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.
NUS students win top international James Dyson award with glaucoma screening device
Three National University of Singapore students who invented a glaucoma screening device have beaten more than 2,000 entries from around the world to win the international James Dyson Award this year.
The invention, aptly named Hopes (Home Eye Pressure E-skin Sensor), is a glove that uses sensor technology and artificial intelligence to enable patients to check their eye pressure at home.
The award, given out yearly by famous British engineer and inventor James Dyson since 2005, comes with £30,000 (S$54,700) prize money and worldwide recognition. This is the first time a Singapore team has bagged the top global prize.
The three postgraduate students – Ms Yu Kelu, 26, and Mr Li Si, 28, both doctoral students from NUS materials science and engineering department, and Mr David Lee, 26, a research assistant from the NUS electrical and computer engineering department - said they were "stunned" to hear about the win from Mr Dyson in a video call.
Ms Yu, who came to Singapore from China at age 15 to study at Tanjong Katong Girls' School and Temasek Junior College, said: "We were told that the judging process was still ongoing and that the panel had more questions.
"So, we were shocked when Mr Dyson himself appeared on the video call. And when he told us we had won the top prize, it didn't quite sink in at first. It was only after the call that we realised what a big thing this was. We started cheering and I even cried." – Straits Times
Hawk 108 crash: 'Explosion followed by ball of flames'
"As soon as the aircraft landed, there was an explosion followed by a ball of flames. The aircraft dragged on before it exploded a second time.
"The explosions were so loud like a bomb which caught us by surprise and prompted us to run towards the airbase to see what had happened."
This was what a witness of the Hawk 108 aircraft crash at the airbase here recounted.
Mastura Mohd Nordin, 44, who runs a tomyam shop at Kampung Benggali Sungai Puyu, about 100m away from the airbase, said just before the crash, she heard a different sound coming from the aircraft. "We have been here for a long time and we know the type of sounds coming from an aircraft, but this was very different," she said when met near the scene.
At about 10.07pm last night, a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Hawk 108 aircraft crashed at the airbase here, killing a serviceman and injuring another.
The deceased has been identified as Captain Mohamad Affendi Bustamy while the injured, Major Mohd Fareez Omar. – New Straits Times
PM defends delay lifting nightlife ban
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has defended the decision to postpone the reopening of pubs and entertainment venues from Dec 1 to Jan 15, a move that has disappointed many in the hospitality and entertainment industries as they fret about keeping their businesses alive.
Gen Prayut said public health safety measures would not be ready in time for them to safely reopen on Dec 1.
"We have to listen to what the Public Health Ministry has to say about the matter as well," said the prime minister, who also heads the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) which issued the delay notice.
The premier has warned entertainment businesses not to reopen before they are given permission to do so or they will face swift legal action. Many pubs and bars have already defied the rules and suffered the consequences.
Gen Prayut also ordered organisers nationwide to exercise the utmost precautions and launch health surveillance measures during festivities at Loy Krathong venues on Friday.
He said there has been a steady improvement in tourism after the Nov 1 reopening, with hotel bookings on the rise. He said he has instructed agencies to reduce the time needed to perform immigration and health checks for international arrivals.
Meanwhile, businesses in Nakhon Ratchasima, one of the most bustling cities in the Northeast, have expressed anger at the delayed return of the city's nightlife. Phakin Petpol, manager of Tawan Daeng, an entertainment complex in Muang district, said the company called more than 150 employees back to work after the complex learned that pubs and bars would open their doors again on Dec 1. – Bangkok Post
Russian naval squadron in Manila for port visit
A naval squadron, consisting of five ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet, is docked at the Manila South Harbor for a port visit.
"The Russian Navy contingent is composed of corvette Gremyashchiy, two submarines, tanker Pechenga, and support vessel Alatau," Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson Commander Benjo Negranza said in a statement Tuesday night.
A corvette is a small warship for anti-submarine and escort missions.
The ships arrived on November 16.
No details are available on how long the squadron would stay but the Navy said the visit was intended for routine port replenishment and rest for the crew.
"The arrival of the Russian contingent in the country and the accommodation and support being extended to them underscores the promotion of peace, stability, and maritime cooperation in the region," Negranza said.
In October 2018, the BRP Tarlac (LD-601) and its 300-man contingent made the Philippine Navy's first-ever port visit to Vladivostok, Russia.
The visit lasted six days and the Navy contingent got a chance to visit and tour a Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine aside from inspecting a Russian Marine firing range. – Philippine News Agency
HCM City urged to regain its standing after long COVID-19 struggle
State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday asked HCM City to soon regain its position and standing in all fields after experiencing more than 200 days combating the pandemic.
"The important issue now is to regain the position and the image of HCM City in all aspects of the economy, social resources, healthcare and education, as the city was targeted to become a modern urban area," Phuc said.
The President and other National Assembly deputies in the delegation of HCM City met with voters in Cu Chi and Hoc Mon districts on Tuesday. They discussed with voters the results of the latest National Assembly meeting that was wrapped up on Saturday.
He said the city must be well-prepared and more active in COVID-19 prevention and control, as the pandemic is still developing in a complicated manner in the city. A fifth wave of the pandemic has appeared in some places around the world.
Phuc said that for the last few months, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread widely across the city, strict and long social distancing measures were imposed, which disrupted the city’s economy and affected people’s physical and mental health.
“Solving the problems caused by the pandemic requires much time,” Phuc said, adding that the city could completely enter the new-normal stage by the end of this year or even early next year.
The city must focus on activities that ensure disease prevention and control while speeding up economic recovery and development, Phuc said, asking for further practical policies to support enterprises and workers.
He said that any workers returning to the city must be vaccinated against the COVID-19. – Vietnam News
Dying for a drink: Some in quarantine mixing sanitisers with juice to get high
The ban on alcohol consumption at quarantine centres for returning migrant workers has taken a sinister and deadly turn.
Desperate to get high, some die-hard drinkers or drug addicts are resorting to mixing hand sanitisers with juice in an attempt to concoct an alcoholic drink.
As a result, some have had to be hospitalised and a few of them died.
The issue came to light recently when seven out of 21 migrant workers died after mixing isopropyl alcohol with juice in Banteay Meanchey province.
Banteay Meanchey Health Department Director Le Chansangvath told Khmer Times that the 21 migrant workers had just returned from Thailand and were undergoing quarantine at Poipet city’s Kob Thom centre when they fell sick on November 11 after consuming the concoction and had to be hospitalised.
Seven of them later died. The rest recovered and were discharged back to the quarantine centre on Sunday.
Chief of Kob Thom quarantine centre, Hoeun Vireak told Khmer Times yesterday that there are many reasons from these migrant workers after the authorities conducted interrogation.
“Some of them were found to be drug addicts, and some were alcoholics,” he said. “Since the centre banned alcoholic drinks like beer, they brought along the sanitisers when they entered the centre. We thought that they wanted to use it to protect themselves from Covid-19.”
“We only found out about the drinking when one of them found it hard to breathe and asked for help from health workers on November 11. At first, we suspected it was due to Covid-19 and transferred him to the provincial referral hospital,” he added.
Vireak said that after being cleared of Covid-19, the man confessed to a doctor that he drank a concoction of alcohol sanitiser and a soft drink.
He added that unfortunately he died, following which the others admitted that they too had mixed sanitiser with soft drinks and became sick. – Khmer Times
American journalist jailed for nearly half a year in Myanmar lands in US
American journalist Danny Fenster, who was freed this week after nearly six months in Yangon’s Insein Prison, has been reunited with his family following his arrival in New York on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old's release on Monday came just days after he was sentenced to 11 years in prison at a hearing held inside the prison. Fenster was handed over the same day to former US ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson, who helped negotiate his release.
Fenster had been found guilty of incitement, unlawful association, and immigration offences. He was also facing trial on charges of sedition and breaching Myanmar’s counterterrorism law.
At a press conference held in New York shortly after his arrival, Fenster told reporters that he was “not physically threatened” during his detention in Insein Prison.
Wearing a red knit hat that was reportedly a gift from another prisoner that he met during his time in the prison, Fenster said that he received almost no information about the outside world during his time in the notorious prison.
“I was able to get little hints of what was going on occasionally throughout the experience. If I was outside of the prison in court, maybe some police aide that could speak a little bit of English would flash a picture on his phone of my entire family wearing t-shirts with my face on it on CNN,” he said.
He told reporters that he did not know he was going to be released by the Myanmar junta until he was escorted to Naypyitaw early Monday. – Myanmar NOW
Bali tightens CHSE protocols at 94 tourist attractions
The Bali Tourism Office has tightened CHSE (Cleanliness, Health, Safety & Environment Sustainability) protocols in 94 tourist attractions as part of preparations for welcoming domestic and international tourists during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The Bali Tourism Office has prepared standard operating procedures (SOP) to handle tourists in a number of tourism object areas in the province, acting head of the office, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, said in Denpasar, Tuesday.
"The SOPs for foreign tourists when they arrive in Bali include checking of travel documents, vaccine certificates, undergoing PCR testing, then the foreign tourists will be taken to the hotel to isolate," he informed.
Pemayun said his office has tightened the CHSE protocols in 94 tourism attractions that hold CHSE certification in a bid to prevent COVID-19 transmission. "The tightening of CHSE protocols in tourist attractions starts from the entrance gate: officers prepare hand washing equipment, body temperature checks for tourists, then tourists are required to scan the QR code for the PeduliLindungi application that has been installed at the tourist attraction," he expounded.
Serious efforts need to be made to achieve sustainable and quality cultural tourism in Bali, which was hit hard by the pandemic, Pemayun said. – AntaraNews.Com