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: 213 new cases detected, including secondary school student
A 15-year-old student at East Spring Secondary School was among 11 new Covid-19 cases detected in the community as of noon on Sunday (June 28). The student was tested as part of proactive screening of school students who are diagnosed with acute respiratory infection when they first see a doctor. Since the onset of symptoms on June 25, the student had not gone to school. She was among the 213 new Covid-19 cases announced on Sunday (June 28), of which 11 were detected in the community. This brings the total number of cases in Singapore to 43,459. Of Sunday's cases, 202 were linked to dormitories, as the Ministry of Health (MOH) has been monitoring existing clusters for any further transmission. And of the 11 community cases, six were Singaporeans, including the secondary school student and a close contact of an existing case. – The Straits Times
Preparations underway for pre-schools, kindergartens to reopen this week
With government and private kindergartens, pre-schools, nurseries and day-care centres scheduled to resume operations on Wednesday (July 1), parents must surely be busy making the final arrangements to send their little ones there after a three-month hiatus following the imposition of the Movement Control Order (MCO). For sure, there will be some parents who are still unsure about sending their children to these places as the nation has not yet been declared free of Covid-19. So, it is the management of these places who play an important role in ensuring that they are prepared with the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the government to ensure the safety of the little ones. Attention must be given to social distancing and the cleanliness of the premises must be maintained as the children are excited and eager to be with their friends. Besides pre-schools, kindergartens and nurseries, various other sectors have also been allowed to resume operations including spas, wellness and foot massage centres, cinemas, theatres and 'live' event venues, while meetings, conferences, seminars, courses or training sessions can now be held. – New Straits Times
Two arrested with drugs, assets seized
Two men have been arrested with 42,000 methamphetamine pills and 100 grams of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, in their possession and their assets seized for examination. Chatree Chanvirachai, the deputy governor, identified the two as Vichai Niwongsa, 29, and Veerapong Ngaonoi, 45, both from Tha Uthen district. He said the authorities had followed their activities for a long time before obtaining solid evidence, leading to their arrests with 42,000 meth pills and 100g of ice on Saturday night. The authorities also seized from them several gold necklaces, 500,000-baht cash and title deeds for 29 rai of land suspected to have been acquired through the drug trade for examination. Mr Chatree said Mr Veerapong was a Mekong river fisherman who had acted as a go-between for a drug trading ring in Laos to smuggle drugs on a long-tail boat across the border to Mr Vichai, a major drug agent in Nakhon Phanom. Mr Veerachai was paid about 50,000 baht for each delivery made. – Bangkok Post
Indonesian president threatens to reshuffle cabinet over COVID-19 response
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has told his cabinet he is ready to reshuffle ministers or even disband government agencies that he feels have not done enough to fight the coronavirus outbreak, according to his office. Widodo made the remarks in a cabinet meeting on June 18, the video of which was released by his office on Sunday. "I see that many of us are working as though things are normal. That's what's irritating me. Don't you have feelings? This is a crisis," Widodo said in the video. "I will take any extraordinary measures for our 267 million people, for the nation. It can be disbanding agencies, can be a reshuffle, I have thought of everything," he said, adding that he may also issue more emergency rules if needed. The president also complained to his ministers of slow government spending in the face of a dire global economic outlook. – The Jakarta Post
DOH, AFP sending doctors to Cebu
A desperate cry for help from overburdened medical front-liners battling a surge in new coronavirus cases in Cebu City has been answered – partly. The Department of Health (DOH) is sending doctors from rural areas in Western Visayas to the capital city of Cebu province to augment its COVID-19 response efforts. But some of the doctors do not appear to be enthusiastic about the new assignment, claiming, among other reasons, that they had not been properly informed. Forty doctors under the DOH’s Doctor to the Barrios program (DTTB) and Post-Residency Deployment Program (PRDP) will be pulled out from their assignments and sent to Cebu City, said Marlyn Convocar, DOH director for Western Visayas, in a letter of compliance to Health Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama Jr. The doctors – 29 under the DTTB and 11 under the PRDP – will be fielded in four batches from June 30 to Sept. 15, inclusive of the 14-day quarantine periods. – INQUIRER.net
Hà Nội must become East Asian centre by 2045: PM
Hà Nội must have transformed itself into one of the political, economic and cultural centres in East Asia by 2045, when Việt Nam becomes a developed country, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has said. He made the remark on Saturday while addressing the 'Hà Nội 2020 – Investment and Development Co-operation' conference that aimed to promote post-COVID-19 economic recovery and development in the capital. The conference looked to press on with administrative reforms and improvement of the local business climate and competitiveness so Hà Nội can achieve strong socio-economic results, with its gross regional domestic product growth 1.3 times faster than the whole country’s gross domestic product expansion, and the budget revenue target of VNĐ285 trillion (nearly US$12.3 billion) this year. – Viet Nam News
Cambodia: Schools to remain closed until end of 2020
Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport will delay school openings and high school graduation examinations until the end of the year to prevent a second wave of Covid-19, reports VNA. Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron said schools will be reopened if they can adhere to high standards or Covid-19 prevention and control. Speaking at a press conference for the construction of the “Centre for Digital and Distance Education” at Preah Sisowath High School last weekend, the minister said although the government moves to offer digital learning services, about half of Cambodia’s 3 million students still cannot fully access online lessons. – The Cambodia Daily