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.
81-year-old woman is only Singaporean among 7 new coronavirus community cases
An 81-year-old woman was the only Singaporean among seven new community Covid-19 cases announced on Wednesday (June 3). She tested positive for the virus on Tuesday after she began showing symptoms last Friday. She is currently unlinked to other cases. The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 569 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total in Singapore to 36,405. Of the new cases, 562 are foreign workers living in dormitories. There were no imported cases, and 99 per cent of the new cases are linked to known clusters. The remaining community cases comprise six work pass holders, of which five are Indian nationals who are men, and one is a Chinese national who is a woman. Their ages range from 23 to 40. All six are linked to previously announced cases and are asymptomatic. – The Straits Times
Temperature checks, eating in classrooms among schools reopening guidelines
Temperature screening before entering the school compound and eating in classrooms during recess period are among the new normal practices that students need to adapt to when schools reopen. Education Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin said the guidelines stipulated that teachers are to carry out body temperature checks when the students entered school compounds. If they show any symptoms, further action would be taken. "We are also aware that some students walk or cycle to school and the temperature would be slightly above 37.5 degrees Celsius... so these students will be asked to rest first to ensure that their body temperature returns to normal before it is checked again. "Each school will have an isolation room. If the student shows any symptoms they will be brought there and the school, besides contacting the parents, will also contact the nearest health centre for further action," he said. – New Straits Times
Crowds flock as beach reopens
Popular beaches were teeming with visitors on the first public holiday on Wednesday since their closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic two months ago, with Bang Saen beach in Chon Buri almost bursting at the seams. A heavy build-up of traffic was seen heading to the beach on Wednesday morning, a public holiday to mark Her Majesty the Queen's birthday. People seemed to be taking full advantage of the easing of inter-provincial travel restrictions that came into effect at the start of the week. By mid-afternoon on Wednesday, tailbacks extended more than two kilometres along roads leading to the beach prompting Saen Suk municipal mayor Narongchai Kunplome to order the roads temporarily closed to clear the backlog and regulate visitor numbers. – Bangkok Post
Troop deployment plan stokes fear of return to hard tactics, Dwifungsi
The government’s decision to prepare hundreds of thousands of Indonesian Military (TNI) officers for deployment to help enforce pandemic health protocols has drawn criticism among defense analysts and human rights experts for its nod to past military practices. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced last week that the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police would work together to guard crowded places in preparation for the so-called “new normal” of living alongside COVID-19. As many as 340,000 troops have been on stand-by to deploy across more than two dozen cities to oversee enforcement of measures aimed at curbing transmission of the disease, as the country gears up for the eventual easing of restrictions on movement and travel. – The Jakarta Post
Duterte sets June 9 deadline for release of compensation for virus-hit health workers
President Rodrigo Duterte has given concerned government agencies until Tuesday, June 9, to release the compensation intended for healthcare workers who died or became severely ill from COVID-19. Under Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, health workers who become severely ill in the line of duty are to get compensation of P100,000 while the family of those who died of COVID-19 in the line of duty should get P1 million. However, it was barred during a Senate hearing Tuesday night that the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on the provision of compensation to medical workers have yet to be finalized, leaving at least 32 healthcare workers uncompensated. – Philippine Daily Inquirer
Workers are returning to work, for now
Some 70,000-80,000 workers across the country have returned to work since the mass disruption caused by the novel coronavirus in Việt Nam, said Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) Lê Văn Thanh at an online conference held on Wednesday to discuss and share experience in job creation and sustainable business in the new normal [after COVID-19]. During the first four months of 2020, it was estimated over 5 million workers in Việt Nam either lost their jobs, had their work hours reduced or suffered income loss, said Thanh. A MOLISA survey said 67 per cent of all businesses had to lay-off part of their workforce while up to 80 per cent of businesses in the informal sector had to suspend their operations for up to a month in compliance with social isolation regulations. – Viet Nam News
Workers Decry Labor Ministry’s Move to Postpone Indemnity Payments
The Cambodian Ministry of Labor on Tuesday said it was postponing the biannual indemnity payments to workers in the garment and footwear sector, in order to provide some relief to employers and factory owners affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers and unionists were quick to reject this move and said they were already facing a loss of salary on account of a large number of factories suspending production and that they needed these indemnity payments to try and sustain their households. The Labor Ministry statement released on Tuesday announced that all seniority indemnity payments would be pushed back to 2021 to help business owners, who have complained that international brands have reduced their orders or were not accepting completed orders. – Cambodia Daily