China insists COVID-19 data 'transparent' after WHO criticism - CNA

Beijing: China on Thursday (Jan 5) insisted it had been transparent with the international community about its COVID-19 data, as it hit back against World Health Organization (WHO) criticism that its tally of virus deaths was understating the true scale of its outbreak.

There is mounting international concern over China's steep rise in COVID-19 infections since Beijing abruptly lifted years of hardline restrictions last month, with hospitals and crematoriums quickly overwhelmed.

More than a dozen countries have imposed fresh COVID-19 rules on visitors from China in the wake of that outbreak, requiring all arrivals to submit negative virus tests with some screening wastewater from flights arriving from the world's most populous nation.

China has only recorded 23 COVID-19 deaths since December, after dramatically narrowing the criteria for classifying such fatalities. Beijing's statistics about the unprecedented wave are now widely seen by other countries as not reflecting reality.

In Geneva on Wednesday, WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said the global organisation was without "complete data" from China.

"We believe that the current numbers being published from China under-represent the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions, and particularly in terms of deaths," he said.

The definition Beijing is using is "very narrow", he added.

Beijing hit back on Thursday, insisting China had "always shared relevant information and data with the international community, with an open and transparent attitude".

"We ... hope the WHO secretariat will uphold a scientific, objective and just position, and make efforts to play a positive role for the world's response to the pandemic challenge," foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press briefing.

She also urged countries against imposing fresh travel restrictions on arrivals from China, calling instead for them to "work together to protect the normal movements of people".

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2023-01-05 09:33:00Z
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Thailand says no COVID-19 test needed for travellers from China - CNA

BANGKOK: Thai authorities said on Thursday (Jan 5) that travellers from China could enter the country without pre-departure coronavirus tests, hoping their return would be a shot in the arm for the country's tourism sector recovery.

China has experienced a surge in infections and its hospitals and crematoriums have been inundated after Beijing last month wound back tight restrictions.

The United States, Canada, Japan and France are among the countries that have imposed new rules requiring travellers from China to provide negative COVID-19 tests as concerns grow over the spike in cases.

But Thai authorities on Thursday said all countries should be treated the same.

"Thailand does not require COVID-19 test results from tourists from any country," Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters on Thursday following a meeting between health, tourism and transportation officials.

China was the largest source of foreign tourists for Thailand before the pandemic, with almost 11 million arrivals in 2019, according to government data.

Tourism accounted for nearly 20 per cent of national income before the pandemic, and tough border restrictions at the height of the health crisis took a toll on hotels, restaurants and tour operators across the country.

"This is an opportunity to restore our economic situation and recover from losses we suffered for nearly three years," Anutin said.

Tanes Petsuwan, deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said he expected about 60,000 Chinese nationals to enter Thailand this month and for numbers to steadily rise.

"We expect Chinese tourists to come to Thailand after Chinese New Year," Tourism Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan said.

In December, Thailand clocked its 10 millionth international visitor for 2022 - a major increase on the 430,000 seen in 2021 but still way off the 40 million arrivals of 2019.

Thai officials are forecasting some 20 million arrivals in 2023, though they believe Chinese tourists could push the figure up to around 25 million.

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2023-01-05 08:54:00Z
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Chinese man who went missing in South Korea after testing positive for COVID-19 found by police - CNA

SEOUL: South Korean police found on Thursday (Jan 5) a Chinese man who went missing after testing positive for COVID-19 upon arrival, and said he would be taken to a quarantine facility and could later be charged under a disease control law.

The man's disappearance after testing positive for COVID-19 upon arrival at Incheon airport on Tuesday and being ordered into quarantine raised concern about increasing infections after China abandoned a tough "zero-COVID" policy and prepares to scrap travel restrictions as its cases rapidly increase.

"The person was found at a hotel in Seoul this afternoon," a police officer said, adding the man in his 40s would be taken to a facility to spend the stipulated seven days in quarantine.

"We plan to investigate the individual once the mandatory isolation period is completed."

The man has been on a wanted list for allegedly running away while awaiting admission to quarantine.

He could be subject to up to one year in prison, or 10 million won (US$7,840) in fines, if convicted of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, officials said.

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2023-01-05 07:10:00Z
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Vietnamese boy trapped in concrete pile on New Year's Eve pronounced dead - CNA

HANOI: A 10-year-old Vietnamese boy who fell into the narrow open shaft of a concrete pile at a construction site on New Year's Eve has been confirmed dead, state media said Wednesday (Jan 4).

Rescuers spent nearly 100 hours trying to free Ly Hao Nam from the 35m long support pillar driven into the ground, but without success, online newspaper VnExpress cited a local government official as saying.

"The authorities have determined that the victim has died and are trying to recover his body for the funeral," deputy chairman of the southern province of Dong Thap, Doan Tan Buu, was quoted as saying.

Nam was heard crying for help shortly after he fell into the hollow concrete pile, which has a diameter of 25cm, on Saturday at a bridge construction site in the Mekong delta province where he had been searching with friends for scrap iron.

Earlier on Wednesday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had urged the rescuers and local authorities to mobilise all equipment and forces needed, the government said.

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2023-01-04 12:59:00Z
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Airline group IATA disappointed with 'knee-jerk' COVID-19 measures for travellers from China - CNA

In a statement, Mr Walsh urged governments to listen to the advice of experts, including the World Health Organization, that advise against travel restrictions.

"Research undertaken around the arrival of the Omicron variant concluded that putting barriers in the way of travel made no difference to the peak spread of infections. At most, restrictions delayed that peak by a few days. If a new variant emerges in any part of the world, the same situation would be expected," he said. 

"We have the tools to manage COVID-19 without resorting to ineffective measures that cut off international connectivity, damage economies and destroy jobs. Governments must base their decisions on ‘science facts’ rather than ‘science politics’.”

China on Tuesday called the mounting international restrictions on travellers from its territory "unacceptable".

"This lacks scientific basis and some practices are unacceptable," foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing, warning China could "take countermeasures based on the principle of reciprocity".

The United States replied that it had taken action in response to the "lack of adequate and transparent" data from China and concerns that the heavy caseload could result in new variants.

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2023-01-04 10:07:03Z
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Islamic State called on Muslims in Singapore to join terror group: Report - CNA

SINGAPORE: The Islamic State group in September 2022 called on Muslims in Singapore - along with those in other Asian states - to come forward to join the terror group, according to a report published by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) on Tuesday (Jan 3).

In an annual threat assessment as part of RSIS' regularly published Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses, the think-tank's dean Kumar Ramakrishna said to "take heed" of an audiotape released last year by Islamic State's media affiliate Al-Furqan.

In the 36-minute recording, Islamic State spokesman Abu Umar al-Muhajir called on Muslims around the world to join the ranks of the militant group.

He "especially" called on Muslims in East Asia - from the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and other countries - to join Islamic State since they were "especially oppressed and humiliated in this region", according to a transcript by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in Israel.

Abu Umar also called on Islamic State operatives in East Asia to fight against "communists" and "infidels" in their countries.

RSIS' 116-page report noted that Singapore's Internal Security Department (ISD) had assessed that the threat from "Islamist extremism and terrorism" - both from organised groups based overseas and self-radicalised lone actors based locally - remained high in 2022.

In a section focused on Singapore, RSIS analysts Kalicharan Veera Singam and Abigail Leong described the Internet as continuing to play a "pivotal" role in sustaining the momentum of the global jihadist movement.

"This ‘cyber jihad’, waged on a borderless virtual battlefield, is a potential security minefield in a highly digitally connected society like Singapore," they wrote.

Developments in the region and further abroad may also reverberate closer to home, they said, citing how the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan has stirred lingering concerns of a resurgence in jihadist activity in Southeast Asia.

"This is especially given the historical nexus between the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and regional networks like JI (Jemaah Islamiyah)," they said.

"More than a year on, however, there is limited evidence of collaboration between the abovementioned terrorist groups, or of Southeast Asian jihadists performing (migration) to the Afghan theatre."

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2023-01-04 10:07:00Z
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Tighter border health checks in Malaysia not meant to discriminate against any country: PM Anwar - CNA

Amid concerns over the rise of COVID-19 cases in China, the Malaysian health ministry said on Dec 30 that all visitors entering Malaysia will have to undergo temperature screening checks for fever.

Those who are found to have a fever, are symptomatic or have self-declared their symptoms will then be sent to a quarantine centre or to the health authorities for further checks.

Additionally, those who have been to China within the last 14 days of their arrival in the country will need to undergo the RTK-Ag test (rapid antigen test).

These samples will then be sent for genome testing if they are found to be positive for COVID-19.

At the same time, those who have been in close contact with people who have travelled to China in the last 14 days, or exhibit influenza-like illnesses or severe acute respiratory infection will also need to be tested for COVID-19, said the health ministry.

On Monday, the health ministry added that it is prepared to tighten health checks as part of its pandemic border policies.

Last Thursday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke was quoted as saying by Bernama that Malaysia would see a surge in flight demand following the reopening of China’s borders.

In response, the Malaysia Tourism Agency Association (MATA) has urged the government to temporarily suspend the entry of tourists from China until the situation there improves.

On Wednesday, the Malaysian Medical Association issued a statement urging the government to test travellers from China for COVID-19 before they are allowed to enter the Southeast Asian nation.

In 2019, before the pandemic, Malaysia reportedly received 3 million Chinese tourists.

In the state of Sabah, which is highly dependent on Chinese visitors when it comes to tourism revenue, the state government is reportedly considering its own set of protocols for travellers from China.

The states of Sabah and Sarawak have autonomy on immigration issues.

Following the loosening of COVID-19 measures in China, several countries including the United States, Canada, Japan and France have required that all travellers from China provide negative COVID-19 tests before arrival.

Malaysia had previously scrapped mandatory testing on all incoming vaccinated travellers on May 1. In September, mask-wearing became optional in most indoor places in the country.

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2023-01-04 08:08:00Z
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