These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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5,870 jobs in professional services on offer since April, with 4 in 5 roles for PMETs
About 5,870 jobs in the professional services industry have been available to job seekers since April, with four in five roles for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs). There have also been about 2,070 company-hosted traineeships and attachments and 1,080 training places on offer in the industry, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo on Thursday (Oct 1) in her weekly jobs situation report. The key sub-sectors in professional services offering these roles are those in the fields of consultancy, advertising and marketing, design, accountancy, architecture and engineering. Mrs Teo noted on Thursday that the impact of Covid-19 on the professional services industry has been uneven. In architecture and engineering, activity levels "fell sharply", as most construction works were put on hold during the circuit breaker period. For example, process construction and maintenance firms reduced operations to about 60 to 70 per cent of normal levels. And among law firms, about 70 per cent reported a decrease in work, according to a Law Society of Singapore survey. However, accountancy has been less affected, as auditing, accounting and taxation services are still required. Consultancy, design as well as advertising and marketing services with digital expertise are also in demand, due to the accelerated pace of digitalisation brought about from Covid-19, said Mrs Teo. Specifically in consultancy, there has been increased demand for technology and cyber-security expertise, she added. – The Straits Times
Court of Appeal to hear Najib's arguments in February
Datuk Seri Najib Razak will get a chance to fight and overturn his sentence and conviction in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case at the Court of Appeal next year. This after the Court of Appeal set February 15 to 18, 22 to 25 and March 1 to 4 to hear his appeal. The 67-year old became the first former prime minister in the nation's history to be convicted after he was found guilty of seven charges relating to the misappropriation of RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds. High Court Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali had on July 28 sentenced Najib to 12 years jail after finding him guilty of all seven charges. Najib was also fined RM210 million for the offences after the judge ruled that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt on the charges levelled against him. However, Najib's lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had then applied for a stay of execution on both jail time and fine, which was allowed by the court. Najib was subsequently allowed to be out on a bail of RM2 million. – New Straits Times
Potjaman calls Pheu Thai shots
Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra, ex-wife of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is consolidating her power as Pheu Thai's de facto leader. Although Sompong Amornvivat, who recently resigned as party leader, is expected to be reinstated as Pheu Thai leader on the party's new executive board, it is Khunying Potjaman who will actually take the helm, the sources said. The main opposition party will hold a general assembly to select its new executive board, and details of the make-up of the new board will be known today. After years of keeping a low profile, Khunying Potjaman stepped into the spotlight at a royal function last Thursday, two days before Mr Sompong, chief strategist Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan and a handful of other key members tendered their resignations from their positions. From now on, Khunying Potjaman will regularly sit at the head of the table during meetings of the new party executive and will determine the party's political moves both inside and outside parliament, though she will not assume any formal party position, the sources said. Her priorities will be to end rifts among party factions and bring back to the fold those who broke away from the party so they can work together to restore Pheu Thai to its former glory. The other person who will also work with Khunying Potjaman to run the party's affairs is Yaowapa Wongsawat, younger sister of Thaksin who formerly served several times as a Chiang Mai MP. – Bangkok Post
With foreign tourists gone, Balinese rediscover seaweed farming
Before the coronavirus pandemic took its grip on Indonesia, the pristine beaches of Lembongan island lapped by the Indian Ocean were dotted with sunbathing tourists from across the globe. Now, with many visitors gone and the economy in tatters, locals are often seen carrying baskets laden with seaweed up the shore amid a shift back to former ways of making a living. "I feel sad because we lost our jobs and now we have to start from scratch," said I Gede Darma Putra, 43, a native of Lembongan, who used to guide tourists as a dive master. Like many locals on this speck of an island about 50 km (30 miles) off Bali, he and his wife Kadek Kristiani now wade through pristine waters to gather seaweed growing on lines. Bali normally attracts millions of visitors a year, many attracted by beaches in spots like Lembongan, but plans to reopen to foreign tourists have been postponed indefinitely due climbing COVID-19 cases in Indonesia. With many restaurants and bars shut on the island, drying seaweed fills the streets as tourism workers return to an industry that died down a decade ago, despite Indonesia's status as the world's second-biggest seaweed producer behind China. "Farmers are starting to plant seaweed again," said Boedi Sarkana Julianto of Indonesia's Natural Resources Network. – The Jakarta Post
Forced isolation policy may misfire if not explained – DOH
The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday acknowledged that the government’s forced isolation policy for COVID-19 patients could work against its response to the coronavirus pandemic as it could cause people to conceal their health condition or refuse to be tested. But Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the matter could be dealt with by explaining to the public the benefits of the policy. “First of all, you don’t have to be afraid. You don’t have to hide your symptoms. If you go to a temporary treatment and monitoring facility, you will be cared for there. You will be better monitored there, and you can prevent infecting your family,” Vergeire said in an online news briefing. Patients stay in the isolation center for 14 days and go home to their families afterward, she said. On Sept. 24, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the temporary government body overseeing the administration’s coronavirus response, issued a resolution banning self-isolation and requiring even mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to be quarantined. Exceptions are patients with other illnesses who have the capacity to home isolate and who live in places where the local governments do not have adequate quarantine centers. But a multisectoral group appealed to the task force on Tuesday to allow COVID-19 patients without other illnesses and who have the capacity to self-isolate to be exempted from the forced quarantine rule. – INQUIRER.net
Construction starts on North-South Expressway component projects
Work on three sections of the Eastern North-South Expressway started on Wednesday. They include the 63-kilometre Mai Sơn – National Route 45 section between Ninh Bình and Thanh Hóa provinces in the north-central region, the 104-kilometre Vĩnh Hào – Phan Thiết section in the central province of Bình Thuận and the 98-kilometre section between Phan Thiết in Bình Thuận and Dầu Giây in southern Đồng Nai Province. These projects, with total investment capital of about VNĐ37 trillion (US$1.598 billion), are expected to be put into operation by the end of 2022. The North-South expressway is a key national project that prioritises investment in the 2017- 2020 period and consists of 11 sub-projects. The North-South transport corridor, in which the North-South expressway from Lạng Sơn to Cà Mau acts as the “backbone” of the entire transportation system, plays an important role in the economic development of the country. The North-South expressway goes through 32 provinces and cities, connecting four key economic regions, including two major economic centres - Hà Nội and HCM City. Particularly, the Hà Nội-HCM City section passes through 20 provinces and cities, affecting 45 per cent of the population and accounting for 52 per cent of the country’s total domestic product. It also has a major impact on seaports and economic zones of the country. Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for Mai Sơn-National Highway 45, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc underlined the importance of the project, saying the construction of three sections of the Eastern North-South Expressway in one day (September 30) and five projects in October were significant to the transport sector. After all these projects are completed, the country would have nearly 2,000km of highway, he said. – Viet Nam News
Sihanoukville crime crackdown: Nearly 400 arrested in raid on entertainment centre
Following an order from Preah Sihanouk provincial governor Kuoch Chamroeun to take urgent action to control the security situation in Sihanoukville, joint forces yesterday raided an entertainment centre and arrested nearly 400 suspects for drug-related activities. According to a police report, the crackdown was carried out at 12.45am at the Cin Khay Men Restaurant & KTV in Sihanoukville’s Buon commune. Provincial hall spokesman Kheang Phearom said yesterday the raid was part of the response against rising crimes and was led by Chamroeun, who is also the head of the Provincial Administrative Unity Command (PAUC). “The operation was carried out based on the order which had been issued by the provincial governor,” he said. “The joint forces are working based on procedures to crack down on crime activities.” In response to the rising crimes over the past weeks across the coastal city of Sihanoukville, Chamroeun led a PAUC meeting on Tuesday and he ordered the forces to carry out operations to look out for and crack down on all crimes. “I have noted that the security situation in Sihanoukville is not good,” he said. “On behalf of the Provincial Administrative Unity Command, I say that we are responsible for maintaining security and safety, so we will take strong action to intervene.” Provincial deputy police chief Brigadier General Kol Phally said yesterday the suspects are being detained at the provincial police headquarters for further questioning. He said the case will be handed over to the provincial anti-drug police for further action. – Khmer Times