These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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S'pore's employment rate saw sharpest decline in two decades in 2020, with foreigners bearing brunt: MOM data
The number of workers employed fell last year in the sharpest decline seen in Singapore in more than two decades, with foreigners bearing the brunt of the contraction. The latest labour market data from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Tuesday (March 16) showed that non-residents accounted for all of the employment decline in 2020. Meanwhile, resident employment, which includes Singaporeans and permanent residents, rebounded to slightly above pre-Covid-19 levels by the end of the year. Resident employment trends were mixed across different sectors, said MOM. Resident employment grew in the sectors of public administration and education, health and social services, information and communications, financial and insurance services, and professional services. But it declined most steeply in tourism and aviation-related sectors, which were severely affected by travel restrictions. Meanwhile, non-resident employment declined in all sectors, with the bulk in construction and manufacturing. The decline was mainly due to a fall in work permit and other work pass holders (minus 181,500), followed by decreases in S Pass holders (minus 26,000) and Employment Pass holders (minus 16,700). On the unemployment front, the overall rate rose from 2.3 per cent in 2019 to 3 per cent in 2020, but did not exceed that of past recessionary levels in 2003 during the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak or the global financial crisis in 2009. Among residents, the unemployment rate rose from 3.1 per cent in 2019 to 4.1 per cent in 2020. Among citizens, it increased from 3.3 per cent in 2019 to 4.2 per cent in 2020. Retrenchments last year also doubled, from 10,690 in 2019 to 26,110 in 2020. Workers were less likely to be retrenched, however, with a lower incidence of retrenchment last year compared with past recessionary years. Of those retrenched, non-residents were more likely to lose their jobs than residents, said MOM. – The Straits Times
Malaysian glove producers to rake in RM38bil from exports this year
Malaysia's rubber glove industry is expected to generate RM38 billion from exports this year, higher than the RM35.3 billion posted in 2020, according to Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (Margma). Margma estimated the global supply of rubber gloves to reach 420 billion pieces this year with Malaysian manufacturers providing 280 billion pieces. Margma president Dr Supramaniam Shanmugam said 67 per cent or 23.3 billion pieces of gloves of the estimated monthly global supply would be produced by Malaysia, while the rest would come from Thailand (18 per cent), China (10 per cent) and Indonesia (three per cent). "The global supply estimation has taken into account all viability of gloves, the existing players in the markets as well as the expanded capacity coming in 2021. "We are looking at 420 billion pieces of gloves being available this year, which means about 380,000 gloves are being used in every single second globally," Shanmugam said at a virtual media briefing on gloves industry update and outlook for 2021 here today. He said the export revenue was expected to continue growing, driven by robust demand globally as demand would continue to outstrip supply until 2022. "The global demand is far higher than supply and we see this trend continuing (from last year) not only for 2021 but also going into 2022, with 13,318 gloves being used every single second. The manufacturers are working hard to expand and produce enough gloves to meet demand. "We have taken into consideration all of the scenarios (export competition and anticipation of falling ASP) and are confident that this RM38 billion target will be achieved," he said. Malaysia's top export destinations for rubber gloves last year were the United States with RM11.89 billion, Germany (RM2.25 billion), the United Kingdom (RM2.13 billion), Japan (RM2.02 billion) and China (RM1.57 billion). On the impact of global vaccine development on rubber glove demand, Shanmugam said the industry had seen demand for rubber gloves growing between eight per cent and 10 per cent annually pre-Covid. The trajectory had substantially increased to between 20 per cent and 25 per cent during the pandemic, he added. He expects that demand for rubber gloves to grow between 12 per cent and 15 per cent annually post-Covid. "An additional 18 billion gloves would be needed for the entire vaccination process. The new norm due to Covid-19 is expected to stay and sustain the current elevated demands. "The growth drivers for rubber gloves include the regulatory requirements, healthcare awareness, population growth, and aging population." Meanwhile, Shanmugam said the gloves industry was expected to see RM2 billion to RM3 billion investment injections per annum mainly in innovation, automation and aggressive research and development by manufacturers. "There are many aspects that industry players will see before increasing their investment. Innovation, automation and aggressive research and development (R&D) will help to maintain pole position. "Apart from increasing production capacity, we see R&D, automation and labour-related as the main focus of new investments," he added. – New Straits Times
Bang Khae markets shut
Authorities have acted to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Bang Khae district of Bangkok by shutting six markets for three days as City Hall extends mass testing in affected areas. The surge in infections is, however, unlikely to lead to the government axing Songkran celebrations for a second year in a row as the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) prepares to this week finalise anti-Covid measures for the annual festival. Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang confirmed on Monday that City Hall would extend the proactive screening of vendors and staff at six Bang Khae markets and people in nearby areas until March 26. The six markets are Sirisetthanont Market, Bang Khae shopping centre market, Kitti Market, Phasom Market, Talat Mai Bang Khae Market and Wonder Market. Using four Covid-19 mobile testing van donated by His Majesty the King, plus support from the Urban Institute for Disease Prevention and Control, City Hall can test up to 1,000 people per day, said the governor. The six markets will be initially closed for three days from today until Thursday pending the test results; if the number of infections is high, the closure will be extended. The surge has prompted the Department of Older Persons to order the stepping-up of Covid-19 measures at Ban Bang Khae, a home for the elderly. Visitors and special activities have been banned there until further notice. As of Monday morning, the CCSA reported that the number of infections linked to the Bang Khae cluster stood at over 100. CCSA assistant spokeswoman Apisamai Srirangson said that of 995 people tested in the Bang Khae area, 107 had tested positive for Covid-19. A total of 2,772 people in seven communities in the neighbourhood took saliva tests and were awaiting results. She said the Bang Khae cluster was worrying the CCSA due to the high number of cases. Based on initial inquiries, the first person infected was a 21-year-old egg vendor at Wonder Market who had symptoms on March 1 and tested positive on March 5. Seven of his close associates also tested positive, prompting proactive screening in Wonder Market and surrounding communities and a market clean-up. Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control (DDC), on Monday denied that health officials had been slow to contain the spread of the virus. He said health authorities were sent to investigate and conduct proactive testing as soon as the first case in the new cluster was reported. The mass testing targeted vendors and workers at the six markets. Prior to this outbreak, there were no reports of mass infections in Bang Khae district during the proactive Covid-19 screening campaign in western Bangkok last month, he said. The proactive screening was conducted in six districts, including Bang Khae, after a large number of cases linked to factory workers and surrounding communities in Phasi Charoen district were confirmed. Despite the new cluster emerging days before the CCSA makes a final decision on the Songkran celebrations on Friday, CCSA operations chief Gen Natthapol Nakpanich said it was unlikely to affect the planned easing of restrictions during the national holiday. Indeed, the CCSA's operations centre earlier suggested that it wanted to ease restrictions to help the economy move ahead. Citing health authorities, Gen Natthapol said the Bang Khae cluster was similar to the outbreak in mid-February at two fresh food markets in Pathum Thani, which had now been brought under control. "The Bang Khae cluster is unlikely to force the government to cancel the festival. From a bigger picture, it will not affect the planned easing of restrictions," he said. Gen Natthapol said the CCSA's panel on the easing of restrictions would meet tomorrow to propose the easing of Covid-19 restrictions ahead of the CCSA's decision on Friday. "We've contained the spread in Pathum Thani and we're confident we are able to contain this one," he said. Thailand on Monday reported new 78 new cases and one fatality. Dr Apisamai said the new fatality was an 88-year-old man with pre-existing health conditions. His family members had all been tested and given the all-clear. She said the Covid-19 situation in Samut Sakhon was improving and a further easing of restrictions was likely to be announced soon. – Bangkok Post
Only 193,000 health workers vaccinated even with 1.125 million doses available
Fewer than 200,000 health workers have been vaccinated against COVID-19 though nearly all of the 1.125 million doses of donated vaccines that arrived nearly two weeks ago have been distributed. Since the rollout of the CoronaVac vaccine from China on March 1 and the AstraZeneca shot from the global vaccine pool COVAX on March 6, 193,492 health workers have been given their first dose as of Saturday, according to the Department of Health (DOH). Beverly Ho, director of the DOH Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, also said on Monday that 90 percent of the vaccines had already been distributed to vaccination sites across the country. These hospitals have also received the vaccines for the second dose. Policemen and soldiers as well as several government officials were also inoculated with CoronaVac, the vaccine made by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech. Ho said the adverse events after vaccination were “manageable” and none of those who experienced side effects needed hospitalization. “The rates are still manageable … The symptoms are resolving. The people are able to recover and go home and these are reported,” Ho told reporters in an online briefing. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that with 193,492 health workers inoculated, 34 percent of the 1.125 million doses of the vaccine have been used or reserved for the second dose. In Metro Manila, he said, 70 percent of the allocated vaccines for the first dose have been given. “[Metro Manila] has performed quite well. They are now 70 percent for the first dose inoculation,” Duque said in a media forum on Monday with the World Health Organization representative and the European Union ambassador. The Philippines is negotiating for more vaccines to inoculate 70 percent of its 108 million population this year. Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved on Thursday a loan of $400 million for the Philippines’ vaccination drive. Kelly Bird, ADB country director, announced the approval of the loan during presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s press briefing on Monday. Bird said the ADB loan was being co-financed by Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which would add to it $300 million so that the Philippines would get a total of $700 million. He said the ADB loan allowed advance payment and direct payment to vaccine suppliers, thus providing a “very streamlined procurement process” for the Philippines. The Philippines is battling a spike in coronavirus infections, with new cases hitting up to 5,000 daily. – INQUIRER.net
Covivac vaccine clinical trial begins
A second Vietnamese COVID-19 vaccine entered the first phase of clinical trials on Monday morning. Six volunteers were injected with the Covivac vaccine, researched and produced by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC), at the Hà Nội Medical University. Dương Hữu Thái, director of the IVAC, said the research project for the Covivac vaccine under the Ministry of Health began in May last year on the basis of co-operation with universities, research institutes and international production organisations. Phase one will be implemented at the Hà Nội Medical University, with 120 healthy volunteers aged 18-59 participating. Volunteers in the study will receive two injections 28 days apart. After the first injection, the volunteers will be medically monitored for 24 hours at the Centre for Clinical Pharmacology at the Hà Nội Medical University. After the second injection, the volunteers will be monitored for four hours. Phase two will be conducted at the Vũ Thư District Medical Centre in the northern province of Thái Bình. Volunteers participating in the study at this stage will include 300 healthy people, aged 18-75, of which those age 60-75 will account for about one third. Forty-three days after phase one, if results are good, the optimal dose level will move to phase two research. The Covivac vaccine is a liquid vaccine with or without adjuvants, without preservatives, with the production technology of Newcastle vector vaccine, based on production technology on chicken eggs with embryos. This technology is also used to produce seasonal flu vaccines in Việt Nam. Director Thái said preclinical studies in India, the US and Việt Nam so far had shown safety and effectiveness. The Covivac vaccine antibody also protects against a variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the UK and South Africa. After seven months of research, from May to December last year, the IVAC has successfully produced three consecutive batches on a large scale, from 50,000 to 100,000 doses per batch. According to calculations, each dose of the vaccine will not cost more than VNĐ60,000 (US$2.6). Covivac is the second COVID-19 vaccine in Việt Nam to conduct clinical trials. Previously, the Nano Covax vaccine of the Nanogen Company has started phase two of its trial. – Viet Nam News
The gloves are off: Harder stand against those who hinder contact tracing
As cases linked to community outbreaks continue to be detected, the Health Ministry will abandon its gentle approach in pleading for public cooperation to contain the pandemic. Instead, it plans to come down hard on those with COVID-19 who refuse to cooperate with health authorities over contact tracing. Ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine yesterday warned it was considering publishing their particulars for the public to identify them. She was speaking at a joint press conference held by the ministry and the Justice Ministry to explain the new “Law on Preventive Measures against the Spread of Covid-19 and other Severe and Dangerous Contagious Diseases.” Vandine said: “We are discussing the point of revealing the identity, but the important thing is that if you do not want the ministry to disclose your identities, please be honest.” “When health officials ask you to show it, do not hide it because in the past (November 28 Community Incident) some people did hide it. They did not dare to speak out about it.” “We do not know why they did not dare to say it. If you do not cooperate in providing complete information to the research team, the Ministry of Health has no choice but to reveal the identity of the person,” she added. Justice Minister Keut Rith explained at the press conference that the new law was adopted and promulgated to encourage people’s participation in containing the COVID-19 community transmission. He said that the law comprising of six chapters and 18 articles entered into force after being promulgated on March 11 by Acting Head of State Say Chhum. “This law is made urgently. So, it must be effective immediately after the promulgation,” he said. “This law is to prosecute those who fail to abide by the health measures and perpetrators,” Rith said. “Fining those who do not wear a mask will not be carried out in general, but it will be implemented in areas proved to be high risk of COVID-19 with an approval by the Ministry of Health.” He said to implement the law, the government also signed a sub-decree on “Health Measures against the Spread of COVID-19 and Other Severe and Dangerous Contagious Diseases.” Masks and social distancing are now mandatory in locations determined by the sub-decree and failing to comply after being warned can result in a fine of between about $50 and $250. – Khmer Times
Soldier shoots man in head at close range as junta continues crackdown
The coup regime’s forces continued their murderous campaign to crush Myanmar’s pro-democracy uprising on Monday, killing at least 12 people in Yangon and other cities across the country, rescue teams and witnesses said. The killings came a day after at least 63 people were slaughtered in Yangon alone, marking the bloodiest day so far since protests against Min Aung Hlaing’s rule began in early February. In Hlaing Tharyar, where most of Sunday's killings took place, a man in his 50s was picking up trash after a protest had dispersed on Monday when a soldier walked up to him, pressed a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. “They shot the old man in the temple. He died right there,” a witness told Myanmar Now. Mobile internet access was cut across the country on Monday, making it more difficult for people to share information about the attacks. Six townships in Yangon, including Hlaing Tharyar, were also placed under martial law. At around 3pm, some 40 trucks full of soldiers arrived at the Aung Zeya Bridge in Hlaing Tharyar to break up a demonstration, a protester who lives in the township said. Two women in their 60s were killed as armed forces fired at people from Da Bin Shwe Htee Road, the resident said. Their bodies were brought to a local hospital with an ambulance, as were three people injured during the shootings, he added. Fires raged at a number of Chinese-owned factories in Hlaing Tharyar on Sunday. No evidence has emerged about who was responsible. China’s Global Times reported that 32 factories with Chinese investors were vandalized in Yangon, with the damage amounting $36.89 million. Two Chinese employees were injured, the newspaper said. The Chinese embassy in Myanmar on Sunday called on people to express their demands lawfully and not be incited to undermine China-Myanmar relations. “China urges Myanmar to take further effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar,” the statement said. On Monday afternoon an official from a hospital in Yangon said four more people injured in Hlaing Tharyar on Sunday had passed away, bringing the total killed by the crackdown in the township on that day to 38. In Chanmya Tharzi, Mandalay, two anti-regime protesters were killed and several others were injured on Monday, according to medical workers. Two men - aged 25 and 30 - were killed in Aunglan, Magway region, according to a witness and a doctor. One was shot in the head and the other in the chest. The regime’s forces were deployed in front of the Aunglan police station and then fired on demonstrators, the witness said. A 45-year-old man who was driving a truck full of protesters into the town was shot in the chest, a witness told Myanmar Now. The victim was identified as Ko Zaw and police and soldiers took his body away, the witness said. “They shot the front wheels first and then fired from the front. There were two bullet holes in the windscreen,” said Aung Myint Tun, a protester. About 30 protesters riding in the truck were also arrested, he said. – Myanmar NOW
Bank Mandiri to pay out Rp10.27 trillion in dividends
State lender Bank Mandiri, during its general meeting of shareholders, has agreed to set aside 60 percent of its last year's net profit, or Rp10.27 trillion, to pay dividends to shareholders. Considering the red and white shares which make up 60 percent of the total shares, Bank Mandiri will pay dividends of around Rp6.16 trillion to the state treasury, and allocate 40 percent of the net profit as retained earnings. The dividends will amount to Rp220 per share. "The number of dividends is in line with the bank management's commitment to contribute optimally to the nation and the wish to serve as the main financial partner of customers' choice through reliable and simple digital banking, among other things," Bank Mandiri president director Darmawan Junaidi said during a press conference in Jakarta on Monday. At the meeting, the shareholders also agreed to appoint Timothy Utama as Bank Mandiri’s information technology (IT) director in place of Rico Usthavia Frans, who has completed his term in office. Utama was formerly managing director, head of operations and technology at Citibank. The shareholders also agreed to appoint Muhammad Yusuf Ateh as the bank's commissioner in place of Ardan Adiperdana. Following the changes, the bank's board of directors will comprise Darmawan Junaidi as president director, Alexandra Askandar as vice president director, Ahmad Siddik Badruddin as risk management director, Agus Dwi Handaya as compliance and human resources director, Panji Irawan as treasury and international banking director, Riduan as commercial banking director, Aquarius Rudianto as network and retail banking director, Toni Eko Boy Subari as operations director, Susana Indah Kris Indriati as corporate banking director, Rohan Hafas as institutional relations director, Sigit Prastowo as finance and strategy director, and Timothy Utama as IT director. The bank's board of commissioners includes M. Chatib Basri as chief commissioner, Andrinof Chaniago as vice chief commissioner, Mohamad Nasir, Boedi Armanto and Loeke Larasati Agoestina as independent commissioners, and Nawal Nely, Faried Utomo, Arif Budimanta, Rionald Silaban, and Muhammad Yusuf Ateh as commissioners. – AntaraNews.Com