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.
Ousted Myanmar leader Suu Kyi gets jail sentence halved to 2 years
Myanmar’s deposed state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has had her jail sentence reduced from four years to two years after a partial pardon by the chief of the military junta, the country’s state television reported on Monday (Dec 6).
Ms Suu Kyi was earlier on Monday sentenced to four years’ jail for inciting dissent and breaching Covid-19 pandemic rules.
This is the first court verdict in a series of charges levelled against her by the country’s military regime. - Straits Times
Najib no-show in court, judge maintains verdict will be delivered tomorrow
A no-show by Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his lawyers and also the former prime minister's bailors at the Court of Appeal today enraged the judge presiding over the case, prompting him to warn that a warrant of arrest could be issued against the accused and also his bailors.
Justice Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil issued the warning after ticking off lawyer Harvinder Singh Sindhu who appeared on Najib's behalf at the hearing.
He later ordered today's proceedings to go on via zoom which will begin at 12.30pm. The judge also made it clear that the court would deliver its verdict on Najib's appeal tomorrow no matter what. - New Straits Times
'Don't panic over Omicron'
Business leaders are urging the public not to panic over the discovery of Thailand's first Omicron coronavirus variant infection, saying a lockdown will spell disaster for the economy, which is still struggling to recover.
The chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, Supant Mongkolsuthree, said there is no need for the public and the government to panic over the new strain, as a lockdown will deal a serious blow to the Thai economy, which is just starting to show signs of rebounding.
"A lockdown is not the answer. We must figure out how to co-exist [with the virus]," he said, noting that the number of new cases is on the decline, with recoveries consistently outnumbering hospital admissions. - Bangkok Post
'No vax, no entry' policy affects local economy: Sara
Mayor Sara Z. Duterte is not keen on imposing a "no vaccination, no entry" policy in the city, saying this would severely affect the local economy.
Duterte, however, said business establishments may impose such guidelines because they have a legal basis.
“Here in Davao City, we do not have such policy because it will severely affect our local economy which has been severely affected since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020,” she said in a radio interview Monday, noting that there is a need to balance economic activities and health protocols. - Philippine News Agency
COVID sends increasing number of children to hospital
The number of children under 16 hospitalised with COVID-19 in HCM City has risen recently, with many unaware of the infection until visits to doctors with flu-like symptoms such as cough and fever, according to the Department of Health.
The COVID ward at the Children’s Hospital 2 now has some 100 COVID patients who are children under 16, four times the number in mid-October.
Doctors have warned parents to be highly cautious and closely look out for symptoms of illness for timely hospitalisation. - Vietnam News
PM slams VN official over blame for Covid-19 spread
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday lashed out at a Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister for accusing Cambodia of spreading the deadly Covid-19 virus to Vietnam, saying that he should issue an apology over the remarks.
Mr Hun Sen’s reaction came yesterday at the inauguration of the road in Svay Rieng province after Major General Hoang Xuan Chien reportedly said Cambodia was a source of Covid-19 outbreak across the border.
Mr Hun Sen said Maj Gen Xuan Chien’s remarks were made on March 10 last year and he had asked the Vietnamese government to demote him but instead he was promoted to a Deputy Minister of National Defence. - Khmer Times
Low chance of third COVID-19 wave happens in Indonesia: epidemiologist
There is low chance of a third wave of COVID-19 infections occurring in Indonesia, according to an epidemiologist at Universitas Indonesia, Pandu Riono.
“The third wave has small chance of happening,” Riono told ANTARA here on Monday.
This is because the government and public have successfully contained the second wave of COVID-19 and there is no indication that cases will hike at the moment, he explained. - AntaraNews.Com
Australia Offers Farm Work Visa to Laos and other ASEAN Nations
The new visa scheme will enable agricultural workers from ten Southeast Asian countries to work in Australia following a shortage of farm workers in the country.
Workers from Laos, as well as Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam will be offered the chance to work on Australian farms under the scheme.
The scheme comes after Australia recently brokered a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom which would end a requirement for British backpackers to work on Australian farms for 88 days under a working-holiday visa, causing a critical labor shortage. - The Laotian Times