These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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IMDA orders offensive poll on female Islamic teachers to be removed from social media platforms
The authorities have asked that an offensive online poll that asked people to rank a list of ustazah, or female Islamic religious teachers, according to their sexual attractiveness be removed from social media platforms here. On Friday (May 28), the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said the poll constitutes prohibited content under Singapore's Internet Code of Practice, and has no place here. The poll on social media platform MeWe first came to light on Wednesday, and is currently under police investigation. "A poll on local female asatizah (religious teachers) ... promotes sexual violence or sexual activity involving coercion or non-consent. Such content is unacceptable and has no place in Singapore," said IMDA. It added that it has contacted MeWe to remove the offending poll if it still remains on the platform. IMDA has also spoken to other social media platforms to ensure that the post does not surface on their platforms. Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo said in a Facebook post on Friday that the poll was "revolting", and that she condemned it in the "strongest terms". "Whoever is behind this isn't just trying to be funny. They have designed a deliberate exercise to demean women, and especially women who have dedicated themselves to upholding their faith," said Mrs Teo, who is also chairman of the People's Action Party's Women's Wing. The MeWe poll was first highlighted by Ustaz Muhammad Zahid Mohd Zin late on Wednesday in an Instagram post. MeWe allows users to post comments, start polls, message one another and have group discussions. Many netizens, including other asatizah, have since uploaded similar screenshots of the post to criticise it. The list shows at least 12 asatizah being ranked, with 1,005 participating in the poll. The Straits Times understands that about 20 to 30 asatizah were ranked in it. – The Straits Times
Family run drug syndicate busted
Police have crippled a drug syndicate ran by family members and seized various types of drugs worth RM1.98 million in separate operations here. Perak police chief Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said based on a tip-off, police arrested two sets of married couple and siblings aged between 26 and 34 on Wednesday and yesterday. He said police first picked up a 32-year-old man at a parking lot of a condominium in Kampung Simee here on Wednesday. "During the 2.30pm arrest, police found 26.31 gram of ketamine and 100 Erimin 5 pills. "Following this arrest, police then conducted another raid and picked up three people including another set of married couple and a sibling, aged between 26 and 32 in Kampung Simee and Tambun. "During the raid, police found 12,800 pills of Erimin 5, 1000 ecstasy pills, 665 gram of ketamine, 13.65 kg of drug powder and 183 drink sachets containing 5.46 kg of drugs," he said in a press conference at the Perak police contingent headquarters here today. He added that police then launched another two separate raids yesterday in Bukit Merah and Kampung Rapat here and detained two men aged 27 and 34. "Upon further checks, police seized 2.6 gram of ketamine during the 5.10pm raids," he said, adding that this family had been running the drug syndicate since last year. He added that police also seized a Toyota Harrier, a Toyota Estima, a Toyota Camry, a Honda Civic, a Kawasaki Versys motorcycle, jewellery and four watches worth RM262,596. "We believe that the drugs were for local consumption and the drugs seized could supply 110,080 addicts. "All of them are currently under remand between four and seven days," he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. – New Straits Times
'Thai variant' detected in UK
Health authorities in England have reported cases of a new Covid-19 variant that was first detected in Thailand among people who had arrived from Egypt. Public Health England (PHE) in a report updated on Thursday said there had been 109 cases of the new variant, coded C.36.3, found in England. PHE did not give it a name but it was quickly dubbed the "Thai variant" by the UK mass media, a description that Thai authorities immediately rejected as wrong. "The C.36.3 variant was first detected in Thailand, in cases who had travelled from Egypt," the PHE report said. "There is currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe disease or renders the vaccines currently deployed any less effective," it said. Details remained sketchy as the PHE was still investigating and carrying out lab tests on the new variant, one of many reported by the agency. The Express newspaper quoted a PHE spokeswoman as saying: "All appropriate public health interventions will be undertaken, including additional contact tracing and targeted testing. "Where cases have been identified, additional follow-up of cases, testing of contacts and if required targeted case finding will limit its spread," she said. Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, said the agency was looking into the report and opposed the use of the description "Thai variant". A preliminary check had found the new strain was brought into Thailand by travellers from Egypt who were quarantined after arrival. "In principle, the origin was in Egypt. So, it could not be called the Thai variant. It should be called the Egypt variant," Dr Supakit said. – Bangkok Post
Sotto seeks P500 increase in social pension of indigent seniors
Senate President Vicente Sotto III has filed a bill proposing a P500 increase in the minimum monthly social pension of indigent senior citizens. Sotto filed Senate Bill No. 2243 which seeks to amend the Senior Citizens Act and raise the amount of social pension for indigent senior citizens. Under the measure, indigent senior citizens are entitled to a monthly social pension of at least P1,000. “To address their pressing needs, this bill seeks to provide an additional financial assistance to indigent senior citizens. This is in the form of a monthly stipend amounting to an additional [P500] from the current social pension, for a total of [P1,000]. This will aid our indigent senior citizens defray the cost of daily subsistence and other medical needs,” Sotto said in the bill’s explanatory note. In 2019, there are over 3.7 million indigent senior citizens in the country, noted Sotto. “These are 3,796,791 individuals who are struggling to meet with their needs for basic commodities and healthcare due to lack of permanent source of income since they can no longer work fully and seek gainful employment,” he added. While there are available benefits and privileges for senior citizens at present in the country, these can only be availed from merchants in malls and big service providers which the indigent elderly “cannot afford to go to due to the higher prices of goods in these establishments.” “These discounts are mostly not available in the neighbourhood stores and in their local wet markets,” Sotto said. “Thus, the rising cost of living and the added financial burden brought about by the present pandemic has taken a toll on our indigent senior citizens,” he added. – INQUIRER.net
No changes to 21-day quarantine policy for foreign arrivals: Foreign ministry
Viet Nam for the time being has no plans to adjust its current foreign arrivals policies, including mandatory 21-day quarantine, the foreign ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang confirmed. She made the statement during Thursday's press briefing, amid calls from business groups like the American Chamber of Commerce in Ha Noi to relax quarantine policies especially for vaccinated travellers in a bid to bring more people to Viet Nam. Viet Nam however is suffering from a devastating fourth wave of infections that has so far logged over 3,000 confirmed cases in just one month since April 27, 2021, after internationally-recognised successful containment since the pandemic began earlier last year with a range of measures from strict border closures to effective contact tracing, targeted testing, quarantine management, and lockdown policies. Earlier this month, the quarantine period for foreign arrivals and direct contacts of confirmed COVID-19 patients was extended from 14 to 21 days. The country also does not have yet any specific policy towards those who hold the so-called vaccine passports proving that they have been fully inoculated against COVID-19, Hang said, adding that the country can modify policies based on the circumstances at the time. “Amid the complicated developments of the coronavirus pandemic around the world and in Viet Nam, policies and measures pertaining to monitoring and quarantining of people entering Viet Nam is always flexibly adjusted by the Vietnamese Government so as to both prevent the transmission of the virus to protect public health, and to resume business activities and economic growth,” she said. Under the direction of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, the foreign ministry said it is working with relevant authorities, including the health ministry, to develop appropriate guidance on quarantine protocol for foreign arrivals which would take into account factors such as vaccination, time of stay in Viet Nam, and outbreak situation at home and abroad. As vaccine passports are being carried out in many countries, authorities have been conducting studies and assessment of the policy, she said, adding that the foreign ministry is aggregating experience from countries implementing the initiative so that proposals could be made to the Government on the opening of the border. – Viet Nam News
Ensuring compliance: Crackdown on factories flouting half-workforce rule
In a bid to stem an alarming spread of Covid-19 among garment workers, Phnom Penh City Hall has decided to come down hard on factories which do not follow preventive measures put in place as a condition to allow them to resume operations. Phnom Penh Governor Khuong Sreng told Khmer Times yesterday that any factory which violates the conditions set by the Labor Advisory Committee (LAC) could face temporary closure for up to three days as punishment. He said that during a meeting between the Labour and Health ministries on Wednesday, it was decided that the Phnom Penh Administration is empowered to take action against factories as well as markets which do not fully comply with measures put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. “If any employer or employee is found to be in violation of the instructions of the Phnom Penh Municipal Authority, we will close the factory for two to three days as well as warn the management not to repeat the offence,” he said. He added that when the authorities reopened the firm or factory, some factory owners allowed all their workers to return to work, which was contrary to the measures set by the Labour Ministry. On May 5, The Labor Advisory Committee (LAC) had recommended to the government that factories and enterprises should only have 50 percent of their total employees to work in rotation every two weeks. Those who have to work in the first shift (the first two weeks) should have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine; do not stay in areas which require Covid-19 testing; and have had a COVID-19 test (with a certificate from the doctor). The LAC said strict measures on hygiene, occupational health and safety must also be followed. It said that since workers will be working on a two-week rotation, they can be paid 50 percent of their wages and benefits (minimum wage plus seniority bonus and other monthly bonuses that workers have received so far), and employers should maintain monthly and other benefits such as overtime of two hours per day and overtime on Sundays or public holidays. It also proposed that the government should provide relief for workers who were unable to work due to factory suspensions or during COVID-19 treatment or quarantine as required by the authorities. Sreng yesterday also ordered the closure of parts of Phsar Touch village of Tuol Sangke I commune in Russey Keo district and parts of Prey Tea I village of Choam Chao III commune in Por Senchey for 14 days up to June 9 after an increase in infections. – Khmer Times
Three civilians killed as junta continues crackdown on Karenni resistance
Regime forces killed three civilians in Kayah (Karenni) State’s Demoso Township on Thursday as efforts to crush an uprising by resistance fighters in the area continue. The latest deaths come nearly a week after clashes between the Myanmar military and the Karenni People’s Defence Force (KPDF) began last Friday. Junta forces killed nine civilians earlier in the week as part of an ongoing crackdown on the local anti-coup resistance movement. Two of the civilians killed on Thursday were shot while trying to gather food and other supplies for villagers displaced by the conflict. Some 50,000 residents of Demoso and other townships in northern Kayah State and southern Shan State have been forced to flee amid anti-insurgent operations in the area. The victims, Alfred Ludu and Patrick Boe Reh, were killed in Demoso’s Ngu Palot ward, according to a KPDF member who spoke to Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity. “They couldn’t gather all the supplies they needed at one time. When they went back a second time, some soldiers who were in a house they entered shot them,” he said. Funerals were held for the pair immediately after their families recovered their bodies, according to information released by the KPDF on social media. Later in the day, a clash lasting about half an hour broke out on the eastern side of Demoso, near the Ngwe Taung dam, a local resident told Myanmar Now. All Lo Sein, a 24-year-old member of the Free Burma Rangers who was also known as Olson, was killed while attempting to rescue civilians trapped in the crossfire, the local said, adding that two villagers and a KPDF member were also shot. “The KPDF member was rescued but we don’t know where the two injured villagers are now. We can’t find them,” he said. The KPDF urged residents of Demoso to remain indoors as the military opened fire with artillery after the clash. Army shelling on Wednesday caused damage to Demoso’s St Joseph Catholic Church, just days after an attack on the Sacred Heart Church in Kayan Tharyar, a village in Loikaw Township, left four people dead and eight others injured on Monday. The victims of that assault were among dozens of civilians sheltering in the church after fleeing clashes over the weekend. Cardinal Charles Bo, the archbishop of Yangon, called for an end to attacks on places of worship, which he described as “a great humanitarian tragedy” in a statement on Tuesday. “Let us remember the blood that is spilled is not some enemy’s blood; those who died and those who were wounded are the citizens of this country. They were not armed; they were inside the church to protect their families,” said the cardinal. At least 831 civilians have been killed by the regime since it seized power on February 1, according to a tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. – Myanmar NOW
House backs Nusantara vaccine's phase three clinical trial: legislator
The House of Representatives (DPR) completely supports the phase three clinical trial of the Nusantara vaccine, one of Indonesia’s indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine candidates, a legislator has said. "The House is in a position to support the Nusantara vaccine candidate that Indonesia's scientists are developing," DPR deputy speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said. The House welcomes the fact that the vaccine candidate has undergone phase one and two clinical trials, and will later go ahead with phase three clinical trials, he added. The Nusantara vaccine candidate has also been recognized in international scientific journals, he said in a press statement that ANTARA received here on Thursday. The vaccine candidate is Indonesian scientists' real contribution to the country and to global endeavours to fight the coronavirus pandemic, he remarked. The phase three clinical trials would reveal the vaccine candidate's efficacy, safety, and effectiveness before it can be allowed for public use, he informed. ANTARA has earlier reported that Indonesia is developing six indigenously-developed Red and White COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Two of the candidates are expected to become ready for use after their production begins this year, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told ANTARA on the side-lines of his working visit to Jayapura city in April this year. He admitted that Indonesia seems to have been a tad late in developing the indigenous vaccines, named Merah Putih or Red and White after the national flag, but the government has demonstrated its seriousness towards the vaccine development initiative by forming special teams for the endeavour. The availability of COVID-19 vaccine doses is crucial for all states across the globe because it will enable them to determine their COVID-19 mitigation policies, he pointed out. Therefore, the Health Ministry supports fast-tracking the development of the Red and White vaccine candidates so they can be produced and used this year, Sadikin said. Indonesia has been striving to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since March last year. To stem the transmission of the lethal virus, the government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program since January 13 this year. The time-frame for conducting the vaccination has been set from January 2021 to March 2022. During the period, the government is targeting to inoculate at least 181.5 million people, comprising 1.3 million paramedics and 17.4 million public sector workers in 34 provinces. – AntaraNews.Com