These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Recent spate of workplace deaths is 'far too many, and not acceptable': PM Lee
The recent spate of workplace fatalities is far too many, and not acceptable, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday (May 9).
Companies are being urged to impose a two-week safety time-out from Monday, after 10 workplace fatalities were reported last month.
This brings the total number of workplace deaths so far this year to 20 - the highest number of fatalities for the same period since 2016. The Ministry of Manpower, Workplace Safety and Health Council, National Trades Union Congress and industry partners had called for the time-out.
"We have been working hard for years to prevent workplace accidents, especially deaths. We have made good progress," PM Lee said in a Facebook post on Monday.
"But with our economy reopening and activities ramping up, safety standards and practices seem to have slipped. Accident rates have gone up, and we have lost ground." Companies can review workplace safety, reinforce their safety processes and address safety issues raised by workers, PM Lee said. Each time-out involves a company taking a pause from work so that senior management can engage workers and unions on workplace safety and health (WSH) processes, and act on any issues that may arise.
Companies should also review risk assessments, and ensure that workers implement risk controls as well as have WSH training relevant to their roles.
Companies have been asked to familiarise workers with learning points from recent fatal accidents, as well as hazardous situations, to avoid a repeat of these accidents. – Straits Times
Federal Court to hear Najib's appeal against jail term, fine this August
The Federal Court has fixed Aug 15 to 26 to hear Datuk Seri Najib Razak's final bid to overturn his 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine after he was found guilty of misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International funds.
It is learnt that a notice, signed by the Apex Court Deputy Registrar Hafizullaah Omar, regarding the hearing dates has been sent to the prosecution and also defence.
Both parties were also instructed to file their written submissions by July 31.
The Federal Court would be the final avenue for Najib to appeal against his sentence and conviction involving the SRC International case. It was previously reported that the former prime minister is arguing that the Court of Appeal (COA) had erred in upholding the High Court's decision finding him guilty of all seven counts of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust (CBT) and money laundering involving the former 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) subsidiary company's funds.
He said both courts had wrongly convicted and sentenced him after applying their own logic or rationale in evaluating the evidence against him.
The former prime minister said he was aggrieved by the serious errors in fact and law made by the judges when finding him guilty of the offences.
He argued that the entire grounds of judgment by both courts contained serious errors as the judges had relied on findings that were not fully proven and did not reflect on the totality of evidence against him.
He said the courts should have considered his defence that he was deceived by fugitive financier Low Taek Jho @ Jho Low and others, including the management of SRC. – New Straits Times
DES to sue over 'offensive' ad
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) will file a case against all parties involved in a controversial Lazada advertisement seen as an insult to the monarchy.
Noppawan Huajaiman, spokesman for the ministry, on Sunday said DES Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn has ordered officials to collect evidence for the case. It plans to file a complaint with the Technology Crime Suppression Division against all parties involved in the video ad on Monday, Ms Noppawan said.
"The case will serve as an example for other businesses that this type of advertising is divisive to society," she said. The ad, part of Lazada's 5.5 campaign, showed social media influencer Aniwat Prathumthin, or Nara Crepe Katoey, joking around with Thidarat Chaokuwiang, a wheelchair-bound woman.
The ad, shown on Ms Nara's TikTok page, drew criticism from netizens who said it was mocking disabled people and royalists, asserting Ms Thidarat's outfit was offensive and her actions intentionally targeted the royal family.
Since the video sparked the controversy, netizens have urged users to delete the Lazada app from their phones. The hashtag #banlazada was trending among Twitter users in Thailand on Sunday. – Bangkok Post
Voters urged to report cases of electoral fraud
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año on Sunday appealed to the voters to report to proper authorities immediately any vote buying or vote selling activities in their communities.
“If you see something suspicious, report it immediately. Do not hesitate to report so that authorities can act on it as soon as possible,’’ Año said in a radio interview.
Año said that starting May 8 until the actual election day on Monday, it is the duty of the deployed police officers to enforce the liquor ban and ensure that no all sorts of election campaign activity, like the distribution of political materials, is being done.
“The police will have no second thoughts of arresting violators that is why, we are warning you that the campaign period has ended starting today and at the same time those buying votes will be directly arrested,’’ he added.
Año has directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to create Anti-Vote Buying Teams in each province and city to receive complaints and investigate allegations of vote-buying and vote-selling in compliance with election laws, rules, and regulations.
“This is a concrete effort of the DILG and PNP to support the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the interagency Task Force Kontra Bigay in ensuring a fraud-free election,” he said.
Año said the Anti-Vote Buying Teams are also tasked to gather and preserve evidence, take statements of witnesses, and protect witnesses or complainants by coordinating with the proper government agencies. – Philippine News Agency
Agriculture sector witnesses large trade surplus in Q1
Viet Nam enjoyed the largest trade surplus ever, about US$4 billion, in the first four months of this year, 3.2 times higher than the previous year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
Total trade value in agricultural, forestry and seafood products hit $31.8 billion in the first four months, an increase of seven per cent year-on-year, the ministry reported.
Of this, exports were worth $17.9 billion, up 15.6 per cent year-on-year, while imports totalled $13.9 billion, down 2.3 per cent.
Aquatic exports saw the highest growth during the period at 43.7 per cent to reach $3.6 billion. Shipments of key agricultural and forestry products exceeded $7.4 billion and $5.9 billion, up 10.5 per cent and 4.9 per cent, respectively. Meanwhile, those of husbandry products plummeted 19 per cent year-on-year to $105.4 million.
Five export items with revenue exceeding $1 billion included coffee, rice, fruits and vegetables, shrimp and timber products.
Notably, exports of coffee and shrimp stood at $1.7 billion and $1.3 billion, a year-on-year surge of 59.4 per cent and 38.6 per cent respectively. Export value of tra fish went up 89.6 per cent to $894 million.
The US remained the largest export market for Viet Nam’s agricultural, forestry and seafood products with nearly $4.9 billion, accounting for 27.3 per cent of the total exports. Around 68.2 per cent of Viet Nam’s exports to the US were timber and wood products.
China came second with over $3.2 billion, representing 18.1 per cent of total shipments. – Vietnam News
Cambodia records zero Covid-19 infections
Cambodia marked a day with no recorded Covid-19 cases on Saturday. This is the first time since the February 20 outbreak that a day has gone by without detecting infections. A Ministry of Health official said that the daily reported cases revealed zero Covid-19 infections on Saturday.
Prime Minister Hun Sen congratulated everybody for the huge effort in fighting Covid-19. “We have been combatting Covid-19 transmission with sweat and tears for these few years, and many strict measures were applied, However, I am grateful for the people who always cooperated with the authorities and have made the Covid-19 situation in our country what it is today,” he said. In the voice message released on his Facebook page on Saturday, he remarked that zero recorded cases of Covid-19 was a historic day.
The premier noted that the country even lifted mandatory mask wearing, but recorded transmissions are very low. It shows the effectiveness of vaccinations.
“I am grateful to the government for stepping up with effective strategies to keep the virus under control, and the people for getting vaccinated which now numbers in the millions has created strong herd immunity against the virus,” he said.
“However, vaccination with a booster shot both remains crucial, the Covid-19 virus hasn’t vanished yet, so we need to protect ourselves. Each individual must continue to apply the health measures and get vaccinated in line with their age,” he said. – Khmer Times
Military burns more than 1,000 homes in north-western Myanmar in one week
The military burned down more than 1,000 homes in villages in townships across Sagaing Region and Chin State during the first week of May alone, according to local sources.
On the evening of May 1, Myanmar army soldiers torched nearly the entire 800-household village of Ah Shey See in Sagaing’s southern Kalay Township. In the days that followed, they carried out widespread acts of arson some 200 miles away in Ayadaw Township’s Malethar and Kyaung Sin Aing villages.
Around 90 junta troops had been stationed in Kyaung Sin Aing since carrying out earlier raids on communities in north-western Taze Township, also in Sagaing. They then started burning homes in the occupied village on Thursday morning, a source close to the anti-junta Taze People’s Defence Force said.
The individual did not know how many of Kyaung Sin Aing’s 300 households had been lost, but noted that most of its 3,000 residents had fled.
The destruction of Malethar in southern Ayadaw on Monday affected at least 500 of the village’s 600 homes, according to a Wednesday statement released by the township’s anti-junta information team. It was the fourth time that the community had been targeted by the military since the coup in February last year.
“The wind was blowing north and they started torching from the southern part of the village. The fire spread so fast that they didn’t even need to put in much effort,” a local man told Myanmar Now on the condition of anonymity.
Only around 30 homes, as well as a school, kindergarten and library were totally spared, he added. – Myanmar NOW
Preserve Tirta Empul Temple as cultural heritage: President
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) visited Tirta Empul Temple, Manukaya village, Gianyar district, Bali province, on Friday, and asked all stakeholders to preserve the cultural heritage.
The temple is located east of the Tampaksiring Presidential Palace. In addition to the temple being a tourist attraction, a clear spring on its premises is used for religious ceremonies.
"I think that the temple is well-maintained and clean. Currently, a lot of tourists have started to visit it (again)," the President said, according to a statement issued by the press, media, and information bureau of the Presidential Secretariat.
The temple is included in the subak (Bali’s traditional irrigation system) landscape of the Pakerisan Watershed (DAS). The landscape has been designated a world cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Hence, Jokowi urged all parties – the local government as well as the community – to collaborate for maintaining the temple.
"Please keep implementing strict health protocols and maintaining the cleanliness of the place since it is the asset of the nation, community, and indigenous people, which provides welfare to the people and the local government of this customary village," he remarked.
The customary head of the village (locally called bendesa adat), Made Mawiarnata, informed that the number of visitors at Tirta Empul Temple has declined amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hence, he said he is grateful that lately, tourists have begun to flock to the temple. – AntaraNews.Com