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.
No big shifts in Singapore's tourism plans for longer term
Singapore has not made any big changes in its medium-to long-term tourism investment plans as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Projects like the redevelopment of Sentosa and Pulau Brani, as well as the upcoming Jurong Lake District tourism hub, will begin to take shape by the mid-2020s - when the tourism industry should see a recovery, said Singapore Tourism Board (STB) chief executive Keith Tan yesterday. These investments are necessary to remain competitive, he stressed, adding that STB will ramp up marketing activities in select overseas markets so these can be revived quickly when travel restrictions are lifted. Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said Singapore remains committed to its long-term plans for the tourism sector, as it believes global tourism will progressively recover. The assurances come amid questions about the fate of the SGD9 billion expansion plans by Singapore's two integrated resorts after Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) retrenched its staff last week. Both RWS and Marina Bay Sands have said they will be continuing with their plans, which are expected to be completed by 2025. – The Straits Times
MB: Selangor to review Covid-19 SOP to curb spread
The Selangor government will review the implementation of the standard operating procedure (SOP) to contain the Covid-19 epidemic in the state, says Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari. He said the move was necessary as many seemed not to be complying with the SOP since the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) was enforced on June 10. "This matter (failure to comply with the SOP) I have expected from the beginning since the implementation of RMCO, that is why I often remind people to abide by the SOP," he said after chairing a task force coordination meeting with government agencies and department in the state here yesterday. Amirudin added that he would be attending a National Security Council meeting chaired by the Prime Minister today before addressing the matter further. Meanwhile, he said the state government would also be updating the 'SELangkah' initiative - an online system for contact tracing previously introduced in the state. – New Straits Times
Thailand to be star player in Covid success story doco
The World Health Organization (WHO) has chosen Thailand and New Zealand for a film documentary on successful models for handling and curbing Covid-19. The National Institute of Health's Department of Medical Science director Ballang Uppapong shared the news on Facebook. A WHO official in Thailand confirmed to the Bangkok Post on Wednesday the documentary is in production. No more details of the project have been revealed. Dr Ballang shared part of the conversation while the documentary was being shot at his office. Meanwhile, Thira Woratanarat, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University, voiced his concern on Facebook that the country was at high risk of a second wave of Covid-19 due to the government's policy to open up to foreign visitors. "We are now facing a higher risk of catching deadly virus infections at a time when restrictions are being unlocked," Dr Thira said. "The lesson learned from abroad shows the outbreak is usually found two to six weeks after that." – Bangkok Post
Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to undergo Phase III clinical trials in Bandung
A potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech is set to have its Phase III clinical trials in Bandung, West Java, the national COVID-19 task force revealed on Tuesday. Padjajaran University Medical School professor Kusnandi Rusmil said he hoped the vaccine could pass the third phase as early as next January. “We are very optimistic. We expect the clinical trial to be completed in January with a total of 1,620 samples tested,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday, following a meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. “Hopefully, it could be followed with immediate distribution by the Health Ministry.” In the same press conference, Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) head Penny Lukito said the current phase was crucial and could make or break the vaccine. “This is the most important and advanced phase, meaning that we are close to actually producing the vaccine,” she said, adding that the BPOM had ensured the validity of all testing protocols. – The Jakarta Post
Senators see ground for prisons chief’s ouster
Two senators on Wednesday said the chief of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) should either go on leave or be fired for not reporting the deaths of high-profile prisoners at New Bilibid Prison supposedly of COVID-19. The deaths of 21 prisoners, including at least nine drug convicts, became known earlier this week when journalists got hold of a leaked list of those who had died. One of the dead drug convicts was Jaybee Sebastian, who testified for the government in a congressional investigation of Sen. Leila de Lima, who was accused of drug trading at Bilibid after opening an inquiry into alleged extrajudicial killings in President Duterte’s brutal war on drugs. De Lima has been detained for three years on drug charges, which she has denied. – INQUIRER.net
Việt Nam eyeing own COVID-19 vaccine by end of 2021: health official
With the current progress, Việt Nam is hopeful of having a safe and effective domestically made COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021, a health official said. Nguyễn Ngô Quang, Vice Director of the Administration of Science, Technology and Training under the Ministry of Health, made the remarks at a Wednesday meeting on speeding up the COVID-19 vaccine and regulations in Việt Nam amid the current state of public health emergency. Quang said that on average, it would take three to five years at least to develop a vaccine with standard procedures. But now by facilitating procedures, all different stages are conducted and results reviewed nearly simultaneously, so a vaccine for the novel strain of coronavirus could be attained faster. In clinical trials on humans, for example, after initial results from phase 1 trials where the humans are introduced to a vaccine are available, researchers can move immediately to phase 2 and continue to supervise phase 1 without needing to wait until the phase is formally concluded. Licencing and authorisation procedures will also be facilitated, he said. – Viet Nam News
20 Schools to Reopen Next Month in Pilot Phase, Ministries Say
The government will allow 20 private schools to reopen next month in order to pilot Covid-19 school safety guidelines, according to a letter dated Tuesday from the Council of Ministers. The letter, signed by In Virakcheat, a secretary of state at the Council of Ministers and board chair of the Cambodian Higher Education Association, said the 20 “high standard” schools, located in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang provinces, must comply with health and safety measures set by the Education Ministry, Health Ministry and World Health Organization (WHO). Schools have been shut nationwide since March 16, as coronavirus cases jumped in Cambodia and around the world. – The Cambodia Daily