of chaos in and around the Kabul airport, with people desperately trying to get out of the country.
Mr Biden defended his decisions, saying problems were inevitable in ending the 20-year US involvement there.
"The idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens," he said.
He also said the Taleban is cooperating for now in helping get Americans out of the country but "we're having some more difficulty" in evacuating US-aligned Afghan citizens. - Straits Times
All eyes on Istana Negara as MPs arrive to meet King
All attention is on Istana Negara today as 114 Members of Parliament are expected to have an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun was seen entering the palace grounds at 9.24am, followed by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, about 10 minutes later.
Yesterday, a document sighted by the New Straits Times titled "The attendance of members of parliament to Istana Negara", stated that the first round of MPs will be present at 10am.
Based on the document, the MPs will arrive in five batches to meet the King.
This is following speculation that former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will be the next prime minister should the Yang di-Pertuan Agong feel satisfied with a simple majority. - New Straits Times
Fewer curbs soon, says PM
Some Covid-19 curbs may be eased next month if the lockdown measures prove to be effective in slowing infections, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said.
The prime minister has also urged all Thais to strictly follow universal prevention guidelines against Covid-19, as a more efficient lockdown will help reduce new cases and Covid deaths faster.
On his Facebook Page, Gen Prayut said that despite new daily cases still soaring to more than 20,000, there are positive signs of the infection rates slowing since the lockdown measures were put in place in mid-July.
On several days, the number of patients who have recovered were also more than new infections, the prime minister said.
However, what is most worrying is the number of fatalities, even though they are still below the global death rate. Gen Prayut wrote: "We don't want a single person to die. - Bangkok Post
PH to get 5M Pfizer vax doses in September
The Philippines is expected to receive five million doses of the American-made Pfizer coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines next month.
"We are expecting that Pfizer will pick up their delivery this coming September, (around) five million (doses are expected to be delivered) and we are thanking the Philippine Embassy and the American government for allowing us to access more than 65 million of these vaccines," National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr., said in a press briefing at the sidelines of the arrival of some 365,040 Pfizer vaccine doses at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on Wednesday night.
This is the fourth shipment of the American-made jabs procured by the government which arrived in the country. - Philippine News Agency
Vietnam to prioritise vaccines, tax exemptions, interest rate cuts
The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has consulted community businesses to develop the Government's resolution on supporting businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The MPI draft said the business sector played a key role in the country's socio-economic development and was an important link in the production network, value chain and core force in creating material wealth.
Seeing lower resilience of the business sector in a more complicated situation, the MPI, coordinating with relevant ministries, has studied and absorbed the opinions of the business community and associations, and developed a draft resolution to support and develop businesses from 2021 to 2025.
Aiming to control the pandemic and to restore production and business activities as soon as possible, the draft plans to remove difficulties, obstacles and bottlenecks hindering production and the business activities of enterprises to minimise the number of enterprises temporarily shutting down, dissolving or going bankrupt.
It plans to have 160,000 enterprises enjoying tax payment extensions, and exemption of taxes, fees and land rent reduction; 50,000 enterprises returning to operation; and hundreds of thousands of businesses having access to policies reducing electricity, water, telecommunications charges, and policies to support employees, employers and training of workers. - Vietnam News
Among global vaccine leaders, Cambodia on track for more than 6% growth in 2022
Cambodia is on track to achieve GDP growth of more than six percent next year thanks to its “well strategised and rapidly executed” vaccine rollout, according to an investment advisory firm.
“Phnom Penh ranks as one of the most vaccinated capital cities in the world, at around 99 percent of adults fully vaccinated,” Mekong Strategic Partners said in a report.
The report — “Vaccination Nation: Unmasking Cambodia’s Vaccination Success” — said the rollout had been “remarkable, dramatically outperforming many developed and developing nations.”
As well as the rollout being 8 months ahead of schedule and up to 12 months before neighbouring countries, “Cambodia is now one of the first countries in the world to be rolling out booster shots and vaccinating children,” it said. - Khmer Times
Drunk soldiers taunt, kill civilian at Sagaing Region ferry port
A man was shot in the head at point-blank range on Tuesday afternoon in Mingin, Sagaing Region by soldiers who appeared to be drunk, according to an eyewitness.
Zaw Myo Myint, a 39-year-old man from Kyun Taw village, was sitting on the pavement at the Chindwin River ferry port when he was killed.
Myanmar army soldiers at the port started taunting Zaw Myo Myint—who was chewing betel nut—for not wearing a face mask, an eyewitness also from Kyun Taw told Myanmar Now.
“I even begged them to spare him but they started beating him up as they asked for his name. Then, out of nowhere, they shot him in the head. The whole half of his head was shattered in a split second,” he said. – Myanmar NOW
COVID-19: Bali receives 2,400 ventilators from Australia
The Bali provincial government has received 2,400 ventilators from the Australian government to help handle COVID-19 cases in the tourist island.
"Once again, we, on behalf of the Bali provincial government and the community, express gratitude for the assistance," Bali Vice Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana
Sukawati said while receiving the assistance from Australian Consul General Anthea Griffin at the cargo warehouse of the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Badung, Bali, on Wednesday.
The assistance also included 1,440 pieces of FFM-SML-Row masks and 1,460 pieces of FFM-LGE-Row masks, he noted.
He expressed the hope that both Australia and Indonesia will soon be free from the COVID-19 pandemic and relations between the two countries will be more solid than before. - AntaraNews.Com