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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About 3,300 needy undergraduates set to benefit as NUS ramps up financial aid
All full-time Singaporean undergraduates enrolled in the National University of Singapore (NUS) will not need to pay tuition fees if they come from homes with per capita income of up to $1,000.
Starting from the new academic year in August 2022, NUS will top up existing government bursaries to fully fund tuition fees for these students.
This is part of the institution's expansion of financial support for students from less well-off families, it said in a statement on Tuesday (Feb 8).
NUS is setting aside an additional funding of $15 million per year for this latest enhancement in support, which is expected to benefit about 3,300 students.
They will receive an additional $2,300 to $7,000 per year in financial aid, depending on their household incomes.
The increased support is on top of existing financial aid, and both new and existing full-time undergraduates who meet the criteria are eligible.
Full-time Singaporean NUS undergraduates from households whose per capita income does not exceed $690 will also receive financial support in more ways. – Straits Times
Khairy: Health Ministry expects Omicron wave to subside within month or two
The Health Ministry expects the Omicron wave to subside in the next one to two months, thus allowing Hari Raya Aidilfitri to be celebrated in early May without movement restrictions.
However, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said it all depends on public compliance with control measures, including by taking a booster dose and getting children vaccinated.
"It's all about behaviour. I know that there has been a lot of concern about the Raya celebration, but if we play our role, we expect to be able to stabilise the pandemic in another month or two, if Omicron subsides, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri," he told a press conference on Covid-19 development, here today.
On Jan 23, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob gave the government's assurance that there would be no Movement Control Order (MCO) enforced and travel restrictions during Aidilfitri this year. Khairy said a spike of Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant was not only experienced by Malaysia but also other countries.
"The Omicron wave is not only in Malaysia, it is not a conspiracy by KJ to not allow Hari Raya to be celebrated again," he said.
Meanwhile, Khairy said the country was still on track in managing Covid-19 infections and the Omicron wave.
He said this was largely contributed by the high vaccination rate among the adult population in the country. – New Straits Times
Tour bubble plan in works
The government will open discussions to set up travel bubbles with China and Malaysia this month to attract more foreign visitors, following the resumption of the Test & Go scheme on Feb 1.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Monday authorities will discuss the details of a possible travel bubble agreement with China's minister for culture and tourism.
Talks will also be held with Malaysia later this month, he said.
The number of visitors allowed to visit Thailand under the travel bubble arrangement will be capped, and their movements will also be limited to certain areas in an effort to prevent fresh Covid-19 outbreaks, he said.
Under the new travel bubble arrangements, tourists won't have to quarantine upon arrival, but their entry will be subject to special protocols which regulate the kind of visa they can use to come in, where they can stay and which flights to take.
"The prime minister is confident that Thailand will remain one of the world's top tourist destinations despite the pandemic, and the government will support efforts to revitalise tourism with an emphasis on public health and safety," he said.
The Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) had previously said that international arrivals may exceed 5 million this year if the government launches travel bubbles with Asian countries, as the Test & Go scheme alone won't be enough to attract tourists who still have to quarantine upon returning. – Bangkok Post
Prosecute sellers of fake injectable Covid-19 drugs: PRRD
President Rodrigo Duterte said people selling counterfeit medicines online, including injectable drugs for treating Covid-19, should be properly prosecuted.
"It is important that the source of the fake or counterfeited drug para (should be) pinpointed or known, kasi (because) we have to warn the citizens about these fake drugs or counterfeited drugs at saka itong mga tao (and these) are prosecuted at magkaroon ng kaso kasi kung nasa labas ang mga taong ito (and face charges because if they remain free), they will continue their practice if we will be lenient about it," the President said during his Talk to the People televised Monday night.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has again cautioned the public against patronizing counterfeit injectable Covid-19 vaccines and fake medicines.
FDA officer-in-charge Oscar Gutierrez said a fake Tocilizumab injection for Covid-19 treatment is being sold for about PHP25,000 per vial.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, Gutierrez said its commercial price range reached around PHP70,000 to PHP90,000 per vial but it is not duly approved by the FDA.
Gutierrez urged the public to only buy medicines from FDA-licensed drug stores and pharmacies.
"If possible, buy from the same outlets you trust each time," Gutierrez said, noting that counterfeit medicines usually have poor packaging conditions, spelling mistakes, and erroneous grammar.
He said one should know that the manufacturing date and expiry date on the outer packaging of counterfeit medicines do not match the information on its inner packaging.
Gutierrez said any medicine should only be sourced from FDA-licensed establishments. – Philippine News Agency
Viet Nam working to become innovation magnet in Southeast Asia
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has touched every aspect of society, has failed to cool down the startup and innovation spirit but, on the contrary, created major influence, contributing to economic development and recovery, according to insiders.
Viet Nam’s booming startup and innovation environment is attributable to efforts by the Government and relevant ministries, sectors and communication agencies, especially the Vietnam National Innovation Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, they said.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung, a representative from NIC, said domestic enterprises were aware of innovation, particularly following the pandemic fight.
The centre has brought together more than 1,000 Vietnamese experts who are working at well-known universities and research institutes globally, and connected nearly 100 venture capital funds across the world with startups in the local innovation ecosystem.
Dung took Genetica, a US-based medtech startup that mainly provides its services in Southeast Asia, as an example. The firm announced in October 2021 that it would develop the largest gene sequencing centre in the region, located at NIC, with an annual capacity of 500,000 genomes.
Genetica’s founders graduated from leading US universities, said Dung, who has worked to persuade the firm to set up its Southeast Asian headquarters in Viet Nam. – Vietnam News
No jab, no job: MoH plans to end apathy by those who refuse to get vaccinated
Fed up with the apathy of those refusing to be vaccinated, the Health Ministry plans to introduce a “No Jab, No Job” measure to ensure Covid-19 and its variants, especially the Omicron strain, do not become a widespread problem. This measure will also be extended to those who already have had their basic inoculations but are stalling to get booster doses which are required to protect themselves and those around them from getting infected by more virulent strains of Covid-19.
Health Ministry spokesman Hok Kimcheng said yesterday that they will be forced to implement this harsh measure if apathy over getting vaccinated persists.
“We are considering to come down hard on those who are unvaccinated with basic doses or haven’t received the booster shot when it’s their turn,” he said, adding that these people will face job losses and could even be barred from venturing out of their houses even after the virus situation becomes endemic.
“This will even apply to teachers who refuse to get vaccinated. They will not be allowed to enter schools and possibly infect the students,” Kimcheng said. “If there is no option left, we will implement this ‘No jab No job’ measure.” He said those who are unvaccinated due to health problems should consult a doctor again to see if there is any possibility that they can get inoculated. If they cannot they will be issued a letter exempting them.
Kimcheng noted that the Covid-19 virus will never stop mutating into other strains and people have to keep shielding themselves by getting booster doses. – Khmer Times
Telenor has shared sensitive customer data with military since the coup: industry sources
Norwegian telecoms company Telenor, a leading operator in Myanmar serving more than 18 million users, has complied with multiple requests from the military junta for sensitive user data since last year’s coup, according to industry sources.
The junta-controlled Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) made at least 200 requests to Telenor over the past 12 months for information, including records of calls, call locations and the last known location of a number, a source with inside knowledge of the situation told Myanmar Now.
The company complied with all of these requests, as well as with instructions to shut down specified mobile numbers, the source said.
Myanmar Now has seen a number of the MOTC’s recent requests to Telenor. Some were for the one-month call histories of customers, while others asked for four- to six-month call histories.
Each request included multiple numbers, with some requests numbering in the hundreds. The 200+ requests therefore impacted thousands of Telenor customers.
The ministry cited Myanmar’s 2013 Telecommunications Law in its requests to the company. Article 77 of the law allows the ministry to suspend services, intercept communications, and temporarily control services in “emergency situations”.
According to the source, Telenor complied with all of the ministry’s requests despite concerns that they were based on information obtained by the junta through torture.
“We can generally say that the mobile numbers mentioned in the data requests were extracted during the interrogation of political detainees. So, we can say that these numbers really are blood-stained,” the source said. – Myanmar NOW
Minister asks older adults to stay home amid Omicron threat
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has asked older adults aged 60 years above and older adults with comorbidities to stay put at home for two weeks to one month ahead.
He deemed that preventive measure is necessary amid the increasing transmission of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
"I recommend for two weeks to one month ahead, for people I have mentioned earlier, those aged 60 years and above, to stay at home," he said at a virtual event held to celebrate the 96th anniversary of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) on Saturday.
Pandjaitan, who also serves as the Deputy Chair of the COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee (KPC PEN), said that the number of COVID-19 cases increased. However, he asked the public to not panic because government data showed that the treatment duration of patients who contracted the new variant was relatively short.
"For those aged 60 years and above, have not been vaccinated and have comorbidities, I advise you to not leave the house," he said.
According to him, patients who died of COVID-19 are commonly those who have not been fully vaccinated, aged 60 years and above and have comorbidities.
To this end, the minister advised everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19. – AntaraNews.Com