These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble to start on Nov 22 with one flight a day to each city
Travellers from Singapore will be able to travel to Hong Kong for leisure from Nov 22, in the first air travel bubble arrangement for the Republic since border restrictions were imposed amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The scheme will start with one flight a day into each city with a quota of 200 travellers per flight, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung announced in Singapore on Wednesday (Nov 11). This will be increased to two flights a day from Dec 7. The arrangement will be suspended for two weeks if the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked Covid-19 cases is more than five in either Singapore or Hong Kong, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement. As part of the air travel bubble, travellers between Singapore and Hong Kong will have to take Covid-19 tests, in lieu of serving quarantine or stay-home notices. There will be no restrictions on the purpose of travel, and no need for a controlled itinerary. But travellers must meet eligibility criteria and adhere to the prevailing border control measures and public health requirements of both cities, said the CAAS. All travellers will be required to test negative on a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test 72 hours before their scheduled departure. On arrival in Hong Kong, travellers from Singapore will be required to take another Covid-19 test and remain at the airport until the results are confirmed. This could take about four hours, Mr Ong said. There is no such requirement for travellers from Hong Kong coming here. – The Straits Times
4 suspects in latest Selangor water pollution incident remanded 7 days
Four suspects, including two directors of a roadworks construction company linked to the latest water pollution incident in Sungai Selangor have been remanded for seven days beginning today. Magistrate Nor Hafizah Rajuni issued the remand order against the four suspects to facilitate a probe into the odour pollution at the raw water source in Sungai Selangor which led to the closure of the Rantau Panjang water treatment plant yesterday. The suspects comprised a 40-year old woman and 43-year old man who are the company directors, and two workers including a foreigner from Bangladesh aged 42 and 33 respectively. They were then brought before the magistrate about two hours later. After 20 minutes hearing the application, the magistrate granted the police the remand order against the four suspects for investigations under Section 430 of the Penal Code. The Section for an offence of mischief by causing a diminution in the supply of water provides for a jail term of between five and 30 years or a fine, or both, upon conviction. The remand order against the suspects is expected to expire on Nov 17. They were arrested between midnight and early this morning following reports of the water pollution. Earlier, Selangor Criminal Investigations Department chief Datuk Fadzil Ahmat said initial investigations found that the female suspect was a nominee registered under the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) who rented a premise at Jalan Velox 2, Rawang. "A local man and his Bangladeshi worker also placed chemical stocks at the rented premises. "It is believed that the disposal of chemical residue through a sewage hole at the premises led to the outflow of the contaminated substance, resulting in the pollution," he said in a statement this morning. Four major water treatment plants (LRAs) in Selangor were forced shut down due to the pollution incident yesterday. Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) said as a result, 1,139,008 accounts in 1,279 areas in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling, Klang, Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Gombak and Kuala Langat were affected by water supply disruptions. Water supply is expected to be fully restored by 3pm today. Initial investigations conducted by Air Selangor detected a solvent-like odour emanating from Sungai Selangor. – New Straits Times
King writes messages of love for nation amid protests
His Majesty the King wrote messages of national unity and love on Tuesday during a visit to Udon Thani two days after protesters sent him a letter demanding royal reforms that would curb his powers. The Royal Household Bureau has made no comment on months of protests so any communications from the king are watched carefully in the Southeast Asian country. "We all love and care for each other. Take care of the country, help each other protect our country with goodness for prosperity and protect Thainess," the King wrote in a message to the Udon Thani governor. On a picture of himself and the queen that was brought by one of the crowd of well-wishers, the King wrote: "Love the nation, love the people, cherish Thainess, real happiness." Thousands of protesters marched to the Grand Palace on Sunday, getting within a few dozen metres of the walls despite a police blockade and a burst of water cannon, to send a message to the King. Shattering a longstanding taboo on criticising the monarchy, they have demanded the departure of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha as prime minister, a new constitution and reforms that would reduce his powers. "When the King truly cherishes democracy, all people will find happiness," the protesters said. On Nov 1, His Majesty made his first comments on the protesters. In brief remarks, he said "we love them all the same" and describing Thailand as a land of compromise. Gen Prayut has said he will not resign, rejecting protesters' accusations that he engineered last year's election to keep power that he seized in a 2014 coup. Pictures from different royal events in Udon Thani showed thousands of people. Many wore yellow shirts - matching the king's colour - and carried matching official portraits of the royal couple. – Bangkok Post
COVID-19 task force asks public to stay patient while waiting for vaccine
COVID-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito urged the public to be patient while waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in Indonesia, saying that the government was making every effort to procure and deliver the serum. “The vaccine’s effectiveness and safety upon improving the public’s health is our main priority,” Wiku said as quoted by kompas.com. On Nov. 5, Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister spokesman Jodi Mahardi said the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia depended on the vaccine candidate's third clinical trial results. Jodi’s comment elaborated on Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan's claim that a vaccine could only be available in the third week of December. The minister is part of a team of officials tasked by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to focus on handling COVID-19 transmission in the country. The vaccination program was originally set to launch in November. However, Luhut said the program had been delayed because the Indonesia Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) needed more time to issue the emergency use authorization (EUA) in order to make the vaccine available nationwide. During the seventh Singapore Dialogue on Sustainable World Resources (SDSWR) on Wednesday, Luhut announced that the government was currently conducting third-phase clinical trials for vaccines that were being developed by Sinovac and Bio Farma in Bandung, West Java. “I think the vaccine will be administered to 9 million people in specific areas that have a high COVID-19 rate, such as Jakarta." He added that the government was planning to turn Bali into a green zone area at the start of 2021 as part of the vaccination program. The Executive Office of the President (KSP) previously said that vaccination was the key to achieving herd immunity and curb the spread of COVID-19. – The Jakarta Post
End mañanita talks, give us a chance, Sinas tells critics
It is time to put an end to the mañanita issue and give a chance to the country’s police force, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Debold Sinas told his critics on Wednesday. Sinas made the remark after critics revived his alleged quarantine violations during the celebration of his mañanita (birthday fete) six months ago. “Sa ngayon, tuldukan na natin ang mañanita. Na-imbestigahan na iyan. Na-imbestigahan na iyan nasa prosecutor na po. Six months na po iyan. Marami po akong gagawin [as] chief PNP,” Sinas told reporters after the change of command ceremony in the National Capital Region Police Headquarters. (For now, stop that mañanita issue. It has been investigated, it is now with the prosecutor. It has been going on for six months. I still have much to do as PNP chief.) “Sana kung nagco-cover kayo sa akin, makita ninyo naman kung ano talaga ang ginagawa namin so sana pagbigyan niyo naman kami,” he added. (If you have been covering us, you can really see our efforts so I hope you give us a chance.) Sinas, the 25th PNP chief, is known for the celebration of mañanita (birthday serenade) fete last May 8, which reportedly violated health protocols during the strict coronavirus lockdown. Sinas, and 18 other policemen are currently facing criminal and administrative complaints before the Taguig prosecutor’s office over the controversial birthday serenade. However, there is still no resolution from the prosecutor six months since the cases were filed. – INQUIRER.net
PM calls for a billion more trees
Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc yesterday said he hoped a billion trees would be planted in Việt Nam over the next five years. He was speaking at a National Assembly Q&A session in Hà Nội, during which he spoke about a number of issues including recent natural disasters, the country’s economic growth, education and healthcare. In recent months, flooding and landslides had caused many deaths and losses. While experts were blaming these natural disasters on climate change, heavy rains or the construction of small hydropower plants, it was first and foremost necessary for us to protect the forests and plant more trees, the Prime Minister said. “Right from the start of my term, I ordered the closure of natural forests [for commercial purposes], and we need to be persistent on this. Although forest coverage has been increasing, it’s still low compared to many other countries. We need to continue planting trees. I propose planting one billion trees in the next five years, including in urban areas,” he said. Related to this, the Government would strictly review the main causes of flooding, including forest protection and planning for hydropower plants, and draw up appropriate measures, Phúc said. He added that violations of forest protection would be severely punished. He also called on long-term measures to cope with climate change and natural disasters, including improved forecasting and alert mechanisms, landslide and flooding maps, and sufficient supplies of rescue equipment. According to Government leaders, over the past four years Việt Nam had created more than eight million new jobs and significantly improved labour productivity, increasing to 5.8 per cent per year - much higher than the 4.3 per cent posted in the previous four years. “During my past term, Việt Nam's per capita income increased by nearly 145 per cent. Looking at the standards set by the World Bank, the national average income is equivalent to nearly US$9,000,” the Prime Minister said. He said according to World Bank estimation, Việt Nam’s middle-class population would be more than 50 per cent by 2045. With the reduction of poor households, the PM stated his determination to reduce the poverty rate. – Viet Nam News
Tough call to make: PM refrains from calling for a C-19 state of emergency
Prime Minister Hun Sen has refrained from calling for a state of emergency to contain the spread of COVID-19 following the visit of the Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. Mr Hun Sen said in a voice message on Monday night: “I was considering whether or not to declare the lockdown of Phnom Penh or some parts of the country because we have already passed the law on state of emergency.” “I can request to His Majesty the King to sign an order to put some parts of the country, Phnom Penh or the whole country into a state of emergency. But I don’t want to do so as it will affect the freedom of many people while there are only just over 900 people who came into contact, directly or indirectly, during the “November 3 incident” due to our negligence,” he said. Mr Hun Sen sent the voice message to people involved in the “November 3 incident” with Szijjártó, and the media yesterday. The message came after the discovery of three more positive COVID-19 cases in a member of parliament, an Agriculture Ministry official and a Hungarian diplomat, all involved with the “November 3 incident”. Mr Hun Sen claimed that this consideration was made after he had urged for the strict quarantine of those involved, both directly and indirectly. He said the real concern at this time is the completion of quarantine of all leaders and officials who came into direct or indirect contact with Szijjártó. “I would like to reiterate and urge all those directly affected, including the wives, children and all of the family members in the house to stay indoors and do the most proper and strict quarantine because this is an important issue. We must not spread the virus to others or to the society,” he added. – Khmer Times