All staff working in TTSH wards will also be tested for Covid-19 infection as a precautionary measure.PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES

This Week's News Spotlight:

ASEAN plus China, Japan, and South Korea vow to strengthen financial cooperation | Myanmar’s anti-junta unity government forming defence force | Indonesia airport scammers reused COVID-19 nasal swab tests on passengers, police say | Entire Kuala Lumpur under MCO | Philippines foreign minister issues expletive-laced tweet over China sea dispute

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ASEAN plus China, Japan, and South Korea vow to strengthen financial cooperation - The Sun Daily

In September, financial chiefs from ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea promised to boost the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM), which allows member economies to tap currency swap lines to secure currencies in need.

ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea will strengthen regional financial cooperation, vowed finance ministers and central bank governors from those regions. The joint statement was issued after a virtual meeting following the Asian Development Bank’s annual meetings, with ministers pledging to achieve inclusive recovery, preserve long-term fiscal sustainability, and maintain financial stability.

Also known as ASEAN Plus Three, representatives from ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea said that they would use policy tools to ensure sustainable economic recovery. The countries will also explore new initiatives to strengthen regional financial safety, in light of the expectation of an economic rebound this year driven by vaccine rollouts and gradual opening up of economies.

Myanmar’s anti-junta unity government forming defence force - Straits Times

Since the military coup in Myanmar on Feb 1, the country has seen daily protests, which were met with violence by security forces that has killed hundreds of civilians.

Myanmar’s National Unity Government, which is run by those who oppose military rule, said that it had formed a “people’s defence force” to protect civilians from military attacks and violence by the junta. The new force was a precursor to a Federal Union Army, said the NUG, adding that it would be responsible for ending civil wars and dealing with military attacks and violence by the ruling State Administration Council.

Indonesia airport scammers reused COVID-19 nasal swab tests on passengers, police say - CNN

Indonesia has had more than 1.6 million cases of COVID-19 and 46,000 recorded deaths.

According to Indonesian police, up to 10,000 airline passengers may have been tested for COVID-19 with reused nasal swabs in a scam that pulled in thousands of dollars for the perpetrators. Five employees for Indonesian pharmaceutical company Kimia Farma were arrested for allegedly washing and repackaging nasal swab kits and using them on passengers at Medan’s Kualanamu International Airport.

All passengers are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test before boarding a domestic flight in Indonesia, with kits being sold in the airport. The scam had been ongoing for about four months. Police are still investigating the number of victims affected by the reused swabs.

Entire Kuala Lumpur under MCO - The Star

A temporary travelling ban will also be imposed on some countries to halt the entry of COVID-19 variants into Malaysia.

Malaysia’s capital has been placed under a movement control order (MCO) with less than a week to Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which falls on May 13. Other than Kuala Lumpur, several localities in Johor, Perak, and Terengganu will also be placed under MCO from May 7 to May 20. On top of existing standard operating procedures, social events, eatery dine-ins, official and non-official events by the government and private sector will also be prohibited.

The decision to impose MCO on the country’s capital was made after a spike in the number of daily cases and the emergence of 17 new clusters between April 1 and 27.

Philippines foreign minister issues expletive-laced tweet over China sea dispute - The Jakarta Post

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which around US$3 trillion of ship-borne trade passes through every year.

In an expletive-laced message on Twitter, Philippine foreign minister Teodoro Locsin demanded that China’s vessels get out of disputed waters in the South China Sea. Locsin’s comments follow Manila’s protests for what it labels the “illegal” presence of hundreds of Chinese boats inside the Philippines’ 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

On his personal account, Locsin tweeted: “China, my friend, how politely can I put it? Let me see...O...GET THE F*** OUT.”