Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2016)
Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC November 21, 2016 Gov’ts want tobacco firms to be liable for smoking harm NEW DELHI (AP) — A global conference on tobacco control has pledged to hold the tobacco industry legally liable for the health consequences of smoking and protect public-health policies from the influence of tobacco companies. Representatives from about 180 countries participating in the World Health Organization’s global tobacco control treaty negotiations adopted a declaration in which they also vowed to prohibit or regulate the sale of e-cigarettes. The six-day conference concluded with participating countries agreeing to promote alternative livelihoods for tobacco farmers that would ensure a better future for them. Public health activists say smoking-related deaths are still rising world- wide, with 80 percent of them expected to occur in developing countries by 2030. Philippine senator asks court to stop Duterte attacks MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — A Philippine senator who President Rodrigo Duterte has linked to the illegal drug trade and described as a “dirty woman” for her alleged affair with her driver has asked the Supreme Court to stop the attacks. Senator Leila de Lima said the petition she filed seeks to stop Duterte and his men from gathering information about her private life and disclosing it publicly, adding that the allegedly illegally obtained information should be destroyed. The petition is a test case because it challenges Duterte’s immunity from lawsuits. De Lima said she also asked that Duterte be compelled to identify the “foreign country” he said helped him to “listen” to de Lima’s communications. De Lima has long raised alarm over Duterte’s brutal crackdown against drugs, earning Duterte’s wrath. Wanderley banned, Al Nasr fined in fake passport scandal KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Brazil-born forward Santos Monteiro Wanderley received a backdated three-month ban and his Dubai-based club Al Nasr was fined after being found guilty of faking documents so he could play in the Asian Champions League. Wanderley and Al Nasr admitted using a forged or falsified document, the Asian Football Confederation said in a statement. Wanderley was provisionally suspended on September 2 when it was alleged a forged Indonesian passport was used for him to qualify as an Asian player. Each club in the Asian Champions League is allowed to field three foreign players and a non-national from another Asian country. Wanderley was fined $10,000 and suspended for three months. Al Nasr was fined $50,000, ordered to return $340,000 in prize money from this year’s league, and given a suspended two-year ban from the tournament. South Korean police book 15 over animal smuggling SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean police have booked 15 people for allegedly smuggling endangered animals from Thailand and showing them at small zoos or to children at kindergartens and daycare centers, according to officials. Police in the port city of Busan seized 22 animals, including Siamese crocodiles and slow loris monkeys, according to a city police department official who didn’t want to be named, citing office rules. The official said most of the animals were bought from Thailand in 2014 by a 38-year-old man identified only by his surname, Kim. He said Kim sold the animals to other suspects, some of whom earned money by touring kindergartens and daycare centers for petting classes, putting the health of children at risk as the animals weren’t properly quarantined. Some of the animals were also shown at small zoos run by individuals, he said. Official sues media mogul over bribery insinuation YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — The head of a major Myanmar (also known as Burma) media group and a top editor have been arrested on criminal charges of defaming a senior official, news reports said. The Frontier Myanmar news website reported that Eleven Media Group CEO Than Htut Aung and chief editor Wai Phyo were sent to Insein Prison after surrendering to police. They were charged under an article in the Telecommunications Law covering online defamation, punishable by up to three years imprisonment and a fine. Phyo Min Thein, governor of Yangon, the country’s biggest city, is the first senior official in Aung San Suu Kyi’s government to sue a member of the media, although there have been other cases at lower levels since she took power at the end of March. He had his office sue the Eleven Media Group officials over an article and online posting that he said suggested he accepted a $100,000 watch as a bribe from a property developer in exchange for approving a development project. ALL-OUT ACTING. Pictured is Japanese actor Kenichi Matsuyama being interviewed in Tokyo on November 2, 2016. The devotion Matsuyama gave to portraying a shogi prodigy who lived a fearlessly single-minded life is clear in the months he spent practicing placing the pawns in the Japanese board game, immersing himself in the master’s selfless view on death, and gorging to gain weight. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) Japan actor gives his all to play shogi master in Satoshi By Yuri Kageyama The Associated Press OKYO — The devotion Kenichi Matsuyama gave to portraying a shogi prodigy who lived a fearlessly single- minded life is clear in the months he spent practicing placing the pawns in the Japanese board game, immersing himself in the master’s selfless view on death, and gorging to gain weight. “He lived in a win-or-lose world, and for that, he had to give up so much, to be living on the edge, totally devoted to that one calling. That fascinated me. I wanted to give it my all,” he told The Associated Press, ahead of the premiere of Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow. The film portraying the angst-filled story of Satoshi Murayama, who died of bladder cancer at age 29 in 1998, opened at theaters around Japan on November 19. It closed the Tokyo International Film Festival and is being showcased at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, which runs through November 24. It was eight years in the making. And Matsu- yama wanted the role right away. Murayama had a serious kidney ailment since he was five years old. He fell in love with shogi while hospitalized. His pudginess was a side-effect of his sickness and the medication he had to take all his life. Shogi, besides his love for manga, was about all he knew in life. He never had a girlfriend, he confesses in one scene. His last words were about shogi moves. His story is that universal one of a legend in any field, those so pure they would dedicate their entire lives, even risking death, for the pursuit of perfection. “He confronted his life head-on, and it T FREE HOME REPAIRS FOR PORTLAND SENIOR & DISABLED HOMEOWNERS Plumbing l Electrical l Carpentry Call (503) 501-5719 or visit https://reachcdc.org Prince William: We’re still a step behind wildlife traffickers HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Britain’s Prince William praised Vietnam, China, and other Asian countries for taking unprecedented steps to battle wildlife trafficking but said the truth is that rhinos, elephants, pangolins, and lions are still being killed in horrifying numbers. William spoke at the Third International Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade hosted by Vietnam, one of major transit points and consumers of trafficked ivory and rhino horns. He said organized crime syndicates are much more agile than we are. Vietnam vice president Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh said wildlife trafficking is a global problem that needs comprehensive cooperation and strong commitment. She said Vietnam is facing many challenges in protecting wildlife and ensuring economic growth, such as raising awareness in local communities and improving their livelihoods, and overcoming limitations when prosecuting and convicting criminals. Also during the trip, William toured Hanoi’s Old Quarter, where he visited a traditional medicine shop and a primary school, and spoke with local celebrities, traditional medicine experts, and wildlife activists. wasn’t about living for anyone else” said Matsuyama, who starred in Norwegian Wood, the 2010 coming-of-age film based on the best-selling novel by Haruki Murakami. “Mr. Murayama always felt death close to him. That was his predicament.” Similar to the way boxers have to keep winning to remain champions, shogi players have to keep winning. That’s why Murayama kept delaying treatment and then goes back to the shogi board barely a month after major surgery. He is in constant pain, but he doesn’t stop. He doesn’t want to cut his nails because, he says, even nails are trying to live. Matsuyama gained 57 pounds in about three months, speeding the transformation since it ruled out other acting jobs. Gorging on ice cream and rice cakes, he gradually felt he was morphing into Murayama, that all-out physical role-building that often grabs attention — Robert De Niro in Raging Bull or Charlize Theron in Monster. “Usually, I’m told to lose weight for this job, and we have to restrict our eating and drinking. But for this, I got to let all that go,” Matsuyama said, looking lean and nimble, back at his usual weight of 145 pounds. “I ate potato chips in bed with my daughter.” Becoming Murayama was about more than getting fat, although that brought him closer to the part. Even the way he walked, the way he carried himself, and the aches and twitches that followed, as well as the way his mind worked, all changed, recalled Matsuyama, whose marital partner Koyuki played opposite Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai. Matsuyama spent a year practicing the way shogi masters place their pawns — flat Continued on page 4 Portland Housing Bureau Interpretation services available Black Pearl Acupuncture Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine are great for: - Acute/Chronic Pain (i.e. neck, back, sciatica & shoulder) - Treating & Preventing the flu and colds - Stress Relief - Headaches/Migraines www.blackpearlacupuncture.com Sita Symonette Licensed Acupuncturist seasymonettea@gmail.com Call to schedule an appointment: (503) 308-9363 505 N.W. Ninth Ave., Portland, OR 97209 Asian Currency Exchange Rates Units per U.S. dollar as of 11/18 Bangladesh Taka· · Cambodian Riel · · China Renminbi · · Fijian Dollar · · · · Hong Kong Dollar · Indian Rupee · · · · Indonesian Rupiah · Iranian Rial · · · · Japanese Yen · · · Laos New Kip · · · Malaysian Ringgit · Nepal Rupee · · · · Pakistani Rupee · · Papua N.G. Kina · · Philippine Peso· · · Russian Ruble · · · Saudi Riyal· · · · · Singapore Dollar · · South Korean Won · Sri Lankan Rupee · Taiwan Dollar · · · Thai Baht · · · · · Vietnam Dong · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 78.75 4020.0 6.8865 2.076 7.7567 68.138 13428 32070 110.91 8195.0 4.4183 109.05 105.41 3.175 49.743 64.979 3.7506 1.4263 1178.6 148.18 32.058 33.57 22532