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.
Stay informed with The ASEAN Post.
Biden says Afghanistan exit marks the end of US nation-building
Facing sharp criticism over the tumultuous US withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday (Aug 31) it was the best available option to end both the United States’ longest war and decades of fruitless efforts to remake other countries through military force.
Biden portrayed the chaotic exit as a logistical success that would have been just as messy even if it had been launched weeks earlier, while staying in the country would have required committing more American troops.
“I was not going to extend this forever war,” he said in a speech from the White House.
Earlier in the day, the Taliban, which seized control of Afghanistan in a lightning advance this month, fired guns into the air and paraded coffins draped in US and Nato flags as they celebrated their victory.
In his first remarks since the final pullout of US forces on Monday, Biden said 5,500 Americans had been evacuated and that the United States had leverage over the Islamist militant group to ensure 100 to 200 others could also depart if they wanted to. - Straits Times
Over 15 million of Malaysia's adult population fully vaccinated
A total of 15,032,301 individuals or 64.2 per cent of the country's adult population have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of yesterday, according to the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV).
JKJAV, in a Twitter post today, said 19,741,754 individuals or 84.3 per cent had received their first dose, bringing the cumulative figure for vaccines administered under the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme (NIP) to 34,752,340 doses as of yesterday.
It said 60.5 per cent of the country's overall population had received the first jab of the vaccine while 46 per cent had completed both doses.
On the daily vaccination rate, it said 261,768 doses were administered yesterday, with 115,473 for first dose recipients and 146,295 for second-dose jabs.
The NIP was launched Feb 24 to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the country. - New Straits Times
Govt denies jab purchase graft
The government has defended itself against accusations of corruption in its procurement of Covid-19 vaccines, saying the allegation that it pocketed change from previous Sinovac purchases was totally untrue and that its spending was above board and transparent.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha denied embezzling any money after a Pheu Thai MP questioned a 2-billion-baht discrepancy between approved budgets and the paid prices for five batches of the Sinovac vaccine Thailand bought.
He was responding to accusations made on Tuesday on the first day of the four-day no-confidence debate.
As for an accusation that the PM had paid money to further his political career, Gen Prayut said the opposition knew only too well that he had never done what was alleged, adding that the entire state budget the government has recently spent mostly went to funding the fight against Covid-19 and easing its impact on the country and the people.
He challenged the opposition to find out who had taken the alleged "change" from the government's purchase of Covid-19 vaccines, saying his government is ready for any investigations into the allegation. - Bangkok Post
Manila brings Covid-19 vax drive to health centers
The city government of Manila on Wednesday started bringing its coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination drive to health centers.
A total of 45 health centers in the city's six districts will start administering Covid-19 jabs for those in the A1 (medical front-liners), A2 (senior citizens), A3 (persons with comorbidities), A4 (front-liners in essential sectors, and A5 (indigents) priority groups, Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso said.
"Magandang balita, saturated na ang bakunahan sa Maynila. Kakaunti na lang ang di nababakunahan. Simula bukas pati mga health centers natin bubuksan na para iyong hindi pa, malapit na sila sa kanilang bahay (Good news, vaccination in Manila is now saturated.
There are only a few left who has not been vaccinated. Starting tomorrow, we will open our health centers so it is nearer their houses),” Domagoso said during his meeting with Manila hospital directors on Tuesday evening. - Philippine News Agency
Scientists help in fight against COVID-19
Scientists from Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) have designed and built a mobile oxygen and medical compressed air generator station to help the country fight COVID-19.
As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, especially in the south, the demand for medical oxygen products has increased.
To respond to the needs, the university group has worked around the clock to build the device, called the NOVAO2-Mobile System, in just three weeks during social distancing period.
Associate Professor Vu Dinh Tien, the group’s leader, said: “We know that one of the reasons causing the high fatalities of COVID-19 patients is the lack oxygen. - Vietnam News
Exiting restrictions: MoH prepares way to live normally with C-19 around
The Health Ministry is working on an exit strategy to further ease Covid-19 restrictions and prepare the country for people to lead more normal lives.
Ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine said yesterday the strategy involves accepting the fact that Covid-19 is here to stay and it is time to “learn to live with it”.
“Learn to live with it, deal with it, face it, overcome setbacks by acting on preventive guidelines issued by the government,” she told Khmer Times. The Covid-19 situation is improving day by day because people are joining hands with the government willingly to fight the pandemic.”
“Alpha or Delta or other variants, they are still all the Covid-19 virus. No matter how many times the virus reshapes itself, people will still get infected or even die because of it. Don’t view the variants as a threat. Just follow the MoH and government prevention guidelines strongly and think positively,” she added. - Khmer Times
Recent junta-appointed village administrator assassinated in Mandalay Region
Locals have been fleeing their homes in Hpayar Hla in Mandalay Region’s Taungtha Township after soldiers began an occupation of the village following the Monday morning assassination of a junta-appointed local administrator.
Myint Nwe, the 50-year-old village administrator, was killed by a shot to the head fired by an unknown gunman while he was at home, according to an eyewitness.
“The assailant came into the house and shot him only once, right in the forehead,” the eyewitness said.
Myanmar army soldiers arrived at the scene in eight vehicles soon after the 10am murder. They immediately started firing their weapons into the air and detonating flash grenades, according to the eyewitness.
Villagers responded by fleeing Hpayar Hla for safer locations.
The deceased, Myint Nwe, had started serving as the village’s administrator under the coup regime just two months ago. - Myanmar NOW
COVID wake up call for Indonesia to improve medical industry capacity
President Joko Widodo, in a video that later went viral, visited a pharmacy in Bogor, West Java on July 23, 2021 to buy oseltamivir and other COVID-19 medicines only to be told they were not available.
He was told that the medicines were not available as the pharmacy had not received supplies of the anti-virus drugs for a long time.
In July this year, Indonesia saw a record jump in COVID-19 cases due to the spread of the Delta variant in Java and Bali in particular.
The country's daily COVID-19 cases hit a record of 56,757 on July 15, 2021, while the daily deaths touched 2,069 on July 27, 2021.
The grave situation forced the government to enforce strict people’s movement restrictions (PPKM), or semi lockdowns, as the Widodo administration avoided using the term ‘lockdown’ in handling the pandemic.
The drastic COVID-19 spike overwhelmed the nation. Hospitals became overloaded with COVID-19 patients and the demand for drugs and medical oxygen jumped significantly, forcing the country to import them in larger quantities and accept the helping hand offered by other countries.
More worryingly, Indonesia barely produced three percent of medicines and medical equipment, while the remaining 97 percent were imported, particularly raw materials, according to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin. - AntaraNews.Com