Director-General of Malaysia's Ministry of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah (Photo: The Star newspaper)
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The Malaysian government mayre-apply strict control measures to prevent another possible emergence ofCOVID-19 in the countr🅘y.
Speaking at a press conference on May 13, Director-General ofthe country’s Ministry of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah said the government willcontinue keeping a close watch on COVID-19 developments after the enforcementof the conditional movement control order (CMCO), a relaxed form of themovement control order (MCO) which began in mid-March. It will evaluate the outcome after two weeks, he said,adding that the return of the MCO is not out of question. He noted that if the number of infections is under control, manysectors of the Southeast Asian nation will resume operations. On the otherhand, drastic restriction measures will be taken if new cases continue rising. Malaysia reported 37 new cases on May 13, including 21foreign labourers, bringing the national tally to 6,779, with 111 fatalities./.
The Malaysian government has decided to extend the travel and business restrictions for four more weeks until June 9 in the context that the Southeast Asian country gradually reopens its economic activities.
Malaysia's unemployment rate is now the highest since the 2008-2009 world financial crisis, at 3.9 percent, as people saw their livelihoods affected by COVID-19 and the movement control order (MCO), said the country’s Department of Statistics.
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will not face a confidence vote on May 18 as earlier scheduled, the speaker of the parliament said on May 13 after the government cited the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic as a priority.
Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth fell sharply to 0.7 percent in the first quarter of this year, the lowest seen since Q3 2009, according to a statement from the Department of Statistics Malaysia.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
Director-General of Malaysia's Ministry of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah (Photo: The Star newspaper) 
