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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S'pore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen meets current and former US officials in Washington
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who is in Washington on a working visit from Tuesday (Nov 2) to Thursday, reaffirmed Singapore and the United States' defence ties in meetings with US officials on Tuesday.
Dr Ng met Senators Tom Cotton and Tammy Duckworth, who are both in the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Tuesday (Wednesday Singapore time).
He also met former secretary of defence James Mattis and former undersecretary of defence for policy Michele Flournoy, as well as spoke to former secretary of defence Mark Esper on the phone, Mindef added. - Straits Times
'Heads of Dept will make the call'
THE fate of civil servants who refuse to get vaccinated against Covid-19 will be decided by their respective heads of department, said the Public Service Department (PSD).
PSD director-general Tan Sri Mohd Khairul Adib Abdul Rahman said this was stated in the service circular on the Covid-19 Immunisation Implementation Policy for Federal Public Service Officers.
"Disciplinary action (against federally appointed civil servants who refuse to get vaccinated against Covid-19 without any health reasons) will depend on their respective department and not the PSD. - New Straits Times
'There's no Planet-B': PM
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday told world leaders that Thailand is willing to be more aggressive in addressing climate change and will strive to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, and net zero emissions on or before 2065.
Gen Prayut delivered his remarks at the World Leaders Summit during the 26th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as COP26.
In response to calls for countries to be more decisive in acting on the issue, Gen Prayut assured all present at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, United Kingdom, of Thailand's readiness to work with all countries and all sectors to fight global warming. - Bangkok Post
Pinoy Covid-19 recoveries abroad climb to 14.1K: DFA
The number of recoveries among overseas Filipinos who have recuperated from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) abroad has ballooned to 14,129 as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported 296 more recoveries over the past seven days.
The DFA also recorded 248 new infections and 74 fatalities, bringing the total number of active cases among Filipinos overseas to 8,264 and the death toll to 1,424.
"Similar to last week’s figures, there were more recoveries than new cases recorded. The DFA, together with its Foreign Service Posts, continues to monitor and assist our nationals abroad amidst the pandemic," the department said Tuesday. - Philippine News Agency
Health ministry asks localities to prepare plans for 3rd, 4th booster COVID-19 vaccine shots in 2022
The Ministry of Health has just issued a document asking municipal and provincial authorities to review their needs for COVID-19 vaccines, including plan for third and fourth booster shots in 2022.
According to the document, the health ministry wants localities to take stock of the vaccination situation in their jurisdictions to state their demands for vaccines for people aged 18 and above (amount of vaccines, types of vaccines, timeframe to ensure proper space between two doses, etc.) so it could devise a plan for vaccine allocation in November and December.
The number of children in the three age brackets – 3-11 years old, 12-15 years old, 16-17 years old – must also be submitted to the health ministry. - Vietnam News
PM calls for more efforts to lower Covid-19 mortality ratio
Covid-19 and its variants have killed millions of people all around the world. Cambodia has had more than two thousand people die because of this virus and the mortality ratio is higher than other countries, causing concern.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday called on frontline officials, relevant authorities and medical practitioners to find ways to reduce the Covid-19 mortality ratio.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the national Covid-19 vaccination campaign for six-year-old children and above (1st round) and the launching ceremony of the vaccination campaign for children 5-years-old, he said that as of October 31, Cambodia has had a total of 118,522 Covid-19 cases and 2,788 people have died. - Khmer Times
Striking railway officers prepare for armed resistance against junta
Some railway officers taking part in the Civil Disobedience Movement’s (CDM) general strike have chosen to join the armed resistance against Myanmar’s junta and have formed their own defence force in liberated territory controlled by an ethnic armed organisation.
A resistance force calling itself the “Myanmar Railways People’s Defence Force” was formed on September 25, the group’s leader told Myanmar Now on the condition of anonymity.
“We have chosen to engage in armed resistance because it is the fastest and most effective way to eradicate the dictatorship,” he explained. - Myanmar NOW
Indonesia presses for joint action to mitigate climate change
Indonesia sought joint action from the the international community and all countries to mitigate climate change to avoid continuing disasters, such as rising sea levels, changes in seasonal patterns, as well as increased extreme weather.
Such a call was made by the Indonesian government at the opening of the Indonesian Pavilion at the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) held in Glasgow, Scotland, as noted in a release issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and received here on Tuesday.
"We call all countries to work together to save the earth. We could provide details on what we have achieved and set for the future goals. We will urge other countries to do the same," Indonesian Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry Alue Dohong stated during his opening speech at the Indonesian Pavilion. - AntaraNews.Com