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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Australia-Singapore travel bubble could be established within next week: PM Morrison
Australia is in the final stages of concluding a quarantine-free travel bubble with Singapore that could be established within the next week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday (Oct 22).
The initial plan is to allow vaccinated students and business travellers to fly between the two countries, before opening up to tourists, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The newspaper said that the arrangement would also depend on the quarantine restrictions of individual states. - Straits Times
Najib wants to postpone travel plans to Singapore due to Melaka state polls
Datuk Seri Najib Razak now wants to postpone his travel plans to Singapore due to the Melaka state elections next month.
The former Umno president in his supporting affidavit to apply for the temporary return of his passport said he had been tasked to be the 'caretaker' for the party during the by-election.
On Oct 18, the Court of Appeal approved Najib's application for the temporary return of his passport to enable him to travel to Singapore to visit his daughter Nooryana Najwa who is expected to give birth soon. - New Straits Times
Thailand welcomes visitors from 46 countries from Nov 1
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says Thailand will open the country to visitors from 46 countries instead of only 10 Covid-19 low-risk countries announced earlier, starting from Nov 1.
He did not name the countries in the post on his Facebook page on Thursday evening, but wrote it was now necessary to speed up the opening.
"If we wait until everything is fully ready, we'll be too late. Besides, tourists may choose to go elsewhere," read the post. - Bangkok Post
PH to get 2M more Pfizer jabs before end-October
The United States, through the COVAX Facility, will deliver another two million doses of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine to the Philippines by next week, US Embassy in Manila Chargé d'Affaires Heather Variava said Thursday night.
"Yes, we will. In fact, we are really delighted that next week some more, about two million doses from the United States donated thru COVAX will be arriving. So, more is coming," she said in an interview shortly after the arrival of the 813,150 doses government procured Pfizer vaccine at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
These jabs were delivered via Air Hongkong Flight LD 456. - Philippine News Agency
Vietnam expected to achieve five SDGs by 2030
Vietnam is expected to achieve five out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, including no poverty, zero hunger, quality education, climate action and global partnerships, according to the National Report on the five-year-implementation of Vietnam Sustainable Development Goals.
The report was released by the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Hanoi on Thursday.
Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc said the SDG National Report 2020 was drafted to evaluate the progress of the five-year implementation of the SDGs in Vietnam and to anticipate the possibility of achieving SDGs by 2030. - Vietnam News
Passengers by air from Cambodia to enter Asean countries hampered by lack of flights and bilateral hiccups
As Thailand became the first Asean country to permit travelers from Cambodia to enter Thailand by air from November 1, the absence of scheduled flights plus the absence of reciprocal quarantine requirements has put a damper on this development.
Passengers by air from Cambodia to Thailand, if they can get a seat on one of the two flights per month charter flights, do not have to undergo quarantine on arrival if they are fully vaccinated.
However, Cambodia requires at least a three if not seven day quarantine period upon arrival and the question that begs an answer is when is the quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated passengers going to be removed or standardized to just three days for all fully vaccinated in bound travelers. - Khmer Times
Workers trying to leave Myanmar turned away at airports after junta tighten rules
Myanmar citizens trying to travel abroad for work have been prevented from leaving the country after the junta brought in new restrictions at airports last week.
Immigration staff at airports began turning travelers away on Friday after the junta-controlled labour ministry issued new rules requiring anyone leaving the country for work to have an Overseas Workers Identification Card, or OWIC, as well as a PJ passport.
In the past, people with passports issued for non-work visits, called PV passports, were also allowed to work abroad. Now, people with PV passports are reportedly being turned away if they also have work visas. - Myanmar NOW
Indonesia's vaccination best among non-vaccine-producing countries
Indonesia has become the country with the best COVID-19 vaccine injection rate compared to other non-vaccine-producing countries, the spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccination at the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said.
"If compared to other non-vaccine-producing countries, we are the best," she said in an online dialogue titled "Vaccines for All Ages" on KPCPEN's YouTube channel, Thursday.
The national COVID-19 vaccination program had reached 110 million citizens inoculated with the first dose. Meanwhile, around 65 million people have been fully vaccinated against the virus, Tarmizi stated. - AntaraNews.Com