These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Two SMRT staff suspended after human error worsened MRT disruption on Oct 14
When a power fault first struck the North-South and East-West lines on Oct 14, SMRT's first focus was to avoid having to evacuate passengers on stalled trains, said its chief executive Neo Kian Hong on Wednesday (Oct 28). That was why the operator decided to draw power from an alternative substation in Buona Vista, in a bid to restore service along the affected stations more quickly. But two of its employees - a supervisor and a staff member - misread equipment at the substation and thought that the power fault in Tuas had been isolated when it had not. The failure to isolate the fault before drawing power caused a voltage dip at the substation, which powers the Circle Line (CCL). This caused a power trip and affected service on the CCL. The two have been suspended, and will have to undergo re-training and re-certification before they can resume their duties, said Mr Neo at a media briefing. He also said that SMRT took "a lot of safety precautions" when it decided that it had to evacuate passengers from the stalled trains, to maintain the safety and well-being of commuters on board. These included suspending detrainment for one of the trains near Bukit Batok at 8.44pm due to rain and lightning risk. The train, which was the last to be cleared of passengers, was emptied only at 9.43pm, two hours and 45 minutes after the fault began. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday said passengers had to be detrained from 15 stalled trains - three on the Circle Line and 12 on the North-South and East-West lines. – The Straits Times
Experts: 2021 Budget will be approved
The 2021 Budget will likely be approved without much hassle, despite the current political situation. Political pundits say Umno, the "kingmaker" in this political scenario, could not afford the backlash should the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration collapse. Analyst Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said: "Everything is based on Umno's decision because it is the kingmaker. At the moment, Umno doesn't want to change the government because of the Covid-19 pandemic and (sluggish) economy. If things get worse, people will blame Umno, which may lead the party to pay a steep price in the next general election." He said this was the reason behind the temporary truce, adding that the Umno Supreme Council had decided that it would continue backing PN while making reconciliatory efforts. Azizuddin, however, said such a lifeline for Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) was fragile and would not last if it did not give in to some of Umno's longstanding demands. "While I do not see PN collapsing this year, Umno is not done. If Umno does not get what it wants, the party may stir things up again after the Budget (announcement). We may find ourselves in the same situation early next year," he said, stressing that Bersatu needed to make overtures to mend fences. He said Bersatu had to resolve several issues during this ceasefire period, which he foresaw could extend until the 2021 Budget is approved. – New Straits Times
Wisarn faces probe over arm-slitting incident
Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MP Sira Jenjaka said he will petition the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to remove from office a Pheu Thai MP who slit his arm during a parliament debate on Tuesday for allegedly breaching an ethical code. Mr Sira said that the party's legal team was looking into whether Wisarn Techathirawat, the Pheu Thai MP for Chiang Rai, had violated the ethical code for parliamentarians. It would then ask parliament president Chuan Leekpai to forward the matter to the NACC, Mr Sira said. He said he will also ask parliament to launch another ethical probe against Mr Wisarn. During Tuesday's special parliament session discussing solutions to the political conflict, Mr Wisarn shared his view on anti-government demonstrations, saying he did not want the government to respond to protesters with force. He said he had no idea how to solve political problems but he did not want young people to bleed. He said he wanted to show that he was serious about the matter. Mr Wisarn then took off his jacket and drew a fruit knife. Mr Chuan told him he would not allow him to cut himself but Mr Wisarn used the knife to slash his left lower arm three times, shocking other MPs. Mr Wisarn was sent to Vajira Hospital where he had nine stitches. – Bangkok Post
Indonesia records 400,000 COVID-19 cases at start of long weekend
Indonesian health authorities confirmed Wednesday that the total number of COVID-19 cases has reached 400,000 eight months into the outbreak. According to Health Ministry data released on Wednesday afternoon, there were 4,029 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the overall tally to 400,483. A total of 13,612 people have died of the disease, while 325,793 people have recovered. Jakarta remains the country’s epicenter of the outbreak with 103,552 cases as of Wednesday, followed by East Java with 51,732. The announcement was made as people began an extended weekend after the government declared Oct. 28 and Oct. 30 collective leave days for the public holiday celebrating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (Maulid) on Thursday. Epidemiologists warned that the long holiday weekend would be a test for the country. National COVID-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito urged people to consider all risks when deciding to go on a holiday. He reminded the public to adhere to the government’s strict health protocols on wearing masks and washing hands regularly. He also encouraged offices to take anticipatory measures by taking note of employees with plans to go on vacation in regions that have been declared medium- or high-risk zones. – The Jakarta Post
Ombudsman suspends 8 PhilHealth officials
Ombudsman Samuel Martires suspended for six months without pay eight senior officials of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) who are facing administrative and criminal complaints in connection with the alleged irregular release of P2.7 billion from the insurer’s interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM). The officials were identified as Arnel de Jesus, chief operating officer; Renato Limsiaco and Israel Francis Pargas, senior vice presidents; Gregorio Rulloda, vice president for National Capital Region (NCR); Lolita Tuliao, NCR central branch manager; and Imelda Trinidad de Vera-Pe, Gemma Sibucao and Lailani Padua, executives. “After a thorough consideration of the records, this office finds sufficient cause to place respondents under preventive suspension…,” the Ombudsman’s seven-page order said. Earlier, the National Bureau of Investigation filed charges of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service against the eight officials and former PhilHealth president Ricardo Morales. The charges stemmed from the release of IRM funds through cash advances to 139 health-care institutions (HCIs) in Metro Manila. Morales resigned in August due to health reasons. According to the bureau, the IRM funds appropriated for COVID-19 response were instead given to predetermined health-care institutions, including many that did not treat COVID-19 patients. The disbursement of the cash advance also did not comply with procedures set by the Commission on Audit. – INQUIRER.net
11 dead, dozens missing after landslides in central Việt Nam
Eleven people have died and dozens are still missing after two separate landslides in central Việt Nam. Late Wednesday night 45 people were buried after bad weather caused a landslide at village 1, Trà Leng Commune a remote mountainous district of Quảng Nam Province. Another eight people are also unaccounted for after another slide hit village 1, Trà Vân Commune, about 40km away. Search and rescue efforts began at first light Thursday morning but teams faced difficulties reaching the affected areas as a number of smaller landslides had blocked roads. Authorities say 42 people remain missing across both sites. The devastation was caused by Storm Molave which brought heavy rains across the central regions when it made landfall yesterday. Lieutenant General Nguyễn Long Cáng, Commander of the 5th Military Region arrived at the Trà Leng this morning with 200 soldiers. He said that while rescues efforts must be carried out as quickly as possible, the safety of those looking for the victims remains paramount. Soldiers are currently using machinery and hand tools to clear the route to the areas where those missing are thought to be. At 9am, Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng, who was tasked with directing response and relief efforts after the storm, arrived in Nam Trà My District. Dũng asked that the rescue forces make use of all available approaches to gain access to the site, including using helicopters to survey the site and drop off rescuers if necessary. Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has called this morning to get updates on the situation and sent words of encouragement to the search and rescue units, Dũng said. – Viet Nam News
Ho Vann exposed: Protest mastermind revealed in recording
Despite former opposition lawmaker Ho Vann denying he was involved in instructing court-dissolved CNRP supporters to demonstrate outside the Chinese Embassy last week, a leaked recording released by Facebook page “Social Justice” yesterday revealed he had planned and funded the demonstration. The confrontation that ensued between a small group of CNRP supporters and authorities, who prevented them from gathering and submitting a petition at the Chinese Embassy, resulted in three people being arrested and charged. After the event, Prime Minister Hun Sen labelled Vann as the “mastermind of the treason”. In an interview with Radio Free Asia earlier this week, Vann confirmed he was in the leaked recording but denied he had ordered the protesters to commit wrongdoing. “I did not order anyone [to take part in protests]. I had no influence to do so,” he said. “They were willing to do this on their own. You should know that if armed forces were not called in to suppress them, thousands of people, not just the few who took part, would have come forward to join protests like this,” he added. However, in a 3:22 minute recording released by the “Social Justice” Facebook page, Vann is heard discussing the organisation of the demonstration outside the embassy in Phnom Penh, which took place on Friday last week. The leaked recording was the same recording briefly played by Mr Hun Sen on Monday. – Khmer Times