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.
ST Global Forum: Singapore's ability to stay relevant to the world depends on staying open and united, says DPM Heng
Singapore's economic success is underpinned by openness, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Monday (Jan 11), adding that as a small country it cannot close up as doing so means it will soon lose its value and relevance to the world. This is why it is actively looking for ways to reopen safely while remaining vigilant of Covid-19, he added in his speech at the annual The Straits Times Global Outlook Forum. While being small and open means Singapore feels the tugs of external events more keenly, being small has its advantages, said Mr Heng. It can be more adaptable, flexible, and innovative in tapping opportunities brought about by global cooperation. For instance, Singapore is exploring how it can serve the region as a marketplace for carbon credits, he added. It will also continue to invest in innovation, including in emergent areas like quantum computing. But its ability to make the best of these opportunities and its relevance to the world ultimately depends on its strengths at home, he stressed. "As we strive to remain open and grow, we must ensure that the benefits of growth are spread more equitably," he said. Singapore will help its businesses to transform, while attracting more companies to set up operations here. It will also invest significantly to bring out the best in its people, while complementing the workforce with expertise from abroad, he added. "Above all, we must continue to strengthen national solidarity, and push back against the division and polarisation seen elsewhere," he said. Mr Heng, who is also Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies and Finance Minister, was reflecting on the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and US-China strategic rivalry on Singapore. He was the keynote speaker at the conference organised by The Straits Times in partnership with presenting sponsor OCBC Premier Banking. – The Straits Times
'Perikatan Nasional government still in control'
The Perikatan Nasional government remains a valid ruling coalition despite commanding a thin majority, analysts said. While PN has the support of only 111 members of parliament from the current total of 220, the situation has yet to be considered a constitutional crisis, Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said. "We have a minority government with the highest number (of MPs) in the Dewan Rakyat. "There is no doubt that PN is a minority government, but it still holds the majority (number of seats in the house). "The opposition bloc is still divided, with Pakatan Harapan and the others having yet to form a united front that can challenge the current government's majority." Sivamurugan pointed out that the appointment of a prime minister remains the prerogative of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, as stipulated under Article 43 of the Federal Constitution. "Thus, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is still the legitimate prime minister until he gets the indication that he has lost the majority officially, not via media or by individuals who claim otherwise based on their observations." The Dewan Rakyat, which has 222 parliamentary seats, now has only 220 filled after the deaths of Batu Sapi MP Datuk Liew Vui Keong and Gerik MP Datuk Hasbullah Osman last year. Nevertheless, Sivamurugan warned that Umno might continue with its overtures to erode PN's majority and end up leaving the government en bloc. "If this happens, the government may collapse. But if a new realignment (through a grand coalition) is formed with other parties excluding Umno or BN, then the government can continue to function." When asked if the opposition could now claim that the current government had collapsed, Sivamurugan said it would depend on PH's ability to prove its command of a majority. Universiti Malaya's Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said the king had already said that he disagreed with the country going for a general election during this pandemic. "It means he won't dissolve Parliament." When asked if the country could see a change in government again before the current parliamentary term ends, Awang Azman did not discount the possibility. – New Straits Times
Myanmar migrants leave field hospital
Almost 300 Myanmar migrants left the field hospital in Samut Sakhon on Sunday, becoming the first large group of migrants to have recovered from Covid-19. A total of 292 Myanmar migrants were declared free of COVID-19 19 infection and discharged from the hospital which was set up inside a sports stadium. They waved goodbye to doctors and healthcare workers before being taken in military trucks to the Central Shrimp Market where they live and work. The market stopped trading when it became a virus transmission hotspot. The recovered migrants went home with COVID-19-free certificates issued by the provincial public health office. They need to submit the paper to immigration authorities. At the market, they were welcomed back with open arms by fellow migrants. Many had feared for their livelihoods when the outbreak occurred. Other workers at the market who had tested positive for Covid-19 before have been treated and were also given a clean bill of health, according to Thiraphat Khatchamat, deputy governor of Samut Sakhon. The shrimp market is expected to reopen at the end of this month, he said. The market was shut on Dec 19 last year after it was found to be the source of a large cluster of new Covid-19 infections. As of Sunday, at least 3,441 confirmed Covid-19 cases were connected to the Samut Sakhon cluster, 3,109 of which were people living in the province, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). – Bangkok Post
Rescuers find human remains after deadly Sriwijaya Air crash
Divers pulled body parts, wreckage and clothing from waters off Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Sunday, as the military picked up a signal from the wreckage of a passenger jet that crashed with 62 people on board. The Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 went into a steep dive about four minutes after it left Soekarno-Hatta international airport in Jakarta on Saturday afternoon. A military vessel picked up the plane's signal, and divers recovered wreckage from around 23 metres (75 feet) below the water's surface, the transport ministry said Sunday, citing Indonesia's military chief Hadi Tjahjanto. It did not specify if the signal was from the downed plane's voice and flight data recorder. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo expressed his "deep condolences", and called on citizens to "pray together so that victims can be found". But the frantic search involving helicopters and a flotilla of warships appeared to offer no hope of finding any survivors. The search and rescue agency said it had so far collected five body bag
s with human remains as well as debris from the crash site. A child's pink clothing, a broken tyre and wheel, life jackets and wreckage from the plane were found, according to authorities. All 62 people on board, passengers and crew, were Indonesians, including 10 children, authorities said. 'Torn into pieces' Flight SJ182 was bound for Pontianak city on Indonesia's section of Borneo island, about 90 minutes flying time over the Java Sea. On Saturday night, distraught relatives waited nervously for news at Pontianak airport. The plane crashed near popular day-trip islands just off the coast. Data from FlightRadar24 indicated that the airliner reached an altitude of nearly 11,000 feet (3,350 metres) before dropping suddenly to 250 feet. It then lost contact with air traffic control. The transport minister said Saturday that the jet appeared to deviate from its intended course just before it disappeared from radar. Poor weather, pilot error or a technical problem with the plane were potential factors, said Jakarta-based aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman. "But it's way too early to conclude anything," he added. "After the black box is found we can start putting the puzzle together." – The Jakarta Post
PSG vaccine shots not on Senate agenda – Sotto
Will they ignore the elephant in the room? The senators launch their inquiry into the government’s coronavirus vaccination program on Monday to find answers to questions about the overall plan and sourcing of P72.5 billion for vaccines, how soon front-line health workers can be inoculated, and how health officials may have dropped the ball on earlier deals to procure millions of doses of the globally sought shots. But all ears are going to be on whether the senators discuss a peripheral but politically charged issue that President Rodrigo Duterte has warned them to steer clear of – how and why members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) have been inoculated with a China-made vaccine that has not yet been approved by the Philippine regulator and entered the country without the knowledge of customs authorities. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Sunday he would not stop his colleagues from bringing up the matter at Monday’s hearing, but there was a catch. “Anyone can raise the issue when he or she has the floor – but who will answer? I did not invite any official connected to that issue because it’s not [on] the agenda,” he told the Inquirer in a Viber message. In a radio interview on Saturday, the Senate leader said he might put the matter to a vote. “If the Senate majority decides, ‘yes, let’s do it,’ I can’t do anything about it, right? We will follow [the will of the majority]. But I seriously doubt it. We will be side-tracked,” he said. “I am sure majority of the members of the Senate will be thinking the same way – I have consulted most of them. The thinking is, ‘do not divert the issue, do not divert the attention of the committee of the whole,’” Sotto said. “The main concern of the committee of the whole is the road map, how can we resolve the COVID-19 problem?” he said. – INQUIRER.net
With COVID-19 under control, VN tourism sector banks on domestic travel
Việt Nam will continue to use flexible measures to stimulate the domestic tourism market as international borders remain shut due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, a top tourism official has said. Nguyễn Trùng Khánh, Chairman of the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism, made the statement yesterday at a meeting of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports in Hà Nội. The promotion efforts will be based on the programmes 'Vietnamese going on tours in Việt Nam' and 'Việt Nam, safe and attractive tourism', Khánh said, as domestic travel remains the “source of strength” for the tourism sector to carry on in 2021. Many localities have organised tourism promotion campaigns – like Đà Nẵng with 'Danang Thank You 2020', Thừa Thiên-Huế with the forum on connecting travel and Khánh Hoà Province with a meeting for travel agencies to promote tourism in Khánh Hoà and Hà Nội. Tourism authorities and businesses will also be expending more resources to promote tourism on social media and international channels. In 2021, regional co-operation should be a focus, while localities with new attractions will receive more attention for promotion. Khánh urged tourism authorities and businesses to prepare for the eventual reopening of international tourism when conditions allow, especially by coming up with new exciting tourism products and promotion campaigns. In January 2020, the number of foreign tourists to Việt Nam reached a record high of 2 million, but with COVID-19 making its way around the world, international tourism virtually came to a halt with the Government's decision to close the borders in late March. In all of 2020, total foreign tourist arrivals to Việt Nam reached only 3.68 million, down 80 percent compared to 2019, while there were 56 million domestic tourists, down by 34.1 per cent, according to a report delivered by deputy minister of culture, tourism and sports Nguyễn Văn Hùng. Last year's tourism revenues were estimated at VNĐ312 trillion, equal to only 58.7 percent of the previous year's figure. – Viet Nam News
20,000 jobs ready for returning Cambodian workers from Thailand
The National Employment Agency (NEA) is offering 20,000 local jobs to Cambodian migrant workers who have returned from Thailand and are now under quarantine. The workers can apply for the jobs as soon as they complete their 14-day mandatory quarantine period. The NEA, under the Ministry of Labour, is offering local jobs to the returning migrant workers as a means to support them finding employment nearer to home than going back to Thailand. The NEA has set up a task force to compile details of the migrant workers who returned from Thailand, get them to register all their information, and apply for local jobs after they have completed the 14-day quarantine period. The NEA director, Hay Hun Leng, said that they have set up a mechanism on how to support these returning migrants with local job opportunities. “We have 20,000 primary employment opportunities at the moment. We want those who returned from Thailand to take up the job offers provided by us after they have strictly complied with the Health Ministry’s directives and Standard Operating Procedures including adhering to hygiene and safety regulations,” he added. He said there are many types of jobs available for them in various industries and sectors such as manufacturing, construction and agriculture. Hun Leng added that the NEA team is also working closely with the local authorities to collect data of the returned workers so that they have a complete updated database to get them jobs that commensurate with their qualifications, skills, and experience. “The working committee will also disseminate information on the employment opportunities to the workers at the centres. We also need the support from factories, enterprises and investors on job openings so that we can cross-match with our database to see which workers are suitable for the jobs,” he added. In case a migrant worker missed the information on local job offers, Hun Leng said the NEA team will also put-up notices strategically at the respective job centres so that they can contact directly in the capital and some provinces such as Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk, Phnom Penh, Kampong Thom, Prey Veng, Takeo, Kampot, Pursat, Svay Rieng, Kampong Cham, and Stung Treng. According to Ministry of Health statistics, to date 12,088 Cambodian workers have returned from Thailand due to the COVID-19 outbreak. – Khmer Times