Compiled by RAHIMY RAHIM, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

       MALAYSIA is expected to face a shortage of bee hoon (rice vermicelli) in a week as factories are unable to obtain shredded wood needed as fuel for the manufacturing process, reported Sin Chew Daily.

       Bee Hoon Manufacturers Association president Datuk Hong Zu Dian said most factories are left with a week’s worth of fuel.

       Hong noted that wood processing is not one of the industry sectors allowed to operate during the movement control order.

       He said shredded wood is used to heat up boilers for steaming the noodles.

       Hong issued a statement urging the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to consider allowing the wood processing industry to resume operations.

       He said manufacturers had not faced a problem during last year’s MCO as the wood processing sector was allowed to operate then.

       The demand for bee hoon, Hong added, rose during the MCO period as many households cook at home.

       > Fishermen in Sungai Besar, Selangor, are reportedly too afraid to go out to sea after several fishing boats were detained for alleged encroachment into Indonesian waters, reported Sin Chew Daily.

       Malaysian Fisheries General Association president Chia Tian Hee said a fishing boat along with its entire crew was detained by Indonesian authorities on June 22.

       Chia claimed this was the fourth incident this month.

       When Indonesian vessels approach, the fishermen would cut their nets and flee, causing them to incur huge losses as each net costs between RM35,000 and RM40,000.

       Chia urged the government to take action to stop this from happening again.

       > Chinese educationist groups Dong Zong and Jiao Zong, collectively known as Dong Jiao Zong, are urging Chinese youths to become teachers, reported China Press.

       In a statement released on Tuesday, the groups noted that Chinese vernacular schools are short of 700 teachers whereas secondary schools are facing a shortage of 100 Chinese-language teachers.

       In response to the Education Ministry’s recent announcement to hire 18,000 teachers this year, Dong Jiao Zong urged Chinese youths to apply to ensure that the plan is a success.

       However, it also urged the ministry to widen the recruitment requirement to allow graduates from private universities to also apply to become teachers, not just public university graduates.

       > The Malaysian Hairdressing Association estimates that 30% of hairdressers will be closing their business permanently if the MCO is extended, reported Sin Chew Daily.

       According to its president Michael Poh, around 30% wound up during the MCO in 2020 and more will be expected to do the same if the current situation persists.

       The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.