Asian Legal Review

Domestic flights will resume across India on Monday after a day of “hard negotiations”, the federal civil aviation minister said on Sunday, after some states sought to limit the number of flights.Flights will restart under an easing of restrictions imposed over the coronavirus, though the number of new cases rose by a record 24-hour amount on Sunday. The 6,767 new cases took the total to over 131,000.Airlines are preparing to resume about a third of their domestic flight operations from Monday,…

Alone in her rented room in Singapore, Malaysian worker Siti Fatimah Awang waited for a video call on Sunday.The morning of Hari Raya Puasa was to her, utterly unfamiliar. Back in her village in Johor Baru, the dawn of this festive occasion – which marks the end of the fasting month – was usually a race against time getting everything ready before her husband and other male relatives returned home from prayers at the mosque.She would run after her two sons to get them dressed, before helping…

Millions of Muslims in Indonesia were marking a muted and gloomy holiday of Eid al-Fitr, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan – a usually joyous three-day celebration that has been significantly toned down as coronavirus cases soar.The world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, with more than 240 million people, has reported nearly 22,000 infections and 1,350 fatalities, the most in Southeast Asia. It means no congregational prayers at mosques and open fields, no family reunions, no relatives…

As the Philippines’ rainy season approaches, experts are warning that “a perfect storm” of diseases could overwhelm the country’s weak health care system, which is already struggling to cope during the coronavirus pandemic.Apart from concerns about the capacity of health centres to treat patients, many of the seasonal illnesses, such as dengue, exhibit similar symptoms as the novel coronavirus in the beginning stages, worrying doctors.“June is [the onset of] the rainy season. That means dengue,…

Saving the life of a British pilot who became Vietnam’s most critically ill coronavirus patient has cost the country more than 3 billion dong (US$128,000) so far, but he has been pronounced clear of Covid-19 and authorities are considering repatriating him when he is strong enough to travel. Patient 91, who tested positive for coronavirus in mid-March, spent 47 days on life support and last week only had 10 per cent of his lung capacity. The 43-year-old Vietnam Airlines pilot now has a lung…

Singapore’s contact-tracing phone app, TraceTogether, will remain voluntary for “as long as possible”, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said.“It is a hybrid system based on public support, keeping public trust, and maintaining privacy,” Balakrishnan said.“I think it is very important to have those features, because otherwise contact tracing will not work,” the minister said in an interview with Sky News Australia.About 1.5 million residents have downloaded the app, or between 20 and 25 per…

As a kid in South Korea, Brian Kim grew up with the opposite of social distancing: Coming from a humble background, he had to share a room with seven family members. Those days are gone, and measures keeping people apart are now helping his fortune.Kim, 54, is the founder of Kakao Corp., the maker of a mobile messenger app that has become almost ubiquitous in South Korea and increasingly used elsewhere in Asia.The firm, which started with a social-messaging app, has expanded its businesses over…

Concerns over the spread of Covid-19 appear to have taken a back seat on the eve of Eid in Malaysia, with thousands of citizens attempting to circumvent a strict ban on interstate travel to return to their hometowns.The government introduced the ban this week after thousands of Malaysians turned up at police stations hoping to obtain special dispensations to cross state lines – something meant to be reserved for emergencies such as deaths in the family. Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said…

Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Oli has blamed India for the spread of coronavirus in his country and accused New Delhi of building a road that encroaches on the Himalayan nation’s territory, marking a new low in bilateral relations between the traditional allies.Nepal has approved a new political map demarcating the Lipulekh mountain pass, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura – places it says India has claimed by building a road despite repeated objections, Press Trust of India reported citing Foreign…

All those entering the country will have to bear the cost of mandatory quarantine and are to sign a letter agreeing to pay before they can make the trip to Malaysia, Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.Ismail Sabri said with the latest policy, Malaysians would pay half the cost of quarantine services while non-citizens, including spouses and family members of Malaysian citizens, had to bear the full cost.“This will take effect from June 1 as Malaysia will continue to impose compulsory…