These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.
Stay informed with The ASEAN Post.
S’pore to launch segregated lane for business travellers who will not need to be quarantined
From the second half of January 2021, short-term business travellers from all countries arriving in Singapore will no longer need to be quarantined, under new segregated travel lane arrangements. The Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Tuesday (Dec 15) that those who opt to use the lane will be transported from the airport to dedicated facilities where they will stay and work. There, they can have meetings through floor-to-ceiling air-tight glass panels with local businessmen, as well as with other foreign businessmen with safe distancing measures in place. Regular testing will be conducted throughout the duration of their stay - for instance on alternate days - in addition to tests before departure from their home countries and upon arrival here. They will also have to move within their pre-declared travel group of up to five people to reduce the risk of mass transmission. The segregated travel lane is distinct from existing reciprocal green lane arrangements, which apply only to selected countries but which allow those on essential business here to move about more freely around Singapore. The segregated travel lane restricts movement, but lets in business, official and high economic value travellers from all countries, as long as their stay is 14 days or shorter. The lane is expected to increase traffic at Changi Airport, where about 15 per cent of travellers pre-Covid-19 entered the country for business-related reasons. It should also have knock-on effects on the hospitality sector, which could cater food and provide accommodation for the travellers once they are given approval. Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, on a tour of Connect @ Changi, one of the facilities that will be used to house travellers in the segregated travel lane, said the new measures will make Singapore more relevant as a business hub amid the unpredictability of Covid-19. – The Straits Times
Marine enthusiasts urged to join Sabah conservation activities
Sabah is reopening its scuba diving sector after it was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Chloe Tiffany Lee is among those who have joined a conservation dive for ghost net removals. After she became a certified diver during a pageant 10 years ago, promoting awareness on marine conservation has become part of her life. While the underwater view at Tunku Abdul Rahman Park here is breath-taking, she was shocked to see the size of fishing nets which were discarded at the reef last week. "Removing the net was difficult, as it was tangled all over the coral reef. I had to divide the net so we could roll it properly without letting it get tangled again. "The current on that day was not ideal. As I was trying to untangle the net, I was pushed back and forth, and my legs and hands were scratched by the corals," she said. Dive Downbelow managing director Richard Swann said the net, which is about 300 metres long, not only destroys fish but also the delicate reef which is the essence of the marine ecosystem. He added that nets discarded by fishermen onto the seabed are a long-standing issue and very disturbing for divers and other marine enthusiasts. Previously, the dive company, which also offers professional diving courses, had been engaging students in doing conservation work. However, with the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) and Covid-19 pandemic leading to fewer divers and students, Swann said he had to organise conservation dives every Wednesday to get funds and manpower to do the ghost net removals. "During the CMCO, there were no people going diving, thus there were no reports made to authorities (on sightings of ghost nets or illegal fishing). "But when we did our first dive after the lockdown, I feared there would be more nets (left under the sea). "However, people should not point fingers, as Sabah Parks also has limited resources to patrol, especially outside the park," he said. As a course director, Swann believes that education would be the answer to making fishermen change their ways of fishing. "Enforcement and arresting people are merely a short-term solution for this problem. "Blaming the authorities would never change the behaviour of fishermen, but through education, their children might be able to influence them." – New Straits Times
Big Mountain Music Festival fiasco prompts warning
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday threatened to enforce the emergency decree and prohibit the assembly of more than five people should the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country get any worse. Speaking to media after the controversy surrounding attempts by authorities to bring the curtain down early on the Big Mountain Music Festival over the weekend, Gen Prayut refused to rule out once again using the sweeping powers afforded to him by the decree to curtail or prevent large public gatherings. When asked if a ban on social gatherings would be necessary, Gen Prayut said it might be if there were an outbreak. Currently, the Covid-19 situation did not warrant such a ban, said the prime minister. Social gatherings of more than five people have been prohibited to curb the spread following the outbreak in March, he said. "What should we do if we have an outbreak after the concert in Nakhon Ratchasima? Or an outbreak after a concert in Bangkok. What should we do? It's all back to lockdown. So, everyone needs to help. The emergency decree is needed when necessary," he said. Nevertheless, New Year celebrations and countdown events will be allowed to proceed but with strict rules in place, especially in Bangkok, the prime minister said. Gen Prayut insisted that the order to shut down the concert was not politically motivated and he was unaware of the content of the performances. Asked about the risk posed by the ongoing political demonstrations, he said protesters must not violate the law and all attendees should be screened. – Bangkok Post
Only one in three Indonesians willing to pay for vaccine: Survey
An online survey carried out by the Health Ministry has found that only one third of Indonesians wanting to get COVID-19 shots are willing to pay for a vaccine. The survey was carried out alongside the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI) with support from UNICEF and the World Health Organization from Sept. 19 to 30. More than 115,000 respondents in 508 of all 514 cities and regencies across the country's 34 provinces were questioned. The report found that 65 percent of respondents were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if it is available for public use, while nearly 8 percent said they would reject it. The remaining 27 percent of respondents said they were still hesitant – which the report described as a group that was "critical for a successful vaccination program". However, among those who wished to be vaccinated, only 35 percent were willing to pay for it. Approximately 38 percent were unwilling to pay, and the remaining 27 percent were undecided. Respondents’ willingness to pay for the inoculation varied between 32 and 41 percent in provinces of Java. The survey also found that people in Papua, Kalimantan, Maluku and the Lesser Sunda Islands – like Bali, Lombok and Flores – generally showed a higher willingness to pay, and those in provinces of Sulawesi and Sumatra were least willing to pay. Overall, the lowest level of willingness to pay was reported by day laborers, drivers and domestic helpers at 12 percent, although 60 percent of them would like to get vaccinated. More than 31 percent of those willing to accept the vaccines and pay for them said they would only pay up to Rp 50,000 (US$3.56), while 28 percent would pay up to Rp 100,000 and about 4 percent would fork out more than Rp 500,000. This trend reflected a connection between affordability and the socioeconomic status of the respondents, the report said. Most of those still undecided about paying for a vaccine said they would not pay more than Rp 50,000. – The Jakarta Post
Senators to probe gov’t vaccine plan
The Senate will open on Monday an inquiry into the government’s vaccination plan amid concerns that it has no doable plan for inoculating Filipinos against COVID-19 as vaccines become available next year. The senators agreed to convene as a committee of the whole after Sen. Francis Pangilinan expressed alarm during a privilege speech that the government had yet to lay out a vaccination program. Pangilinan also pointed out the failure of state agencies to answer critical questions raised by the senators about a vaccination program for which Congress allotted P72.5 billion in the 2021 national budget. “The fact that the senators are pretty much in the dark as to the game plan does not bode well for transparency and accountability in the vaccine rollout,” he said. Other countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have already begun vaccinating their citizens against the severe respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. “We [can] only pin our fervent hope that Filipinos will have the same access to safe, effective and affordable doses needed to end the spread of the disease and the pandemic,” Pangilinan said. The Senate immediately adopted the resolution Pangilinan filed for the inquiry. With the Senate sitting as a committee of the whole, the matter will now be taken out of the jurisdiction of the committee on health headed by Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go. Pangilinan said senators, since the government began discussing the acquisition of vaccines, had been asking such questions as how safe were the vaccines and how much funds would be needed to vaccinate 70 percent of the population. He also asked whether there was need for Congress to pass a supplemental budget for the vaccine program, and what timetable the government would follow to complete the vaccination of 70 percent of all Filipinos, and how many would be inoculated in 2021 with a budget of P72.5 billion. “When will the vaccination begin? How will it be rolled out? Who will be vaccinated first? How will they be vaccinated and by whom? Do we have the logistical capacity to ensure an effective delivery of the vaccines to the grassroots? What is the game plan?” Pangilinan asked. The inquiry, he said, would cover “a complex number of various issues such as funding and country-to-country negotiations for the vaccine.” – INQUIRER.net
Footwear and textile set for strong bounce back
A diversified supply chain and numerous free trade agreements (FTAs) have set the stage for a strong comeback for Việt Nam's footwear and textile sector, said experts and industry leaders. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the sector reported strong export figures for 2020 with foreign brands and partners already saying they would either increase production or place additional orders from Vietnamese textile makers in 2021, according to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS). "In the short-run, firms should be trying to seek new markets and diversify their products. In the long-run, they must eye sustainable development and advanced automation," said Đỗ Quỳnh Chi from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. The pandemic encouraged domestic firms to connect among themselves in order to secure supply materials and establish joint production operations. It was especially important for smaller firms as they were able to learn from bigger players, to adopt better technologies and access more advanced machines. Nguyễn Văn Thời, CEO of textile maker Thái Nguyên-based TNG, said international supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic forced his firm to look for domestic suppliers. In addition, FTAs such as the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) set strict standards for textile firms on product origins, forcing firms to source production materials domestically, said VITAS' president Vũ Đức Giang. Giang said Vietnamese firms retained certain advantages as their products typically fetch higher value and required more sophisticated production techniques compared against competitors. For instance, Vietnamese firms overtook their rivals to become the largest exporter to the US in June this year, a place usually held by Chinese firms. While Vietnamese firms only hold a modest market share in the EU, the EVFTA, which came into effects on August 1 this year, is said to provide a major boost to Vietnamese exports. Among them are footwear and textile products, which were forecast to increase by 50 per cent and 67 per cent, respectively by 2025. – Viet Nam News
Cambodia’s community outbreak of COVID-19 cases rises to 41, with two imported cases – tally now 362
After a lull of three days with no community outbreak, the 41st case was recorded Monday. This is from the now infamous 28 November community incident. The Ministry of Health is, said an additional two confirmed cases of COVID-19, were also recorded. The community case involves a one-year-old Cambodian boy who was tested positive. He is the son of a 30-year-old Cambodian woman who was diagnosed on November 29 and is currently receiving treatment at the Cambodia-Soviet Friendship Hospital. The other two classified as imported cases involve a 66-year-old Cambodian-American woman who travelled from the United States via South Korea and arrived in Cambodia on December 13. She is currently receiving treatment at Chak Angre Hospital. 104 passengers on the same flight tested negative, including an American diplomat. The other is a 34-year-old Japanese woman, traveling from Japan via South Korea and who arrived in Cambodia on December 13. She is currently receiving treatment at the Cambodia-Soviet Friendship Hospital. 64 passengers on the same plane were all negative and they were isolated in two hotels. The Ministry of Health said a total of 3,524 samples were tested on the 14th, and one sample was positive. There are still 527 samples waiting for results. As of the morning of December 15, a total of 362 cases have been confirmed in Cambodia and 312 cases have been treated. – Khmer Times