These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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New Digital and Intelligence Service to learn from Estonia, Latvia: Ng Eng Hen
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will learn from Baltic states Estonia and Latvia as it sets up the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) to protect the Republic from growing digital threats.
Speaking from Riga, the capital of Latvia, where he is visiting from Sunday (May 15) to Tuesday (May 17), Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said that the trip to both countries has been useful from the perspective of setting up the DIS, the fourth service branch of the SAF after the army, navy and air force.
Announced during the Budget debate in March this year, the DIS is to be set up by the end of this year, and will be responsible for intelligence, cyber and psychological defence, as well as advancing the SAF as a networked force. Dr Ng also said that it is now accepted that combat is waged by militaries or aggressors on the information and cyber fronts, just as much as in the air, on land and in the sea.
"We have examples of this, including the situation in Ukraine," said Dr Ng, adding that Estonia and Latvia are front-line states when it comes to cyberattacks and hostile information campaigns.
He said that Estonia was attacked in the cyberworld in 2007 and added: "That's why they have been, in earnest, building up capabilities." – Straits Times
30 per cent of children in Malaysia fully vaccinated
Thirty per cent of children here have received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine under the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids).
Data on CovidNow showed that as of yesterday, a total 1,063,569 children aged between five and 11-years-old have completed their vaccination.
Labuan has the highest vaccination rate for this group at 24.2 per cent, followed by Sarawak where 22.1 per cent children there have been fully vaccinated and Melaka at 20.1 per cent.
These are the three states with a vaccination rate above 20 per cent. Terengganu and Kelantan remain at the bottom with a vaccination rate below 10 per cent at 9.2 and 7.2 per cent respectively.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin in a Tweet said he hopes the vaccination rate among children would reach 50 per cent before PICKids concludes by the end of the month.
"Let's get it to 50 per cent by the deadline. Protect your kids with #PICKids," he Tweeted.
PICKids which was supposed to end on May 15 has been extended to May 31. Deputy Health Minister I Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali was reported as saying that his Ministry decided to extend the programme till May 31 to compensate for the closure of vaccination centres during the Hari Raya and Labour Day holidays.
Children will no longer be offered free vaccination for the first dose of the Pfizer and Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines starting June 1. – New Straits Times
Fresh start seeds new trade deals
The government is planning to import fertilisers from Saudi Arabia to ensure an adequate supply during the peak planting season, amid shortages in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
Securing a deal on fertilisers was among the trade objectives of a Thai delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and MFA minister Don Pramudwinai last week. The delegation met with Khalid Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Minister of Investment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in a bid to further restore economic relations. It was the first time in 32 years Thai dignitaries had set foot in Saudi Arabia for formal talks.
The visit is part of efforts to rebuild investment opportunities and forge joint ventures after the restoration of full diplomatic ties between the two countries was announced after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's visit to Riyadh and meeting with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, His Royal Highness Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, on Jan 25. Tanee Sangrat, a spokesman for the MFA and director-general of its Department of Information, on Monday said Mr Don had made brokering the fertiliser deal a priority after shortages, partly a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, had emerged.
According to data from the Internal Trade Department, Thailand uses about 5 million tonnes of fertiliser a year, but the country is capable of producing only 8% of that total and so relies on imports from the Middle East, China, Canada and Russia, among others. – Bangkok Post
Watchdog ‘Kontra Daya’ brainchild of CPP-NPA-NDF: ex-cadre
Election watchdog Kontra Daya is made up of active urban operators and infiltrators of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), a former cadre of the communist terrorist groups said on Monday.
In a statement, Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz claimed that the “Kontra Daya group is known among former rebels, cadres, and organizers of the CPP-NPA-NDF” as “nothing but a special project of the communist terrorists' urban operators and infiltrators”.
Celiz identified one of the core leaders as Danilo Arao, a University of the Philippines professor and who identifies himself as a journalist connected with Media Asia, Kontra Daya, Bulatlat, Pinoy Weekly, and Kodao Productions.
Arao, Kontra Daya convenor, said the May 9 election was the worst in automated election history.
“Commission on Elections service provider Smartmatic. If there is a grade lower than 5, that goes to Comelec and even Smartmatic,” Arao said at the media forum "Balitaan sa Maynila" on Sunday.
The country's first nationwide fully automated election was held in May 2010 using the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine.
Celiz said Kontra Daya is a CPP project being used to manipulate electoral public opinion.
He added that opinions, instigation of electoral fraud, and party-list manipulation are among the standard propaganda operation lines of the CPP-NPA-NDF and passed on by Kontra Daya as political analysis.
“Though there may be some interesting insights regarding how the influential and wealthy families try to dominate the party-list groups, yet the bogus Kontra Daya group maliciously and consciously avoids and brushes aside the exposition on the very obvious fact that the CPP-NPA-NDF, which is the main operator, is the one that really continues to infiltrate, hostage and sabotage the integrity of our electoral process, including their deceptive and manipulative ‘Kamatayan party-lists’ which are the vehicles for the communist terrorists' government bureaucracy infiltration," he said. – Philippine News Agency
PM meets leaders of investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Visa Group in New York
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with leaders of global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and Visa Group in New York and held phone talks with the Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during his trip to the US.
At a meeting with Joseph Bae, Co-Chief Executive Officer of KKR, on May 16 (US time), the PM asked the firm to share its experience and offer proposals to Viet Nam.
Joseph Bae expressed KKR's wish to expand its operation in real estate, infrastructure, digital transformation, food, consumer goods and technology in Viet Nam, noting that the firm had invested more than US$1 billion in three Vietnamese companies.
Viet Nam is an attractive market for investors with incentives rolled out by the Government, along with its favourable geographical location, and young, dynamic population, according to Bae.
The Southeast Asian nation is also the destination for many added value services.
PM Chinh lauded KKR’s investment in the private sector in Viet Nam, and welcomed its plan to expand investment in the country, stressing that the firm’s investment focuses match Viet Nam’s priorities.
He told the Co-CEO that Viet Nam lured investments worth $1.3 billion in start-ups last year, the biggest ever number despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the meeting, KKR shared its experience in promoting investment in energy infrastructure, digital transformation and medical infrastructure, which Bae said needed strong public-private partnerships (PPP) and a transparent legal framework to consolidate investors’ confidence, and improve the efficiency of the capital market as well as project management capacity.
He believed that the comprehensive cooperation between the Vietnamese and US government would facilitate investment activities. – Vietnam News
PM appeals to Cambodians to remain calm over ‘shoe-throwing’ incident
Prime Minister Hun Sen has appealed for calm after an incident on his recent trip to the United States for the ASEAN-US Special Summit last week where a Cambodian-American threw a shoe at him. The incident happened on the 12th of May in Washington DC.
The Premier made the call while holding a get-together with the medical team of Samdech Techo Voluntary Youth Doctor Association (TYDA) at Chroy Changvar Exhibition Centre in Phnom Penh this morning. The PM underlined that the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not make any diplomatic note demanding the U.S. to take legal action against that man, but it depends on the US law and the decision of the US.
“If the United States considers such an act as part of a freedom of expression, it could spread to other countries, including Cambodia,” the PM said.
“This is not a threat, but just an analysis.”
In a recent voice message, the PM expressed his pride of his compatriots living in the US and Canada for upholding their dignity and respecting the American laws despite the incident.
The Prime Minister asked them to continue to be patient against incitement, which is an extremist attitude of the opposition who see themselves as heroes when they violate the law and show the essence of extremist violence. – Khmer Times
Local defence force predicts escalation of military assaults on Shan-Karenni border
The anti-junta Moebye People’s Defence Force (MB-PDF) in southern Shan State attacked a security outpost of the Myanmar army’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 422 on Saturday morning, a PDF officer said.
The resistance force had waited from 1am until 6am to launch the ambush on the unit, according to a statement claiming that at least three soldiers were killed in the 30-minute clash.
Aung Min, a battalion commander in the MB-PDF, told Myanmar Now that the junta forces retaliated by firing heavy artillery in their direction, forcing the fighters to eventually retreat. Two members of the guerrilla group were reportedly injured, with one in critical condition.
Myanmar Now has yet to confirm the details of the Saturday battle.
The military has not released a statement on the incident.
LIB 422 occupies an area near the Balu Chaung hydroelectric power plant in Karenni State’s Loikaw Township and also guards the Moebye Dam, which is the primary source of water to the plant.
The MB-PDF reportedly attacked another checkpoint in the area on May 12 that was jointly manned by Myanmar army soldiers and members of the Pa-O National Army. The move prompted the junta troops to block roads east of Moebye Dam, Aung Min said.
“The situation in Moebye is very likely to get much more serious. The military might launch assaults very soon,” he added. – Myanmar NOW
Indonesia encourages US investment in ASEAN primary health care
Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has pushed for an investment agreement with the United States (US) in the development of health system services at the ASEAN regional primary level.
"Today I would like to reiterate three important points. The first is to encourage investment in Puskesmas (Community Health Centers) as entry points to the entire health system. The progress of primary health care is very important," said Sadikin when opening the ASEAN-US Special Meeting here on Sunday.
Sadikin, who is also the Chief Minister of Health throughout ASEAN, said that health care facilities at the primary level are a means of health promotion that must be strengthened so that people can adopt a healthy lifestyle so as to reduce the financial burden of the state in treating patients.
Primary health care facilities are also important to ensure access to care for vulnerable groups so that their rights can be fulfilled equitably, said the minister. He also encouraged the US government's support for the development of vaccine production, therapy and diagnostic tools in the ASEAN region by increasing technology transfer and research and development capacity, especially from high-income countries to low- and middle-income countries.
Another collaboration is to build the capacity of health workers. "Even if everything is well-organized, it will mean nothing without trained and well-performing health workers," he said. – AntaraNews.Com