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.
Malaysian govt will make life tough for those who refuse Covid-19 vaccinations: Health minister Khairy
The Malaysian government will dish out doses of discomfort to those who do not have valid reasons to refuse a Covid-19 vaccination, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
"Sorry to say, we will make life very difficult for you if you're not vaccinated by choice.
"If you cannot be vaccinated, that's fine. We give MySejahtera digital exemption," he said after officiating the 11th National Acute Myocardial Infarction Course by the Serdang Hospital on Saturday (Oct 16). - Straits Times
Pilgrims still wary of Covid
The number of pilgrims who wish to perform the umrah is expected to increase only next year, although the restriction on people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from travelling overseas was lifted last week.
Association of Umrah and Haj Travel Agents (Papuh) chairman Datuk Seri Razali Mohd Sham said many aspiring pilgrims, as well as travel agents, were not prepared for it yet.
Checks by the association, he said, showed many pilgrims were taking a wait-and-see attitude, since they were concerned about whether it would be safe for them to travel as many countries were shifting to dealing with Covid-19 as endemic. - New Straits Times
Bangkok's long road to recovery
Before the pandemic, Bangkok was undoubtedly a top global tourist destination, with an inexpensive cost of living and plenty of accommodation on offer.
The capital welcomed 66.9 million visitors in 2019, including 24.8 million foreigners, drawing in 1 trillion baht from them that year.
From 2020 to 2021, arrivals in the capital slumped because of the pandemic. The government employed harsh restrictions, including a nighttime curfew, a ban on dining in at restaurants and shuttering malls, parks, entertainment venues and tourist attractions. - Bangkok Post
Daily Covid-19 cases may drop to 5K by end of October: OCTA
The OCTA Research Group on Sunday said the number of daily Covid-19 cases may drop to 5,000 to 6,000 by the end of October.
In a television interview, OCTA fellow Guido David also said that within the week, daily new cases may reach 10,000 because of the backlog.
“Temporary lang 'yan, pero generally ‘yung trend natin pababa na (That's temporary, but generally our case trend is declining,” he said. - Philippine News Agency
Vietnam’s border guards take tougher actions against IUU fishing
Vietnam’s Border Guard force has undertaken strong measures to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and prevent Vietnamese fishing boats from encroaching foreign waters over the last four years.
The move is part of the country’s concerted effort to soon remove the European Commission (EC)’s “yellow card” warning against its seafood products.
Among the measures, top priority has been given to educating fishermen and raising their awareness of IUU fishing and related regulations so as to heighten their sense of responsibility and stop them from illegally entering waters of other countries, Colonel Pham Xuan Dieu, Deputy Chief of Staff of the force, told the Vietnam News Agency. - Vietnam News
New quarantine measures and QR code system begin today
The Health Ministry on Saturday issued a notification changing some conditions for quarantine for all travellers entering Cambodia in accordance with the new normal.
The ministry has confirmed that the government decided to reopen Cambodia gradually step by step with great caution and responsibility.
It said that all travellers who enter Cambodia must have received the basic dose or be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 following the instructions:
(1) Special guests or officials authorised by the government and senior government officials returning from missions abroad do not need to quarantine.
(2) Investors, technical staff, Cambodian and foreign diplomats, representatives of official cooperation projects and government officials returning from missions abroad (including family members) must quarantine for three days. - Khmer Times
'The military simply doesn't want to give up its place in politics'
The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), one of Myanmar’s oldest and strongest political parties, was notably absent on October 9 when the country’s coup regime made a bid to restart a peace process that has been put on hold since it seized power in February. As one of 40 parties invited to a meeting organized by the junta’s National Solidarity and Peace Negotiation Committee, the SNLD opted—along with 22 others—not to attend.
A day after the meeting, however, the party’s general secretary, Sai Leik, sat down with Myanmar Now to discuss the peace process and a number of other subjects related to the regime’s efforts to reshape Myanmar’s politics.
Myanmar Now: Why didn’t the SNLD take part in the military council’s meeting on the peace process?
Sai Leik: They did invite us. However, it was not as part of the “peace process executive team,” but under the “political parties” category. We held an internal party meeting and came to the decision that we weren’t ready to attend. - Myanmar NOW
Village level data key to resolve extreme poverty: Minister
Updated data at village level has become the key to reducing extreme poverty to zero percent, Minister of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions Development, and Transmigration Abdul Halim Iskandar has stated.
"It has to be based on micro data, by name, by address. This has to be seriously prepared," Iskandar noted while attending an event in Kemloko Village, Nglegok, Blitar, East Java, on Sunday.
Iskandar said, the ministry is updating data based on Village Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which contains the condition of villagers in each village in Indonesia. - AntaraNews.Com