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.
Chinese President Xi’s supremacy cemented after CPC adopts landmark resolution
President Xi Jinping made history on Thursday (Nov 11) after the top leadership of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) adopted a historical resolution bolstering his mandate and continued grip on power.
About 350 members of the party’s top decision-making body, the Central Committee, met for what is known as the sixth plenum of its current five-year term.
In a lengthy communique released by state news agency Xinhua at the end of the four-day conclave, Mr Xi’s name was mentioned at least 14 times compared to Chairman Mao Zedong’s seven mentions; former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping’s five; and former presidents Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao’s once each. - Straits Times
Allow those eligible to walk in for booster shots, says Fomca
COVID-19 booster shots should be made available on a walk-in basis for eligible groups as the country enters the endemic phase and international borders are set to reopen to foreign travellers.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said such an option should be offered alongside the MySejahtera appointments for frontliners, those with comorbidities and individuals above 40 years' old.
"Officers should be stationed at facilities where the shots are being administered, so that those who do not fall under these categories are denied entry, or if their three-or six-month immunity (coverage) after second Sinovac or Pfizer shots (respectively) have yet to lapse." - New Straits Times
Prayut mulls easing Covid travel rules
The government is considering replacing the RT-PCR test with other screening methods for vaccinated tourists under the Test & Go scheme, and easing high-risk close contact (HRC) rules which force airplane passengers who had sat near Covid-19 patients to undergo mandatory quarantine.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said these decisions would be up to the national communicable disease control committee, and would also require approval from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) meeting to be chaired by the prime minister on Friday.
As the RT-PCR test requires at least six hours for the result, and inbound travellers must book and stay in a hotel room while awaiting the outcome, alternative methods, such as antigen test kits, are more convenient and help manage the flow of tourists better if the number of arrivals increases. - Bangkok Post
GenSan removes RT-PCR, quarantine requirement for travelers
The city government has lifted effective on Friday the negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and the mandatory quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travelers and returning residents.
The move is based on Executive Order (EO) No. 51 issued by Mayor Ronnel Rivera, which was released to the public late Thursday night, which mainly eased the remaining restrictions and control measures here in wake of the declining new Covid-19 infections.
Rivera said the removal of such requirements covers all vaccinated travelers entering the area, especially through the city airport. - Philippine News Agency
Hanoi's agricultural production and supply continues despite pandemic restrictions
Many agricultural production chains in Hanoi have maintained operations throughout the most recent outbreak of COVID-19, thanks in no small part to strong cooperation between producers and sellers in the city.
Nguyen Dinh Tuong, Director of Dong Tam Livestock and Service Cooperative in Quoc Oai District, said to ensure produce reached consumers during the complicated developments of COVID-19, his cooperative worked directly with convenience stores, as well utilising the power of online commerce platforms.
“We recorded an increase of 30 per cent in pork consumption. In August, the cooperative sold 25 tons of pork meat with stable prices.” - Vietnam News
Religious ceremonies and gatherings allowed to resume in Cambodia
The Ministry of Cults and Religious Affairs has authorised the resumption of all religious ceremonies and gatherings in Cambodia.
The authorisation was made in the ministry’s directive signed on Nov. 11 by Minister of Cults and Religious Affairs H.E. Chhit Sokhonn.
The move was made after Prime Minister Hun Sen early this month announced the full reopening of the country in all domains and stressed the need to learn to live with the COVID-19 pandemic in the ‘New Normal.’ - Khmer Times
Junta forces torch homes in Sagaing village after PDF kills 20 soldiers
Soldiers burned down 12 houses and fired guns and artillery at fleeing residents in a village in northern Sagaing Region’s Katha Township on Monday after their infantry column was ambushed by People’s Defence Force (PDF) fighters.
At least 20 junta soldiers were killed when the Kathta PDF intercepted their column as it marched near Moedar Lay village. After the clash, the surviving soldiers entered the village and began burning homes that they thought belonged to PDF members, a local woman said.
A 40-year-old local man told Myanmar Now that a 5-year-old child was injured in the shoulders and back by shrapnel after the troops launched shells at the village. - Myanmar NOW
Ministry expects producers to reduce waste 30% by 2030
The Indonesian Environment and Forestry Ministry has expressed the hope that the establishment of the producers’ waste reduction roadmap can help achieve the 30-percent waste reduction target by the beginning of 2030.
"We hope that by January 1, 2030, the manufacturers can reduce at least 30 percent of the waste of their products and packaging," director of waste management at the ministry, Novrizal Tahar, said.
He delivered the statement during a discussion at the Indonesian Pavilion at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26), which was monitored online here on Thursday. - AntaraNews.Com