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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Singapore to have 4 new eco corridors; Lower Seletar Reservoir Park to be expanded
Centuries before Henry Keppel surveyed the waters off Telok Blangah for a potential new harbour in the mid-1800s, the strait had already been actively used by explorers and traders from the East and West.
Seamen coming from the Straits of Malacca in the 15th to early 18th centuries would pass by Singapore en route to the South China Sea.
In 1849, a survey by Keppel concluded, laying the foundation for a new harbour that would be completed in the 1880s and named after him in 1900. Come 2027, three port terminals - Tanjong Pagar, Keppel and Brani - will vacate the Keppel Harbour area, freeing it for developments as part of the Greater Southern Waterfront.
Among these will be a waterfront promenade of about 10km that links Marina Barrage to the Southern Ridges. It will be part of a coastal corridor that stretches from Marina Barrage as far as West Coast, linking the heritage and unique streetscapes of Singapore's southern coast.
The corridor is one of five "identity corridors" announced by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) at the launch of its long-term plan review exhibition on Monday (June 6). "Identity corridors" are a new initiative aimed at strengthening the identity of distinctive places and safeguarding the nation's heritage.
The other four corridors are: the Thomson-Kallang Corridor, an "Inner Ring" linking fringe districts around the city centre, a Geylang-Changi corridor branded "Historic East", as well as the Rail Corridor. – Straits Times
'Seek alternatives to Indonesian workers'
Employers are urging the government to bring in workers from other countries apart from Indonesia to resolve the labour shortage in Malaysia.
They believe that any delay in securing workers from Indonesia should prompt the authorities to explore getting labourers from other countries.
Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said given that it was now harder to recruit workers from Indonesia, the government should look at countries such as Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
"The Malaysian business community has spent a lot of time and resources to fill the shortages, but to no avail. "With the higher global demand for Malaysian products and services, every second of delay translates into a loss of revenue for businesses and the government. Employers need the new workers urgently to assist in their recovery efforts and put their businesses on the right path," he told the New Straits Times.
MEF in April had said that employers were facing a severe shortage of foreign workers due to the freeze on recruitment imposed in 2020 and 2021, at the height of Covid-19 infections.
It had cited the oil palm sector as an example, saying that any delay in harvesting would lead to losses, and that the plantation industry had lost more than RM30 billion due to the shortage of harvesters.
It had noted a similar shortage in manufacturing, tourism, retail services and construction.
Syed Hussain said there was a delay in the arrival of workers from Indonesia.
Last week, 164 workers from Lombok, Indonesia were scheduled to arrive in Malaysia. They would have been the first batch of workers since the freeze on foreign worker recruitment was lifted this year. However, they were barred from entering due to visa and documentation problems.
Syed Hussain said at the end of last year, there were about 563,000 legal Indonesian workers in Malaysia. – New Straits Times
Iran spy puts cops on alert
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) has issued a secret order to police nationwide to keep an eye out for spies from Iran believed to be in the region after one was arrested in Indonesia, prompting security fears, a police source said.
The source told the Bangkok Post that security agencies are closely monitoring the movement of Iranian nationals and some Thai Muslims who are suspected to be working as spies in Thailand. National police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk is said to have issued an order to the RTP's Special Branch, the Central Investigation Bureau, the Metropolitan Police Bureau and all nine Provincial Police Regions to be on alert and gather intelligence about the movements of secret agents.
The order cited an incident on May 24, last year when Indonesian authorities were tipped off that a man named Ghassem Saberi Gilchalan arrived in the country carrying a Bulgarian passport which was later found to be fake, the source said. On May 27, last year, the man was arrested by Indonesian authorities at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport just before departing for Qatar.
The man allegedly told police that he had used a fake passport to enter the country. Indonesian police found that he entered the country more than 10 times using false papers and a court sentenced him to two years in jail for the offences.
Indonesian police also found that the man had 11 mobile phones, one tablet computer, a number of SIM cards and cash worth more than 320,000 baht, the source added.
A check on his mobile phones found the names of some Thai Muslims, the source said, adding that Indonesian authorities believe Gilchalan is a spy from Iran. – Bangkok Post
PNP mobilizes units to help areas hit by Bulusan unrest
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday ordered the immediate mobilization of police units to assist residents in Sorsogon and nearby areas following Sunday's phreatic eruption of the Bulusan Volcano.
In a statement, Maj. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, PNP director for operations, said these units were also ordered to secure business establishments against possible looting incidents.
“PNP OIC (officer-in-charge) Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. instructed RD (Regional Director) PRO5 (Police Regional Office 5) to coordinate with the concerned local government units to determine the assistance that our local police units could extend to ensure the safety of the affected local residents,” De Leon said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has already hoisted Alert Level 1 over Bulusan Volcano after it spewed a thick plume at around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, causing ashfalls in some areas in Sorsogon and Albay.
He added that there are still a number of families living in danger zones and their priority now is to evacuate these individuals in the soonest possible time to safe areas.
De Leon also said unit commanders in Albay and Sorsogon were also instructed to make available the needed vehicles and transportation assets for the evacuation of residents.
He added that unit commanders were also ordered to help secure the evacuation centers where the residents would be taken.
The PRO-5 was also tasked to constantly communicate with local government units and local offices of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in order to determine the assistance that local residents need, including food, medicine, and other basic needs, he added.
As this developed, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) is closely monitoring the situation after a phreatic eruption of the Bulusan Volcano which caused ashfalls in Juban and Casiguran in Sorsogon. – Philippine News Agency
Viet Nam to develop ‘independent and self-reliant economy’: PM
Viet Nam will need to optimise its internal resources to build an ‘independent and self-reliant economy’ while maintaining international economic cooperation to speed up economic recovery post-pandemic, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at the fourth Viet Nam Economic Forum yesterday.
Addressing the forum’s plenary session, Chinh said the country was facing several challenges, including the risk of high inflation in addition to the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Some of the risks threatening the recovery process of the economy include the inflation pressure, especially from rising global energy and commodities prices.”
Intense political conflicts have also been the cause of the issue, he added.
The country must continue to maintain social orders, as well as political security and protect sovereignty, he noted.
According to the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report, global growth is expected to decelerate markedly from 5.5 per cent last year to 4.1 per cent this year, and 3.2 per cent in 2023 as pent-up demand dissipates and as fiscal and monetary support is unwound across the world.
The rising inflation is constraining monetary policy. Globally and in advanced economies, inflation is running at the highest rates since 2008, the report said.
In emerging markets and developing economies it has reached its highest rate since 2011, it added.
Other participants said the country should carefully regulate fiscal and monetary policies, undertake reforms to improve investment and human capital, reverse income, as well as deal with the challenges of climate change.
Furthermore, Viet Nam should consider continuously reducing excise tax and reschedule the increase in tariffs or fees to stabilise commodity prices.
Economist Nguyen Dinh Cung said Viet Nam needed to control supply chains of raw materials and energy for local production, and maintain global supply chains while trying to avoid supply chain disruption. – Vietnam News
The lion’s share: CPP claims it has won 99% of commune chief seats in polls
With the National Election Committee (NEC) still counting the votes for the Commune Election, the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has claimed that the ruling party has won 99% of commune chief positions contested for in yesterday’s Commune Election. As at press time yesterday, NEC has not released the preliminary result of the election yet.
“The NEC will release the initial results, mainly the votes that each party received in each commune, once we finished counting all of them,” NEC spokesman Hang Puthea told Khmer Times last night.
“However, we observe that the Cambodian People’s Party is leading in the vote count.” As the vote counting goes on, the CPP is observed to be leading by a huge gap compared to the opposition. In Phnom Penh alone, CPP looks to have won all the commune chief seats in 69 out of the 105 communes in which votes have already been counted, according to the statistics uploaded on the NEC’s website.
According to another credible source, the CPP has won the 5th Mandate Commune Election 2022 in the capital and all 24 provinces in the Kingdom.
While the tally has not been announced yet, CPP spokesman Sok Eysan claimed that initial reports indicate that his party is dominating the result and winning the majority of the communes in all provinces and cities.
“According our estimate, candidates from Cambodian People’s Party will be elected to be the commune chiefs in at least 99% of the 1,652 communes contested for in yesterday’s election,” he said. “I can say that the opposition will get seats in 10 communes or so.” – Khmer Times
Motorbikes banned in Kawhmu after attack on administrator and wife
A ban on riding motorcycles has been imposed in Yangon Region’s Kawhmu Township following the shooting of a junta-appointed village administrator and his wife on Monday.
The ban, which applies to more than 60 villages in the township, will remain in effect indefinitely, according to local sources.
“They no longer allow people to ride motorcycles in the western part of Kawhmu Township. The announcement was made by the administrators under the military’s orders,” a resident of the area told Myanmar Now.
The move comes after unknown assailants on a motorcycle shot Aung Min, the administrator for the village of Nghat Aw San, and his wife, Mya Mya Moe, on Monday.
Mya Mya Moe was killed instantly in the attack, but her husband survived and is currently receiving treatment at the military hospital in Yangon’s Mingaladon Township, according to the Kawhmu resident.
A local resistance group called 5 Brothers Younger claimed responsibility.
Another Kawhmu local said that most people living in the area depend on motorcycles for transportation, and that many will have difficulty making a living without them.
“They’re just simple farmers. How are they going to be able to sell vegetables or go to work on construction sites in other villages if they can’t use motorcycles?” he said.
Nghat Aw San was also the scene of an attack on a military convoy in early May.
The military also banned motorcycles in a number of villages, including Nghat Aw San, for several days after that incident. Hundreds of local residents were also detained for questioning.
Similar bans have also been introduced in other parts of the country in response to attacks on junta officials. – Myanmar NOW
2022 World Environment Day moment to increase awareness: minister
Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK) Siti Nurbaya said the 2022 World Environment Day commemoration must become a moment to increase awareness of improving fair behaviour towards the environment.
"The commemoration of the 2022 World Environment Day is an important moment to continue to grow, raise awareness to improve fair behaviour towards the environment," Nurbaya stated in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry's post on Sunday on the occasion of World Environment Day, which is celebrated every June 5.
According to her, due to the persistence, real action and hard work from all elements of the nation in carrying out various President Joko Widodo's key policies related to environmental development and natural resources management, currently, there have been multiple improvements, such as in structural transformation and natural and human productivity in overcoming inequality, and in creating prosperity.
Under President Joko Widodo's administration, various corrective steps have also been taken to support the community, which are actualized by allocating 12.7 million hectares of social forest and 4.1 million hectares of land reserved for the agrarian reform.
The minister also pointed out other environmental development efforts, such as the permanent primary natural forest and peat moratorium, restoration of peat water management, rehabilitation of watersheds and mangroves, sustainable forest management and development of forestry multi-business. – AntaraNews.Com