These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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34 under probe for various offences including being members of unlawful societies
Thirty-four people are under investigation for various offences after a week-long enforcement operation involving several government agencies, the police said on Tuesday (Feb 8).
The operation, conducted between Jan 17 and 21, was led by Bedok Police Division, and supported by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, Central Narcotics Bureau, Health Sciences Authority, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Singapore Customs, Land Transport Authority and Singapore Food Agency.
In raids in Geylang, three men, aged between 27 and 34, were arrested under suspicion of being members of unlawful societies.
Another two men, aged 29 and 43, were found to be in possession of substances believed to be unregistered health products, including an assortment of cough syrup and sexual enhancement products.
E-vaporisers and their accessories were also allegedly seized from the men. Substances with a street value of nearly $9,000 were also seized.
Those found guilty of importing, manufacturing and/or supplying of unregistered health products may be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $50,000, or both.
The first offence of selling, importing or distributing e-vaporisers and their accessories carries a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. – Straits Times
1MDB gets nod to freeze Najib's assets
1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) has obtained a High Court order to freeze Datuk Seri Najib Razak's assets and limit the former prime minister to only withdraw a maximum of RM100,000 monthly.
Judicial Commissioner Atan Mustaffa Yussof Ahmad granted the relief yesterday after allowing 1MDB and four of its entities' application for an ex-parte Mareva injunction in relation to their claim of US$681 million against the former prime minister.
A Mareva injunction is a Court order which effectively freezes assets of a defendant from being dissipated pending the outcome of a legal action before the Courts.
According to the Order for Injunction document sighted by NST today, the court ordered that Najib as the first defendant must not remove or dispose the value of any of his assets up to the value of US$681,000,000 worldwide until the disposal of the case. – New Straits Times
Govt 'at odds' over Green Line
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday insisted that the proposed extension of the Green Line railway concession must be finalised at the next cabinet meeting.
He was speaking during Tuesday's cabinet meeting to discuss the 30-year extension and maximum fare of 65 baht, according to a source at the meeting.
However, the matter was withdrawn from Tuesday's agenda with the absence of ministers from the coalition Bhumjaithai Party – including its leader Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and Transport Minister and party secretary-general Saksayam Chidchob –thought to be a factor.
Mr Anutin and Mr Saksayam had earlier opposed the extension and this was the seventh time the matter had been tabled then withdrawn prior to a cabinet meeting, according to the source.
Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said that he had received four queries in writing from the Transport Ministry on Monday, but believed they were issues that had already been dealt with.
Other cabinet ministers also agreed that too much time had been wasted, with Gen Prayut telling those assembled that the plan must be finalised when they next met because "if the cabinet fails to act, they may be sued for dereliction of duty under Section 157 of the Criminal Code", the source quoted the PM as saying.
The Green Line is owned by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), and the concessionaire is the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC).
The Interior Ministry has proposed that the agreement be extended from 2029 to 2059 with the stipulation that the maximum fare goes no higher than 65 baht.
The proposal has sparked public debate, with groups, including The Thailand Consumers Council (TCC), arguing that allowing fares to rise to 65 baht would put Bangkok's electric train system out of reach of the average commuter. – Bangkok Post
TikTok user behind Marcos 'kill plot' surrenders to NBI
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday confirmed that a person identified with an account on video-sharing app TikTok linked to the alleged assassination plot against aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (BBM) has surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
“The owner of the BBM death threat account voluntarily turned himself into the NBI yesterday (Tuesday). He was advised to secure the assistance of counsel. I think he went to the NBI to give his side, but he’s not under arrest,” Guevarra said in a message to reporters.
Guevarra said due to security reasons, the NBI would not give any details for now while the case is still being evaluated.
The NBI was earlier given a month to report on the alleged slay attempt made through the Chinese video-sharing platform.
Guevarra earlier clarified the government investigates all threats on public officials, past and present, including candidates running for public office, upon prompt receipt of information.
He said the DOJ Office of Cybercrime and NBI may also track down individuals who threaten to kill or rape public officials.
A death threat is an unlawful act whether one believes it or not and even if it is unlikely, he added.
The TikTok user allegedly posted “we are meeting every day to plan for BBM’s (Bongbong Marcos) assassination. Get ready.” – Philippine News Agency
1.5 million COVID-19 shots administered during Tet holiday
The Ministry of Health on Tuesday sent an urgent dispatch urging localities to speed up the spring COVID-19 vaccination drive, lasting from January 29 to February 28.
The ministry said during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, the first leg of the spring vaccination campaign, 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered, which was quite low compared to previous average daily vaccinations of about 1 million doses.
By the end of the sixth day of the new Lunar year (February 6), 182.5 million doses of vaccines had been administered in Viet Nam, a country of 98 million people, with two-dose coverage in the population aged 12 years and older hitting 95.5 per cent.
25 per cent of adults have received additional/booster vaccine shots.
The Government aims to wrap up second-dose vaccination for people aged 12-17 years in February, and provision of third shots for all adults (except for contraindicated people), as well as carry out the administration of vaccines for children aged 5-11 years.
The Government previously agreed with the health ministry’s proposal to procure 21.9 million Pfizer/BioNTech shots for young children.
To fulfil the vaccine coverage goals in the first quarter, the health ministry urged provinces and units to continue to carry out the spring vaccination campaign according to the ministry plan. – Vietnam News
Hun Sen calls for immediate measures against rising COVID-19 cases
As he announced that 200 new cases have been detected on Monday, Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on all relevant ministries and institutions to take immediate measures in addition to the existing ones in response to the rising COVID-19 cases due to the dominance of Omicron variant. Daily infections keep increasing, to over 200 cases yesterday, the largest single day infections detected to date since Omicron was first detected in December 14 last year, said the Premier in a special voice message last evening, re-appealing to the people to pay attention to the preventive measures, especially the Three Dos, Three Don’ts.
Hun Sen also called for the reduction of gatherings to ensure safety distancing, after he noted the increase of new infections after the Chinese-Vietnamese Lunar New Year, both in Cambodia and its neighbouring countries as well as in other ASEAN nations. He however did not call for a halt to these gatherings.
The Prime Minister expressed his concern over the possible spread of Omicron from Phnom Penh capital to the provinces as in the case of Delta and Alpha.
He therefore ordered the reinforcement of preventive measures at high-risk areas such as nightclubs, and suggested to limit the number of attendees at weddings, religious gatherings and so on.
“This is not a setback, but we do it to prevent a possible catastrophe,” he underlined. – Khmer Times
UK-based policy institute under fire for inviting junta telecoms official to regional forum
A UK-based non-profit digital policy institute is facing criticism for its decision to invite a representative of Myanmar’s telecoms regulator to a three-day regional online forum.
The event, organised by the International Institute of Communications (IIC), began on Tuesday with a roundtable discussion on “protecting citizens and consumers” that included Than Htun Aung, the deputy director-general of Myanmar’s Post and Telecommunications Department.
As an official of a department under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Than Htun Aung represents a regime that has been accused of using its control over the country’s telecommunications networks to suppress the rights of citizens.
Justice For Myanmar, an activist group that campaigns against the junta, called his inclusion at the Asia Telecommunications & Media Forum 2022 “astounding.”
“Than Htun Aung should be sanctioned for his role in electronic surveillance, censorship and internet shutdowns,” the group’s spokesperson, Yadanar Maung, told Myanmar Now.
Allowing him to attend the event gave him “legitimacy on the international stage” and amounted to “reputation laundering for a terrorist junta,” she added. – Myanmar NOW
Govt preparing regulation to improve Indonesia's media ecosystem
The government is drafting a regulation to support the improvement of the mass media ecosystem and empower the community, Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate informed at the 2022 National Press Day Convention.
The attempt is a response to the development of the media industry ecosystem and digital technologies, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, metaverse, artificial intelligence, and 5G, he said.
"One of the goals of the regulation is to accommodate business and journalism orientation of mass media industry. Thus, digital technologies can be optimally advanced and utilized for the benefit of the community," the minister remarked, according to a press release received here on Tuesday.
Indonesia has adequate regulations to anticipate the development of digital technology, such as Law Number 11/2008 and its amendment on Electronic Information and Transactions, he noted.
In addition, there are also Government Regulation Number 71/2019 regarding the Implementation of Electronic Transaction Systems and the Communication and Informatics Minister Regulation Number 5/2020 concerning Electronic System Management on Private Scope, he said.
However, the government will continue to push for more regulations that can help sustain collaboration among mass media, publishers, digital platforms, as well as the media ecosystem in Indonesia, Plate added.
Currently, the government is preparing the legal framework to realize quality journalism, he informed. – AntaraNews.Com