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Senin, 05 April 2021

Govt to make it easy to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination locally; vaccine passports being actively discussed - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - It will be easy and convenient in future for people to show they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, including for those without smartphones.

Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary said the Ministry of Health will, when ready, release details on how individuals can show their valid vaccination status.

He was responding to Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar GRC) on whether Singaporeans unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons would be given cards or letters to show to retail staff in the event they are blocked from entering stores in future.

Dr Janil and Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung also told Parliament that government agencies are actively discussing with international counterparts on the possible mutual recognition of vaccination certificates to enable cross-border travel.

On vaccination status, Dr Janil said: "Measures for the unvaccinated are generally based on public health considerations to prevent infection, and would not distinguish between those who choose not to be vaccinated and those who were not medically eligible.

"Other vaccines may be available in the future for those who are not currently medically eligible, and we will continue to evaluate scientific data and review the eligibility criteria accordingly."

Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast GRC) and Ms Ng Ling Ling (Ang Mo Kio GRC) asked about plans for a vaccine passport system to enable travel for business, compassionate and leisure reasons, as well as exemption from quarantine upon returning home.

Dr Janil said progress on cross-border recognition of vaccine certification may take some time.

More data is needed to assess if changes to border measures such as testing and stay-home notice requirements can be made for vaccinated individuals, and if such measures will be affected by the different types of vaccines, he noted.

Dr Janil added that most countries - including Singapore - have only just started vaccinations, and that border measures would also need to account for other factors such as the number of Covid-19 cases and infection control efforts in source countries.

Mr Ong said Singapore is exploring mutual recognition of vaccination certificates - which can be physical or digital, and have to be secure, tamper-proof and verifiable - with several countries and regions, including Australia.

The country will continue to evaluate the Covid-19 situation abroad, and proactively explore the possibility of restoring air travel when it is safe to do so, he added.

Mr Ang Wei Neng (West Coast GRC) had also asked about the impact of an April 2 announcement by Hong Kong to bar Singapore Airlines flights from the Republic till April 16.

The move was prompted by a transit passenger who tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival, and three other transit passengers who breached Hong Kong's entry rules by taking their pre-departure tests at uncertified clinics.

Mr Ong said these were technical reasons that would not affect talks to re-establish a Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble that was supposed to begin last November but was postponed due to a resurgence in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong.

He noted that flights within any proposed travel bubble would carry only passengers from the destination of origin and not those in transit.

"We continue to want to work with Hong Kong to restore this travel bubble," he said.

New digital Covid-19 test cert

Separately, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and International Air Transport Association (Iata) also announced on Monday that from May 1, passengers travelling to Singapore would be able to use the Iata travel pass app to share their pre-departure Covid-19 test results with their airline.

The app - now extended to more than 20 airlines - enables passengers to obtain and store polymerase chain reaction test results from accredited laboratories, and use them during check-in and on arrival at immigration checkpoints at Changi Airport.

This follows a successful trial by SIA in March.

CAAS and Iata said they would work on also including enhancements such as QR code scanning by immigration officers; backend transmission of health credentials to airlines' and immigration authorities' systems; and vaccination certificates.

The Iata travel pass will be available for download in the second half of April.

More than 90 dead in Indonesia, Timor-Leste floods, dozens missing - CNA

LEMBATA: Tropical cyclone Seroja pounded Indonesia and Timor-Leste on Monday (Apr 5) after torrential rains triggered floods and landslides that have killed at least 91 people and left dozens missing.

Packing heavy winds and rain, the storm heaped more misery on the Southeast Asian nations after Sunday's disaster turned small communities into wastelands of mud and uprooted trees and forced thousands of people into shelters.

Downpours are expected over the next day as the storm triggers offshore waves as high as 6m, Indonesia's disaster agency said.

The cyclone, which was picking up strength as it moved toward the west coast of Australia, hampered efforts to reach trapped survivors.

Indonesia's disaster agency said at least 70 people have been killed, with another 70 missing.

Indonesia Landslide — People carry a man injured during a flood in Ile Ape, on Lembata Island, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia on Apr 4, 2021. (Photo: AP/Ricko Wawo)

In Timor-Leste, at least 21 people have been killed according to an official in the tiny half-island nation of 1.3 million that lies between Indonesia and Australia.

Many of the deaths were in Timor-Leste's inundated capital Dili, where the front of the presidential palace was transformed into a mud pit.

In Indonesia's remote East Flores municipality, torrents of mud washed over homes, bridges and roads, while strong waves have prevented search teams from accessing the hardest-hit areas.

On Lembata, an island east of Flores, parts of some villages were swept down a mountainside and carried to the shore of the ocean.

Soon after flash floods began tearing into resident Basir Langoday's district in the early morning, he heard screams for help from a nearby home covered in rubble.

"There were four of them inside. Three survived but the other one didn't make it," he told reporters.

Langoday and his friends scrambled to try and save the trapped man before he was crushed to death.

"He said 'hurry, I can't hold on any longer," Langoday added.

Juna Witak, another Lembata resident, joined his family at a local hospital where they wept over the corpse of his mother who was killed in a flash flood Sunday. Her body was found by the seashore.

"There was a rumbling sound and the floods swept away homes, everything," Witak said.

East Timor Indonesia Landslide — People wade through flood waters in Dili, Timor-Leste on Apr 5, 2021. (Photo: AP/Kandhi Barnez)

"MEDICINE, FOOD, BLANKETS"

Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressed "deepest condolences" over the devastation in the southeast end of the archipelago.

"I understand the deep sorrow suffered by our brothers and sisters because of this disaster," he said in a nationwide address.

Across the region, residents have flocked to temporary shelters or taken refuge in what was left of their homes.

"The evacuees are spread out. There are hundreds in each sub-district but many others are staying at home," said Alfons Hada Bethan, head of the East Flores disaster agency.

"They need medicine, food, blankets."

Some 2,500 people had been evacuated in Timor-Leste, with several thousand more in Indonesia.

Pounding rains challenged efforts to find any survivors.

Rescue workers evacuate people through the water in an area affected by floods after heavy rains in Dili. (Photo: Reuters/Lirio da Fonseca)

A man wearing a helmet carries his goods through the water in an area affected by floods after heavy rains in Dili. (Photo: Reuters/Lirio da Fonseca)

"We suspect many people are buried but it's not clear how many are missing," Bethan said.

In Lembata, local officials were forced to deploy heavy equipment to reopen the roads.

Images from the island showed barefoot locals wading through mud and past collapsed houses to evacuate victims on makeshift stretchers.

Fatal landslides and flash floods are common across the Indonesian archipelago during the rainy season.

January saw flash floods hit the Indonesian town of Sumedang in West Java, killing 40 people.

And last September, at least 11 people were killed in landslides on Borneo.

The disaster agency has estimated that 125 million Indonesians - nearly half of the country's population - live in areas at risk of landslides.

The disasters are often caused by deforestation, according to environmentalists.

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2021-04-05 08:03:45Z
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Government plans to begin inviting people below the age of 45 to book COVID-19 vaccination slots from June - CNA

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2021-04-05 07:18:45Z
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Minggu, 04 April 2021

Palace intrigue harms Jordan's stable image - CNA

AMMAN: Unprecedented public criticism of Jordan's monarchy by a senior royal who has been placed under house arrest has shaken the country's image as an island of stability in the Middle East.

On Saturday (Apr 3), Jordan's military told King Abdullah's half-brother Prince Hamzah bin Hussein to halt actions targeting "security and stability" in the key United States ally.

In unusually tough language recorded on a video passed by his lawyer to the BBC, Prince Hamzah, 41, said he had been placed under house arrest and criticised Jordan's leaders as a corrupt few who have placed their interests above those of the public.

A former minister said: "Damage has happened. For the first time we have someone rocking the image of that peaceful, stable kingdom."

King Abdullah, 59, removed Hamzah from his position as crown prince in 2004, thwarting the ambitions of Hamzah's mother, Queen Noor, who had groomed her eldest son for the throne since childhood.

Stripped of any power, Hamzah was subsequently sidelined. King Abdullah consolidated his power by making his son Hussein the heir apparent, and in the past year has appeared to be preparing him intensively for his future role as king.

Meanwhile, Hamzah has been building ties with disgruntled tribal leaders at the head of a loose anti-government protest movement called the Herak, which in recent weeks resumed its calls for protests against corruption.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a severe blow to Jordan's economy, pushing unemployment to record levels and deepening poverty.

"The king is a red line ... we will confront firmly any trembling hand that seeks to tamper with the country's security," former prime minister Faisal Al Fayez told parliament in an indirect reference to Hamzah.

READ: Jordan's ex-crown prince says he's under 'house arrest'

It is unclear why the kingdom decided to crack down on Prince Hamzah at this moment, but political sources say he put himself at risk with frequent visits to tribal gatherings where people openly criticise the king.

Hamzah is not seen to have any real clout, and those detained as part of what the military said was an ongoing security investigation mostly number his close aides.

"He is allowing himself to be part of a critical machine against the ruling system, when he was going to tribal gatherings who were criticising the ruling establishment even when he was not saying anything," said a senior politician.

"When he talked about deteriorating governance and silencing of critics, this was very confrontational," he added, referring to the video.

Although unprecedented, Hamzah's open dissent is unlikely to pose a serious threat to the monarchy, especially without the support of Jordan's powerful military, where the king enjoys widespread loyalty, analysts and political sources said.

"You can't carry out a coup in a country like Jordan without the involvement of the military. As of now, there is no such indication," Oded Eran, a former Israeli ambassador to Jordan and now senior research fellow at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), told Israel's Army Radio.

"This is the only force with any kind of significance, with the ability to take over government ministries, over power centres. With all due respect to the prince - he does not have this ability."

A former US official with knowledge of events in Jordan said these did not involve a coup. Rather, he said, those taking part were planning to push for protests that would appear to be a "popular uprising with masses on the street" with tribal support.

Any attempt to seize power would most probably have failed without the support of the US and regional powers, who expressed support for King Abdullah and any measures needed to ensure Jordan's security.

Nevertheless, Jordanians are trying to make sense of the palace intrigue.

"There is nothing local I can see that triggered this, so there could be the foreign element," said the former minister.

The senior politician said Prince Hamzah was out of his league. "A foolish, troublesome prince who has not weighed matters well, seeking comfort in this little flirtation with angry tribal elements," he said.

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2021-04-04 13:26:29Z
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Johor state govt to launch COVID-19 vaccination app for Malaysians who commute to Singapore - CNA

ISKANDAR PUTERI, Johor: The Johor state government will launch a special vaccination app for Malaysians who commute to Singapore, Johor Chief Minister Hasni Mohammad said on Sunday (Apr 4).

In a Facebook post, Mr Hasni said that the app, named ImmuPlan Johor, will be developed by the Johor state government.

"For a start as many as 100,000 people are recommended to register for vaccinations through this application," said Mr Hasni.

"Any developments will be announced from time to time. I hope (the development of this app) can help in efforts to open the Malaysia-Singapore border and restore Johor's economic power."

Mr Hasni wrote the Facebook post after meeting with Malaysia's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin earlier on Sunday afternoon. Mr Khairy is the Coordinating Minister for Malaysia's National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme.

READ: Singapore, Malaysia to work towards recognising COVID-19 vaccine certificates, 'progressively restore' cross-border travel

In March, Singapore and Malaysia reaffirmed their commitment to work towards recognising each other's COVID-19 vaccine certificates, with a view towards facilitating cross-border travel in the future.

The announcement was made after Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein in Putrajaya.

In a joint statement, both foreign ministries said that the "operational details of the Reciprocal Recognition of Vaccine Certificate between Malaysia and Singapore, including the detailed requirements, health protocols, and application process involved for entry and exit into Malaysia and Singapore will be further deliberated and finalised by both parties".

Dr Balakrishnan said: “Currently, we are looking specifically for mutual recognition of the certification as well as the tests, so that we can rely on each other’s certifications with the view to facilitate cross-border flows, especially people who have been tested and vaccinated and can travel safely.

“We hope by the time our prime ministers meet, we can make a significant announcement which will allow those of us with families on both sides of the Causeway to meet again, to allow businesses to resume, which will allow safe tourism and we can hopefully look forward to a more busy Causeway."

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2021-04-04 13:12:25Z
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Site manager, Taiwan minister accept responsibility for train crash - The Straits Times

HUALIEN, Taiwan (REUTERS, AFP) - The manager of a construction site whose truck slid onto rail tracks causing a catastrophic train crash in Taiwan accepted responsibility for the disaster on Sunday (April 4), as did the transport minister, although his offer to resign was rejected for now.

In the island’s worst rail accident in seven decades, 50 people have been confirmed dead after a packed express train carrying almost 500 passengers and crew slammed into a truck near the eastern city of Hualien on Friday, causing it to derail and the front part to crumple.

The truck that the train hit had slid down a sloping road onto the track just outside a tunnel. Officials are investigating the manager of the construction site, Lee Yi-hsiang, whose truck is suspected of not having its brakes properly applied.

Lee had been released on bail, though the high court’s Hualien branch on Sunday rescinded that decision after the prosecutors appealed it, sending the case back to the lower court.

Lee read out a statement apologising for what happened as police took him away from his residence, Taiwan media reported.

“I deeply regret this and express my deepest apologies,” he said. “I will definitely cooperate with the prosecutors and police in the investigation, accept the responsibility that should be borne, and never shirk it. Finally, I once again express my sincerest apologies.”

Lee, 49, was part of a team who regularly inspected Taiwan’s mountainous eastern train line for landslides and other risks. He was questioned over the weekend by prosecutors.

Speaking earlier in the day at the crash site overlooking the ocean and backed by precipitous mountains, Transport Minister Lin Chia-lung said he too would “not avoid” responsibility.

“I am also in charge of minimising the damage caused by the entire accident. After the whole rescue work is completed, I believe I will take the responsibility,” he said.

Premier Su Tseng-chang’s office said Mr Lin had made a verbal offer to resign on Saturday, but Mr Su rejected it for the time being, saying efforts for now should focus on rescue and recovery.

Workers are continuing to remove the train from inside the tunnel and look for other bodies, and officials have warned the death toll could go up or down as they verify identities. The government revised the toll down by one on Sunday evening to 50.

The Transport Ministry and the rail administration that comes under it are facing a number of questions, including why there was no proper fencing at the site and whether too many standing-only tickets were sold for the train journey.

Deputy transport minister Wang Kwo-tsai said late on Saturday the railway administration needed to take hard look at all these issues.

The railway administration is also without a permanent director after its former chief retired in January. The position is being filled in an acting capacity by another deputy transport minister, Mr Chi Wen-chung.

Mr Wang said Mr Lin was working hard to find the right person to fill the job.

Survivors reported that the train driver was honking his horn shortly before the crash but did not – or was unable to – slow down before striking the truck.

The United Daily News newspaper ran a report on Sunday based on initial analysis from footage of the train recorder that showed the truck was on the line before the train went into the tunnel and no slowdown before impact.

The crash has plunged Taiwan into mourning. Some survivors lost entire families. A French national and two Americans were also confirmed killed.

Taiwan's transport minister Lin Chia-lung (centre) said he would "not avoid" responsibility.
PHOTO: LIN CHIA-LUNG/FACEBOOK

The uncle of the youngest confirmed victim, a five-year-old girl, tearfully told reporters he was still waiting for an apology for the accident.

“I’m so angry,” he said.

The government has promised compensation and said it will do everything it can to help survivors and their relatives, including coordinating public donations.

The damaged section of the track will not reopen until April 20 at the earliest, Mr Wang said, though rail traffic continues on a parallel track that runs through another tunnel and was not affected by the accident.

The accident occurred at the start of a long weekend for the traditional Tomb Sweeping Day, when people return home to tend to family graves.

Survivors have described terrible scenes inside the wreck.

Priest Sung Chih-chiang told Reuters what surviving passenger Chung Hui-mei had told him.

“She could not find her daughter. When she yelled, she found her daughter was under the steel panels. She put her effort to move those pieces one by one, but her daughter’s voice became quieter and quieter, and then there was no response,” he said.

Taiwan’s eastern railway line, a popular tourist draw, winds its way through towering mountains and dramatic gorges before entering the picturesque Huadong Valley.

The last major train derailment in Taiwan was in 2018 and left 18 people dead on the same eastern line. Taiwan’s most deadly rail disaster on record was in 1948 when a train caught fire and 64 people perished.

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2021-04-04 12:14:56Z
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Railway maintenance worker makes tearful apology over Taiwan train crash - CNA

TAIPEI: A railway maintenance worker whose truck rolled onto the tracks and sparked Taiwan's worst train disaster in recent decades made a tearful apology on Sunday (Apr 4), saying he would cooperate with investigators.

At least 50 people were killed and more than 200 injured in Friday's crash, which sent a packed eight-car train hurtling into the sides of a narrow tunnel near the eastern coastal city of Hualien.

Investigators say the Taroko Express hit a truck on the line moments before it entered the tunnel.

The vehicle had slipped down a steep embankment onto the train tracks. Prosecutors are working on whether the driver either failed to secure the parking brake or the break suffered a mechanical failure.

On Sunday, the driver Lee Yi-hsiang read out an emotional statement to a bank of media cameras.

"I am deeply remorseful and want to express my most sincere apologies," he said, his voice cracking with emotion.

"I will cooperate with the investigation by police and prosecutors to take the responsibility I should take," he added.

Lee, 49, was part of a team who regularly inspected Taiwan's mountainous eastern train line for landslides and other risks.

He was questioned over the weekend by prosecutors and released on bail by a court pending further enquires.

Taiwan Train Accident — In this image taken from video, Lee Yi-hsiang, the driver of the truck that caused the train accident on Saturday, offers a public apology as he is led by police Sunday, April 4, 2021, in Hualien, Taiwan. (Photo: EBC via AP)

As questions mounted over how packed the train was and why there were not fences on that section of the track, transport minister Lin Chia-lung offered his resignation on Sunday.

But it was not accepted by the government, who said he should remain in place until the results of the investigation are known.

READ: Taiwan transport minister accepts responsibility for train crash as questions mount

READ: Taiwan train crash survivors recount horror and loss

EMOTIONAL PRAYERS

Survivors reported that the train driver was honking his horn shortly before the crash but did not - or was unable to - slow down before striking the truck.

The crash has plunged Taiwan into mourning. Some survivors lost entire families and the youngest victim was just four.

A French national and two Americans were also confirmed killed.

Day after train derailment in eastern Taiwan — Relatives of the victims mourn near the site a day after the deadly train derailment at a tunnel north of Hualien, Taiwan April 3, 2021. REUTERS/Ann Wang

On Saturday, around one hundred relatives held an emotional Taoist prayer ceremony near the crash site.

Shaded under a canopy of black umbrellas they wept openly, calling for their loved ones to "come home".

Friday's crash took place at the start of the Tomb Sweeping Festival, a four-day public holiday when many Taiwanese return to villages to tidy the graves of their ancestors.

Taiwan's eastern railway line, a popular tourist draw, winds its way through towering mountains and dramatic gorges before entering the picturesque Huadong Valley.

The last major train derailment in Taiwan was in 2018 and left 18 people dead on the same eastern line.

Taiwan's most deadly rail disaster on record was in 1948 when a train caught fire and 64 people perished.

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2021-04-04 11:43:04Z
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Senin, 05 April 2021

New digital Covid-19 test cert

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Minggu, 04 April 2021