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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S'pore to host over 300 leaders at first Changi Aviation Summit
Singapore will host more than 300 global aviation leaders, policymakers and senior executives from more than 45 countries at a two-day summit that begins on Tuesday (May 17).
The inaugural Changi Aviation Summit will be one of the first key aviation events held in the region since the Covid-19 pandemic started, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) in a statement on Sunday.
It comes as the global aviation sector is recovering from the pandemic, which had decimated air travel. Countries, including Singapore, are easing border restrictions and restoring air links. Jointly organised by CAAS and the Ministry of Transport (MOT), the event will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Participants include transport ministers and senior executives of civil aviation authorities, international organisations, airports, airlines, aircraft manufacturers and air navigation service providers.
MOT deputy secretary Kevin Shum, who chairs the event's organising committee, said the summit provides a "timely platform" for global aviation leaders to come together and commit to reviving international civil aviation operations in a safe, sustainable and inclusive manner.
The last major aviation event that Singapore hosted prior to this forum was the Singapore Airshow in February, which had fewer visitors and exhibitors than past editions due to Covid-19 restrictions. – Straits Times
Post-Aidilfitri Covid-19 spike expected, says Health DG
The Health Ministry anticipated Covid-19 cases to spike after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri period with admissions to healthcare centres increasing the past week.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there has been an increase of 38 per cent in the 19th epidemiology week (May 8 to May 14) compared to the week before.
Data shows that admissions for Covid-19 cases at hospitals and Low Risk Covid-19 Quarantine and Treatment Centres (PKRC) increased from eight patients for every 100,000 people in the 18th epidemiology week to 11 patients for every 100,000 in the 19th epidemiology week.
Covid-19 admissions to public hospitals increased by 100 per cent for Categories 1 and 2 and Categories 3 to 5 between the two epidemiology weeks, he said. "Non critical bed utilisation increased by 18 per cent and bed usage at PKRCs also increased by 100 per cent.
"Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bed utilisation dropped by 10 per cent and ventilated cases also dropped by 10 per cent between the two epidemiology weeks," he said in a statement today.
Covid-19 cases referred to Covid-19 Assessment Centres (CAC) also increased by 87.4 per cent with patients observing home quarantine increasing sharply to 153.4 per cent in the 19th epidemiology week.
Covid-19 cases referred from CACs to hospitals and PKRCs also increased by 28.2 per cent, he said.
He said that active cases monitored virtually by CACs spiked significantly by 162.4 per cent from 13,400 cases in the 18th epidemiology week to 35,167 cases in the 19th epidemiology week. – New Straits Times
Smear sparks poll unrest fear
The final stretch of the Bangkok governor campaign is heating up with the front-running candidate smeared with a scare tactic last employed in the March 3, 2013 Bangkok election governor campaign.
This time, the tactic is being exploited in a campaign aimed at diverting votes to one of four candidates approved by the groups behind the campaign which targets Chadchart Sittipunt, a leading independent contender. Mr Chadchart is seen by these groups as too close to the opposition party and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said Lt Gen Nanthadej Meksawat, a former head of the Armed Forces Security Centre.
Like Mr Chadchart, former Pheu Thai candidate Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen was ahead in several polls and seen as favourite to win the 2013 poll. But MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra of the Democrat Party was able to defeat Pol Gen Pongsapat thanks to a scare tactic that urged voters to cast their votes for MR Sukhumbhand or else see the candidate linked to Thaksin win instead, said Lt Gen Nanthadej.
In this campaign, unlike in the 2013 poll, there are up to four candidates approved by the anti-Thaksin camp, namely Suchatvee Suwansawat, Sakoltee Phattiyakul, Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang, and Rosana Tositrakul, according to Seri Wongmontha, a key figure in the yellow-shirted People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC).
Mr Seri is an anti-Thaksin figure drumming up support for what he describes as strategic voting against a figure known as "he", apparently referring to any candidates linked to Thaksin.
The campaigning phrase "If you're not voting for us, he will definitely win" is now back, said Mr Seri in a Facebook post in which he encouraged voters to do the same as they did in the 2013 poll: avoid the Thaksin-linked candidate. – Bangkok Post
Filipinos now aware of CPP’s deceptive tactics: Esperon
Filipinos are aware and continue to be watchful of the deceptive tactics of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), National Security Adviser (NSA) Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page Sunday night, Esperon said any move by the CPP and its allies to instigate anarchy after the elections has failed.
"Our countrymen are aware and watchful of every move it makes to divide our people. THEY WILL SURELY FAIL AGAIN," he added.
Earlier reports claimed that the CPP and its allies are planning to infiltrate electoral protest actions of the supporters of losing presidential aspirant Vice President Robredo and other militant groups.
"We can expect the CPP to hatch another agitation, organization and mobilization plan again, maybe in June, August and September this year but it is on its own," Esperon said.
He added that these plans have been neutralized after Robredo called on her supporters to respect the will of the majority.
Based on unofficial count, Robredo lost to presumptive president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. by a huge margin of about 17 million votes. Marcos garnered over 31 million votes while Robredo only about 14 million.
"We cannot allow ourselves to be the reason for the divisiveness in our country. This was the message of Vice President Leni Robredo after she encouraged her supporters to respect the will of the majority. With all certainty, I can declare that the insidious plan of the CPP to foment anarchy, the very intent of the 'Black Friday' movement, has failed," he said.
Earlier, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it was ready to counter attacks or violent activities that might be carried out by New People's Army (NPA) in the countryside following reports that militant groups will stage protest actions last May 13.
He also assured the public that the military is in "control of order", especially against the NPA. – Philippine News Agency
Local aviation market sees strong recovery
The aviation market in Viet Nam is vibrant and recovering with the number of international visitors increasing five-fold, according to experts.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam (CAAV), in April, Viet Nam's airports handled 6.6 million passengers, down 14.3 per cent compared to the same time last year but the number of foreign visitors reached more than 230,000 in April, an impressive increase of 502 per cent over the same period last year when COVID-19 was developing in a complex fashion.
CAAV said Vietnamese airlines transported 3.28 million passengers, including 80,000 foreigners.
Compared to the same period last year, the number of international passengers choosing services of Vietnamese airlines rose 214.7 per cent, while the number of domestic passengers dropped 18.2 per cent.
As for cargo transport, in April, 140,700 tonnes of cargo were transported through Viet Nam's airports, up 18.4 per cent year on year. Of this, 27,000 tonnes were transported by domestic airlines.
International shipping reached 15.5 thousand tonnes, up 64.3 per cent and domestic transportation reached 11.5 thousand tonnes, down 38.2 per cent.
In April, passenger and cargo transport through Viet Nam's airports still decreased slightly compared to the same period last year, but still marked an amazing recovery compared to the closure time.
Besides, international passenger and freight transport witnessed a remarkable growth while domestic passenger and cargo transportation experienced a significant decline.
Earlier this week the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines announced to increase its flight frequency on eight air routes linking Viet Nam with Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) starting May 15.
Thus, three routes to the RoK will be resumed from June 1. – Vietnam News
Digital payments on the rise as Cambodians shift away from cash
Visa, the world’s leader in digital payments, this week released findings from its latest Visa Consumer Payment Attitudes study, showing that as many as 32 percent of Cambodians plan to stop using cash following the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows a spectacular shift from cash to digital and contactless payments, especially QR codes and e-wallets, underlined Visa in its news release.
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital payments among Cambodian consumers as they believe going cashless will make society more hygienic (43 percent), efficient (39 percent) and environmentally friendly (37 percent), it added. “We are well on our way towards a generational change in how Cambodians choose to pay and be paid, with a growing preference for digital payments.
At Visa, we are keeping a close eye on how this conversion to cashless plays out, using our market insights to support our local partners by rolling out smarter, faster and safer forms of digital payments,” Ms Monika Chum, Visa Country Manager for Cambodia said.
According to the news release, since COVID-19, cash usage dropped 22 percent in the past year. One in five Cambodian consumers have tried going cashless, with almost half of them (46 percent) claiming they could go for longer than a week. Of those who have not tried going cashless, 29 percent are confident they could last for a month or longer by relying on cashless alternatives.
The study also showed an accelerated adoption of cashless and digital payments, especially cards and QR codes. Thirty-eight percent of Cambodians now use card payments and almost 7 out of 10 consumers (68 percent) who have both e-wallets and cards show a preference for the latter. – Khmer Times
Karenni fighters kill 15, capture five in raid on junta outpost in southern Shan State
Two local defence forces overran a military outpost in southern Shan State’s Nyaungshwe Township on Thursday, killing 15 troops and taking five more prisoner, according to an officer who took part in the assault.
The outpost, located in Hti Ri, a village near Nyaungshwe’s border with Pekhon Township, was shared by regime forces and members of the Pa-O National Army (PNA), an ethnic armed group allied with Myanmar’s military.
“It was completely overrun. We seized weapons and ammunition and then left, taking the captured soldiers with us by car,” said a deputy commander from the Pekhon People’s Defence Force (PDF), one of the groups involved in the attack.
Pekhon Township, which borders Kayah (Karenni) State, is one of the areas where ethnic Karenni resistance groups have been fighting Myanmar’s dictatorship since last year’s coup.
The Pekhon PDF, which is under the command of the shadow National Unity Government (NUG), carried out the attack with members of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force’s (KNDF).
The two groups handed their prisoners over to representatives of the NUG defence ministry’s Shan-Kayah military affairs commission, said the Pekhon PDF deputy commander, adding that they are currently receiving treatment for their injuries.
Three of the wounded troops were said to be from the PNA, which is the armed wing of the Pa-O National Organisation (PNO). The group, led by military-aligned politician Aung Kham Hti, signed a ceasefire agreement with the former junta in 1991.
One of the junta casualties was reportedly a major. The regime’s Military Operations Command 7, based in the town of Pekhon, fired heavy artillery from 50km away and carried out two airstrikes in response to the attack. – Myanmar NOW
President Jokowi's approval rating hits six-year low: Indikator
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's approval rating has hit a six-year low amid dissatisfaction over soaring cooking oil prices and the perceived failure of an export ban to swiftly reduce the rising cost of goods, a new poll showed on Sunday. Figures released by Jakarta-based pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia showed that satisfaction with the nation's president, widely known by as Jokowi, fell to 58.1 percent this May.
The figures are the lowest rating since December 2015 when the president's approval slumped to 53 percent. The decline, which follows a 12-point drop from January to April this year, comes as Indonesia has struggled to reign in domestic cooking oil prices, a household staple in Indonesia, and after a shock decision to ban palm oil exports late last month.
Indonesia is the world's largest producer of palm oil and the policy decision stunned global markets. At the time president Jokowi said the need for affordable food trumped revenue concerns, and the ban would be lifted after domestic needs were met.
Conducted from May 5-10, the Indikator survey said the decline in Jokowi's approval was largely related to the rising cost of cooking oil and flow-on inflationary effect, and the gap between policy expectations and realities on the ground, after the export ban failed to see prices drop significantly after the decision, Reuters reported. – The Jakarta Post