These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Personal assistant to S'pore Food Agency director-general charged under OSA with leaking Covid-19 circuit breaker details
The personal assistant to the director-general of the Singapore Food Agency was charged on Wednesday (April 21) under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) with leaking information on school closures during the Covid-19 circuit breaker last year. Noorain Jubli, 38, faces two charges for the wrongful communication of information - the second such case in the past week. Her husband Khairul Annuar Zakaria, 39, also faces one such charge and another for soliciting wrongful communication of information. The information was allegedly from a draft joint media statement by the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Education. It was to announce details of the implementation of full home-based learning by schools and institutes of higher learning, and the closure of pre-schools and student care centres. Noorain had accessed the classified information from the director-general's e-mail inbox. She allegedly sent the information to her husband before it was officially released. He is said to have then sent it to his friends. On Tuesday night, the police said they had received a report about the incident on April 3 last year. The woman had apparently taken a picture of the media release from her computer screen. She was an authorised recipient of the media statement. She is also alleged to have taken photos of a list of essential services that would continue operating during the circuit breaker and sent them to her husband, at his request. They can be fined up to $2,000 and jailed for up to two years. They are out on $5,000 bail and are expected to plead guilty on June 11. Sixteen others who received the information and disseminated it will be given written warnings for wrongful communication, said the police. Last Wednesday, a former deputy lead at the Ministry of Health (MOH) was charged under the OSA with leaking Singapore's daily Covid-19 case numbers 22 times last year. Zhao Zheng, 36, had allegedly shared the daily numbers in a WeChat group that had 49 other members, before MOH had officially released the numbers. She is also accused of obtaining confidential details of a Covid-19 patient without authorisation and giving the information to co-accused Tang Lin. – The Straits Times
Virus spike sparks schools' closure call
The National Parent-Teacher Association (NPTA) has urged the Education Ministry to close all schools and switch back to home-based teaching and learning following the emergence of Covid-19 infections in schools. NPTA president Associate Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Ali Hassan put forward three reasons to justify another round of school closure. "Firstly, the virus is already in the community and school grounds are not immune to the transmissions. "Secondly, although teachers work hard to enforce the standard operating procedures (SOP) in schools, they cannot control or regulate the movement of students after school hours," he told the New Straits Times yesterday. He also cited pictures of people not complying with physical distancing rules at public places such as Ramadan bazaars, which had been making their rounds on social media. "Many parents have been spotted bringing their young children, who are possibly school students, to these crowded and congested areas. "This could contribute to infections at school grounds if the children contract the virus elsewhere." The third reason for the need to shut down schools, he said, was the delay in vaccination for teachers. "This will mean that they (the teachers) are equally susceptible to contract or transmit the infections. Therefore, we think it is best to close all schools for now to mitigate the spread of Covid-19." Ali urged the government to expedite the vaccine rollout for all educators to ensure that schools could reopen safely in the near future. "Teachers are the guardians of our future generation. Their safety, therefore, is paramount." On April 17, Science, Technology and Innovation Deputy Minister, Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said more than 10 per cent of teachers in the country had received their vaccines under phase one of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP). He also said the ministry was deliberating with the Education Ministry to include all teachers in phase two of the NIP, instead of only the 55,000 high-risk teachers who had been identified previously. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia senior lecturer Anuar Ahmad described the recent round of school closures nationwide as nothing short of a "nightmare" for the education system. Anuar suggested for a school rotation system, shorter schooling hours, and decentralise decision-making powers to schools and parent-teacher associations. The rapid transmission of Covid-19 infections in schools, he said, was because schools were operating at full capacity, which makes enforcing physical distancing almost impossible. "Several Scandinavian countries, despite having stricter SOP than us, have opted for a rotation system for their schools to operate during the pandemic. "Our country, however, took a rash decision in allowing schools to operate at full capacity. By right, our schools should only be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity. "For instance, primary schools should require Years 1 to 3 pupils to attend classes physically only for three days. The next two days, they can follow home-based teaching and learning." Anuar said school authorities should use vacant classrooms to split students into smaller groups to better implement physical distancing. "Schooling hours should also be shortened to minimise the risk of transmission. "In the event a positive case is detected, only the batch of students and teachers who attended classes physically will have to undergo quarantine. "Classes can resume for the other students after the school grounds have been sanitised." – New Straits Times
We put safety first: Prayut
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday defended the government's vaccination programme, insisting it had not been overly slow, nor unjustly favoured one producer over another. His remarks followed criticism that the government had been slow in procuring and distributing vaccines, even as the country struggled with the latest wave of Covid-19 infections. "Initially, the purchases Thailand made were based on the situation at that time, when we were successful in containing the outbreak," he said. Back then, said the PM, his government did not want to put people's lives at risk since some of the available vaccines used untried technology. Now those vaccines have been successfully used elsewhere, the government has allowed their manufacturers to make proposals and the government was considering ways to buy from them. "Let me be clear. It's not that we acted too late or too little," said Gen Prayut. "Everything depends on the situation at a given time. We didn't want to subject people to risk when the vaccine was first produced. Several countries opted to do the same." He assured that the vaccines Thailand now had were being administered quickly and efficiently. "The idea of monopolising a local vaccination never crossed our mind," he said. "All we have ever thought about is safety. We can't afford to make the shots freely available because they are for emergency use only and the manufacturers won't be liable for undesirable side effects." Gen Prayut pointed out that he had also responded to calls, especially from social media users, to allow the private sector to import vaccines from manufacturers other than the two which the government had already bought – AstraZeneca and CoronaVac by Sinovac Biotech. He had set up a panel to consider the private sector's purchase of vaccines, he added. The panel is led by Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, adviser to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). Regarding people's access to vaccines, the prime minister said the Public Health Ministry would allow the public to book vaccination appointments through the "Mor Prom'' mobile app on May 1. Exactly how many people would be vaccinated on a voluntary basis remained to be seen, he said. The prime minister said his government was also awaiting price quotes from US-based vaccine producer Pfizer before going ahead with plans to buy 5-10 million doses of its vaccine. "I can't confirm [whether Thailand will get it or not] but if all goes well, 5-10 million doses can be delivered as soon as July. The government is not dragging its feet," he said. As of Tuesday, more than 2.1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have arrived in Thailand. In February, 200,000 doses came from Sinovac and another 117,000 doses from AstraZeneca, while in March, 800,000 more doses came from Sinovac and another 1 million doses from the same producer this month. Some 500,000 more doses of the Sinovac vaccine will arrive on Saturday and a further one million doses are expected to be delivered next month if the shipments are approved by the Chinese government, the prime minister said. In addition, about 4-6 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by Siam Bioscience, the local biotechnology firm contracted to manufacture the Covid-19 vaccine in Thailand, will be gradually rolled out from June. The number of doses will be increased from July and reach 61 million by the end of the year, he said. – Bangkok Post
NTF-ELCAC denies linking community pantries to leftist groups
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Wednesday denied linking community pantry organizers to leftist groups. In an interview on ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo, NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., said the task force has nothing to do with red-tagging community pantries and its organizers. “No, haka haka yan ng ibang grupo na malilikot ang mga utak (No, other groups made that up),” Parlade stressed. Parlade said the counter-insurgency task force is just “checking” the situation of community pantries to make sure that organizers do not have any other agenda. “I don’t want to use the word profiling kasi masyadong controversial yan sa mga ibang tao, what we’re saying is we’re just checking kung ano ‘yung ginagawa, kung anong sitwasyon sa mga community pantries na ito,” he said. (I don’t want to use the word profiling because it’s too controversial. What we’re saying is we’re just checking on what they’re doing and the situation on the ground.) “We’re just checking kung sino itong mga nag-oorganize nito to make sure na walang agenda,” he added. (We’re just checking who the organizers are to make sure that there is no other agenda.) Parlade added that several netizens alerted and asked the NTF-ELCAC to check the community pantries, with some reporting that there are “agitation” and “propaganda materials” in some other pantries. “Ang mga nag-alert sa amin ay mga netizens mismo, they’re informing us na may ganitong activity dito sa aming community. Paki-check po kasi bakit sila mayroon silang mga karatula na kung anu ano, may agitation, may mga propaganda materials dito paki-check po kung sino itong mga ito,” Parlade said. (Netizens alerted us, informing us that there’s such an activity in their community, asking us to check because some have propaganda materials.) The Maginhawa community pantry along Maginhawa Street in Quezon City was forced to temporarily close on Tuesday due to red-tagging issues. Organizer Ana Patricia Non posted on Facebook screenshots of several social media posts linking the community pantry to communist groups. One of the screenshots showed NTF-ELCAC, which has been previously involved in red-tagging controversies, sharing posts saying that community pantries are being used for propaganda of the CPP-NPA-NDF. – INQUIRER.net
National tourism year launched
A ceremony was held in Hoa Lu ancient royal capital in the northern province of Ninh Binh on Tuesday to launch the National Tourism Year 2021 with Ninh Binh as the main destination. Various activities will promote local tourism with the theme 'Hoa Lu – Thousand-Year-Old Royal Capital' hosted by local authorities and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Addressing the ceremony, the chairman of Ninh Bình’s People’s Committee Pham Quang Ngoc said hosting Tourism Year 2021 is the great honour and responsibility of local authorities and people, which is also a chance for the province to confirm its role in the tourism map of Viet Nam and the world. “This is also an opportunity for Ninh Binh to develop and become a leading destination in Viet Nam,” he said. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said the theme of the event once more confirm the eternal value of ancient Hoa Lu capital and other cultural and natural heritage sites in the province. “Those are priceless asset of the whole country,” he said. The Deputy PM asked agencies to work together to grow tourism in a sustainable way to preserve and enrich cultural heritage for the next generations. “The tourism sector should apply digital transformation more quickly and properly to develop services,” he said. Thousands of attendees at the ceremony then enjoyed an art show by more than 500 performers and a firework show. Ninh Binh also hosted National Tourism Year in 2020. Last year, the province received some 2.8 million visitors, a 60 per cent decrease against the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hoa Lu Ancient Royal Capital is located in the core area of Trang An Landscape Complex site – a World Heritage site recognised by UNESCO. The relic site system in Hoa Lu involved historical figures of Dinh (968-980), Tien Le (Early Le, 980-1009) and the beginning of Ly reigns (1009-1010). Hoa Lu was chosen as the first capital of the feudal state in Viet Nam between 968 and 1010. In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long (Ha Noi). Though the former capital Hoa Lu was no longer the capital, kings of the Ly, Tran, Le and Nguyen dynasties still renovated and built more temples, mausoleums, pagodas and palaces at the site. The present Hoa Lu site now covers a total area of 13.87 sq m. – Viet Nam News
PM urges for understanding and tolerance as tempers and frustrations mount due to poor execution
Prime Minister Hun Sen has urged for understanding and tolerance from his compatriots during this hard time, especially the lockdown, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Please be understanding and tolerant of our common difficulties,” said the Premier in a voice message shared Tuesday evening. The call was made after there were many complaints over the interruption of assistance policy for those who died, have been infected and quarantined due to the pandemic. The financial support of 300,000 Riel ($75) per family can be made only with quarantine areas, not lockdown areas such as Phnom Penh capital and Takhmao town, or with a few cases in a district, not in a capital with millions of people, he explained. Instead of cash, he added, the authorities have provided them with food relief such as milled rice, instant noodle, canned fish, fish sauce and other necessary stuff. “Some have refused to accept the relief, so it will be given only to those who accept it,” he underlined. According to Mr Hun Sen, about 10,000 families received the relief yesterday, then another 10,000 families will get it today, and about 20,000 families on Thursday. The Prime Minister also advised the municipal and provincial governors, particularly Phnom Penh and Kandal governors to pay attention to Buddhist monks as during the lockdown, people cannot go to pagoda and the monks cannot go for alms. Phnom Penh capital and Takhmao town of Kandal province have been under a two-week-long lockdown since April 15 to contain and prevent the COVID-19 spread. – Khmer Times
Crackdown on village in Sagaing Region leaves at least one person dead
At least one civilian was shot dead in Sagaing Region’s Yinmabin Township on Tuesday after regime forces stationed there opened fire on villagers, a local resident told Myanmar Now. Residents of the village of Win Kone defended themselves with traditional hunting rifles, but the troops took up position beyond their range, the Yinmabin local told Myanmar Now. On Tuesday afternoon, the junta’s troops used drones to locate the village’s security team and then attacked with heavy weapons, residents said. It was unclear what weapons were used in the assault. Local sources were still gathering information about the number of casualties in the attack at the time of reporting. A resident of Thalauk, a village near Win Kone, said soldiers started to arrive in the area at around 3pm on Tuesday and soon after opened fire on locals armed with hunting rifles. According to sources, residents of at least seven villages in Yinmabin Township fled their homes due to the clashes. The affected villages include Thalauk, Win Kone
and Kapaing, all located in Yinmabin Township. The coup regime’s armed forces have killed over 730 civilians since the February 1 coup, according to the monitoring group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. – Myanmar NOW
Indonesia banking on solar power to boost renewable energy generation
Indonesia plans to increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix through several strategies, including halting imports of fossil fuels and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) by 2030 and expediting solar power projects. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, Arifin Tasrif, made the remarks in a statement released here on Tuesday. "We are still importing fuel oil and LPG now. By 2030, the government is targeting to stop fuel oil imports, and, if possible, stop imports of LPG," Tasrif informed. In 2021, imports of crude oil are projected to reach 118.4 million barrels, valued at US$2,297 billion. Meanwhile, imports of LPG are projected to touch 7.2 million metric tons, valued at an estimated US$411 per metric ton, the minister noted. The high imports of crude oil and LPG have impacted the current account deficit, which has continued to increase, he said. The decision to stop imports of fossil fuels demonstrates Indonesia's firmness in implementing the Paris Agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the use of renewable energy, he added. "Indonesia needs to anticipate this to encourage the use of renewable energy in the national energy mix," Tasrif said. Indonesia is targeting to increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix to 23 percent by 2025 from the 11.2 percent currently, he disclosed. According to data provided by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, the capacity of renewable energy-generating power plants in Indonesia has reached 10,467 MW – with hybrid power plants contributing 3.6 MW, wind-generated plants 154.3 MW, solar plants 153.8 MW, bio energy 1,903.5 MW, geothermal energy 2,130.7 MW, and hydro power plants 6,121 MW. The government is targeting to have 24 thousand MW of installed capacity of environment-friendly electricity by 2025, and increase it to 38 thousand MW by 2035, Tasrif said. "We are attempting to use solar as the backbone of our national energy source," he added. The government has prepared strategies to develop solar energy, which include the development of large-scale solar energy plants (PLTS) on former mining sites and unproductive land; floating photovoltaic solar power plants; rooftop solar power plants; and, conversion of steam-generated power plants (PLTU) to PLTS, the minister informed. In addition, the government has initiated plans to use Sumba Island in East Nusa Tenggara as a solar energy source given its potential to produce 1,800 MW of electricity per year, 25 percent above the national average, he said. The intensity of solar radiation in Sumba Island is 4.8 kWh per day, and there is abundant land in the province, thus, establishing a PLTS with a capacity of 50 thousand MW is possible, he added. The PLTS could supply electricity from Sumba Island to Java, he said. In 2020, the installed capacity of PLTS in Indonesia stood at 153.8 MW, or 0.07 percent of the total realization of mixed energy of 10,500 MW, or 11.2 percent of the national energy mix. – AntaraNews.Com