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.
Coronavirus now well-established in Iran: WHO
The new coronavirus is well-established in Iran, UN health officials said on Tuesday, warning that a lack of protective gear for healthcare workers was complicating efforts to control the outbreak.
“It is not an easy situation,” Michael Ryan, who heads the World Health Organization’s emergencies programme, told reporters in Geneva.
The outbreak which has claimed 77 lives and infected more than 2,300 people across the country is affecting multiple cities, he pointed out. – The New Straits Times
Aftermath of Chinese Exodus from Sihanoukville
Over the past few years with the influx of Chinese nationals and Cambodians working in Sihanoukville, landlords have been laughing all the way to the bank through rentals. Locals who visit the city regularly complained about high rentals for hotels, guesthouses and even food. Some said during special events, public holidays or on weekends they found it difficult to find accommodation.
Sitting along the O’chhoeuteal Beach with his friends’ Cambodian tourist Oug Noy, 25, says since a mass departure of the Chinese from the city, prices of food and accommodation have now halved. – Khmer Times
Panic buying hits Bangkok stores
Shoppers in Greater Bangkok are quickly emptying supermarket shelves of long-lasting items like instant noodles, packed rice, tissue paper, tinned fish and drinking water as fears mount over the coronavirus epidemic.
Large retail operators including Tops Supermarket, Tesco Lotus, The Mall Group and Big C Supercenter acknowledged that these items have been snapped up quickly since the weekend. – Bangkok Post
Duterte’s economic managers urged to ready stimulus package to counter coronavirus
Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has called on the economic managers of the Duterte administration to craft a stimulus package to cushion the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the Philippine economy.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic is being contained by DOH (Department of Health), Duterte’s economic managers must start coming together to study/draft a possible stimulus package for the heavily affected industries such as tourism, airlines, etc,” Trillanes said in a statement. – Philippine Daily Inquirer
Malaysia's Parliament sitting delayed by two months till May 18, says Speaker
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's parliamentary majority will not be tested until May 18 at the earliest, after Speaker Ariff Yusof revealed that the sitting originally scheduled for next Monday (March 9) has been pushed back.
In a statement on Wednesday, he said he received a letter from the premier informing him of the postponement, and the new dates for the House of Representatives to convene this year. – The Straits Times