These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Tourist attractions in Singapore can double visitor capacity to 50% as STB eases curbs
Tourist attractions will be able to cater to more visitors, after more than two months of being restricted to filling just 25 per cent of operating capacity at any one time. From Friday (Sept 18), they can apply to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to increase it to 50 per cent. They can also seek permission to scale up the capacity at their outdoor shows to 250 people, up from 50 currently. But shows must be split into five zones with a maximum of 50 people in each zone and safe distancing between groups as well as zones. This means the limit for their outdoor shows will be in line with the maximum number of participants soon to be allowed at approved Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) events. The STB said on Wednesday that the easing of rules for attractions comes as operators have been effective in preventing and dispersing crowds as well as maintaining high standards of cleanliness and hygiene. All attractions have also introduced online booking systems that help to monitor and control visitor numbers, it said. – The Straits Times
US announces charges against Malaysian, Chinese hackers
The US Justice Department on Wednesday announced charges against five Chinese nationals and two Malaysians who ran global hacking operations for at least six years to steal identities and video game technology, plant ransomware, and spy on Hong Kong activists. Three of the Chinese suspects operated out of Chengdu 404, a Sichuan-based company that purported to offer network security services for other businesses. They hacked the computers of hundreds of companies and organisers around the world to collect identities, hijack systems for ransom, and remotely use thousands of computers to mine for cryptocurrency like bitcoin. Two other Chinese nationals who formerly worked for Chengdu 404, and the two Malaysians, were indicted for hacking into major gaming companies to steal their secrets and "gaming artifacts," likely tradable in-game chits and credits, and resell them. Together, the seven were long recognised by cybersecurity experts as the "APT41" hacking organisation, identified by their shared tools and techniques. While some had thought that the group could be run by the Chinese government, the indictments did not identify a strong official connection. But according to court filings, Jiang Lizhi, one of the Chengdu 404 hackers, boasted to a colleague in 2012 that he was protected by China's Ministry of State Security, and indicated they were protected if they did not hack domestically. – New Straits Times
Reopening to foreigners 'not risky'
Reopening the country to foreign visitors will not raise the risks of local Covid-19 transmission from imported infections, according to the Department of Disease Control (DDC). Responding to the cabinet's resolution to allow long-stay foreign tourists to enter Thailand, Tanarak Plipat, deputy director-general of the DDC, insisted the move would likely not bring in Covid-19 infections, since the visitors would be subject to a stay at state quarantine facilities for 14 days. Regarding the case of a two-year-old Myanmar boy who tested positive after returning from Thailand, Dr Tanarak said Thailand was vigorously investigating this case. No special measures had been imposed in Ayutthaya province where the boy had stayed before returning to Myanmar, he said. The deputy director-general urged businesses, particularly those based in the provinces adjacent to Myanmar, not to hire illegal migrant workers for now due to the spike in Covid-19 cases in Myanmar in recent weeks. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) deputy governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said tourists with a Special Tourist Visa (STV) recently authorised by the government must travel on chartered flights from overseas directly to their destinations in Thailand. The TAT predicted that around 14,400 tourists will visit the country a year under the STV programme, generating revenue of about 12.36 billion baht per year. – Bangkok Post
Diabetes biggest comorbid factor in COVID-19 deaths: Task force
National COVID-19 task force chief Doni Monardo says diabetes mellitus has been the most common comorbidity in COVID-19 deaths in Indonesia. “Based on data in the past six months, some regions have comorbidity levels of up to 92 percent, with diabetes as the number one factor,” he said during a public discussion on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com. He added that the province with the highest number of COVID-19 patients with diabetes was East Java. Meanwhile, the second-most common comorbid disease for COVID-19 patients was hypertension, followed by heart disease, lung and respiratory disorder, kidney disorder, asthma and cancer. “COVID-19 is very lethal to the high-risk group [elderly and patients with pre-existing conditions],” he said. Therefore, Doni said, the government’s first strategy was prioritizing the protection of these vulnerable groups. The second strategy is to reduce the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as deaths and increase the recovery rate, while the third strategy is to increase testing and optimize contact tracing.” We have tested more than 30,000 specimens a day. However, this is still below the World Health Organization’s standard of 38,000 people a day,” he said. – The Jakarta Post
Government lost P1 billion in overpriced PPE deals – Hontiveros
The government may have lost at least P1 billion in taxpayer money after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) purchased allegedly overpriced personal protective equipment (PPE) from five Chinese companies, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Wednesday. Hontiveros made the claim two days after Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon flagged the Procurement Service of the DBM (PS-DBM) for supposedly buying COVID-19 test kits and other medical equipment that were more expensive by more than P400 million than those procured by private groups. Worse, she said, the PS-DBM awarded the multibillion-peso supply contracts for PPE within a two-month period to the Chinese companies instead of giving these to local manufacturers, which had already been complaining about the government’s preference for imported face masks and medical coveralls. Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, who heads the PS-DBM, denied Hontiveros’ allegation. “That’s not true. It’s unfair to say that,” he said in a telephone interview. Lao said his office had already requested the senator to provide them with the specific documents specifying lower PPE prices compared with what the PS-DBM bought at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown. “Public funds have been wasted. While our resources are already dwindling, [it seems] somebody still made profits (from these contracts),” Hontiveros said. – INQUIRER.net
Việt Nam begins agricultural exports to EU as trade deal cuts tariffs
Many agricultural products will be exported to Europe under the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement in the next few days, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Following the export of the first batch of frozen shrimp to several countries on September 11, the next consignment comprising dragon fruit, coffee, coconut, grapefruit, and passion fruit would be shipped on September 16-17, it said. The EVFTA will see the EU remove tariffs on 86.5 per cent of Việt Nam’s seafood exports in the next three years, 90.3 per cent in the next five years, and completely in seven years. Taking advantage of these preferential tariffs, Vietnamese exporters have increased seafood shipments by around 10 per cent since the start of August. The EU is the biggest market for Vietnamese coffee, accounting for 38 per cent of the total exports. The average value of exports to the bloc has been US$1.2-1.4 billion a year for the past five years. Exports to the market is set to rise further when the EU eliminates tariffs on all unroasted and roasted coffee products and processed coffee, which are now 7-11 per cent and 9-12 per cent. Opportunities to export fresh fruits produced in a closed chain for experience companies such as Đồng Giao, Nafoods and Vina T&T are huge. The EU is a highly demanding market in terms of compliance with safety standards. European consumers value high-quality products with special characteristics such as organic, fair trade, and geographical indications, experts said. They added that Việt Nam’s agricultural sector would be one of the biggest winners from the EVFTA as a reduction in tariffs would increase demand and boost exports to Europe’s giant, high-spending market. – Viet Nam News
Vientiane to Vang Vieng Expressway to Open by December
The Vientiane to Vang Vieng expressway linking the nation’s capital with the resort town of Vang Vieng is expected to be ready for use by December this year. According to a report in Vientiane Mai, the completed expressway, which stretches some 113 kilometres, will be officially handed over on the occasion of the 45th National Day (2 December) this year. The expressway will allow motorists to travel at speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour, linking the flat stretches from Naxaythong District in Vientiane Capital to Phonhong, Hin Heub and Vang Vieng districts in Vientiane Province. The expressway project began at the end of 2018 and was scheduled for completion in 2021, however, it is now 90 percent complete, ahead of schedule. Chinese investors will operate the expressway under a 50-year concession agreement, valued at USD1.2 billion, with the Lao government holding a five percent stake. The expressway toll is expected to be charged at approximately 550 kip per kilometre, meaning around LAK 60,000 for a one-way trip from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, cutting the travel time to under two hours. – The Laotian Times