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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Two drug traffickers scheduled to be hanged granted respite by President Halimah Yacob
A pair of drug traffickers who were originally scheduled to be hanged on Wednesday (Feb 16) were granted a respite by President Halimah Yacob, putting off their executions for an unstated length of time.
The stay came even as lawyers for Singaporean Roslan Bakar, 51, and Malaysian Pausi Jefridin, 37, filed a fresh court challenge against their death sentences after the Court of Appeal had dismissed two earlier last-ditch attempts in as many days. They were convicted in 2010.
The respite order was made under Article 22P (1) of the Constitution and Section 313 (h) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Article 22P (1) states that the president may, on the advice of the Cabinet, grant to any convicted offender any reprieve or respite, either indefinitely or for such period as the president may think fit, of the execution of any sentence pronounced on the offender.
Section 313 (h) provides that the president may, before the court's warrant for the death sentence is carried out, order a respite of the execution of the warrant and afterwards appoint some other time or other place for its execution.
The respite granted by President Halimah does not amount to a pardon.
Lawyers for Roslan and Pausi had filed two eleventh-hour court applications, one after another, to stave off their executions. – Straits Times
MATTA: Reopen borders in stages
As more countries unveil plans to welcome fully vaccinated international tourists, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) cautioned that Malaysia will be left behind if the country's borders remain closed for leisure tourism activities.
MATTA proposed that the government reopen the country's borders in stages, starting with fully inoculated tourists from countries in Southeast Asia before relaxing restrictions for other travellers.
Its president, Datuk Tan Kok Liang, said the proposal was based on the fact that 70 per cent of tourist arrivals to Malaysia were from ASEAN countries.
"Opening is better than closing our borders. There are proposals that we should emulate the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand. However, taking into consideration all factors, no one size fits all. "Every country has its own precarity, including the healthcare system and the people's readiness. For instance, there are countries, such as China and Japan, whose borders are still closed to international tourists."
He said MATTA understood the importance of protecting the public healthcare system from being overwhelmed, but it was equally important for the government to look into the livelihood of tourism players as Malaysia had shut borders for almost two years.
"Over the past 22 months, there have been no Covid-19 clusters linked to tourism.
"We feel the government should facilitate the reopening of borders and allow the arrival of fully vaccinated tourists from ASEAN countries before opening to tourists from other parts of the world. – New Straits Times
New Covid hotspot logs 1,500 cases
The southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 infections, with almost 1,500 new cases logged on Thursday.
According to a report on the number of daily Covid-19 infections released by the Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Public Health Office, 750 cases were detected via RT-PCR testing and 686 cases from ATK tests on Thursday, totalling 1,436.
Health officials let those who tested positive but were asymptomatic undergo home isolation while the rest were asked to receive medication at hospitals, the report said.
The bulk of the infections were found in Muang, Thung Song, Tha Sala, Bang Khan, Ron Phibun, Chulabhorn and Sichon districts, it said.
Charasphong Sukkree, chief of the provincial public health office, said 80% of the new infections were identified as the Omicron variant, and it had mostly spread among family members.
"Before that, we were more concerned about it spreading within gambling circles, at ordination ceremonies, funerals and marriage ceremonies," he said.
"But from this January, Omicron has been prevalent and it's hard to trace the origin, especially as many cases are asymptomatic. When people contract the virus, it spreads quickly among their family members."
Over 320 schools in the province had decided to resume onsite studying but many recently decided to close down given spiralling infection rates, Dr Charasphong said. – Bangkok Post
PMA alumni to honour Lacson with 'Lifetime Achievement Award'
Partido Reporma standard-bearer Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson will be conferred a "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association, Inc. (PMAAAI) in recognition of his over 50 years of outstanding contributions in government and public service.
In a statement Friday, Lacson cited the Dec. 15, 2021 letter signed by PMAAAI chairperson and chief executive officer Amado T. Espina, Jr. which described him as a person who established a “reputation beyond reproach and worthy of emulation” that brought honour not only to himself and his family but also the entire PMA and its alumni organization.
Lacson will travel to Benguet on Friday, ahead of the annual alumni homecoming and parade of the PMA at the Borromeo Field, Fort del Pilar, Baguio City on Saturday.
The former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief has been unanimously voted by members of the Board of Directors of the PMAAAI to receive the award for his “exemplary and unblemished service to the country” characterized by his “faithful adherence to the virtues of Courage, Loyalty, and Integrity.”
In an interview with Bombo Radyo Thursday, Lacson said he is going to accept the award along with his other fellow cavaliers, who will also be recognized for their achievements and contributions during the event.
Other recipients of the award are former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Anselmo Avenido, former PMA superintendent Melchor Rosales and former PNP chief Edgar Aglipay. – Philippine News Agency
Drug administration grants licences for first three made-in-Viet Nam Molnupiravir products
The Drug Administration of Viet Nam under the Ministry of Health has issued the list of three COVID-19 treatment drugs produced in Viet Nam that contain the antiviral ingredient Molnupiravir, which have been granted certificates of registration for conditional use.
The three products – Molravir 400mg produced by Boston Viet Nam Pharma (based in Binh Duong Province), Movinavir 200mg manufactured by Mekophar Chemical Pharmaceutical (based in HCM City), and Molnupiravir Stella 400mg produced by Stellapharm J.V Co., Ltd (Binh Duong Province) – were the first to be approved for use in Viet Nam.
The products are hard gelatine capsules, with an expiration date of six months.
Each course comprises 20 tablets of 400mg, for a price of about VND300,000 (US$13) as recommended by the health ministry.
Earlier, the advisory council of the Ministry of Health agreed with the proposal on granting certificates of registration for conditional circulation to the three drugs. The licensing for these drugs is valid for three years from the date of signing the decision.
The drug is prescription-only and used to treat mild to moderate adult COVID-19 patients with at least one risk factor that could enhance progression of coronavirus.
The recommended dosage is 800mg for every 12 hours over five days, and the medicines should be taken as soon as possible after a positive COVID-19 diagnosis and within five days of the symptoms appearing.
In the caution section, it is noted that the drug ‘must not be used as pre-exposure and post-exposure prevention.’
The drug must not be used for people under 18 years as it might affect the development of bones and cartilages, or pregnant women for it could result in complications for both mothers and the foetuses – including serious birth defects and miscarriages. – Vietnam News
Children aged 3 to 5 years to be jabbed against C-19, amid surge
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday sanctioned children aged three to five years be vaccinated against the deadly Covid-19 disease, with the Variant of Concern, Omicron, spreading rapidly in the community and even infecting children.
The Premier is mandating this due to the high contagious and rapid spread of Omicron in the community daily with 20% to 25% of the victims being kids and some under five being placed on ventilators due to them having breathing difficulties.
He said that it is better to have them vaccinated than expose them to the risk and a tragic situation.
In an audio message released on Mr Hun Sen’s Facebook page last night, he said he is sanctioning the vaccination of three to five-year-old children after revealing that his grandson has been tested positive for the virus.
He said, “To be honest, even my 21st grandson, who was less than two years old, was infected. So, we need to vaccinate children between the ages of three and five.”
He added, “It is necessary to protect our children from being infected with the new Omicron virus. So, we have no other choice than to give the first and second doses of the vaccine to children under five years of age, from three to five years.”
The premier said that the major decision was made based on the finding that 25% of those who have been infected with the Omicron variant are young children under the age of five.
According to Mr Hun Sen, there are an estimated 700,000 children between the ages of three and five. – Khmer Times
Junta soldiers implicated in Christmas Eve massacre occupy town of Moebye
The Myanmar military has sent between 200 and 300 soldiers and two tanks to occupy Moebye in southern Shan State since Tuesday morning, leading to clashes with People’s Defence Force (PDF) fighters in the town.
The tanks were seen leaving Loikaw Township in neighbouring Karenni State and were later spotted parked at the Moebye base of Light Infantry Battalion 422, the Moebye PDF said.
Soldiers from Light Infantry Division 66, a notorious unit involved in the deadly 2007 crackdowns against anti-military protesters in Yangon, were seen stationed all over Moebye Township, the group added.
On Christmas Eve, LID 66 soldiers are believed to have massacred dozens of civilians in Karenni State’s Hpruso Township, burning some of them alive, according to a doctor who examined the victims’ remains. The junta denies responsibility.
Moebye is four hours from Naypyitaw and about a 30-minute drive from both Loikaw and Demoso, another township in Karenni that has seen fierce armed resistance to military rule.
At around 9am on Wednesday, a shootout began between the LID 66 troops in Moebye and PDF fighters. It is unclear if anyone was injured.
“We are having a break right now but it’s safe to assume that it will resume very soon,” a Moebye PDF officer said on Wednesday afternoon. – Myanmar NOW
Blinken commends Indonesia's G20 leadership on global health
US State Secretary Antony Blinken lauded Indonesia's leadership in discussing global health issues at the forum of the group of 20 major world economies (G20), the US Embassy in Jakarta noted in a statement, Tuesday.
Blinken called on all nations in the world to look to the future and bolster global health security for the next emergency.
The US state secretary affirmed that it meant ensuring sustainable financing for pandemic preparedness and response, including well-financed international institutions and a new fund at the World Bank that focuses specifically on providing for the capacity that we need to prevent, detect, and respond to future threats.
"I want to commend Indonesia for using its leadership of the G20 this year to move us forward on this front," Blinken remarked at the COVID-19 Global Action Meeting held on Monday (Feb 14).
The US state secretary noted that the meeting was decisive in the fight against COVID-19.
At the meeting, Blinken also emphasized the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic was still not over.
"As you know, the World Health Organization has set the goal of vaccinating 70 percent of people in every country across every income level by this September. At the rate we’re going, we are well below our target," he emphasized.
Citing a recent analysis, Blinken also noted that while nearly 80 percent of the people are vaccinated in upper-, middle-, and high-income countries, the figure falls to below 11 percent in low-income countries.
In January 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that almost 90 countries from across the world are not on track to achieve the 70-percent goal. – AntaraNews.Com