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.
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National Day Rally 2021: ‘Entirely baseless’ to claim there is Chinese privilege in S’pore, says PM Lee
It is entirely baseless to claim that there is “Chinese privilege” in Singapore, though some Chinese Singaporeans might be unaware of how ethnic minorities feel, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 29).
In the Mandarin portion of the National Day Rally, PM Lee made the point that all races are treated equally in Singapore, with no special privileges for any.
But he also called on Chinese Singaporeans - who make up 76 per cent of the citizen population - to be understanding and accommodating of the concerns and difficulties faced by ethnic minorities here, especially in the areas of renting homes and looking for jobs.
PM Lee noted that in the early years of nationhood, Singapore's founding leaders stood firm on the overarching policy of racial equality, and that the Government was impartial when drafting laws and administrative measures not favouring any race. - Straits Times
31 ministers, 38 deputies to take oath of office today
Thirty-One ministers and 38 deputy ministers in the new cabinet will take their oath of office, loyalty and secrecy at Istana Negara here today.
The ceremony, to be held before Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, will start at 2.30pm.
The new cabinet line-up was announced by Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob last Friday, seven days after he took the oath of office as the ninth prime minister before His Majesty on Aug 20.
Ismail Sabri replaced Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned on Aug 16 after losing the majority support in Parliament and his proposed bipartisan cooperation was rejected by political parties. - New Straits Times
Booster shots start 'next month'
Covid-19 vaccine booster shots will be administered to about 3 million Thais who have already received their two shots starting from late next month, according to the Department of Disease Control (DDC).
DDC director-general Opas Karnkawinpong said the Public Health Ministry's subcommittee on Covid-19 vaccination agreed the booster shots will be given to Thais from late September until October.
"Which vaccine type will be used depends on the availability of the vaccine supply at that time and an estimated 3 million people who have already received two vaccine shots are expected to receive the booster shots," Dr Opas said.
A source at the ministry said AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines will initially serve as the booster shots because by that time there will be enough supplies from the two manufacturers.
Among the 3 million people to get the booster shots, many of them are likely to be those who already received two shots of Sinovac vaccine at least three months previously, the source said. - Bangkok Post
Be a 'hero' by helping gov't battle pandemic: Defense chief
The country's Defense chief called on Filipinos to become heroes in their own right by adhering to the health protocols and supporting the government's vaccination campaign in battling the pandemic.
By doing so, Filipinos protect themselves and the community against the virus, and winning the fight can be won only with cooperation, Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.
"Sa gitna ng pagsubok na dulot ng pandemya, nawa’y maging inspirasyon natin ang mga bayani noon at ngayon upang gampanan natin ang ating tungkulin at magkaisa para sa kapakanan ng ating bayan (amid the suffering due to the pandemic, may the heroism of past and present day heroes be an inspiration for every Filipino to do their duty and cooperate for the benefit of the country)," he said.
He urged the people to take inspiration from the bravery and heroism of Filipino heroes as the country commemorates on Monday National Heroes' Day. - Philippine News Agency
BOT companies call for help amid pandemic
“Since strict social distancing measures were applied nationwide, my company is on the verge of bankruptcy,” Le Minh Nghia, director of Phu Ha Liability, told Viet Nam News.
Phu Ha Liability invests in Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) projects, which are a form of private-public partnership.
Nghia’s company was the investor of the Van Lang Bridge project which crosses the Red (Hong) River, connecting the central city of Hanoi’s Ba Vì District and the northern province of Phu Thọ’s Viet Tri City. The BOT project was completed and opened to traffic in October 2018 and started collecting fees in January 2019.
"The company’s only source of income is from the collection of road service fees at the Van Lang Bridge Toll Station," Nghia said, and the coronavirus pandemic had severely affected revenue.
The average monthly revenue of the company from May to July this year was approximately VNĐ2.062 billion (US$90,000), plunging by 29 per cent compared to the April figure before the fourth wave of the virus started to break out in the country, Nghia said. - Vietnam News
More provincial cases and deaths logged in as Delta cases surge
As the national number of active cases continue to decrease, some provinces are still reporting rising numbers of Covid-19 cases. More worrying is the surge in Delta cases, with 218 new Delta cases reported on August 29.
These are the provincial cases reported on August 29.
Pailin’s provincial administration reported the discovery of 10 new cases and 15 recoveries.
Kampong Cham reported 39 new cases and 30 recoveries. Most of the cases were discovered in Cheung Prey and Stung Trang Districts. The province also reported cases found on travellers from other provinces.
Svar Rieng saw 10 new cases and 1 death. The province continued to record a decline in cases.
As of August 29, Svay Rieng reported 5,523 total cases, 5,191 recoveries, and 133 deaths.
Koh Kong reported 8 new cases and 26 recoveries.
Stung Trang reported 15 new cases and 10 recoveries.
Mondulkiri’s cases continue to rise with 33 cases reported. Most of the cases reported are from Sen Monorom City, Pichreda, and Oreang Districts. The province also reported the discovery of 20 Delta cases on August 28.
Kampong Thom logged in 26 new Covid-19 cases. The recoveries in the province outstripped the new cases with 77 new cases reported.
Preah Vihear reported the detection of 35 new Covid-19 cases and 29 recoveries. Most of the cases are from Rovieng and Choam Ksan Districts. - Khmer Times
Bomb goes off near military convoy in Mandalay
An explosion went off near a military convoy on 62nd Street in Mandalay’s Pyigyidagun Township on Sunday morning, according to local residents.
“The vehicles, including civilian ones, were parked there to carry out crackdowns on street protest columns. I think somebody threw a bomb,” one person living in the area told Myanmar Now.
Another Pyigyidagun resident confirmed that he also heard the sound of a large blast that shook the entire neighbourhood.
“Even the ground trembled. It was intense. I bet they [the soldiers] were hit,” he said.
The sources said they did not see the explosion and so were unable to confirm if there were any casualties.
The military has not released any information about the incident.
The explosion occurred near the township court and a police station. Ambulances and more vehicles loaded with police and soldiers arrived at the scene soon after the explosion, residents said. - Myanmar NOW
Government prepares strategy to deal with possible endemic: Minister
Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy has said the Indonesian government is currently preparing a strategy to deal with possible endemic if COVID-19 persists for a long time in the country.
"This means (the strategy will be implemented) if the disease becomes a sporadic outbreak in certain places, similar to flu, dengue fever, and so on," said Muhadjir Effendy in a press release received here on Sunday.
The minister said people still need to apply health protocols in their daily lives to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, by always wearing face masks, washing hands and avoiding crowds.
The minister said the government continues to monitor and evaluate the implementation of Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) and other measures to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. - AntaraNews.Com