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.
As marriages return to pre-Covid-19 levels, PM Lee hopes babies roar back in Tiger year
Large gatherings over Chinese New Year will have to wait a little longer in the light of the Omicron variant, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as he acknowledged that many had adapted to the restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and were using technology to keep in touch with loved ones.
But he pointed out that the Chinese New Year was also a time to look out for all things auspicious and that, after an initial dip, the number of marriages here has "caught up" and is back to pre-pandemic levels.
The pandemic years have seen the number of births dip slightly, he noted in his annual Chinese New Year message on Sunday (Jan 30).
"I hope that marriage and birth numbers will come roaring back in the Year of the Tiger," Mr Lee said.
Official figures show there were 19,430 marriages involving at least one citizen here in 2020, down from 22,165 in 2019. But, in the first six months of 2021, 12,980 couples tied the knot, up from 8,862 couples in the first half of 2020.
The Prime Minister also said birth numbers "have fallen slightly, but not as much as we had feared".
There were 38,651 births in Singapore last year - including to foreigners - according to provisional official figures, compared with 38,590 births in 2020 and 39,279 in 2019. – Straits Times
Netizens divided over tobacco ban
Social media is divided over the Health Ministry's plans to ban those born after 2005 from buying tobacco and smoking products.
While some support the move to stamp out a new generation of smokers, others are sceptical over its enforcement.
This because the ban on smoking in eateries has yet to effectively curb restaurants such as mamak outlets from being hotspots for smoking.
Questions lingered whether such a move would be effective, given enforcement capacity and if it would, instead, feed the booming illicit cigarette trade that makes up an estimated RM8 billion of the RM13 billion market for cigarettes. The Health Ministry has yet to respond whether vapes would be one of the products banned, but there are already calls for it to look into vape consumption by youth and control measures.
Many took to Twitter to express their views.
Tok Shah Kisha said it was a good move, as youngsters start smoking early. He said he had his first cigarette at the age of 13.
"(By) 17 years (I had) (been a) regular smoker, by 20 already (a) chain smoker.
"This is good move. Don't let them light their first smoke," he said on Twitter.
Chin Seng Teoh tweeted that he supported the initiative, but said smokers should be banned from smoking rather than purchasing cigarettes.
"Otherwise, they could ask adults to purchase cigarettes for them." – New Straits Times
Pheu Thai crushes ruling PPRP in Bangkok by-election
Surachart Thienthong of the Pheu Thai Party won a by-election in Bangkok's Constituency 9 by a landslide on Sunday.
An unofficial result from the poll on Sunday night showed the opposition party candidate received 29,416 votes, while Saralrasmi Jenjaka of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) garnered only 7,906 votes.
Krunphol Tiansuwan of the Move Forward Party earned 20,361 votes, while Atavit Suwannapakdee of the Kla Party received 20,047 votes.
The PPRP lost two by-elections in Chumphon and Songkhla provinces last month to the Democrat Party.
Sunday's by-election in Bangkok was called after Sira, the husband of Ms Saralrasmi, was disqualified by the Constitutional Court in December. It ruled he was ineligible to contest the 2019 election due to a fraud conviction handed down by the Pathumwan District Court in 1995 that resulted in an eight-month jail term.
Political pundits have seen the by-election as a popularity test of the government in Bangkok. The capital will hold an election for governor expected mid-2022.
Constituency 9 covers Lak Si district and part of Chatuchak district.
The Election Commission said 167,649 people were eligible to vote in the constituency, which has 280 polling units.
The EC said 52% of voters cast their votes on Sunday. – Bangkok Post
PHLPost releases Year of the Tiger stamps
The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) will launch on Monday commemorative Year of the Tiger stamps to mark the celebration of Chinese New Year at Seascape Village in Pasay City.
Stamps, souvenir sheets, and official first day covers of “New Year 2022: Year of the Tiger Stamps” will be available at the Philatelic Counter of the Manila Central Post Office in Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila.
Stamp may also be purchased during the launch, which starts 4 p.m.
"We wish the Chinese community peace, prosperity and love,” Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio said in a news release on Sunday.
“This event will also give an opportunity for Chinese-Filipinos and Filipinos to enjoy and appreciate this celebration in a simple ceremony. I understand that some of the festivities in Manila were postponed for the second time this year due to the threat of the coronavirus,” he added.
The Chinese Lunar New Year begins on February 1.
The water tiger is the third of the 12 zodiac animal signs in the Chinese astrology. The last Water Tiger year was in 1962. – Philippine News Agency
Economic growth prospects brighter in 2022
It’s been two years since the world economy first suffered the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – one of the most unprecedented events since World War II. As an open economy, Viet Nam could not be spared the global health crisis.
Social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus worldwide have forced millions of household businesses to temporarily or permanently be closed, while the operation of thousands of enterprises is suspended. This has made millions of families lose income.
Notably, what happened to the Vietnamese economy over the past two years seemed to be contrary to the rest of the world.
In 2020, while the vast majority of countries in the world recorded negative growth, Viet Nam was a rare country that managed to maintain positive GDP growth with an increase of 2.91 per cent.
In 2021, while the economies around the world had been on track to recover thanks to the boosted vaccination rollout, the Vietnamese economy was more heavily affected by the pandemic with the new Delta variant.
In the third quarter of 2021, Viet Nam recorded its first-ever negative quarterly GDP. For the whole year of 2021, the economy expanded 2.58 per cent, missing the year’s GDP growth target of 6.5 per cent, nearly half the GDP growth rate of the whole world (5.9 per cent).
This year, once again the Government has set a target of 6-6.5 per cent GDP growth rate, equivalent to the pre-pandemic average level. Whether it is reachable or not is hard to say as long as the pandemic is not under control. However, many experts and institutions are optimistic about the country’s strong economic recovery this year. – Vietnam News
Ba.2 sneaks in: Omicron stealth sub-variant found in four imported cases
Cambodia has detected its first four cases of the highly-infectious and stealth-like BA.2 sub-variant, as Omicron infections spike. Ministry of Health spokesman Hok Kim Cheng said yesterday that the four cases, all imported through air passengers were detected over the previous two days as the Kingdom recorded a jump in Omicron infections since it was discovered in the country on December 14.
He also said that on Saturday the ministry recorded 57 Covid-19 cases, all Omicron through PCR tests. Of these 44 were community ones and 13 imported.
Kim Cheng noted that before this, Cambodia had never detected more than 30 community cases of Omicron.
He said the BA.2 patients are being treated at a centre where doctors are studying the characteristics of the sub-variant, adding that three of them had been fully vaccinated with two doses and one had taken a booster shot.
“Whether they are BA.1 or BA.2, they are under B.1.1.529 so the reports daily are all considered as Omicron, Kim Cheng said. “There is no need to panic because it is mild for those who are fully vaccinated. People should get fully vaccinated and have booster shots when it is their turn.” – Khmer Times
Outlook remains bleak for Myanmar’s ‘critically weak’ economy, says World Bank
Myanmar’s “critically weak economy” will rebound by just 1% this year after shrinking by almost a fifth because of the combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and last February’s military coup, the World Bank has said.
The expected growth in the year to September 2022 reflects “recent signs of stabilisation” in some areas almost a year after Min Aung Hlaing’s power grab plunged the country into conflict and economic turmoil, the lender said in its latest Myanmar Economic Monitor.
But it won’t be enough to undo the damage that led the bank to predict poverty rates would double and estimate that the economy is 30% smaller than it would have been without the pandemic and the coup.
The economy shrank by 18% in the year to September 2021 amid nationwide anti-junta strikes, mass military-led displacement, urban and rural guerrilla warfare, COVID lockdowns, and the exit from the country of numerous foreign investors.
“The situation and outlook for most people in Myanmar continues to be extremely worrying,” said Mariam Sherman, the Bank’s country director for Myanmar, Cambodia and Lao PDR.
She added: “Recent trends of escalating conflict are concerning–firstly from a humanitarian perspective but also from the implications for economic activity. Moreover, with a low vaccination rate and inadequate health services, Myanmar is highly vulnerable to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.” – Myanmar NOW
Optimistic Rp1,200-trillion investment target to be reached: minister
Minister of Investment and head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Bahlil Lahadalia, has said he is optimistic that the Rp1,200-trillion (US$84 billion) investment target for 2022 would be achieved.
"I believe experiences in 2020 and 2021, through new regulations enacted by the Law on Job Creation, global demand for Indonesia's natural resources, and President Joko Widodo's continued support to downstream industry development are factors that will bolster our effort to achieve the Rp1,200-trillion investment realization target in 2022," Lahadalia said while presenting the 2021 investment realization report online in Jakarta on Thursday.
The ministry has conceived several strategies for boosting investment in Indonesia and achieving the realization target, he revealed.
Maximizing incentive facilities and the potential of approved investments permits will be the first strategy, the minister informed.
"I had earlier informed that some corporations have received incentives with the total amount surpassing Rp2 thousand trillion (US$140 billion). This will become the most vital part (of our effort), and we will create a priority scale based on this," Lahadalia added. – AntaraNews.Com