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.
Courier service a lifeline in time of enforced isolation
It cannot be denied that the courier service has become a vital connector for Malaysians in a time of enforced isolation due to COVID-19 and the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO). It has become a lifeline especially to those celebrating Aidilfitri who are living apart from family and cannot "balik kampung" (return home) because of the government's interstate travel ban, and instead await a special Hari Raya delivery. A higher parcel volume would have therefore been expected yet people still kept patronising courier services and ended up feeling dissatisfied when expectations were not met and parcels were delivered late. In view of the situation, GD Express Sdn Bhd (GDEX) chief executive officer, Caren Chong Hui Chuen, posted a "reminder" on the company's website on May 8 to tell clients that there would be a peak period delivery delay starting May 18. She said that the courier's parcel pick-up service would operate as normal, but that delivery to locations throughout Malaysia would take a longer time. – New Straits Times
Songkhla hospital says plasma treatment successful
Songklanagarind Hospital has successfully used plasma from a recovered COVID-19 patient to treat patients with critical symptoms of the disease. The cured patient was sent back home on 19 May, said Sarunyou Chusri, infectious disease specialist at the Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University. The COVID-19 patient treated with donated plasma was sent from Narathiwat province to be treated initially with the standard anti-retroviral drug Favipiravir for three days, with no improvement. The patient displayed symptoms including decreased blood oxygen saturation, low heart rate and respiratory failure. Endotracheal intubation was performed, along with complementary treatment of using plasma donated by the first COVID-19 patient who recovered through standard hospital treatment, he said. – Bangkok Post
Tangerang, Depok, Bekasi at highest COVID-19 risk in Greater Jakarta: Task force
COVID-19 task force head of expert staff Wiku Adisasmito has said that Tangerang city, Depok city, Bekasi city and Bekasi regency have the highest risk of COVID-19 transmission in Greater Jakarta based on a recent increase in cases. "We’ve made a map of the risk of COVID-19 transmission based on public health criteria by the WHO,” Wiku said in an online press conference on Tuesday. “In Greater Jakarta, we can see that there are areas that have moderate risk and high risk. The areas that have high risk are Tangerang city, Depok city, Bekasi city and Bekasi regency," he added. Wiku said that according to the map, Jakarta was at moderate risk because the province had shown a 17.6 percent decline in weekly new cases. "However, when people who participated in mudik [exodus] return to Jakarta, the capital could see a second wave," he added. Wiku said the mapping was based on epidemiology, the health system and public health surveillance. – The Jakarta Post
Jeepneys banned, buses allowed to operate at 50% capacity in GCQ areas — IATF
Traditional jeepneys are not allowed to operate while buses should operate under 50 percent capacity in general community quarantine (GCQ) areas, as per the recommendation of the government’s task force, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Thursday. “Bubuksan na natin yung mass transportation or public transportation, except for yung sasakyan tulad ng traditional jeepney dahil mahirap ipatupad ang physical distancing dito at kailangan mag-repurpose sila o magreconfigure ng upuan,” Año, vice chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, told CNN Philippines when asked about its recommendations for transportation. (We will open mass transportation or public transportation except for traditional jeepney because it is difficult to follow physical distancing here and they need to repurpose or reconfigure their seats.) – Philippine Daily Inquirer
Tougher sentences for child abusers: NA deputies
A number of National Assembly (NA) deputies are calling for tougher penalties to be handed down to child abusers. They hope stricter punishments will act as a strong deterrent to prevent offenders committing further offences in the future. Extreme measures such as chemical castration was discussed during the session over the implementation of policies and law on child abuse prevention and control on Wednesday. Nguyễn Ngọc Phương, a deputy from Quảng Bình Province, said such a form of punishment would be warranted on serious offenders. He also said their identities should be made public and the crimes noted on their records to prevent further offending. Chemical castration was being used on sex offenders in some countries, he believed, and helps contribute to reduce the number of child sexual abuse cases. – Viet Nam News
Myanmar to receive Austrian loan for national e-ID system
Myanmar will receive a €33 million loan from Austria’s Unicredit Bank to create e-IDs for the country’s population registry, said U Thein Swe, Minister of Labor, Immigration and Population. The 27.5-year, interest-free loan includes a 13.5-year grace period and was first discussed in 2019 between State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and then Chancellor of Austria Brigitte Bierlein. The e-ID project will be carried out within two years and involve three phases. The purpose of the e-IDs is to allow the government to maintain an online database of citizen information and pave the way for national registration cards (NRC) to be replaced by e-IDs, or smart cards. The first phase of the project will involve digitalising the population registration system, followed by replacing physical NRCs to e-IDs which will contain each citizen’s biometric data. This will be accessible to the authorities and collected from every citizen from the age of 10 and above. – Myanmar Times
Interior Minister Says Prison Releases Possible but Fails to Provide Details
Interior Minister Sar Kheng on Wednesday hinted that convicted inmates serving prison sentences could possibly be released to reduce overcrowding, in parallel with judicial reforms announced last week to fast-track trial proceedings for misdemeanours. At a meeting to discuss human trafficking, Interior Minister Sar Kheng told reporters on Wednesday that prisoners who were close to finishing their prison sentences “will probably be released” to reduce overcrowding and reduce expenditure on prisons. The government has also justified these releases as a way to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus in Cambodia. He did not detail if this would require the government to issue pardons or commute sentences, which is normally an annual exercise conducted during major religious festivals, the next being Pchum Ben in September. – Cambodia Daily