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.
S'porean man who works at Shatec among 178 new Covid-19 cases
A 67-year-old Singaporean man, who is a non-teaching staff member at hospitality school Shatec, has been confirmed to have the coronavirus infection and is the only new case in the community as of Sunday (July 12) noon. The Ministry of Health (MOH) said the man had been detected as a result of its expanded testing regime. He had an onset of symptoms on July 6 and was confirmed to have the infection on July 11, and had gone to work in between those dates. Besides the Singaporean man, MOH also announced one imported case involving a permanent resident who returned to Singapore from India on July 6, and had been tested while serving a 14-day stay-home notice. Migrant workers living in dormitories make up another 176 new cases, taking Singapore's total to 45,961 as of Sunday noon. Of the new cases, 96 per cent are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing. – The Straits Times
Pastor Raymond Koh's wife won't give up fight
It has been three years since Susanna Liew last saw her husband – she and their three children still have no idea if he's dead or alive. But she won't give up the fight to find him. Dragged from his car by masked men and kidnapped in broad daylight outside Malaysia's capital, there has been no trace of Christian pastor Raymond Koh since 2017. "I have this quest to find the truth and to at least have some closure for me and my family," says the 63-year-old. It is one of a series of disappearances of religious minorities in the mostly Muslim country, which have fuelled fears a traditionally tolerant form of Islam is being eroded as hardliners gain influence. Police insist the case has been thoroughly probed: one man has been charged, accused of extortion and kidnapping, though his trial, which began in 2018, is still ongoing and the alleged accomplices remain at large. However, a public inquiry concluded that "agents of the state" likely snatched Koh. – New Straits Times
Vaccine ready 'next year'
CU-Cov19 – a novel coronavirus vaccine being developed by a Thai research team in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania -- is expected to enter mass production by the end of the third quarter next year, the research team said on Sunday. Non-human primates which received a second dose of the vaccine displayed high levels of Covid-19 antibodies, which the research team called an encouraging sign in light of the upcoming human trials scheduled in October, the team said. The research team – led by Kiat Ruxrungtham of the Chula Vaccine Research Centre – made the remark at a press conference charting progress in their work. The team has been testing Cu-Cov19, an mRNA vaccine, on 13 macaques at Chulalongkorn University's National Primate Research Centre in Saraburi. – Bangkok Post
Fears of new COVID-19 cluster at North Sumatra University as rector tests positive
The rector of the North Sumatra University (USU) in Medan, Runtung Sitepu, along with deputy rector Rosmayati and the university’s board of trustees’ member Darma Bakti have tested positive for COVID-19, local authorities confirmed on Sunday. “There are three USU executives who tested positive for COVID-19. To contain the spread of the virus, we urge all those who have been in close contact with them within the last 14 days to take a swab test at the USU hospital or other swab test centers located in North Sumatra,” USU hospital director Syah Mirsya Wali said on Sunday. The three confirmed cases in USU have raised concerns of a new COVID-19 cluster in the region as the campus remains open, with computer-based exams (UTBK) as part of the annual state university entrance test (SBMPTN) set to continue until the end of the month with as many as 35,794 participants. – The Jakarta Post
Local lockdowns eyed for Metro Manila reopening
Whether Metro Manila relaxes more quarantine restrictions on Thursday or stays on restraints depends on how fast local governments in the capital region can respond to pocket outbreaks of the new coronavirus. Current restrictions under general community quarantine end on Wednesday, with the easing of more curbs under modified general community quarantine expected to follow on Thursday. A government official, however, said on Sunday that unwinding more quarantine measures in the metropolis was possible if the local governments could quickly respond to virus outbreaks in their communities. The coronavirus management task force is enforcing the second phase of the national response to the pandemic, under which local governments take more responsibility for checking the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of the severe respiratory ailment COVID-19. – INQUIRER.net
New immigration law to attract investment
Việt Nam’s new immigration law includes a new type of visa for foreigners who come to Việt Nam to conduct activities as part of international agreements Việt Nam has signed. The change is expected to facilitate the implementation of new agreements that Việt Nam has signed such as the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), said Colonel Trần Văn Dự, deputy head of the Immigration Department under Ministry of Public Security. The department last week held a session to explain immigration laws to diplomatic missions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Việt Nam. Việt Nam will issue visas with validity from six to 12 months for foreigners who enter to promote services and establish commercial presence according to international agreements. – Viet Nam News
Fifteen Cambodians from Saudi get Covid-19
The Ministry of Health on Sunday confirmed 15 more imported cases of Covid. The 15 men ‒ all Cambodian aged 21 to 33 ‒ arrived from Saudi Arabia on Friday via a connecting flight in Malaysia. They were travelling with 79 other passengers, three of them women. The ministry said 80 of the total 94 passengers travelled from Saudi Arabia. The 15 are being treated at the Chak Angre Health Centre in Phnom Penh's Meanchey district, while the remaining passengers are being isolated at the capital's Champuvorn quarantine centre on the outskirts. The latest cases bring Cambodia's Covid-19 tally to 156. Among them, 40 are women. – The Phnom Penh Post