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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Asia's largest cell-cultured chicken facility to be up and running in Bedok from 2023
Meat lovers here will have more options in the diet when Asia's largest cultivated chicken facility is built in Bedok early next year.
California foodtech firm Eat Just's Good Meat division broke ground on its upcoming 30,000 sq ft facility - about half the size of a football field - in food industry hub Bedok Food City on Friday (June 10).
Singapore is the first country to approve the sale of cell-based meat in December 2020, with the product coming from Good Meat. Cell-cultured chicken is meat from chicken cells grown in a bioreactor - similar to the vats used in brewing beer - thus doing away with having to slaughter actual chickens.
Once operational in the first quarter of next year, the $61 million Bedok plant will house a 6,000-litre bioreactor - the largest one in the cultivated meat industry to date - which will produce tens of thousands of kilograms of the novel chicken each year.
About 50 researchers, scientists and engineers will work in the facility, which will be the largest Good Meat plant until its second US facility is built later. Research and development in such novel foods and alternative proteins have been gaining traction in Singapore in recent years as the Republic boosts its food security and produces food sustainably.
With Singapore currently importing more than 90 per cent of its food, the country is looking to shore up against global food supply shocks by producing 30 per cent of its food locally by 2030. – Straits Times
Odour pollution: Three water treatment plants in S'gor at risk of shut down
The Selangor Water Management Board (Luas) has received information about diesel-like odour pollution measuring up to three tons detected at the River Monitoring Station (RMS) in Section 3, Bangi, at 11.15am yesterday.
State Tourism, Environment, Green Technology and Orang Asli Affairs Standing Committee chairman Hee Loy Sian in a statement yesterday said the incident was reported by Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor).
Following that, he said a monitoring operation conducted by Luas together with related agencies such as the National Water Commission (SPAN) and Air Selangor had investigated several locations to identify the source of pollution.
"Luas has activated the Yellow Code based on the Water Resources Pollution Emergency Manual for a thorough investigation into the area upstream of the inlets, which is at risk of causing the shutdown of the Semenyih 2 Water Treatment Plant (LRA), Bukit Tampoi LRA and Labohan Dagang LRA. "The estimated distance of the pollution location from the inlets, namely Semenyih 2 LRA is 6.63 kilometres (km); Bukit Tampoi LRA (18 km) and Labohan Dagang LRA (31.9 km)," he said.
He said several potential sources of pollution had been investigated by Luas in Sungai Balak and odour test sampling recorded odours up to two tons, while in Sungai Sekamat and upstream of Sungai Langat, no pollution-related findings were detected, with the odour reading at zero tons.
He said as of 5pm, there was no more oil-like odour around Sungai Balak.
"Meanwhile, Luas is also conducting static monitoring and sampling around the Kampung Teras Jernang Bridge with odour test sampling conducted every 30 minutes and readings obtained were around two tons, as of 9pm, there was no contamination at the LRA inlet area," he said. – New Straits Times
Ministry set to ask for end to mask rule
The Ministry of Public Health will ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation's (CCSA) operations centre to drop the mask mandate in public places and lower the national Covid-19 alert to Level 2 next week.
Kiattiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary for public health, said if the operations centre agrees with the ministry's recommendation, the final decision will rest with the CCSA's executive board, which is chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. While no decision on the matter has been taken, Gen Prayut did not wear a face mask during media interviews on Thursday -- instead, he spoke from a podium behind a plastic shield. Other ministers, meanwhile, had their masks on.
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the CCSA will also consider another proposal submitted by Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt to allow the capital's residents to ditch face masks in public places and parks. Separately, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will start to roll out the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine soon.
In an announcement on its Facebook page on Thursday, the BMA said the vaccines have arrived in Thailand, with priority given to those who have yet to receive any Covid-19 jab. – Bangkok Post
PH credible defense posture boosted under Duterte admin: DND
Outgoing Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has worked hard for the Philippines to attain a credible defense posture to protect its vast maritime territories.
"The Department also steadily worked towards achieving a credible defense posture through priority infrastructure development in the Municipality of Kalayaan, construction of maritime domain awareness platforms, heightened deployment of AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) detachments in border islands, and procurement of game-changing assets, such as combat utility helicopters, missile frigates, close air-support aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, air defense systems, various force protection equipment, and weapon systems," he said in a statement Friday.
Lorenzana also said the AFP also significantly stepped up its external defense operations to secure the country's strategic border areas and exclusive economic zone by increasing naval surface and maritime air patrols.
"With these modern and multi-role assets added to the AFP's inventory, together with the improvements and reforms we have instituted, we are hopeful that the defense sector's trajectory will continue its upward momentum and lead to sustained peace and stability for the nation," he added.
Lorenzana is also pleased to note that during his term the AFP launched sustained operations against the communist insurgents and violent extremists which led to the weakening of these pressing security threats.
"The DND, through the AFP, sustained operations that led to the weakening of the communist terrorist group and revitalization of the government’s reintegration program for former rebels and violent extremists. Since 2016, thousands of rebels, violent extremists, and their supporters have returned to the fold of the law, resulting in a major loss of their ground-level support," he added. – Philippine News Agency
Vietnamese PM hopes India will help promote effective implementation of sea laws in the region
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh praised the cooperation between the defence ministries and armies of Viet Nam and India while receiving visiting Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Ha Noi on Wednesday.
The sides have made unremitting efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation on the basis of trust, sincerity and responsibility and in a practical, effective and appropriate manner in contribution to building the nations’ strong armies and protecting their sovereignty and territorial integrity, PM Chinh said.
He affirmed that the Vietnamese Party, State, Government, and people always value and want to foster the country’s traditional friendship and strategic partnership with India based on the sides’ connections in history and culture, similar values and benefits, strategic trust and mutual understanding, and commitments to international law.
In the coming time, the two countries should continue to coordinate well in organising activities in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations; and to effectively implement their signed cooperation agreements and documents, Chinh noted.
The PM hoped India will continue support Viet Nam in disease prevention and control; high-quality human resources training; digital transformation promotion; climate change response, natural disaster prevention and control; and green and circular economy development.
He said he appreciates India's role at international and regional forums, as well as the strong coordination and support shared between the two countries, especially at the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement. – Vietnam News
Monkeypox screening at all entry points
With more suspected cases being detected in the country continuously, the Health Ministry has initiated strict measures since Monday to prevent monkeypox from being imported via inbound travellers. These include screening by health workers at air, sea and land entry points and mandatory quarantining for those found to be infected and those who were in close contact.
These travellers will be sent to designated hospitals for quarantine. Director of the Communicable Disease Control Department (CDC) of the Ministry of Health Ly Sovann told Khmer Times yesterday that the infected persons will have to stay in quarantine for 21 days until recovery. Those in close contact will be quarantined for 14 days and allowed to leave if they do not get monkeypox.
“Health officials are screening travellers arriving by water, air and land for signs of monkeypox since we do not want the disease to spread and cause chaos just like the Covid-19 outbreak,” he said.
He said that temperature checks, which had been waived after Covid-19 became endemic, have been reintroduced at all entry points and travellers will be screened.
Sovann said those who have a high fever will be sent to a hospital to check is they have monkeypox or Covid-19. The results will be released in a day or two. He added that entry point screening for monkeypox will also include checks on the arms and legs for signs of the disease.
“Those travellers, who have nodes on their skin will be transferred to the hospital automatically for testing. If found positive for monkeypox, they need to undergo treatment for 21 days,” he said. – Khmer Times
Myanmar military destroys more than 100 houses in latest attack on Catholic village
Regime forces destroyed more than 100 houses in the predominantly Catholic village of Chan Thar in Sagaing Region’s Ye-U Township on Tuesday, according to residents.
The village, which has been raided repeatedly since it first came under attack on May 7, was formerly home to around 2,000 inhabitants living in 500 households. Most are currently in hiding.
Junta troops entered the village, located about 10km west of the town of Ye-U, at around 4pm on Tuesday and immediately started setting fire to the largest and most expensive homes, locals said.
“They started setting fires from the northern part of the village all the way down to its southern edge. Around 110 houses were destroyed. They did this deliberately, to completely obliterate our village,” a local man said on Wednesday.
The military column of around 120 soldiers that carried out the attack left the village early the next morning. Some villagers returned at around 7am to try to put out the fires, according to the man.
He also noted that the soldiers appeared to have used some sort of highly flammable material to ensure that the fires did the maximum amount of damage.
“The residue suggests that it was a kind of slime consisting of diesel fuel mixed with chemicals,” he said, speaking to Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity.
“Whatever it was, it was formed into slimy balls that burned for at least half an hour without going out. They were attached to the walls of all the houses that were set on fire,” he said.
According to the man, the village has been raided a total of 16 times since 21 houses were destroyed there on May 7.
“Previously, they just took what they wanted and burned down a few houses,” he said, describing Tuesday’s attack as the worst and most systematic so far.
There were also reports that two men were killed by regime forces in the village in January.
In March, junta troops raided Chaung Yoe, a Catholic village in Sagaing’s Taze Township, setting fire to the pulpit and altar of its church and burning robes and other sacred items.
More than 300 houses were destroyed and a 55-year-old man and his son were shot and killed during the raid, according to a Chaung Yoe resident. – Myanmar NOW
New bill obligates corporates to provide six months of maternity leave
The Mother and Child Welfare Bill regulates the obligation of companies to provide six months maternity leave for working mothers, according to House of Representatives Legislative Body Deputy Speaker Abdul Wahid.
"(The bill) regulates maternity leave obligations of at least six months and a rest period of 1.5 months, or in accordance with the statement letter (issued by) obstetricians or midwives, if (working mothers) experience a miscarriage," Wahid explained at the plenary meeting on the Harmonization of the Mother and Child Welfare Bill, monitored here on Thursday.
He stressed that a mother has the right to receive special treatment and facilities in public spaces.
The bill includes "adding the right of mothers to get special treatment and facilities in public infrastructure," he said.
Wahid also said that a mother has the right to receive an education in taking care of babies, parenting, and child growth and development.
Moreover, the Mother and Child Welfare Bill stipulates children's right to obtain exclusive breastfeeding and knowledge of having faith values.
"Adding children's right to exclusively receive breast milk and the faith in God Almighty according to their (respective) religion and beliefs," Wahid said.
The House Legislative Body approved the results of the bill harmonization for further discussion with the government. – AntaraNews.Com