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| - Here are the latest developments in Asia related to the novel coronavirus pandemic: Vanuatu's drastic virus lockdown is hindering critical relief efforts to rebuild the island country after it was pummelled by Tropical Cyclone Harold, aid agencies said. Nearly two weeks after the deadly monster storm barrelled through the South Pacific, local media reported that newly homeless families were still sleeping in the open. Foreign aid distribution has been hampered by strict quarantine requirements after Vanuatu -- one of the few remaining countries without confirmed COVID-19 infections -- closed its borders. Aid agencies said around a third of the country's 300,000 people were in need of emergency shelter. An appeal to Thailand's 20 richest tycoons for help in easing the impact of the pandemic has been mocked online by social media users, who accused the kingdom's premier of running a "beggar government". "These billionaires influence the Thai economy -- I will ask them to play a key role in helping the country," Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said in a televised address Friday, adding that an open letter would be issued next week. Thailand's tourism and export-reliant economy has been hit hard by the outbreak, with the state bank predicting growth will contract by five percent this year -- the worst result since the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Around 1,000 foreign adventurers are stranded in Nepal's capital, stunned to discover the scale of the coronavirus pandemic, after being rescued from their Himalayan treks. Spring is the high season along the snow-capped Himalayan peaks and trekking routes attract about 150,000 people every year, but flights out of the country have been cancelled. The country's lockdown caused authorities to close the isolated trails and trekkers were ushered down to pick-up points and airports. Most of the group are now stuck in Kathmandu's tourist district, where a few hotels have stayed open and some restaurants prepare free food. Around 100,000 people defied a nationwide coronavirus lockdown in Bangladesh for the funeral of a top Islamic preacher. Police had agreed with the family of Maolana Jubayer Ahmad Ansari, who died Friday, that only 50 people would attend the funeral in the eastern town of Sarail because of the risk of spreading the disease. But local police chief Shahadat Hossain said his officers were helpless to stop the huge crowds who came to honour the popular 55-year-old cleric. Indonesia's national carrier Garuda said it was cutting employee salaries by up to 50 percent to keep the company afloat as the pandemic ravages the airline industry. "The employee salary cut is aimed to ensure the company's business sustainability can be maintained amid the performance contraction of the world aviation industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic," company president Irfan Saputra said in a statement Friday. Garuda has cut 30 percent of its flights since the beginning of the outbreak in Indonesia. After more than three weeks stranded in Australian waters, the Artania cruise ship set sail for Germany on Saturday to cheers by locals and relief from officials who had been keen to see the virus-stricken vessel leave the country. The ship left Fremantle with a skeleton crew cleared to pilot the ship to Germany, and will first ferry about 300 staff and 11 passengers to Indonesia before heading for Europe, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan told media. Most of its passengers had already been flown home after the ship docked on March 27. Singapore announced more than 900 new cases of coronavirus Saturday, a new record high, with nearly all infections traced to packed dormitories housing foreign workers. The affluent city-state had initially been held as a gold standard in the global fight against COVID-19, but a surge in the number of cases has left the government scrambling to contain the spread. Around 200,000 mostly South Asian workers live in 43 dorms across the island, forming an essential part of the country's workforce. burs-axn/gle/tom
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