Hot Off The Press

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. 

Body of Malaysian woman found in river in Pasir Ris 3 days after she went missing

The body of a 22-year-old Malaysian woman was found floating in the Sungei Api Api river in Pasir Ris on Tuesday (Jan 18) night, three days after she went missing.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they received a call for assistance at Sungei Api Api at about 7.30pm on Tuesday. A body was seen floating in the river upon their arrival, and rescuers retrieved the body from the water.

The deceased, Ms Khoo Yee Joo, was from Kedah in Malaysia, reported Chinese language paper Lianhe Zaobao.

Ms Khoo's aunt told Zaobao that she was last seen at the bus stop opposite Chai Chee Industrial Park after she had gotten off work at around 6pm on Sunday (Jan 16).

Two colleagues were also at the bus stop. They saw her walking towards a bus that arrived, but were unsure if she took it as they were boarding another bus.

When the aunt got home from work at 10pm and realised Ms Khoo was still not home, she asked for her neighbours' help. She also went to Chai Chee Road, where Ms Khoo worked, to look for her.

At around 2am on Monday, the aunt reported Ms Khoo missing at a police station. – Straits Times 

Boat with 27 illegal immigrants capsizes off Teluk Ramunia

A boat carrying 27 illegal immigrants capsized in the waters of Teluk Ramunia, Pengerang, near Kota Tinggi, this morning.

Johor Maritime director First Maritime Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said 19 of them, comprising 10 women and nine men, were found safe, while two women were found drowned.

"The remaining six victims are still missing at sea. The Johor Bahru Maritime Rescue Sub Center has activated Op Carilamat (search and rescue operation) for them at 6.40am today, " he said in a statement here.

Nurul Hizam said at 3.45 am today, the Malaysian Maritime Surveillance System (Swasla) radar detected a suspicious target moving from the waters of Pulau Bintan, Indonesia, to the country's waters and had channelled information to the assets of the Royal Malaysian Navy KD Sri Indera Sakti, which was on Op Benteng duty. Following that, the RMN detected the boat at 4.10 am, but the boat fled before it capsized at 0.8 nautical miles of Teluk Ramunia at 4.50 am, he said, adding that this was the second incident this week involving illegal immigrants.

Three days ago, six Indonesian women drowned, while seven were rescued when their boat capsized in the waters of Pontian Besar. – New Straits Times

Test & Go for overseas arrivals to be restored, fine-tuned

The Test & Go programme will be reintroduced soon while entry rules under the scheme will be tweaked to allow close monitoring of overseas arrivals' health, said Gen Supoj Malaniyom, head of operations at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Gen Supoj, also secretary-general of the National Security Council, added that Test & Go rules need to be tightened. The CCSA is looking into ways to monitor the health of overseas arrivals during the first seven days of entry.

It appears that under the tightening of the programme, arrivals will undergo two RT-PCR tests during their initial seven days, the first upon arrival and the second on the fifth or sixth day.

Before the programme was suspended earlier this month due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, overseas visitors only had to spend one night at a hotel. If their Covid-19 test was negative, they were free to leave their accommodation and enjoy their holidays. Gen Supoj said the CCSA on Wednesday assessed the pandemic situation in the kingdom and found that daily caseloads, which had shot up previously, were now stabilising.

The centre is considering adjusting areas with varying degrees of Covid-19 prevalence and easing some restrictions to allow greater mobility. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has insisted measures should be modified where necessary to help revive the economy. – Bangkok Post

570 unvaxxed commuters get Covid-19 jabs in QC

A total of 570 unvaccinated commuters apprehended in Quezon City have received their first dose of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) jabs since the implementation of the "no vaccination, no ride" policy on Monday.

In a statement Wednesday night, Mayor Joy Belmonte said the city’s law enforcement cluster, led by Task Force Disiplina, the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic have conducted joint operations since the new policy limiting the movement of unvaccinated individuals was implemented.

She said commuters unable to present a Covid-19 vaccination card were apprehended and brought to the vaccination site at the Quezon Memorial Circle to receive their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

Belmonte assured that unvaccinated individuals who need to acquire essential goods or services, as well as those who have medical conditions that prevent them from getting vaccinated, were exempted.

Other unvaccinated individuals who were hesitant to get inoculated were not forced and were instead sent home and told to get a certification from a licensed physician and their barangay for clearance as proof that they cannot get vaccinated. – Philippine News Agency

AstraZeneca to slash vaccine prices for Viet Nam, transfer production technology

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Ha Noi on Wednesday for Nitin Kapoor, President for Asia Area Frontier Markets at AstraZeneca, and Chairman and General Director of AstraZeneca Viet Nam.

Highly valuing the role and contributions of AstraZeneca in the fight against COVID-19 in the world and Viet Nam, PM Chinh hailed AstraZeneca Viet Nam’s close coordination with the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies to complete its commitment to provide 30 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for Viet Nam in 2021 ahead of schedule, contributing to the country’s efforts to switch to strategy of safe, flexible adaptation to and effective control of the pandemic.

AstraZeneca has also helped foster the strategic partnership between Viet Nam and the UK in health care, he said.

Kapoor spoke highly of Viet Nam’s efforts in implementing its vaccine diplomacy, describing the country as an exemplary model in pandemic control. He also praised Viet Nam’s socio-economic recovery policies, reform efforts and freshly-approved support package of nearly VND350 trillion (US$15.42 billion). 

He briefed the Vietnamese leader on the implementation of agreements reached by PM Chinh and AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot in their meeting last November during the PM’s visit to the UK. Kapoor said that AstraZeneca is speeding up a $90 million project to transfer drug manufacturing technology to Viet Nam and is seeking a Vietnamese partner to transfer its vaccine production technology.

Kapoor said that AstraZeneca is considering the reduction of vaccine price for Viet Nam. – Vietnam News

Back in court: Sokha’s treason trial resumes after Covid-19 caused suspension

Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday resumed hearing the case of former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) president Kem Sokha who is accused of colluding with a foreign country to topple the government through a colour revolution. Presiding Judge Koy Sao said that Sokha, 67, was charged with “Conspiracy with Foreign Power” under Article 443 of the Criminal Code.  If convicted, he faces a jail term of 15 to 30 years.

Sokha was arrested on September 3, 2017.

He said Sokha’s arrest followed a video clip which shows him saying on December 8, 2013 in Australia that the US had been helping him to push for a regime change.

Judge Sao noted that since January 15, 2020 until yesterday, Phnom Penh Municipal Court had conducted 26 hearings of the case but these were later temporarily suspended due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

During yesterday’s hearing, Sokha urged the court to speed up his trial and finish it as soon as possible so that he would be cleared and have full freedom and could participate in politics.

He said that the court should drop the charge against him as a step towards real political reconciliation for national unity.

“I would like to state my own position on this case as follows: Firstly, I support the Royal Government’s measures and activities in preventing Covid-19 which is a global concern. I, myself, have also participated in the government’s measures and activities to help our people,” Sokha told the court.

“Secondly, I support calls for the speeding up of my court case so that it can be completed as soon as possible because I have already discussed it with the government leader (Prime Minister) who told me to clear my court case first so that I will become eligible to participate in politics.” – Khmer Times

Myanmar army laid landmines along oil, gas pipelines in northern Shan State, rights group says

The junta recently placed landmines around oil and gas pipelines running through Hsipaw Township in northern Shan State to China, according to the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF). 

An unconfirmed number of military mines have been set up near a pumping station in forested areas along both sides of the Mandalay-Lashio highway, the rights group said in a Tuesday statement. 

The site is just outside Nawng Arng village in Hawng Haeng village tract, some 15km west of Hsipaw town.

SHRF reported that in November, a Myanmar army sergeant informed Hawng Haeng’s headman of their use of the landmines in the area for “security reasons,” despite objections by locals. 

The military has reportedly prohibited villagers from entering the mined area, which they have long used to gather edible plants and hunt for wild game.

“The mines are for [the military’s] own security, not for the locals’ security,” SHRF’s Sai Hor Hseng told Myanmar Now. 

The pipelines, constructed in 2011 and 2013, carry gas and oil nearly 800km from the Rakhine State coast to China. One-third of the structure is located in northern Shan State, where locals have long opposed the pipelines due to the risks associated with possible leaks or explosions, SHRF’s statement said. 

“It’s very dangerous for the people there, and it has become even worse during this crisis,” the group’s spokesperson told Myanmar Now, referring to the nearly one-year period since the February 1 coup. – Myanmar NOW

National curriculum to be reviewed in 2024: ministry

The national curriculum will be reviewed in 2024, Head of the Educational Standards, Curriculum, and Assessment Agency of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) Anindito Aditomo has said.

"The national curriculum policy will be reviewed in 2024 based on evaluations during the learning recovery period," he said during a working meeting with Commission X of the House of Representatives (DPR), which was accessed online from here on Wednesday.

According to Aditomo, before the pandemic, schools in Indonesia implemented the 2013 Curriculum. Then, from 2020 to 2021 amid the pandemic, schools implemented either the 2013 Curriculum or the Emergency Curriculum.

Meanwhile, in 2021–2022, schools can choose to implement the 2013 Curriculum or the Emergency Curriculum, while schools that are part of the Sekolah Penggerak (Activator Schools) and Center of Excellence Vocational High Schools programs will implement the Prototype Curriculum, he explained.

During the learning recovery period from 2022 to 2024, all schools will have a choice between the 2013 Curriculum, the Emergency Curriculum, and the Prototype Curriculum, he informed.

"In 2024, the national curriculum policy will be determined based on the evaluation of the curriculum implemented during the learning recovery period," he said. – AntaraNews.Com