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.
Malaysia seeks to assure parents wary of sending unvaccinated kids back to school amid Covid-19
In an attempt to reassure parents as schools across Malaysia reopen in stages, the CovidNow government website now lists the vaccination rates of students and staff of individual schools.
The reopening of more sectors of the economy and the resumption of interstate and overseas travel have also raised concerns among parents who worry about having their unvaccinated children back in school.
The Health Ministry last month warned of rising Covid-19 infections among children, but the situation has improved in recent weeks. As at Tuesday (Oct 12), there had been 79 deaths reported among those below 18 years over the last six months.
Mother-of-two Joanne Lee, 39, told The Straits Times that her children's primary school in Johor is making preparations to reopen in November.
"I'm petrified at the thought. My 12-year-old daughter will be fully vaccinated in mid-November but I don't know when my seven-year-old son will be receiving his vaccination. But we have to send him to school.
"Which parent, under these circumstances, would be okay with sending their kids to school? Do they want ICUs full of sick kids?" she said, referring to intensive care units. - Straits Times
Moderna or Pfizer booster works better for people vaccinated with J&J: Study
People who received Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine may benefit from a booster dose of Pfizer or Moderna, preliminary results of a US study published Wednesday showed.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was eagerly awaited in the United States because it looked at the possibility of "mixing" vaccines – using a different vaccine than the initial doses for the booster shot – which is not currently allowed in the country.
The study was conducted on 458 adults who had been vaccinated with one of three US-approved brands (Pfizer, Moderna or J&J) for at least 12 weeks.
These three groups were each divided into three new groups to receive one of the available vaccines as a booster. The nine groups consisted of about 50 people each. - New Straits Times
Curfew, red zones may ease
The government may consider easing more restrictions on businesses and activities, including reducing the number of dark-red zone provinces and shortening the nighttime curfew by two hours from Saturday to prepare for the country's reopening next month.
Sources at Government House said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will today chair a meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to assess the situation two weeks after a slew of virus curbs was relaxed on Oct 1.
The sources said the CCSA's operations centre will ask the meeting to mull easing further restrictions, for example shrinking the number of maximum and strict control zones to 24, "red" or maximum control zones to 29, and "orange" control zones to 24.
The centre will also propose shortening curfew hours, which were imposed to prevent the spread of infections, from 10pm-4am to 11pm-3am as of this Saturday until the end of the month. - Bangkok Post
Staycation in NCR allowed starting Oct. 16
Staycation is now allowed in accredited Metro Manila hotels as the region eases to Alert Level 3 from October 16 until the end of the month, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Thursday.
"Individuals of all ages may check-in for staycation. However, to ensure safety of all guests, only those 18 years old and above who are fully vaccinated shall be allowed to book their stay," the DOT said.
Under the amended guidelines, only DOT-accredited staycation hotels with government-issued safety seal certification will be allowed to accommodate staycation guests. - Philippine News Agency
Addressing root of conflicts key to sustainable peace building: Vietnamese diplomat
Countries need to settle the root causes of conflicts, including poverty, inequality and injustice, intolerance, discrimination, and incitement to violence, in order to build sustainable peace, said Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN).
Addressing an open debate of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on diversity, state building and the search for peace chaired by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on October 12, the Vietnamese diplomat said that ensuring transparent and accountable governance, and promoting a culture of peace play an important role in this process.
Countries need short-term and long-term preventive strategies in terms of politics, diplomacy, humanitarian issues, development and institutions, he said, adding that the UN and the international community need to support capacity-building to prevent conflicts. - Vietnam News
Authorities move to quash harassment in C-19 centres
The authorities are taking action to deal with allegations of untoward behavior in some of the Kingdom’s quarantine and treatment centres.
Oddar Meanchey Deputy Governor Dy Rado told Khmer Times yesterday that although there are currently too many people in the quarantine centre, only families are allowed to stay together, and if they are not family, they are divided into separate buildings by gender.
“There is only one quarantine centre that accommodates people, and it is located at the provincial stadium. It has a big enough field that we can divide them to ensure that all people staying are comfortable and free from any kind of harassment,” he said.
“The mobile bathrooms in the centre are separated too, with plenty of distance between the male and female facilities, as we have the space to do so,” he added.
“These measures were taken to stop any sexual harassment issues in the centre developing, before they became serious issues. The provincial authorities will take action and closely monitor indications of similar cases occurring, as we don’t want anybody to experience this kind of trauma in any Covid-19 centre,” he said. - Khmer Times
Junta accused of using human shields as it steps up its efforts to crush Sagaing uprising
Resistance groups active in eastern Sagaing Region say that regime forces based in the area are using local civilians as human shields in a bid to fend off attacks.
After months of suffering heavy casualties, troops stationed in Ayadaw Township have started forcing villagers to accompany them as they enter areas where they are at risk of being ambushed, the groups said.
“They make civilians go ahead of them when they raid villages. That way, the villagers are injured if we attack, and not them,” said Yaung Pyan, a member of the Ayadaw People’s Defence Force (PDF), one of several local groups fighting the regime.
According to Yaung Pyan, military units based in the villages of Naung Gyi Aing and Magyi Kan have engaged in the practice, which is regarded as a war crime under international law. - Myanmar NOW
Indonesian govt continues to crack down on illegal mining
Mining activities without permits are acts of crime, and the Indonesian Government will continue to crack down on them, according to Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Arifin Tasrif during a webinar on Wednesday. The rising market prices of mineral and coal commodities over the past year has increased illegal mining activities conducted in various regions of Indonesia, such as East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Bengkulu and South Sumatra.
The government noted there are 3.7 million people conducting illegal mining activities at 2,741 locations, with 133 locations inside the Mining Business Permit Area (WIUP) and 480 outside, while 2,128 locations have not been identified.
"Therefore, the ministry will identify the locations with the local ESDM Office and the police," Tasrif affirmed, noting illegal mining can damage the business activities of official permit holders. - AntaraNews.Com