March 3, 2014
Arts Culture & Entertainment
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 13
300+ Anne Frank books
vandalized in Tokyo libraries
(503) 538-2008
©
First United Engineering
DIARIES DESTROYED. A ripped copy of Anne Frank’s The Diary
of a Young Girl picture book is shown by Shinjuku City library director
Kotaro Fujimaki at a library in Tokyo. Tokyo Libraries said hundreds of
copies of Anne Frank’s diary and related books were found vandalized
across the city’s libraries, sparking fears of an anti-Semitic motive. More
than 300 books in 31 libraries had been found damaged after the first
damaged book was found in January, prompting a wider search. (AP
Photo/Koji Ueda)
Anne Frank wrote her
has been some history of
“journalistic and literary diary over the two years
anti-Semitism in Japan, she and her family hid in a
these kinds of incidents are concealed apartment in
Nazi-occupied Netherlands
in fact quite rare.”
In the Nakano district during World War II. After
libraries, the vandals ap- her family was betrayed
parently damaged the and deported, she died in a
books while unnoticed in- German
concentration
side reading rooms, accord- camp at age 15 in 1945.
ing to city official Mitsujiro
Her father survived and
Ikeda.
published her diary, which
“Books related to Ms. has become the most wide-
Anne Frank are clearly tar- ly read document to emerge
geted, and it’s happening from the Holocaust.
across Tokyo,” he said. “It’s
The Simon Wiesenthal
outrageous.”
Center, a U.S.-based Jew-
At another library, all ish human-rights organi-
the books that were zation, issued a statement
damaged could have been calling the vandalism a
found using the keywords hate campaign and urging
“Anne Frank” in an online authorities to step up
database.
efforts to find those respon-
At least one library has sible.
moved Anne Frank-related
The Israeli Embassy is
books behind the counter donating 300 Anne Frank-
for protection, though they related books to replace the
ones that were vandalized.
can still be checked out.
2013 Most Honored
Elder Award Recipient
Chansom Sengsirivanh
Chansom Sengsirivanh was born on January 10, 1942 in Vientiane, Laos. He is
an accomplished songwriter who wrote his first piece at age 15. His lyrics are often
sentimental and his songs fuse melodies with poetry. He has won many contests
with his songs, which are still being recorded by artists
throughout the world today. He and his wife Phanida
Chittaphong Sengsirivanh have six children, two who
live in the U.S. and four in Laos. He arrived in the U.S.
in 1991 to live with his son, and in 1998, he moved to
Portland. Ajarn Sengsirivanh is very active in the Lao
community in Oregon. He is a member of the Lao
Senior Association of Oregon, the Lao Women
Association of Oregon, the Lao Artist Association, and
the Lao temple. His contributions to the community
include orchestrating cultural events, such as Lao
New Year celebrations and singing contests, and
assisting with newsletters. In 2011, Ajarn Sengsirivanh’s 55th anniversary of
songwriting was celebrated by Lao Musician Fans & Friends (LMFF), a collective
of musicians, friends, and fans who are currently documenting Sengsirivanh’s
work. The event, held in Portland, was attended by performing artists from around
the world. In addition, LMFF presented him a “Lifetime Achievement” award. He
continues to write songs and publishes his poetry through social media.
AR Photo/Jan Landis
TOKYO (AP) — Anne
Frank’s The Diary of a
Young Girl and scores of
books about the young
Holocaust victim have been
vandalized in Tokyo public
libraries.
The damage was mostly
in the form of dozens of
ripped pages in the books.
Librarians have counted
more than 300 damaged
books at 31 municipal
libraries since the end of
January.
Japan and Nazi Ger-
many were allies in World
War II, and though Holo-
caust denial has occurred
in Japan at times, the mo-
tive for damaging the Anne
Frank books is unclear.
Police are investigating.
Chief cabinet secretary
Yoshihide Suga called the
vandalism “shameful” and
said Japan would not
tolerate such acts.
The
New-York-based
Anti-Defamation League, a
civil-rights group fighting
anti-Semitism,
praised
Suga’s remarks.
The league’s national di-
rector, Abraham Foxman,
called for a full investi-
gation and asked Japan’s
government “to carefully
consider if this act of dis-
respect for the memory of
the millions of Jewish vic-
tims who lost their lives in
the Holocaust requires a
new look at educational
initiatives regarding the
Holocaust
and
anti-
Semitism.”
He said that while there
The Asian Reporter Foundation is accepting nominations
for its 2014 “Most Honored Elder” awards.
The recognition banquet will be held Thursday, April 17, 2014 at
northeast Portland’s TAO Event Center. Nomination forms and guidelines
for eligibility are available for download at <www.ARFoundation.net>.
The nomination deadline is Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 5:00pm.