These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Clementi death: Brother has charge upgraded to murder of teenage sister
A man was on Tuesday (June 29) accused of murdering his teenage sister, after he was initially charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt to her. Huang Bocan, 29, and two others – Chee Mei Wan, 41, and Lim Peng Tiong, 62 – had their charges upgraded to that of murder. The trio allegedly killed Huang Bocan’s sister, Ms Huang Baoying, by “causing bodily injury” in a flat at Block 602 Clementi West Street 1 at around 10pm on May 4. Details about her injuries and possible weapons used were not disclosed in the murder charges. Earlier this year, the trio were originally charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt to the teenager in the same flat. They were then accused of hitting her with a wooden pole at around 11pm on May 4. Offenders convicted of murder can either face the death penalty or be jailed for life and caned. The offence of voluntarily causing grievous hurt carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine or caning. Chee and Lim cannot be caned, as Chee is a woman while Lim is above 50 years old. Huang and Lim are Singaporeans, while Chee is a Singapore permanent resident. Huang is represented by lawyers Josephus Tan and Cory Wong from Invictus Law Corporation. Chee is represented by Mr Azri Imran Tan from I.R.B. Law, while Lim is represented by lawyers Kate Loo and Morgan Lee from Ling Law Corporation. Court documents did not state the relationship between Lim, Chee and the teenager. Records from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore show that Lim is one of two owners of the flat where her body was found. In an earlier statement, the police said they were alerted to the case at around 6.30am on May 5. – The Straits Times
Sabah will focus on second dose Covid-19 vaccine shots, high risk groups
Sabah will be focusing on administering Covid-19 vaccines to high-risk groups and those going for their second doses. State Community Development and People's Wellbeing minister Shahelmey Yahya said they were aware of the inconveniences and problems faced now due to the limited vaccine supply. "For now, our vaccination will be focused on the second doses, and as for the first dose, it is only for those who fall into the phase two category. "However, there will be adequate vaccines for phase three in Sabah which will begin next month," he said after visiting a vaccination centre in Membakut here. The phase two of the vaccination programme is meant for the elderly and those with comorbidities while phase three is for those under 60. Yahya, who is also the state Health Exco, said the weekly vaccine supply will arrive tomorrow and the state hopes they will be able to achieve 30,000 doses administered daily. Last week, several vaccination centres in Kota Kinabalu, Putatan and Tawau were reported to be closed due to shortage of vaccines. Yesterday, Sabah saw 10,301 vaccines being administered. To date, 9.6 per cent or 375,267 people have received their first dose and 4.6 per cent or 180,825 completed both doses. – New Straits Times
PM orders B7.5bn of aid
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has insisted he is unfazed by critics of the government's handling of the worsening Covid-19 situation after some called on him to step down. Critics have launched a broadside against the prime minister over the latest round of restrictions which deal a blow to eateries and restaurants. Operators complained that they were caught off-guard as the curbs were announced in the Royal Gazette at 1am on Sunday. Under the new restrictions which took effect on Monday and last 30 days, construction sites will also close temporarily while eateries and restaurants can only provide take-away services. Gen Prayut insisted he was not discouraged by the criticism, particularly on social media. "I am never fazed by anything. I will do my best for as long as I can. I love the people. I want nothing from them. I will work with everyone to take care of them," the prime minister said after a meeting of his economic team at Government House. The government will now prioritise easing the impacts caused by the new restrictions in Bangkok and five surrounding provinces of Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom during the next 30 days. A 7.5-billion-baht relief package will be expedited to help those affected by the new curbs, the prime minister said, adding that construction workers' camps are being isolated due numerous infections diagnosed among their workforces. He said further relief measures will also be launched in other provinces later. "I am very concerned about eateries, particularly small food shops. Therefore, we have sought cooperation from the Thai Contractors Association for many of those businesses to send food to construction workers' camps to supplement their income," Gen Prayut said. "I assure you that the government is doing its best to look after everyone and is ready to listen to opinions from all parties involved," he said, adding that the new relief package will go before the cabinet today. Thaniwan Kulmongkol, president of the Thai Restaurant Association, posted on Facebook on Monday that operators of small, medium and large eateries have been all affected. "It is like being hit several times by lightning in broad daylight," she posted. National Economic and Social Development Council secretary-general Danucha Pichayanan said after the prime minister's economic team meeting that a relief package worth 7.5 billion baht had been approved for restaurants, eateries and construction businesses affected in Bangkok and the five adjacent provinces. The package covers employers and employees both in and outside the social security system. Of the 7.5 billion baht, 4 billion will be drawn from the 1-trillion-baht loan and the rest will be allocated from the Social Security Fund. The relief package will be presented for cabinet approval today, Mr Danucha said. – Bangkok Post
ICC calls on kin of Duterte drug war victims to come forward, submit concerns
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a call for victims of the Philippine government’s drug war to come forward and submit their concerns over the request to proceed with the investigation. “Victims of the alleged crimes have the right to submit ‘representations’ as per the ICC legal framework. This means that victims may provide their views, concerns and expectations regarding the Prosecutor’s request to the ICC Judges for their consideration,” the ICC said in its website. Karapatan asks UN to probe 'spiralling' human rights cases in PH. The ICC provided a Victim Representation Form which asked details such as what happened to the victims, who the victims believe to be responsible, when and where the events occurred, and the like. The deadline for submitting victim representations to the ICC is on August 13, 2021. The ICC said that the process of submitting representations is “voluntary and free of charge.” “Please also note that this is not (yet) an application process for participation in court proceedings against an accused person or for obtaining reparations before the ICC,” the ICC said. “The process initiated by the Prosecutor is limited to the submission of victims’ views, concerns and expectations on the Prosecutor’s request to open an investigation regarding alleged murder and other crimes which are sufficiently linked to the ‘war on drugs’ campaign as set out above,” it added. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda earlier requested for judicial authority to investigate the crimes against humanity case filed against President Rodrigo Duterte over his war against illegal drugs. Malacañang said Duterte will never cooperate with the ICC probe as it claimed that the court’s move was politically motivated, making it appear that the Philippines’ legal system is not working. – INQUIRER.net
Moderna COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use in Viet Nam: Health ministry
Viet Nam's health ministry has granted conditional approval for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. The product, Spikevax, is the fifth vaccine to be authorised, following AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Pfizer, and Sinopharm vaccines. The authorisation document said each dose of 0.5ml contains 100mcg mRNA materials protected by lipid nanoparticles SM-102, and that the vaccines come in a box containing 10 vials which hold 10 doses. The manufacturing plants of Moderna vaccines approved for use in Viet Nam are listed as Rovi Pharma Industrial Services, S.A. in Spain, and Recipharm Monts in France, which could be subjected to changes depending on supply capacity. The Viet Nam’s branch of Zuellig Pharma, distribution partner of Moderna in Asia, was the one submitting the dossiers – with data on vaccine safety, quality, and efficacy updated to June 23, 2021 – for approval. Zuellig Pharma Viet Nam Co Ltd is responsible for coordinating with the vaccine manufacturers to ensure the production of the vaccines imported into Viet Nam and to ensure the safety, effectiveness and quality. The company must also coordinate with vaccine distributors and users to deploy a comprehensive drug safety system for this vaccine in Viet Nam in accordance with the law. The company is ordered to work with the Department of Preventive Medicine to issue instructions on storage, distribution and use of Spikevax in Viet Nam, and coordinate with the health ministry to implement risk management for the vaccine during its circulation in Viet Nam. In April, the World Health Organization has approved Moderna vaccines for emergency use, with efficacy found to reach 94.1 per cent. Moderna vaccines, similar to its mRNA-based Pfizer counterpart, requires ultra-cold chain storage set at -25 to -15 degrees Celsius, but WHO notes that vials could be stored at normal fridge temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius about a month prior to withdrawal of first dose. WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE)’s interim guidance recommend the vaccine for all age groups 18 and above. Vietnamese health authorities said early June they had placed an order for five million doses of Moderna vaccines, in addition to potential donation from the US following President Joe Biden’s pledge to share its surplus doses totalling some 580 million with the developing nations, which include Viet Nam. – Viet Nam News
Boeung Keng Kang market Covid-19 explosion grows to more than 100 positive cases, more expected
More than 100 traders at the Boeung Keng Kang market, now shuttered for at least two weeks, have been tested positive for Covid-19. Authorities fear that the numbers may increase as tests continue at Chea Sim school nearby the market as many in the BKK1 area, civil servants and residents frequented the popular wet market. Ek Nimol, Chairman of Boeung Keng Kang Market Commission, said on the afternoon of June 28 that the working group of the Market Commission has been cooperating with doctors to check the samples from Boeung Keng Kang market traders and people around the market to find Covid-19 infections. As a result, as of the afternoon of June 28, there were more than 100 traders who were confirmed to be Covid-19 positive. However, he said that this number was not certain as some traders had done repeat tests. The market authorities urged all those who have been in and out of the market from June 21 to 26 to get tested at Chea Sim High School, Boeung Keng Kang immediately and implement the rules in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Health. – Khmer Times
Junta sentences 16 Yangon residents to death over murder of alleged informant
The regime sentenced 16 people to death last week after accusing them of the murders of an alleged informant and his two sons in Yangon’s North Okkalapa Township. Sein Moe and his sons –24-year-old Aung Moe Hein and 19-year-old Htin Khant Moe Hein – were found dead on March 15 with stab wounds at their home in the township’s Shwepauk Kan Myothit neighbourhood, military-run media said. After the murders, regime authorities arrested eight people from the township – six men and two women – and issued arrest warrants for nine other men. Seven of those arrested received the death sentence following a two-and-a-half-month trial by military tribunal, military newspapers reported Saturday. They are Wai Yan Win Myint, Lapyae Wun, Soe Moe Paing, Yan Naing Soe, Kyaw Kyaw Naing, Zin Mar Tun, and Hla Hla Naing. One man named San Oo received a seven-year prison sentence for destroying evidence, while the remaining nine suspects were given the death penalty in absentia, the report said. A relative of one of the people convicted said all 16 were innocent: “They’re just convicting them because they can’t catch the actual assailants.” A North Okkalapa resident who lives in the same ward as the murdered family said Sein Moe had a fight with people in the neighbourhood weeks before his murder. “About three weeks after the fight, some strangers came to the neighbourhood in a Hijet and observed Sein Moe’s house from outside,” he said. “Two days later they came back with the same vehicle and stabbed him and his sons. After the attack, the group packed their swords back in the car and left.” Myanmar Now was unable to confirm the resident’s account of the killings. Sein Moe’s wife could not be reached for comment regarding the murders and the allegation that her husband was an informant. Those convicted have 15 days to appeal the decision and family members have said they will do so. Sixty-four people have now been sentenced to death since the military seized power in a February 1 coup, according to figures from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Of those, 40 were convicted in absentia, the group said. The majority of the convictions – 36 – were handed down to residents of North Okkalapa, one of six Yangon townships under martial law. The others are Hlaing Tharyar, Shwe Pyithar, North Dagon, South Dagon and Dagon Seikkan. – Myanmar NOW
Jakarta Police imposes restrictions on public mobility in 35 areas
The Jakarta Metropolitan Police is set to impose restrictions on public mobility in 35 areas in and around the Indonesian capital as part of efforts to contain COVID-19 transmission. "In total, there are 35 areas in the jurisdiction of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police covering Jakarta, Bekasi, Depon, and Tangerang," traffic director of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Senior Commissioner Sambodo Purnomo, said in Jakarta on Monday. The areas comprise 21 mobility restriction areas and 14 mobility control areas, he informed. In mobility restriction areas, the police will close access to and from the areas to curb crowding, he said. Only local residents and emergency health services will be exempt from the restrictions, he added. Meanwhile, police will not close access to and from mobility control areas, Purnomo said. However, it will tightly supervise the areas by conducting patrols and placing officers at vulnerable points, he added. The restrictions on and the control of public mobility in the areas will be in
effect from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., he informed. – AntaraNews.Com