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.
Woman and baby boy among four new imported Covid-19 patients in Singapore
Two of the four new imported Covid-19 cases announced on Sunday (July 26) were Singaporeans or PRs who returned to Singapore from Indonesia on Friday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said. The first is a 30-year-old female PR and the second is a one-year-old boy, who is a Singapore citizen. MOH did not say if they were related. The other two cases are work permit holders who arrived from the Philippines on July 14. All four were placed on 14-day stay-home notices upon arrival in Singapore, and tested while they were serving their notice. There were five community cases reported on Sunday, comprising one work pass holder and four work permit holders. MOH said all five cases are asymptomatic and were detected through proactive testing. Of the five, two are linked to previous cases or clusters, having been identified as contacts of previously confirmed cases and placed on quarantine earlier. The other three are currently unlinked, and were detected as a result of MOH's periodic screening of workers in essential services who are living outside dormitories. – The Straits Times
Covid-19 will not put a damper on Merdeka month celebrations
With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, moderation is the key to the launch of the National Month Celebrations and Fly the Jalur Gemilang Campaign. The government had decided that the usual parade on Aug 31 will not be held as the country is still implementing the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) apart from the recent spike in positive Covid-19 cases. However, several events are still being organised including the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Rukun Negara, which started on July 9, together with the launch of the National Month Celebration and Fly the Jalur Gemilang campaign by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in Putrajaya tomorrow. This year's theme "Malaysia Prihatin" (Malaysia Cares) carries a deep meaning with the word Malaysia describing the cooperation of all the people in the country who work together to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, whether civil servants, private sector, volunteers or individuals. – New Straits Times
Anti-govt rally held in Phuket
About 350 young people of the Phuket Liberation Group held a demonstration against the government in this southern island province on Sunday. The demonstrators began to gather at the Saphan Hin park at about 5.30pm. They held aloft posters and banners with messages such as "Sovereign power belongs to the people", "Dissolve parliament. Get out" and "Can't we express opinions in democracy?". Some of the posters showed the picture of Wanchalerm Satsaksit, a Thai pro-democracy activist in political exile abducted by armed men outside his home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on June 4, with a message read "Forced disappearance." Chuvech Detditrak, a rally organiser, said on the stage that the gathering was for people to exercise their right to expression under the constitution. As in earlier demonstrations staged by students and people in Bangkok and other provinces, the demonstrators demand the government dissolve parliament, rewrite the constitution and stop intimidating the people. – Bangkok Post
Bali to reopen to international tourists on Sept. 11
Bali Governor I Wayan Koster has announced that the world-famous resort island will reopen its borders for international tourists on Sept. 11 under strict health protocol. Koster explained that the Bali administration had prepared a three-phase plan on relaxing restrictions to welcome tourists to the island. The first phase started on July 9 when the administration began reopening local businesses and tourist spots for residents of Bali. "We'll start the second phase on July 31 by reopening tourism for domestic tourists," Koster said on Wednesday as reported by tempo.com. "The third phase would be launched on Sept. 11. We'll open our borders for international tourists.” The governor explained that his administration had set up health protocols at tourist destinations and other public places to curb transmission of the highly contagious coronavirus. He would also require international tourists to be tested negative for COVID-19 prior to their trips. – The Jakarta Post
Baguio tightens movement again as COVID-19 cases rise to 44
A total lockdown has once again been enforced on Sundays in the summer capital after the number of infected Baguio patients rose to 44 as of Monday, July 27. Fifteen residents were added to the list of people who contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Sunday, July 26, prompting the city government to restore a policy limiting households to two market days and shopping mall days each week to control movement. Baguio’s borders have also been tightened and will require people, who have essential work or business transactions in the city, to submit to medical examinations at the nearest checkpoint triage, according to an advisory issued by Mayor Benjamin Magalong. The mayor said the city’s health system is prepared to deal with the rise in transmissions and would continue the process of testing ten percent of all Baguio sectors to help determine the extent of contamination in Baguio. – INQUIRER.net
13 killed in road accident in Quảng Bình Province
At least 13 people have been killed and dozens injured after a coach overturned in the central province of Quảng Bình. The accident happed at about 10 am on Sunday on a section of Hồ Chí Minh Highway near Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng - a tourist site in Bố Trạch District. Nine people onboard the 45-seater coach were reported to have died at the scene and four in hospitals. Dozens of people who were injured in the accident were being treated at Việt Nam-Cu Ba Đồng Hới Friendship Hospital and Huế Central Hospital. Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình, who is chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, asked the provincial authorities to send forces to the scene and assist victims. The Deputy PM also requested an investigation into the cause of the accident. All violations should be strictly dealt with, he said. – Viet Nam News
Flood risk for 1 million in Phnom Penh as wetlands destroyed
More than one million people in Phnom Penh face the risk of increased flooding and loss of livelihoods as wetlands in the Cambodian capital are destroyed to build apartments and industries, human rights groups warned on Monday. Developments – including the ING City township – will reduce the Tompoun wetlands to less than a tenth of its 1,500 hectares (5.8 sq. miles), and lead to the eviction of more than 1,000 families who live on its edge, activists said in a report. It would also impoverish thousands of families who farm and fish in the wetlands in the city of 1.5 million people. “The wetlands sustain local communities and play a vital role in Phnom Penh’s waste management and flood prevention,” said the report from Equitable Cambodia, LICADHO, the Cambodian Youth Network and land rights group Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT). “Millions of Cambodians will likely be affected by the potentially devastating impacts of destroying the wetlands.” – The Cambodia Daily