These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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9 months' jail for maid who hit one-month-old baby to 'vent her stress'
A domestic helper hit her employer's one-month-old baby three times on his back to "vent her stress". Indonesian Lana Ngizatul Mona, 26, was caught after the infant's mother viewed a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident. The baby boy sustained a bruise on his right shoulder as a result of the incident. Lana was sentenced on Wednesday (Oct 21) to nine months' jail after pleading guilty to one count of ill-treating the baby, who cannot be named owing to a gag order. The child's mother had employed Lana, who started working at the woman's flat near Hougang on Feb 26. Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei told the court the maid was tasked to care for her employer's four children and perform general household chores. The mother was in her bedroom at around 7.30am on April 30 when she heard the baby crying loudly in the living room. She checked the CCTV footage and saw Lana hitting her son's back three times. The DPP added: "In the CCTV footage, the accused is seen hitting the victim on the back with her wrist. The victim cried immediately. "The accused was next seen hitting the victim on the back with her fist twice, causing the victim to cry again. All three blows were forceful and had audible impact." Lana later told investigators that she had hit the infant due to stress. – The Straits Times
28 religious schools in 5 Perak districts closed
Twenty-eight Sekolah Rendah Agama Rakyat (SRAR) and kindergartens in Taiping, Manjung, Kerian, Kinta and Hulu Perak districts have been ordered closed for two weeks from Oct 14 after students were tested positive for Covid-19. State Islamic Religion and Information committee chairman Mohd Akmal Kamaruddin said the closure of these schools was to allow disinfection processes be conducted to contain the spread of the virus. "So far, a total 21 Islamic religious schools and seven kindergartens registered with the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk) were ordered to close. "All teachers and students have also been instructed to undergo quarantine and work from home during the postponement period as well as implement online Teaching and Learning (PdP)," he said. The affected SRAR in Manjung include SRAR Al-Hidayah, SRAR Ittifaqiah, SRAR Al-Khairiah, SRAR Al-Aliah, SRAR Al-Aliah, SRAR Annasriah, SRAR Arshadiah and SRAR Abadiah; while affected SRAR in Taiping include Madrasah Al Khairiyyah Islamiah and SRAR Darul Ehsan. Meanwhile, affected SRAR in Kerian are SRAR Al-Ehya' Addiniah, SRAR Al Hidayatul Islamiah, SRAR Nor Hidayah, SRAR Al-Irsyadiah, SRAR Khairiah Islamiah, SRAR Fadilah Islamiah, SRAR Al-Tahzib, SRAR An Najihah, SRAR Al Hidayah and SRAR Al Faizin. Affected schools in Kinta district are Sekolah Agama Rakyat Al-Taufiqiah and SRAR Ar-Raudhatul Ulum. For kindergartens, they are Tadika Islam Perak (TIP) Al-Hidayah, TIP Nurul Wardah, TIP Al-Hidayah and TIP As-Syakirin in Kerian; TIP Al-Hashimiah in Taiping; TIP An Nasriah in Manjung; TIP Al-Amin in Pengkalan Hulu. – New Straits Times
Prayut doubles down on media
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has told authorities to take no chances in censorship scrutiny of broadcast and online content that could be deemed to violate the state of emergency. The PM's move came on the day the Criminal Court ordered that Voice TV's online content to be blocked. Speaking to reporters after a meeting of his cabinet, Gen Prayut said the authorities had been told to respect the freedom of the press but to also take legal action against those who spread false information and fake news that violated other people's rights. "We are duty-bound to protect the country and eliminate ill-intentioned actions aimed at creating chaos and conflict in the country," Gen Prayut declared. He paid tribute to media outlets who had played a crucial role in creating constructive change in society, saying those who conducted their work impartially had made a substantial contribution to the country. Several local media organisations warned the government on Monday not to violate the freedom of the press after reports emerged that five online outlets faced legal action for breaching the state of emergency. They included the National Press Council of Thailand, the News Broadcasting Council of Thailand, the Thai Journalists Association, the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association, Online News Providers Association and the National Union of Journalists Thailand. – Bangkok Post
West Java, Banten slash number of COVID-19 red zones
West Java and Banten have reduced the number of regions categorized as COVID-19 high-risk red zones. West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil posted on his Instagram account on Tuesday a picture of a risk map with a caption explaining that the province had two red zones: Bekasi regency and Cirebon city. Four regions have now been categorized as low-risk yellow zones while the remaining 21 regions are categorized as medium-risk orange zones. “Last month we still had seven red-zones,” the caption stated. As a conclusion, the caption urged people to be disciplined in following the 3Ms while waiting for a vaccine. The 3Ms refer to the health protocols of menggunakan masker (mask-wearing), mencuci tangan (handwashing) and menjaga jarak (social distancing). The National COVID-19 task force has previously reminded the public that discipline in following the 3Ms was the way the public could contribute to breaking the chain of COVID-19 transmission. Meanwhile, in Banten, South Tangerang is the only city categorized as a red zone after seven other regions were downgraded to orange zones. Based on data from the Banten Health Agency, the regencies and cities listed as orange zones are Tangerang regency and Tangerang city, Lebak regency, Serang regency, Pandeglang regency, Serang city and Cilegon city. Tangerang regency was the latest region to be downgraded from a red zone this month. According to Tangerang COVID-19 task force spokesperson Hendra Tarmizi, the number of positive COVID-19 cases had begun to decrease this month. “The number of inpatients treated at hospitals and the death rate have also declined,” Hendra said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday. Furthermore, according to Hendra, authorities had also stepped up testing, tracing and treatment measures as the majority of COVID-19 cases in Tangerang regency were asymptomatic. Asymptomatic patients are quarantined at a hotel with 180 beds. He explained that authorities were working to see Tangerang regency’s status downgraded to yellow by December. – The Jakarta Post
Palace: Give China ‘flexibility’ to hire workers for China-funded bridge projects
The Chinese government should be given “flexibility” on the hiring of workers in two China-funded bridge projects in the country, Malacañang said Wednesday. Senators earlier questioned the high proportion of Chinese workers in the Binondo-Intramuros bridge and Estrella-Pantaleon bridge projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). “Let me highlight that these bridges are a hundred percent donations from the Chinese government. So, I think that should give us the proper perspective,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview over CNN Philippines. “It’s being given to us hundred percent, we don’t pay back anything for the bidding of these bridges and that’s why we need to give them some flexibility in the personnel that they hire,” he added. During a Senate hearing for DPWH’s budget last week, Undersecretary Emil Sadain said that in the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge project, Filipino workers compose 55 percent of the workforce while Chinese workers make up 45 percent. Sadain said the workforce for the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge is composed of 69 percent Filipino workers and 31 percent Chinese workers. “It’s an outright grant or donation to the Philippine government and I’m sure of that because I attended the ground-breaking of these bridges. Because of that I just appeal that we give them some leeway. Although, we would appreciate it of course if the Chinese government should employ more Filipinos,” Roque said. – INQUIRER.net
Việt Nam's e-commerce forecast to grow 20 per cent in Q4
Việt Nam’s e-commerce market is forecast to climb 20 per cent in the last quarter of this year to reach US$12 billion by year end if the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control. This is the forecast by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) in a recent report on Việt Nam’s e-commerce market against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the early stages of the pandemic (from February to April), 57 per cent of surveyed e-commerce-related businesses reported their revenue growth was below 30 per cent compared to the same period of 2019 with some even seeing negative growth, the report said. However, 24 per cent of businesses saw revenue increasing more than 51 per cent. E-commerce revenue in the first six months declined 6 per cent year-on-year despite the number of transactions increasing by 25 per cent. Most transactions at that time were of low value. Under circumstances when the disease is kept at bay, the ministry forecasts e-commerce revenue to rise 20 per cent in the last three months to reach $12 billion. If the pandemic worsens, impacting production and consumption, supply and operations of transport and catering services, growth could reach only 13 per cent with estimated market value of $11 billion. Việt Nam is one of the most dynamic e-commerce markets in the world with an average growth rate of more than 30 per cent per year in the last five years. In May, the Government approved the national e-commerce development master plan for 2021-25, targeting annual industry growth of 25 per cent with more than half of the population shopping online and average spending of about $600 per person per year by 2025. The market size is expected to reach $35 billion by 2025, ranking third in Southeast Asia. Business-to-consumer (B2C) sales will rise 25 per cent per year, accounting for 10 per cent of total retail sales of goods and services. Cashless payments in e-commerce would make up 50 per cent and about 70 per cent of transactions on e-commerce platforms would have electronic invoices. – Viet Nam News
Official suspects bribery in quarantine bus scandal
A health official who declined to be named but stationed at the Phnom Penh International Airport, said yesterday that the airport quarantine bus scandal could be linked to bribery. The scandal – which emerged after passengers were caught on video disembarking a bus before reaching quarantine on Sunday – caused a major uproar on social media, leading to speculation over the incident. In response, the unnamed official has said that a monitory team has been formulated to ensure all buses carrying new arrivals from the airport do not allow passengers to disembark before reaching quarantine and that no bribery is taking place. “I, along with the team, will now monitor the transportation process of new arrivals to make sure they have properly followed the guidelines of the Ministry of Health,” he said. A tuk tuk driver, who works in front of Phnom Penh International Airport and asked not to be named, said he was approached by officials yesterday from the airport and was asked to report any information regarding the disembarking of passengers from buses coming from the airport. Phnom Penh City Hall spokesman Met Meas Pheakdey yesterday also reaffirmed that no one has permanently disembarked from buses on route from the airport to quarantine. “Regarding the incident on Sunday, no one was dropped off on the way to quarantine. One passenger unloaded luggage – which was later revealed to be a guitar – to his friends mid-way through the trip. However, all passengers remained on board and reached their respective quarantine centres,” he said. Meanwhile, a run of nine days of no new COVID-19 cases ended yesterday after a Cambodian couple tested positive. – Khmer Times