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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Subsea cable planned to import green power from Indonesia to S'pore, SP partners France's EDF
A subsea cable will be developed to import renewable energy from Indonesia to Singapore.
Power grid operator SP Group has partnered with French energy company EDF Group to develop the infrastructure which will include a proposed 1,000 megawatt-peak (MWp) solar photovoltaic plant, the companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday (Oct 12).
The two power companies will be conducting commercial, regulatory and technical feasibility studies for the subsea cable under a memorandum of understanding signed on Monday.
They will also be exploring opportunities to widen the interconnection to other clean energy sources in Indonesia.
Singapore has been looking to meet more of its power needs with renewable energy by scaling up solar power generation across the island and importing it, including from Malaysia.
Currently, Singapore relies overwhelmingly on gas for power generation.
Plans are also under way to import energy from Australia through a 740km subsea cable.
There are also plans to begin trialling the import of hydropower from Laos via Thailand and Malaysia.
The latest subsea cable project is being led by EDF Renewables, a subsidiary of EDF.
"When completed, the subsea transmission cable will be a key enabler for regional power system integration," the statement said. – Straits Times
121 Muslim couples apply daily for divorce, says Mas Ermieyati
The Shariah courts have received an average of 121 divorce applications daily from Muslim couples nationwide.
Deputy Minister in Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) told the Dewan Rakyat today that on an average, five divorce applications were being filed by Muslim couples nationwide in just one hour.
As for non-Muslim couples, Mas Ermieyati said an average of 18 divorce applications were recorded in a day throughout the country.
"While we are talking in this House, there are those out there filing for divorce. This is the current situation. "We are concerned about this, which is why there are plenty of support systems being provided (to them).
"Many ministries are also playing their parts in providing psychological and social support to the couples to help them continue with their lives in facing future challenges especially on Covid-19 related matters," she said.
Mas Ermieyati said this in response to Noor Amin Ahmad (PH-Kangar) who asked on the support provided to couples after divorce. – New Straits Times
Investigation into man's death after mixed vaccinations
An investigation has been launched into the death of a 39-year-old man a week after he received a second Covid-19 shot, with a different vaccine, in Bua Yai district.
Supoj Prasarnchue, of Bua Yai district, died on Oct 7 at Bua Yai Hospital. He had been given a first dose, of Sinovac vaccine, on Aug 30. On Sept 30 he was inoculated for a second time, with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
After receiving the second dose at Nong Pluang tambon health promotion hospital in Bua Yai district, he returned home. He later had a high fever and a headache.
On Oct 4, Supoj phoned his mother Nattha Nawo and said he was not well. Relatives took him for treatment at Bua Yai Hospital.
An X-ray showed he had suffered a brain haemorrhage. He was treated in intensive care for three days, and pronounced dead on Oct 7.
Relatives questioned the circumstances of his death and whether the mixing of the two vaccines after only a month might be a cause.
The mother said Supoj was in good health before the second vaccination. He was hoping the second dose would enable him to travel more easily to see his two-year-old child, who lived with his estranged wife in Nakhon Phanom.
Ms Nattha lamented that she had not been able to see her son for some time prior to his death because of the Covid-19 restrictions.
Nakhon Ratchasima public health chief Narinrat Phitchayakhamin said on Tuesday he had ordered the district health office and Bua Yai Hospital to investigate the man's death.
It would take 3-4 weeks, Dr Narinrat said. – Bangkok Post
Cop nabbed for extortion in Rizal
Members of the anti-scalawag unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have arrested a police officer for alleged extortion in an entrapment operation in San Mateo, Rizal on Monday.
In a statement Tuesday, Brig. Gen. Flynn Dongbo, chief of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG), identified the suspect as Staff Sgt. June Angeles, who is assigned at the San Mateo Municipal Police Station (MPS).
Angeles was arrested in an entrapment at the San Mateo MPS in Barangay Gitnang Bayan after receiving marked money from the complainant, Jenny Natividad, in exchange for a certificate of detention for her husband.
The issuance of a certificate of detention is free of charge.
Recovered from the suspect were two PHP500 bills used as marked money, a 9-mm pistol, and various ammunition.
“I would like to issue a strong-worded warning to all PNP personnel involved in illegal activities, as the director of this unit, we will enforce the arm of the law in getting after you. Hindi kami magdadalawang isip (We will not think twice) to go against you," Dongbo said.
Angeles was brought to the PNP-IMEG lock-up facility in Camp Crame for documentation. He will be facing criminal and administrative charges. – Philippine News Agency
Rapid vaccination and targeted policies key to Viet Nam’s endemic growth
As the world is transitioning from pandemic to endemic, Viet Nam needs to ensure its vaccination progress and greater adeptness at targeting control measures and support policies to follow suit.
Experts predicted COVID-19 could become endemic which means the virus may never go away but we can turn it into something much less threatening like influenza and live with it safely.
This is also Viet Nam’s priority in the coming months.
It is not only people around the world who are tired of the pandemic control measures that have been implemented over the past two years, many governments cannot suffer more lockdowns given their devastating impacts on the economy.
Viet Nam’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 6.17 per cent in the third quarter as stringent social distancing in key production areas, especially in HCM City – the country’s economic engine – disrupted most economic activities in the last two months. It is the first quarterly decline recorded in the history of GDP statistics since 2000.
In its update on ASEAN+3 Regional Economic Outlook 2021 published on October 7, the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) scaled down its growth forecast for Viet Nam to 2.6 per cent this year from 7 per cent in March’s report. – Vietnam News
Cambodia inches closer to ‘reopening’ as 11th straight day of low cases recorded
After 7 days of daily new case figures above 800 cases a day, Cambodia saw the 11th day of dramatic drops in new cases today. Today’s official daily new COVID case total was 267, bringing the COVID case total to 115,335 cases.
Although conditions for the reopening of Cambodia are becoming more and more favourable, Phnom Penh Governor Khuong Sreng has urged for ‘more attention to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in order to reach reopening in all areas soon’.
The WHO representative in Cambodia also says high vaccination coverage provides a good basis for reopening of the economy.
Dr Li Ailan said each sector can open safely and responsibly with balanced, risk-based policies on public health and social measures that incorporate guidance from the health sector, monitoring of implementation and compliance with the measures, and engagement and communication with the members of the sector.
Certainly, regional ASEAN reopenings are putting pressure on Cambodia to follow suit.
The total number of Community Cases is now 96,099 with 19,236 cases being imported. 19 imported cases were announced today as imported cases seemed to almost dry up. Cambodia also announced 17 new deaths, bringing the total to 2544 direct deaths from COVID-19 in Cambodia. 399 recoveries were announced as active cases continued to drop – there are now 3982 active COVID cases in Cambodia.
This drastic downwards trend in reported cases is linked to a new policy of reduced rapid testing for COVID-19 that is the first step in moving away from the pandemic to the ‘endemic stage’ of the COVID-19 crisis. – Khmer Times
Judge indicts Suu Kyi and Win Myint for alleged breach of Covid-19 rules
A judge in Naypyitaw on Monday officially indicted Myanmar’s ousted leaders, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, on a charge of breaching Covid-19 restrictions during last year’s election campaign, their lawyers said.
Judge Kyaw Kyaw Lwin handed down the indictment under Section 25 of the Disaster Management Law, which carries a maximum three-year prison sentence and relates to campaign rallies held near Win Myint’s house in September 2020.
Under Myanmar’s legal system, a judge either issues an indictment or an acquittal after hearing testimony from the defence and the prosecution. The indictment happens at the same hearing in which a defendant submits their plea.
Both Suu Kyi and Win Myint pleaded not guilty on Monday, meaning there will now be another round of hearings in which the defence will have a chance to examine witnesses.
The junta-controlled court began hearings for the case on February 16, just over two weeks after the military detained both leaders in midnight raids as it staged a coup.
The judge on Monday also rejected a request by Suu Kyi for her hearings to be held less frequently for the sake of her health, her defence team said.
Suu Kyi faces a decades-long sentence after being hit with a total of 11 charges. Hearings for five of the charges are held every week on Mondays and Tuesdays at a special court set up for the cases in Zabuthiri with judge Kyaw Kyaw Lwin presiding.
At the same court, Suu Kyi faces a second charge under the Disaster Management Law as well as two charges under the Export and Import Law and the Telecommunications Law for allegedly possessing illegal communications devices.
The judge will examine both the plaintiff and the defendant on October 18 before deciding whether or not Suu Kyi will be indicted under those laws. – Myanmar NOW
Indonesian govt sets entry requirements on foreigners coming to Bali
The Indonesian Government has listed a number of entry requirements that foreign tourists seeking to enter Bali Province will need to fulfil once international flights reopen on October 14, 2021.
"The reopening of international flights to Bali is expected to be able to gradually recover the province’s economy," Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said at an online press conference on Monday.
Still, as directed by President Joko Widodo, the reopening has to be carried out carefully although the number of COVID-19 cases has declined significantly, he added.
"The transmission rate of the virus is still over one. However, we hope that it will become less than one this week," the coordinating minister continued.
He also said that the President has asked for the tightening of health protocols at the international arrivals gate of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport.
In addition, the self-quarantine management has to be maintained, while the vaccination coverage target needs to be fulfilled, he added.
"Gianyar District is the only region in Bali in which vaccination coverage has to be improved. Only 38 percent of the elderly in the region have been vaccinated. Hence, we are targeting the coverage to reach 40 percent in the next few days," he said. – AntaraNews.Com