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.
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157 suspected scammers and money mules linked to nearly 500 cases under probe
The police are investigating 157 people for their suspected involvement in scams or money mule operations.
The suspects - 97 men and 60 women aged between 16 and 71 - are believed to be involved in more than 495 cases of scams where victims lost more than $2 million.
The scams are mainly Internet love scams, e-commerce scams, bank-related phishing scams, tech support scams, China or government officials impersonation scams, investment scams, job scams and loan scams.
Those suspected were caught during a two-week island-wide enforcement operation between Jan 28 to Feb 10, the police said in a statement on Friday (Feb 11).
They are being investigated for the offences like cheating, money laundering or providing payment services without a licence.
Those found guilty of cheating can be jailed up to 10 years and fined.
Those found guilty of money laundering can be jailed up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000, or both. – Straits Times
Labuan records highest Covid-19 infectivity rate at 2.17
The national infectivity rate (Rt) rose to 1.51 on Thursday, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
Based on data shared by Dr Noor Hisham on his Twitter, Labuan had the highest Rt yesterday at 2.17, followed by Sarawak that recorded an infectivity rate of 1.90 and Sabah (1.68).
The Rt for Perlis was at 1.55; 1.45 in Putrajaya, 1.42 in Terengganu, 1.41 in Kedah, 1.39 in Penang, both Johor and Kelantan had a Rt of 1.36, 1.30 in Pahang, 1.29 in Selangor, 1.26 in Negri Sembilan, 1.25 in Perak, 1.24 in Melaka, and 1.23 in Kuala Lumpur.
Daily cases also continued increasing, with 19,090 new infections reported as of noon yesterday. Selangor registered 3,779 cases, 2,969 in Sabah and 2,837 in Johor.
Other states with four-digit daily cases were Kedah that logged 1,956 infections, Kelantan (1,439), Penang (1,267), and Kuala Lumpur (1,005).
Negri Sembilan recorded 997 cases, 795 in Pahang, 728 in Melaka, 373 in Perak, 324 in Terengganu, 226 in Sarawak, 183 in Putrajaya and 106 in Perlis and Labuan.
Active cases are now breaching the 100,000 mark. A total of 107,883 people in Malaysia are currently Covid-19 positive.
Almost 90 per cent, (96,655 patients) are undergoing home quarantine, 5,751 of them are treated at Covid-19 treatment and quarantine centres (PKRC), 5,319 are hospitalised and 158 are at intensive care units with 78 cases ventilated. – New Straits Times
Covid surge spooks govt
The government is considering tightening anti-Covid measures on Valentine's Day and the Songkran holiday period in response to a rapid increase in new infections.
Gen Supoj Malaniyom, head of operations at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), chaired a meeting to discuss the recent spike of new cases on Thursday, with the Department of Disease Control providing updates on the situation.
A source at the meeting said those present expressed concern about the rise in daily case numbers over the past several days. The country registered 14,822 new coronavirus cases and 20 more Covid-19 fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Thursday.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will chair a CCSA meeting on Friday to consider tougher measures to curb the spread of the virus on Valentine's Day and during the Songkran holiday period, the source said.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is also handing out 2 million free condoms in a campaign for safe sex ahead of Valentine's Day, with sexually transmitted infections on the rise among the young.
Panruedee Manomaiphiboon, director of the BMA's health department, said on Thursday the condoms would be available for free in all 50 districts of the capital under City Hall's "Start Safe Sex, Use Condom" campaign. Last year there were 6,450 cases of sexually transmitted diseases recorded in Bangkok, and the number was rising each year, she said. – Bangkok Post
Senatorial bet backs gov't Covid-19 exit plan
A Partido Reporma senatorial candidate said she concurs with the government's push for a pandemic exit plan due to the country increasing vaccination rates and declining infections.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Dr Minguita Padilla, however, said this must be done prudently considering there are still some Filipinos who have yet to be fully vaccinated and get booster doses especially in areas with logistical problems in terms of vaccine delivery and distribution of vaccines.
“We cannot live in this fear of pandemic mode forever and let our industries languish. We cannot live without face-to-face classes, it’s not fair to the kids,” Padilla said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The senatorial aspirant, citing peer-reviewed international studies, is convinced that Covid-19, particularly its Omicron variant is less virulent despite its higher transmissibility, making it safe for the vaccinated people to be "cautiously optimistic" about their lives getting back to normal.
Padilla, however, believes that alert levels should be kept, while the country is applying the pandemic to endemic approach.
She also added that this should be imposed depending on the location and the percentage of the vaccinated population. – Philippine News Agency
Vietnamese retail industry set to bounce back
Despite low growth in 2021, the local retail industry is still considered full of potential and will continue to explore areas for new growth.
According to experts, modern retail distribution faces the biggest challenge in the last two years due to changes in customer trends, human resources, warehouse operation and the supply chain.
During the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in HCM City, the supply chain of goods suffered many fluctuations which the modern retail enterprises must respond to in its distribution system instead of the traditional role of providing goods to consumers onsite.
During the pandemic, retail businesses invested in technological innovation and applied them in operations, business, and delivery services to fully meet the needs of customers.
MM Mega Market Viet Nam system has started a multi-channel sales development strategy, along with completing the online sales solutions: website MM Click & Get; Zalo and Telesales.
The system is also preparing to launch MMPro, an online shopping website for professional customers with product prices and solutions designed for each specific customer.
Similarly, Saigon Co.op, AEON, and LOTTE Mart are also pushing sales via phone, Zalo, assorted apps and e-commerce partners.
In addition, in 2021, major retail systems such as Saigon Co.op, MM, Central, Aeon, LOTTE Mart, and Emart have implemented cashless payment methods on both online and offline shopping channels.
Experts forecast the COVID-19 pandemic will still be complicated in 2022, thus businesses must be well-prepared to stay up to speed during the recovery. – Vietnam News
PP limits attendees at weddings and religious gatherings
With the recent surge of the Covid-19 Omicron variant – which yesterday saw another record-breaking daily count of cases again – the government was compelled to impose extra measures, the effects of which are likely to be felt by the people in general and businesses alike. Phnom Penh City Hall yesterday issued a directive which places restrictions on gathering activities and drives hygiene practices to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the capital.
Apart from urging the local authorities to scrutinise people’s movements and adherence to hygienic standards in public areas, the directive also from now on limits the number of attendees at weddings and religious gatherings as well as the number of clients at restaurants and other places of entertainment to seven people per table instead of the usual ten.
“Therefore, in order to prevent the tragedy of a serious contagion outbreak in a large-scale community, I instructed to all kinds of crowded places – weddings, restaurants, entertainment venues or other crowded gatherings – to arrange seats with a safety distance of not more than seven people per table,” Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng said.
The governor said that attendees are also required to show their vaccination cards before being allowed to enter the venues.
“(The authorities or people in charge of the places) shall demand that people show their vaccination cards,” Sreng said. “Any individual who has not been vaccinated at all or has not received the third dose or booster shot after four months (since the second dose) without proper reason shall be prohibited from attending the venues.” – Khmer Times
Junta soldiers burn homes, crops and livestock during stay at village in Taze
Junta soldiers have burned down around 20 houses and badly damaged eight others during a days-long rampage at a village in Sagaing Region’s Taze Township, residents there have told Myanmar Now.
About 100 soldiers entered Pu Tee, which is about 10 miles north of the town of Taze, on Saturday, days after most residents fled upon learning the troops were on their way. Some sick and elderly residents stayed behind.
The soldiers set up camp in Pu Tee and stayed for three nights, during which time they ransacked buildings and set fires in the south and west of the village. The blazes also destroyed rice crops and killed livestock, locals said.
“All the rice is gone. Only ashes are left,” said one local man. “I heard the pigs were all killed as well.”
It is the sixth time that soldiers have raided Pu Tee since Taze became a hotbed of armed resistance against the junta last year. Soldiers also burned homes in Pu Tee during their third raid on the village late last year, locals said.
The troops left the village on Tuesday evening, but residents have still not returned to assess the full extent of the damage.
Junta representatives could not be reached for comment at the phone numbers listed for them online. The military council has previously blamed arson attacks in villages on “terrorists”, the term it uses to describe armed resistance forces and other anti-coup groups.
Pu Tee’s residents, who are now sheltering in surrounding villages or with family and friends, say the raids have badly damaged their livelihoods.
“We need to harvest our chickpeas… and peanuts and mung beans as well, but we can’t because we’re all on the run,” said a second resident. “They never even spare the rice crops during the raids. They just destroy everything they see.” – Myanmar NOW
Indonesia committed to protecting foreign refugees: Minister
Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly has stressed Indonesia's commitment to providing protection and humanitarian assistance to refugees despite their using the nation as a transit point illegally.
"Indonesia remains committed to providing special considerations based on the principles of humanity and global human rights aspirations," Laoly said during a meeting with Chief of Mission of the International Organization of Migration (IOM), UN Migration, Louis Hoffmann, here on Wednesday.
Hoffmann paid a courtesy call on Laoly during a visit to Jakarta to improve cooperation and discuss the continuation of cooperation between IOM and the Law and Human Rights Ministry.
Indonesia is not legally bound to provide permanent settlement to international asylum seekers or refugees on the grounds that it is not a party to the Refugee Convention 1951 and Protocol 1967 on Refugee Status, Laoly said.
For its part, as a non-party to the convention, Indonesia is not obliged to provide settlement to foreign migrants who come to the country as refugees, the minister added.
The cooperation with IOM is designed to improve the understanding of refugee-related issues, assist the government in tackling migration challenges, and encourage social and economic development related to migration, he said.
The cooperation also includes upholding the dignity and welfare of refugees, their families, and the community, he added. – AntaraNews.Com