MANCHESTER: To those who knew him, Indonesian student Reynhard Sinaga was an “engaged member of society” who was studying for a PhD at Leeds University.

But behind closed doors, the 36-year-old student preyed on more than 190 men in Manchester, drugging them before sexually abusing them while filming the attacks.

Over two and a half years, Sinaga remained unknown to the police until one of his victims woke up during an assault and fought him off, before reporting the Indonesian student to the police.

READ: ‘Kind, quiet man turned monster’: Friends of Indonesian serial rapist Reynhard Sinaga shocked by crimes

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said on Monday (Jan 6) – after Sinaga was sentenced to life imprisonment for 159 counts of sexual offences against 48 men – that there were about 70 victims who have yet to be identified.

Investigation teams found evidence linking him to more than 190 victims, police said.

“NOT MUCH WAS KNOWN ABOUT SINAGA”

Assistant Chief Constable Mabs Hussain, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “Reynhard Sinaga is a depraved individual, who targeted potentially vulnerable men that he had spotted walking on their own after a night out.”

He led his victims back to his flat under false pretences of offering a place to rest or to charge their mobile phones.

Once inside he offered them a drink which would contain what police believe to be date rape drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), rendering them unconscious.

He would then rape them while filming the abuse. His final victim woke up during the assault and reported Sinaga to the police.

“Not much was known about Reynhard Sinaga prior to his final victim telling police of his ordeal. He had never previously come to the attention of GMP with regards to any criminal incidents,” ACC Hussain said.

“To the rest of the world he came across as an engaged member of society who was studying for a PhD qualification and had a small circle of law-abiding friends that he would socialise with.

“However, beneath that facade was a serial sex offender, who we now believe to be Britain’s most prolific rapist.

“The fact that he was able to cover-up his true nature for so long just serves as further evidence of his calculating criminal nature.

“I want to be clear that Sinaga is just one appalling individual and he should not be considered as being reflective of any community.

“I do not wish to waste another word on Reynhard Sinaga.”

READ: Life sentence for Indonesian who raped more than 100 men in Britain

Sinaga was sentenced in four separate trials. After his first two trials, he was already serving 88 concurrent life sentences with a minimum of 20 years before he can be considered for parole.

Monday’s sentencing came after the third and fourth trial. His story came to light only on Monday because of court restrictions.

ONE ASSAULT LASTED EIGHT HOURS

Police officers discovered 3.29TB of graphic material of the sexual assaults. One video showed an assault lasting eight hours.

Many of the victims were so affected by the drug that they did not know they had been raped until they received a knock on the door from officers investigating Sinaga’s crimes, police explained.

The victims were traced using items found inside the flat, including victims’ stolen phones and IDs.

The assistant chief constable said: “I would now like to pay tribute to his victims, many of whom did not know for certain what had happened to them until they received a visit from the police, after they had been identified from the videos taken by Sinaga.

“I can only imagine how devastating this news must have been for them but the bravery that these men have shown in engaging with officers and support workers in an effort to come to terms with what happened is nothing short of incredible.”

Many of the men stood in court and provided evidence, detailing the impact the rapes had on their lives.

“We appreciate this can be a daunting experience and it truly does take a lot of courage to stand up in court and tell your story,” ACC Hussain added.

Sinaga was a “vile individual” who preyed on his victims in a “disturbing and depraved manner”, said Bev Hughes, Greater Manchester’s deputy mayor for policing, crime and criminal justice.

“I particularly want to praise the victims and survivors for their bravery and courage throughout these trials – it has been an immensely challenging and upsetting time,” she added.

“I also want to urge anyone who has been a victim of any rape or sexual assault to come forward and report it to police, confident that they will receive the help and support they need.

“Greater Manchester is a resilient place. We have undergone traumas in the past and, together, come through them. Sinaga is an appalling individual, who acted alone and is now off our streets.”

In this first of a three-part series on design innovation, Senior Education Correspondent Sandra Davie talks to Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran on how design thinking has been used in formulating government policies and programmes

Meet Mr Michael Hon, 63, who has persuaded scores of seniors – who once shunned e-payments – to use them on a daily basis.

The semi-retired businessman, who signed on to become a digital ambassador during the circuit breaker period last year, has a special touch when teaching seniors how to use digital tools.

He encourages them to take notes which they can refer to. To reinforce the teaching further, he gets them to practise in front of him.

“Most of the time, they are worried about security issues when using e-payments, so I tell them how I had the same worries when I started, and what are the ways to protect oneself.”

He does not just tell the seniors and hawkers that they need to adopt technology. He also explains why they need to adopt technology using life examples that they can relate to.

He is among the 1,000 digital ambassadors who have been hired and trained by the SG Digital Office to help hawkers and seniors make the leap.

Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran said using seniors like Mr Hon was just one of the ideas hatched using design thinking, a human-centred interactive process, to ensure that no one is left behind in Singapore’s continuing digitalisation push.

He added that the SG Digital Office teams drawing up the plan realised that their ambassadors must be able to communicate and empathise with the difficulties faced by different groups of people for them to get on board the digital bandwagon.

“So for the seniors, we have the young people in their late teens and early 20s, whom the seniors can relate to as they are the age of their grandchildren,” he explained. “And then you have those who are in their 50s and 60s who are their peers and who have the same fears and difficulties learning how to use digital tools.”

He noted that the other important part of the plan was for the digital ambassadors to be within easy reach – to be embedded in the community.

“So, they are at the community centres, libraries and at the hawker centres, coffee shops and wet markets, for the hawkers and market stallholders whom we are trying to convert to using digital e-payments,” he said, adding that more hawkers have joined the Hawkers Go Digital scheme, with 10,000 stallholders now accepting e-payments.

In an interview with The Straits Times, he brought up various other instances where Singapore has used design thinking and put the well-being of citizens at the heart of its public sector improvement initiatives.

Q: What is design thinking as applied to government policymaking?

A: The way I see it, there are two parts to it – one part of it is in the focus, and the other is in terms of the process. Design thinking’s focus is on human centricity. In the case of government policymaking, the focus is on the citizens.

Whatever it is we are crafting, whether it is a product, service, programme or a policy, the end result must be to enhance lives, livelihoods and well-being of our citizens and society.

• About S. Iswaran

• Mr S. Iswaran, 59, is currently Minister for Communications and Information, focusing on strengthening the infocomm and media sectors, and accelerating digital transformation across the economy.

  He also oversees policies and strategies to build a digitally ready community, as well as efforts to develop libraries of the future and enhance government communications. As the Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security, he oversees efforts to ensure a safe and secure cyberspace.

  Mr Iswaran is also Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, where he oversees various bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations.

  He joined the Singapore Administrative Service in 1987.

  He served in the Ministries of Home Affairs and Education, and was seconded to the National Trades Union Congress, and later to the Singapore Indian Development Association as its first chief executive.

  Mr Iswaran was director of international trade at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in the lead-up to Singapore’s hosting of the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in 1996.

  He then joined the private sector as director for strategic development at Singapore Technologies. He was previously also with Temasek as its managing director.

  Mr Iswaran has been elected as a Member of Parliament in six general elections since Jan 2, 1997. Prior to his Cabinet appointment in 2006, he served on several government parliamentary committees, and as Deputy Speaker of Parliament from September 2004 to June 2006.

  Mr Iswaran read economics at the University of Adelaide and graduated with first class honours. He also holds a master’s in public administration from Harvard University.

• Register for Design Innovation Forum

• listen to more of Communications and Information Minister S. Iswaran’s views, you can register to attend the virtual Design Innovation Forum by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) in partnership with The Straits Times.

  British inventor and Dyson founder James Dyson, architect Brian Yang and SUTD president Chong Tow Chong will also speak.

  Registration is free.

  SUTD DESIGN INNOVATION FORUM

  March 19, 2.30pm to 4pm Speakers

  • Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran

  • Sir James Dyson, chairman and founder of Dyson

  • Mr Brian Yang, partner at architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group

  • Professor Chong Tow Chong, president of SUTD

  Moderator

  • Mr Mark Wee, executive director of DesignSingapore

  To register, go to: str.sg/SUTDForum or scan the QR code

The other part of design thinking is the process. First, you have to understand what is the problem you are trying to solve – some people call it a problem statement. Some will say it is understanding the needs of your customers.

Then, you have ideation – coming up with new possibilities and designing a solution. It is about turning these initial ideas and research efforts into value.

Finally, the real test is in execution or implementation of these programmes. In Government, it is about helping our citizens understand the programme or policy, so that they can respond to it. For example, we launched the SG Digital Office and embedded 1,000 digital ambassadors in the community as we understood that some of our seniors had concerns and challenges going digital, and required support on their digital journey.

It is not that different from a product – taking it from design to manufacturing, and then, ultimately to the consumer. Nonetheless, it must be an iterative process. You must be willing to learn from experiences, adapt and respond to changes, such as technological developments, demographic trends and globalisation.

Q: So do you think design thinking is becoming relevant to a whole lot of areas in government?

A: Yes indeed. It has been infused in many areas of government – in providing transport services to cutting waiting times at hospitals. Even our libraries and Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix races that we host yearly use the design thinking approach.

Our National Library and the regional libraries – they are very popular and well patronised, partly because of the way they have been designed and conceived.

They provide a whole host of programmes and services, both at the libraries and online.

NLB (National Library Board) aims to deliver an integrated customer experience – a patron can go from accessing the resources online, and then attending an event in person at the library. The experience should be seamless. So, in that sense, our libraries are an omni-channel service provider.

Design thinking has been and is also being used to design and curate the look and feel of the physical spaces, as well as the resources we provide and activities we run in our libraries.

In designing our libraries, NLB looks at the profiles of the library users as well as the larger communities they are located in. They analyse their behaviour, such as borrowing trends, so that the regional libraries can cater to the needs of different groups of people – whether they are children and families, teens or working professionals.

One example is [email protected] , which has won awards for its design. It has a design studio concept that provides spaces for learning, reflection and collaboration, and carries the largest public library collection on design and applied arts.

Q: You mentioned the Formula 1 race – how has design thinking been used in organising the yearly races?

A: It is not just about holding a car race. We wanted to achieve other things. It was an opportunity for us to enhance Singapore’s positioning as a global, vibrant city. So, yes, we decided that it will be a race in the heart of the city, but we also had to think about what else we wanted to lay around it.

So, we added on different layers of activity around the race: business networking events, lifestyle events – food, fashion, shopping and tourism. To bring it all together and showcase Singapore, you need good, thoughtful planning and execution.

Q: How do you think the design thinking approach can be made more pervasive?

A: The universities are teaching design thinking and the Singapore University of Technology and Design, of course, offers a unique design-centric and interdisciplinary education. More broadly, we must encourage problem-solving and critical thinking in our schools, through approaches such as project work, so as to start seeding a design thinking approach in our students.

We have to also go beyond our schools, to make this approach pervasive in our businesses, community and the Government, such as the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s Pixel Design Thinking programme, where companies which are keen to apply design thinking methodologies can receive support to start a digital innovation project or to facilitate their design innovation process.

Ultimately, design thinking is a habit of the mind that can and should be developed. We must infuse it into our approaches to problem-solving and innovation, so as to ensure that our products, policies or programmes continue to meet the needs of our customers and citizens.

Vietnam documented zero COVID-19 infections in the past 12 hours as of 6:00 am on March 1, leaving the national tally unchanged at 2,448 patients, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Earlier, Vietnam reported 16 COVID-19 cases at 6pm on February 28, including 12 locally infected cases in the northern province of Hai Duong, the country’s largest COVID-19 hotspot, and four imported cases in the southern provinces of Tay Ninh and Dong Thap.

Of the total infections, there were 1,542 domestically-transmitted cases, including 849 recorded since the latest outbreak hit the northern province of Hai Duong on January 27.

Ten cities and provinces nationwide have gone through 16 consecutive days without any locally-infected cases of COVID-19, including Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Binh Duong, Hung Yen, Bac Giang, Gia Lai, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, and Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, Hanoi has recorded 14 straight days of no coronavirus cases.

A total 60,693 people who came in close contact with COVID-19 patients or arrived from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine nationwide, including 560 at hospitals, 12,298 at other quarantine sites, and 47,835 at home.

Among patients under treatment, 62 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 53 twice, and 95 thrice.

Report from the Treatment Sub-committee showed that Vietnam has seen 1,876 recoveries so far.

In a bid to live safely with the pandemic, people should strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message: khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering), and khai bao y te (health declaration)./.

Hai Duong dissolves COVID-19 treatment hospital No.1

Chairman of the Hai Duong provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Duong Thai, who is also head of the provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, on February 27 decided to dissolve the hospital No.1 for COVID-19 treatment as the locality has basically kept the pandemic under control.

All the COVID-19 cases being treated at the hospital were transferred to the COVID-19 treatment hospital No.3 at Sao Do University in Chi Linh city, which is managed by the Hai Duong General Hospital.

The hospital No.1 was established on February 2 at Chi Linh city’s medical centre to serve treatment for COVID-19 patients after a new COVID-19 outbreak in the locality, with hundreds of infections were confirmed.

According to the provincial Centre for Disease Control, as of 4:00 pm on February 27, Hai Duong recorded a total of 653 coronavirus infections. The number of F1 cases is 16,385, of which 3,328 are quarantined in concentrated quarantine sites. The locality has so far collected over 400,000 samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing.

Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 case on February 28 morning, making the national count unchanged at 2,432, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

A total 1,844 COVID-19 patients have recovered so far, and the death toll remains at 35./.

HCM City plans to trial exclusive lanes for buses

The HCM City Public Transport Management Centre has announced plans to trial bus lanes on Điện Biên Phủ and Võ Thị Sáu streets during peak hours.

Private vehicles will be prohibited from entering the lanes at that time.

The lanes, 3.25 metres wide, will be separated from the other lanes by barriers.

Nguyễn Trung Tín, former head of the department’s road transport management, said the city used to have an exclusive bus lane on Trần Hưng Đạo Street (District 5), but it did not work efficiently though they are successful in other countries.

This was because other vehicles kept intruding and there was lack of support from the public since the lanes affected shops and other businesses, he explained.

Before the pandemic buses would often get stuck in traffic during peak hours and be late.

The centre also plans to start new 21 bus routes with high-quality service, free wi-fi and other modern conveniences.

Gia Lai rapidly expands forest cover, helps improve livelihoods

The Central Highlands province of Gia Lai has been growing new forests and protecting existing ones in recent years to expand forest cover and improve people’s livelihoods.

The province, which has the largest forest cover in the Central Highlands region, planted nearly 25,300ha in 2017-20, 6.3 times its target.

In Mang Yang District’s Hra Commune, the Hra Protective Forest management board allocated more than 6,300ha of forests last year to individuals, households and communities to exploit while also protecting them.

Nguyen Van Chin, head of the board, said besides planting and protecting forests, the board focuses on advocacy activities to enhance awareness of households and communities living near forests of the need to protect them.

Together with local authorities it organises advocacy activities to annually reach around 1,500 people in the commune’s 12 villages.

With these and support for illegal loggers to overcome their family’s financial difficulties, it has managed to stop the logging and make loggers forest guardians.

Seeing the good examples set by the former illegal loggers, other residents in the commune have also stopped cutting trees and are instead keen to be allotted tracts of forest for protection.

The money authorities pay them for this task helps them have a stable life.

Krong Chro district is one of the localities to do well in growing and protecting forests through advocacy.

Nguyen Lam, deputy head of its forest protection bureau, said the district organises meetings in villages to encourage people to grow trees on deforested lands.

“The new forests are growing well, creating jobs and improving people’s incomes.”

There were nearly 200 households in the district registering to grow nearly 400ha of new forests last year, according to the bureau.

Around 700 households in the district, mostly ethnic minorities, registered to plant trees on nearly 2,250ha in 2017-19, comfortably higher than the target the province People’s Committee set the district.

The province’s Forest Protection Sub-department has petitioned the Government to increase the fee paid to ethnic households for forest protection.

Gia Lai wants to increase its forest cover rate to 47.5 percent by 2025.

It has 633,325ha of forests now, including 543,131ha of natural forests, according to the department./.

Hanoi police investigate attacks on foreign women

Police in Tay Ho district, Hanoi are conducting an investigation after they were informed that several foreign women were attacked by a group of youngsters while they were strolling around the West Lake, Hanoi Police said on February 28.

Initially, 25 suspects were found to have close links to the case.

The police have summoned an individual suspected of carrying out violent assaults against the foreign women.

Earlier, the women reported to the police in Quang An ward (Tay Ho district) that they were attacked by a group of youngsters who drove motorbikes. The young men even threw stones, and used belts to hit them./.

Vinh Phuc moves towards sustainable population development

The northern province of Vinh Phuc plans to have its entire population managed by the national population database system.

Under the province’s population strategy in the 2021-2025 period, it will provide health insurance and offer medical examinations and treatment to all elderly people at home and in healthcare facilities.

Vinh Phuc aims to maintain a reasonable age structure, with the ratio of children under 15 years old to be 23.5 percent and people aged 65 and over to be 9 percent.

It will bring the fertility rate closer to the replacement fertility level, increase the rate of women of reproductive age having convenient access to modern contraception and support in reproductive health to 95 percent, and halve the number of unwanted pregnancies.

The province aims to have 70 percent of young men and women obtaining health advice and check-ups before marriage, 50 percent of pregnant women being screened for at least four of the most common birth defects, and 70 percent of new-born babies being screened for at least the five most common congenital diseases.

It expects to see life expectancy of 75 years, while the urban population rate is to stand at 50 percent of the total.

The province is working to fully tap into its “golden population structure”, adapt to population aging, and improve quality of the population, thus contributing to its socio-economic development.

To reach these targets, provincial authorities will focus on improving mechanisms, policies, and laws on population, and bolstering the quality of population-related services.

It also has policies to encourage organisations, businesses, individuals, and production and distribution establishments to provide population-related services./.

150 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to be offered free of charge for Vietnamese people

Vietnam has planned to provide around 150 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine for local people free of charge this year.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a resolution on the purchase and use of Covid-19 vaccines this year.

According to the resolution, Vietnamese people aged from 18 years old will be vaccinated with 150 million doses of Covid-19. The vaccines are sourced through purchase, import and aid.

The vaccines will be prioritised to medical workers; people in the anti-pandemic efforts (Covid-19 prevention and control steering committees of all levels, quarantine facility staff, reporters.); diplomats, customs officers and people working entry and exit procedures; military personnel; public security forces; teachers; those aged above 65; essential workers (aviation, transport, tourism staff, utility workers, etc.); people with chronic health issues; people who want to study or work overseas; and people in virus-hit regions.

The priority ranking is evaluated based on criteria such as areas where Covid-19 cases are present, areas with Covid-19 deaths occurred, major cities with high population density and localities considered traffic and transit hubs.

The government is also encouraging agencies to hold Covid-19 vaccination services for their staff.

The resolution, however, does not mention the specific time for the vaccination.

Gia Lai rapidly expands forest cover, helps improve livelihoods

The Central Highlands province of Gia Lai has been growing new forests and protecting existing ones in recent years to expand forest cover and improve people’s livelihoods.

The province, which has the largest forest cover in the Central Highlands region, planted nearly 25,300ha in 2017-20, 6.3 times its target.

In Mang Yang District’s Hra Commune, the Hra Protective Forest management board allocated more than 6,300ha of forests last year to individuals, households and communities to exploit while also protecting them.

Nguyen Van Chin, head of the board, said besides planting and protecting forests, the board focuses on advocacy activities to enhance awareness of households and communities living near forests of the need to protect them.

Together with local authorities it organises advocacy activities to annually reach around 1,500 people in the commune’s 12 villages.

With these and support for illegal loggers to overcome their family’s financial difficulties, it has managed to stop the logging and make loggers forest guardians.

Seeing the good examples set by the former illegal loggers, other residents in the commune have also stopped cutting trees and are instead keen to be allotted tracts of forest for protection.

The money authorities pay them for this task helps them have a stable life.

Krong Chro district is one of the localities to do well in growing and protecting forests through advocacy.

Nguyen Lam, deputy head of its forest protection bureau, said the district organises meetings in villages to encourage people to grow trees on deforested lands.

“The new forests are growing well, creating jobs and improving people’s incomes.”

There were nearly 200 households in the district registering to grow nearly 400ha of new forests last year, according to the bureau.

Around 700 households in the district, mostly ethnic minorities, registered to plant trees on nearly 2,250ha in 2017-19, comfortably higher than the target the province People’s Committee set the district.

The province’s Forest Protection Sub-department has petitioned the Government to increase the fee paid to ethnic households for forest protection.

Gia Lai wants to increase its forest cover rate to 47.5 percent by 2025.

It has 633,325ha of forests now, including 543,131ha of natural forests, according to the department.

Police break up cross-border infant trafficking ring

Police forces operating in Hanoi and Cao Bang have busted a group trafficking newborn babies, saving the lives of four infants and subsequently arresting four mothers.

The police searched houses on February 25 to investigate traders hired to take care of the newborn babies before selling them on to China.

Four mothers were arrested on suspicion of getting involved in the trafficking ring, while four babies were also rescued.

During the operation, the police also discovered an eight-month pregnant woman who had intended to sell her child once the baby is born, along with two other pregnant mothers who had been brought to China.

The police said the large-scale nature of the newborn trafficking ring involves the participation of both domestic and foreign suspects.

At present, the four babies are now being taken care of by a social welfare centre operated by the Vietnam Women’s Union.

The police are expanding the scope of investigation.

HCM City to provide support to both public and private schools

The HCM City Department of Education and Training has proposed to provide financial support to both public and private schools to lower tuition fees.

Private primary schools and public primary schools which have been granted financial autonomy will get the support. This move aims to create education equity between all kinds of educational facilities and students since primary education is mandatory.

Not only will the plan help ease the burden on the students’ families, but it will also have positive impacts on the development of the private sector and help deal with the overcrowding problems at public schools. It will encourage more investment in private schools. The funds will come from the city’s budget.

At some public schools in HCM City, students go to schools in both the morning and afternoon, half of the day is mandatory and another half is voluntary with parents and schools needing to reach an agreement over tuition fees.

The HCM City Department of Education and Training also proposed giving VND70,000 per student per month to students that go to all-day public primary schools for the 2021-2022 school year.

COVID-19: Made-in-Vietnam vaccine protects people against UK variant

Nano Covax, Vietnam’s first locally-produced COVID-19 vaccine, has elicited a host of antibodies that help to protect those injected against the B.1.1.7 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which originates from the UK, according to a leading Vietnamese scientist.

Prof. Do Quyet, director of the Vietnam Military Medical Academy, outlined the information as part of a brief announcement during the launch of the second phase of human clinical trials on Nano Covax which took place on February 26 in Hanoi.

“Preliminary research results show that the potent antibodies elicited by Nano Covax prove to be effective against the variant B.1.1.7 from the UK,” said Prof. Quyet.

The country kick-started the initial phase of human trials of Nano Covax last December, marking the first vaccine of its kind to be produced locally by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, one of the four COVID-19 vaccine producers currently operating in the country.

It is now in the process of launching the second phase of trials in both Hanoi and the southern province of Long An with the participation of approximately 560 volunteers aged between 12 and 75.

The second phase is set to be focused on the safety and efficiency of the vaccine, especially the generation of antibodies, as the vaccine will also be tested on elderly people suffering from underlying health issues, according to Prof. Quyet.

“In phase 2 we will continue to evaluate whether these antibodies can resist the variant from South Africa,” he said.

Vietnamese scientists have conducted genome sequencing and found there are five variant strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus since the initial COVID-19 outbreak erupted in January 2020.

Most notably, variants VOC202012/01 and B.1.1.7 which originate from the UK and A.23.1 from South Africa have recently been detected at COVID-19 hotspots in Hai Duong province and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively.

While locally-made vaccines are currently in the process of undergoing clinical trials, the country is striving to ramp up the import of COVID-19 vaccines as part of the national vaccination campaign.

The initial batch of AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on February 24, with more than 117,000 doses landing in the country.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) is due to ramp up the inoculation programme in early March, with priority set to be given to frontline healthcare workers, soldiers, border guards, policemen, along with those on duty in isolation areas and quarantine facilities.

Vietnam requires at least 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the national vaccination programme this year. However, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long believes the country is likely to receive only 90 million doses in 2021.

Along with the import of 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine agreed with AstraZeneca and COVAX, the nation is also negotiating to import a further 30 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine of the United States.

The MoH is therefore considering licensing two additional COVID-19 vaccines produced by Moderna of the United States and Generium of Russia.

British Council announces In Progress-series in Vietnam

Cutting across multiple disciplines, the In Progress will introduce 12 interesting events ranging from exhibition, multisensory puppet show, film screenings to a workshop bridging art and education, a new engagement with an old art form, and many more. In the context that COVID-19 is still complicated, there is likely a change in time and organisation form for each event.

During the time of the program, from March to May 2021, the British Council will be closely monitoring the situation and ready to take necessary measures as well as cooperate with local government agencies to put all necessary measures in place. Follow the council’s Website and Facebook for the update and further information about the 12 events.

With an aim of contributing to the enrichment of the cultural life of Vietnamese people by bringing diverse art and cultural events to the public; and to offer opportunity for cultural and creative hubs from different parts of the country to connect with each other and to work with artists and creative practitioners in designing and organising art and cultural events, in November 2020, under the Cultural and Creative Hubs Vietnam, the British Council launched an open call to the artistic and creative community for proposals to organise art and cultural events in all parts of Vietnam.

The response to the Open call has been overwhelming and 12 event proposals were selected to form In Progress that includes:

1. A visual art exhibition named ‘Abracadabra’ by Old Soul Art hub, Danang

2. A group exhibition ‘Virtual Private Realms’ by Vân Đỗ and Hà Ninh, Hanoi

3. A series of exhibition, discussion, and poetry reading ‘I write (in Vietnamese)’, by BlueBirds’ Nest, Hanoi

4. An experimental project with a library, an installation, a performance, workshops and talks ‘A queer museum’ by Đinh Thị Nhung, Hanoi

5. An educational concert and storytelling concert ‘Mummy’s Heart’ by Phạm Thị Hoài Anh, Hanoi

6. A public art event ‘Edge of the Citadel’ by Mơ Đơ, Hue

7. A series of art for children workshops and training of trainers ‘Listen to the Little Ones’ by Đông Thanh creative learning hub and Vẽ Voi (Drawing Elephant) project, HCM City

8. A journey with films ‘Như Trăng Trong Đêm’ by the Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD), HCM City

9. Hai Phong: A week of Culture and creativity by Cửa Biển creative and cultural hub, Hai Phong

10. A multisensory puppet show ‘Little Peanut and the Sneeze Theory’ by Mắt Trần Ensemble, Ninh Binh

11. A series of exhibition, mini concert, and audience-interactive activities ‘Eyes of Xẩm’ by Chèo 48h, Hanoi

12. A concert and film screening event ‘Wandering/Sheltering’ by The Empathy Museum, Hanoi

One of the challenges that In Progress posed to all participating artists and creatives was to reach out to the harder to reach groups, and to thrive to create tangible values for those who might not have previously been benefiting from independent artistic and cultural practices.

All 12 projects have taken up this challenge brilliantly by not only aiming to reach people who live outside of megacity areas, but also by demonstrating how the arts and culture can become effective vehicles in exploring, understanding and improving many aspects of life for a wide range of audiences of different age groups and backgrounds, thus contributing to enhance people’s awareness and wellbeing.

In Progress is truly an unprecedented opportunity for creative hubs and cultural practitioners to connect with artists across the country and thereby reaching out of their areas to new groups of audiences, shared by Vu Thi Thanh Binh, project manager of Hai Phong: A week of Culture and creativity.

Meanwhile, Tran Duy Hung, project manager of ‘Như Trăng Trong Đêm’ has good expression that In Progress is an exciting project with a look of a festival. The program is highly valued for its diversity in the content, in form of presentation as well as difference in location of events. He does hope this will be a stepping stone for many similar programs from the British Council in the future.

ASEAN seeks to strengthen minerals cooperation

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has held a workshop on the Development Prospects for the ASEAN Minerals Cooperation (DPAMC) and Scoping Study of the ASEAN Minerals Database and Information System (AMDIS), aiming to promote regional minerals cooperation.

During the two-day workshop, participants discussed the initial findings and recommendations from the drafts of the DPAMC Study and the AMDIS Scoping Report under the “Strengthening ASEAN Cooperation in Minerals” project.

The DPAMC Study will stock-take existing ASEAN minerals development and cooperation in the context of global markets and minerals industry, and propose corresponding regional strategies and measures.

The study’s recommendations are expected to help define the future direction of ASEAN minerals cooperation and will be considered in the development of Phase 2 (2021-2025) of the ASEAN Minerals Cooperation Action Plan.

Meanwhile, the development of an effective ASEAN minerals database is crucial to minerals cooperation which includes facilitating much needed investment into minerals exploration and development in the region. AMDIS Scoping Study’s recommendations are expected to be considered in the enhancement of the current system.

Both project components aim to promote economic activities in the post-COVID-19 period, as well as ASEAN’s efforts to respond to the challenges and opportunities of a more minerals-intensive future.

The project is a collaboration between the Energy and Minerals Division of the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Programme II, along with a team of experts from the University of Queensland. The final reports are expected to be completed by November 2021./.

Youth Month 2021 launched in Thai Nguyen province

The youth unions of the Central Agencies Bloc and the northern province of Thai Nguyen on February 28 co-organised a ceremony in the locality to kick off the Youth Month 2021, and launch a tree-planting festival.

The event was in response to the 90th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (March 26, 1931-2021).

A wide range of programmes and activities were held in the framework of the event, including presenting gifts to 15 former volunteer youths, bikes to 10 students with special circumstances in Dai Tu district and bookcases to local schools, and supporting the building of house for one poor household, among others.

Following the launching ceremony, the participants and local youths planted trees, and clean up the Vietnamese youth historical relic site, and several roads in Dai Tu district./.

ASEAN, Canada, UN Women advance women’s role in conflict prevention

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Canada and UN Women recently launched a five-year programme to expand and strengthen women’s leadership and participation in conflict prevention, resolution and recovery in Southeast Asia.

The 8.5 million CAD (6.36 million USD) programme, “Empowering women for sustainable peace: preventing violence and promoting social cohesion in ASEAN”, is funded by Global Affairs Canada to support ASEAN and the implementation of the ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action 2021-2025, with the support of UN Women as a lead UN partner.

“Canada is proud to launch this flagship initiative that uses the women, peace and security approach to promote inclusive and sustainable peace and security in the region, while addressing the systemic gender inequality,” said Diedrah Kelly, Canada’s Ambassador to ASEAN.

ASEAN has made important strides to advance women, peace and security agenda, including the adoption of the first ‘Joint Statement on Promoting Women, Peace and Security in ASEAN’ in 2017, the launch of the ASEAN Women’s Peace Registry in 2018, and convening the first ASEAN Symposium on Women, Peace and Security in 2019 and the ASEAN Ministerial Dialogue on Strengthening Women’s role for Sustainable Peace and Security in 2020.

Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi said, “ASEAN is working concertedly to advance women, peace and security agenda across the three ASEAN Community Pillars as part of our commitment to promote gender equality and the roles of women in the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework.”

The COVID-19 impact has increased the risks for women and girls in fragile and conflict-affected contexts and this challenges us to re-examine threats to human security. “The pandemic highlights the important linkage between peace, humanitarian and development and the critical need for women’s leadership and participation to ensure effective and comprehensive response, from policy decision-making to peace building and pandemic response,” said Jamshed Kazi, UN Women Representative and Liaison to ASEAN.

The new programme reflects the commitment of ASEAN and Canada to promote gender equality and to respond to an increasingly widespread call across the globe for women to be empowered to lead and participate in peace and development.

ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam./.

Đồng Tháp Province tightens control of border gates, trails after Vietnamese woman with COVID-19 enters illegally

The People’s Committee in the Mekong Delta province of Đồng Tháp on Saturday instructed local authorities and agencies to strengthen control of border gates, trails and crossings following the illegal entry of a Vietnamese woman who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Đoàn Tấn Bửu, vice chairman of the People’s Committee and standing deputy head of the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said that health officials should quickly track down and quarantine people who have come into contact with the woman.

Previously, the woman was quarantined at Hồng Ngự Vocational Training School after it was discovered that she illegally entered the province with another woman from Cambodia and booked a room at a guesthouse in Tân Hồng District’s Sa Rài town on February 23.

On February 25, testing results at HCM City Pasteur Institute showed that one of them had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The Vietnamese patient worked at a casino in Phnom Penh.

The other woman tested negative for the virus.

The patient is being treated at Hồng Ngự General Hospital in the province.

According to provincial agencies, 11 people have had close contact with the woman. Of these, nine, including three from Cần Thơ, have been quarantined. The remaining two are still being traced.

Forty people, who are contacts of her close contacts (F1), are quarantined at home.

Bửu warned that people in the province should comply with the Ministry of Health’s 5K message: Khẩu trang (facemask) – Khử khuẩn (disinfection) – Khoảng cách (distance) – Không tụ tập (no gathering) – Khai báo y tế (health declaration).

People should contact local health officials to report people suspected of returning to the province from COVID-19 hit areas.

The province shares a 50-kilometre border with Prey Veng Province in Cambodia. The province’s border guards have been working with police to patrol the border for illegal entries.

Village elder dedicated in Krêl economic and cultural development

In Krêl Village in Đức Cơ District of Gia Lai Province in the Central Highlands, one ethnic minority member stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Rơ Mah Chel is a inspiration to his peers and has gained the trust and respect of all those around him.

Together with the head village and local authority, he has helped residents improve their education, change the old habits, and apply advanced techniques in cultivation and husbandry to get out of poverty.

He is also the person who informs people of the Government’s policies and conveys their aspirations to the local authority.

Chel has been a teacher since he was 20. He chose the career as he believed that knowledge would change his life and he could help his villagers improve theirs too.

Chel said he started his job when the village was quite poor and underdeveloped. He had to go to every students’ house to persuade their parents to let the kids go to school. In the morning, he came and picked up the students and took them home, even continuing lessons late into the night.

Years have gone by and some of his students have become officials with the local authorities. He is still dedicated to the job at Võ Văn Kiệt Primary School in Ia Dơk Commune in Đức Cơ District.

Among few literate people in the village, Chel read books on techniques of cultivation. He realised that the land of his village was nutritious, but the crops’ productivity remained poor due to people’s lack of knowledge and old fashioned habits.

He decided to be the pioneer to change people’s cultivation techniques. He took courses on coffee and rubber planting and applied these methods himself.

After the first year, he had earned nearly VNĐ300 million (US$13,070) from two hectares of rubber trees, one hectare of coffee trees and more than 100 pepper trees. After several years, he built a new house much to the surprise of local residents.

People rushed to his home to ask for advice and Chel was happy to share his knowledge and experience with the villagers. The more he shared, the more he gained their trust and respect.

It was time for Chel to make revolution in changing people’s bad habits. He taught them to cook and preserve food properly. He told them to move the animal farm far away from the residential areas. He encouraged them to eliminate old habits and apply new technology in cultivation to improve the productivity.

Chel is also the person to give mediation for local couples and young people. He is enthusiastic about preserving the traditional culture of the Central Highland. Chel opens free gong classes to teach the young generation how to play musical instruments and contributes to rebuild the traditional Rông community houses in the village.

Đức Cơ District’s People’s Committee chairman Siu Luynh said the local authority highly appreciated Chel’s contribution to the cultural and economic development of Krêl Village.

He was among reputable and knowledgeable person dedicated to the cultural preservation of the ethnic minority in the locality.

Mekong Delta farmers get bumper harvest, high prices for winter-spring rice

Farmers in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta, the country’s rice granary, are having a bumper winter-spring harvest and getting high prices for their grain.

In Tiền Giang, farmers in the Gò Công freshwater zone have harvested around 4,000ha and got an average yield of 6.5 tonnes per hectare, 1.2 tonnes more than last year, according to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The zone, which comprises Gò Công Đông, Gò Công Tây and Chợ Gạo districts and Gò Công Town, is well known for growing fragrant and high-quality rice varieties for export.

Nguyễn Văn Mẫn, the department director, said farmers there sowed more than 21,800ha of rice, or 96 per cent of the target, almost all of it with fragrant and high-quality varieties.

Traders have been buying at the field at VNĐ8,600 per kilogramme, VNĐ1,900-2,000 higher than last year, enabling farmers to earn nearly VNĐ32 million (US$1,520) per hectare, VNĐ13.3 million ($580) higher, according to the department.

The delta’s 12 provinces and Cần Thơ City had sowed the crop about one month earlier than normal to escape the impacts of saltwater intrusion and lack of freshwater during harvest.

Farmers grew 1.5 million hectares, slightly down from last year since in some places they were worried about possible saltwater intrusion and drought.

However, they have had sufficient water for irrigation.

In Cà Mau Province, they have harvested more than 2,000ha of the 36,000ha grown so far, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In Trần Văn Thời District, which has large areas under the rice-shrimp farming model, many farmers have started growing high-quality rice varieties like ST 24 and ST 25.

Both the rice and shrimp farmed under this model are clean since little chemical is used.

In Trần Văn Thời District, farmers are getting a high price of VNĐ9,000 for ST 25, which ranked first in the 2019 World’s Best Rice Contest.

In Hậu Giang Province, farmers are selling their rice at VNĐ500-800 a kilogramme higher than last year.

Trần Chí Hùng, director of its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said local authorities and farmers had been regularly warned about saltwater intrusion so that they would take proactive measures to protect themselves.

A salinity level of 0.39 per cent or more has been recorded in Vị Thanh City since the middle of this month while 0.24 per cent has been found in Long Mỹ District.

Most rice varieties can only cope with a salinity level of up to 0.1 per cent.

The peak saltwater intrusion in the delta this year is forecast between February 25 and March 4.

Farmers are expected to complete harvest of the rice crop by May, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Plant Cultivation Department.

Bus goes around HCM City supplying free face masks

A ‘face mask bus’ has been going around HCM City, dispensing high-quality face masks for free.

Painted bright yellow, it has a sensor that automatically sprays hand sanitiser first when someone puts their hand in before coming up with the mask.

People have to stand in a queue and keep a distance of two metres from others.

The vehicle has travelled to some crowded places like Miền Tây and Miền Đông bus stations, several industrial zones, the cultural house in Tân Bình District and other public places.

It was launched on February 6.

Phạm Quang Anh, director of Dony International Joint Stock Company, came up with the idea six months ago when COVID-19 was raging.

The masks it dispenses are certified as meeting Germany’s REACH standards for protecting human health and the environment.

They can be reused several times, reducing the impact on the environment, Anh said.

Beside donations from sponsors, Dony also plans to spend 5 per cent of its revenues on providing the masks.

The bus also plans to travel to Hải Dương Province, a COVID-19 hotspot.

Aid offered for development of homegrown COVID-19 vaccine

The Ministry of Health (MoH) on February 27 received VNĐ20 billion (US$866,620) from conglomerate Vingroup for the clinical trials of homegrown COVID-19 vaccine COVIVAC.

The candidate vaccine is being developed by the MoH’s Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC).

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long spoke highly of the support of enterprises, organisations and individuals for Vietnam’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first “Made-in-Vietnam” ventilators were produced under the collaboration of the ministry and Vingroup, he noted, adding that the machines have been provided to localities nationwide.

Vietnamese scientists have regarded vaccine development as the key factor to contain the pandemic, and the MoH has spared no efforts in the research for vaccine in order to be able to produce the vaccine as soon as possible.

The COVIVAC vaccine project has been rolled out since May 2020.Results of pre-clinical trials affirmed its safety and efficiency, and the IVAC has been able to produce three batches of vaccine consisting between 50,000 and 10,000 doses each.

Clinical trials of the vaccines are projected to start this March and complete by October, said IVAC Director Dr Duong Huu Thai.

A dose may cost no higher than 60,000 VND and the vaccine is effective against emerging coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 variants originated from the UK and South Africa, he affirmed.

Meanwhile, the third domestic candidate vaccine VABIOTECH  developed by the Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No 1, is also set to enter clinical trials in the coming time.

Restaurants, other services in HCM City to reopen

The city authorities of HCM City have allowed the reopening of restaurants and other services starting from March 1.

There have been no community transmitted COVID-19 cases in the city since February 11.

Dương Anh Đức, deputy chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, said the city could reopen tourism activities, food and beverage businesses, wholesale markets, wet markets, museums and libraries.

However, services such as bars, pubs, beer clubs, sports facilities and gyms will remain closed until further notice.

Activities not included in these groups can reopen but must comply with COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control regulations.

Ceremonies, religious and worship activities can be held with no more than 50 people at the same time. Attendees must follow COVID-19 prevention regulations and maintain social distancing of one metre or more.

On February 24, the city People’s Committee approved the Department of Education and Training’s proposal to reopen schools from Monday (March 1).

The People’s Committee on February 9 directed related units to stop all cultural, sports, entertainment activities, and temporarily close all beauty salons, karaoke, pubs, bars, beer clubs, massage, video games, theatres, movie cinemas, sports facilities, yoga classes and gyms to avoid the spread of the COVID 19.

Three in Hà Nội arrested for role in cross-border baby selling ring

Hà Nội police announced Friday they have arrested three people in a “major ring” charged with trafficking Vietnamese infants to China and rescued four babies last night.

The three are Mai Minh Chung (born in 1985) and Đặng Trương Đào Nguyên Anh (born in 1996), both residing in Ngọc Hồi Commune, Thanh Trì District, Hà Nội, and Ninh Thị Hải Yên (born in 1988), residing in Quán Thánh Ward, Ba Đình District, Hà Nội.

According to police, in 2019, Chung worked in Fujian Province, China, and met a man named Tính, who claimed to be from the central province of Thanh Hoá and served as a middle man to bring Vietnamese to China to work in factories.

Chung learned Tính had been selling Vietnamese infants to buyers in China and asked to be involved in the ring.

Chung was tasked with finding pregnant mothers who cannot afford to provide for the babies or those who want to put their babies for adoption, police said.

Via social media, Chung reportedly colluded with people identified only as Lương Ngọc and Hải Nga (whose identities remain unknown) to have these two people receive the pregnant women in the border province of Cao Bằng and then guide them to China through unofficial routes and hand them over to Tính.

For every successful handover, Tính is thought to have paid VNĐ30 million (US$1,300) to Chung and VNĐ80 million ($3,400) to the mother.

From 2020 November to January 2021, Chung allegedly colluded with three Vietnamese people known only as Út, Loan and Sáu, and found seven pregnant women who wished to sell their babies – including one who had crossed over to China to give birth to the baby and sell it to Tính, two women who came to Cao Bằng Province but could not cross the border, and four others that they lost contact with.

On January 31, 2021, Chung rented an apartment in Hà Nội and worked with Ninh Thị Hải Yến to find four pregnant women. Two went to China to give birth and handed the babies to Tính while two had given birth but were waiting to bring their babies to China.

In addition, through his girlfriend Đặng Trương Đào Nguyên Anh, Chung learned about a woman in the southern province of Cần Thơ who was eight months pregnant and brought her to Hà Nội, waiting for the day to go to China.

Tính is thought to have paid Chung VNĐ66 million for this case.

This is a major infant trafficking ring that the criminal police has been following for a long time, Colonel Phan Mạnh Trường, deputy head of the Ministry of Public Security’s Criminal Police Department said.

The police raided locations related to the ring’s activities on Thursday night and rescued four babies that were about to be brought to China.

Four mothers have been arrested, including the eight-month pregnant woman.

The police also managed to identify two other expecting women who had been brought to China, Trường told the media.

The investigation is ongoing.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

SINGAPORE: On the second day of debate on the Fortitude Budget on Friday (Jun 5), several Members of Parliament raised the issue of how jobs would be protected from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing the concerns faced by mid-career jobseekers, Nominated MP Lim Sun Sun said these mature workers were anxious about the “drastic confluence of digital disruptions, outmoded skills and ageism working against them”.

Companies participating in the SGUnited Mid-Career Traineeship Programme – which aims to provide 4,000 traineeships for mid-career unemployed locals – should be supported with “instructive guidelines” on how best to integrate and upskill their trainees, said the Singapore University of Technology and Design professor.

She added there should be “cross-training opportunities” available across a number of companies in related industries.

Ang Mo Kio MP Darryl David asked what measures would be taken to future-proof the career paths of those currently working in jobs created as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic – such as safe distancing ambassadors and test swabbers – to ensure they do not become redundant when such positions are no longer needed.

Two MPs highlighted the concerns of people with disabilities. Nominated MP Yip Pin Xiu said the current economic climate would create even more worries for disabled people looking for work.

And Jalan Besar GRC MP Denise Phua called for a disability chapter to be created as part of the newly-formed National Jobs Council chaired by Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

READ: S$33b Fortitude Budget aimed at providing jobs, supporting workers and firms through ‘difficult period’ of COVID-19

IMPACT OF DRAWING ON RESERVES

Several MPs also spoke about the impact of dipping into Singapore’s reserves for the unprecedented four Budgets announced this year – which will see the country draw on up to S$52 billion from past reserves.

Both West Coast GRC MP Foo Mee Har and Nominated MP Mohamed Irshad asked about the obligation to return the drawn amount to the reserves.

“To do so would doubtless be a mammoth task, as the amount is more than 10 times our previous draw, to deal with the global financial crisis. How will this influence our tax policy in the coming years, as we work to restore public finances in an equitable manner?” said Ms Foo, asking if this would require Singapore to implement more progressive income taxes and greater wealth taxes.

READ: Older workers, self-employed individuals as well as small businesses the focus as MPs debate new Fortitude Budget

TECHNOLOGY AND THE PANDEMIC

The role of technology amid the COVID-19 pandemic also emerged as a common thread among MPs.

Ms Foo noted that the outbreak has taught Singapore that large-scale remote working is “indeed possible”.

“With the help of technology, employers are quickly equipping their workers with the tools they need to work from home. I myself have been surprised how much more productive I have been, working away from the office,” she said.

She urged the Emerging Stronger Task Force Committee to scrutinise such trends arising from the pandemic to inform their recommendations  for a “post-COVID era”.

Mr Mohamed Irshad spoke about the need to build on the digital transformation, proposing that firms move from the traditional five-day work week to a four-day work week with the option of working from home on the fifth day and having a flexi-hours work model.

He cited companies like Microsoft that have demonstrated that a four-day work week can increase productivity by up to 40 per cent.

He added that it is incumbent on Singapore to incentivise the creation of jobs that will allow telecommuting.

Mr Irshad highlighted the story of a National University of Singapore student entering the workforce soon. The student, a wheelchair user, said in a commentary that video-conferencing will help disabled people integrate better into society, given that one of the biggest obstacles he faces is travel.

Mr Irshad added that the pandemic has brought to the fore the need for digital acceleration and importance of business continuity plans for organisations of all sizes.

“In this regard, there is a vital need for a one-stop Digital Acceleration Centre of Excellence that can provide seamless solutions for companies and organisations seeking to ride the coming wave,” he said.

He also spoke about the need to ensure that WiFi is accessible to everyone, regardless of income, and to ensure that seniors are not left behind.

In the same vein, MP for Tampines GRC Cheng Li Hui focused on the impact the pandemic has had on seniors, in terms of digital transformation.

She pointed to Microsoft estimates that two years of digital transformation was accomplished in the past two months, and Forbes estimates that five years of such transformation will take place by mid-2021.

“These impacts have also been felt by our seniors, many of whom now communicate with video calls using WhatsApp or Zoom,” she said, adding that she anticipates far more online participation by seniors in a new “post-COVID world”.

“As we protect the lives of our seniors by social distancing, we should also take care of their quality of social life by using technology,” she said.

Mr David spoke about another group – students – whose lives have been transformed by technology during the COVID-19 outbreak.

While it is “heartening” to know that the Ministry of Education intends to accelerate the ownership of digital learning devices for all secondary school children from the initial 2028 date, he asked if there are similar plans for children from other levels of study.

He “strongly” advocated that the device used should be a proprietary device uniquely designed and manufactured by MOE for schools.

“In addition to the opportunity for Singaporean businesses to benefit from both hardware production and software development, the benefits to our children are myriad,” he said.

With more control over the design and functionality of the device, this all-in-one custom-designed learning device could function as a laptop, tablet, e-text book, and communication tool, he said.

Such a device would meet the twin goals of being environmentally friendly while also taking a huge step towards being a digital smart nation, said Mr David.

“The ownership of this multi-function device might also eliminate the need for piles of back-breaking, physical textbooks year after year after year … Going to school in the future could be as easy as just bringing along this device and all forms of learning and work submission can be done digitally on a unified platform.”

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram