Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC March 3, 2014 Massive jade boulder found in Myanmar YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — An enormous jade boulder that could weigh up to 50 tons was found half buried in restive northern Myanmar (also known as Burma), and the government has sent troops to protect it, according to a state minister. The raw jade was discovered recently by villages and small-scale miners in the gem-rich region of Hpakant, but since it’s still half buried, it’s impossible to know its exact size, said Lajun Ngan Seng, the minister of resource-rich Kachin state. He said authorities believe it may be 18 feet wide and weigh up to 50 tons. “It’s being guarded by soldiers,” the minister said, adding that after it is completely unearthed, “We’ll decide what to do with it.” Myanmar is one of the world’s biggest producers of jade, most found in the conflict-torn mountains of Kachin, where ethnic rebels have been fighting the government for more than half a century. The vast majority of the gemstones, considered to be of the highest quality, are smuggled over the border to China. China dispatches pollution inspectors amid bad air BEIJING (AP) — China says it has sent inspectors to Beijing and other areas of the country to inspect polluting industries and check construction sites amid a spell of severe air pollution. The environment ministry said teams have been dispatched to inspect steel, coal, glass, and cement factories and review the local governments’ responses to the bad air. The official Xinhua News Agency said almost all provinces in central and east China have had serious air pollution recently, and that Beijing and five provinces in northern and eastern China have reported “severe smog.” Indonesian volcano brings life as well as death SIDOMULYO, Indonesia (AP) — The ash and debris that Indonesia’s Mount Kelud blasted from its belly brought death and misery, and disrupted international air traffic. But for many of the millions of people cleaning up in the wake of the explosive eruption, it was also a money earner and a shot of life for their crops. “This is a blessing of the disaster,” said Imam Choiri, a farmer who was scraping up the ash from the road to use as fertilizer on his small vegetable plot a few kilometers from the crater of the rumbling mountain. Choiri said locals believe the ash helps drive away pests from crops. The eruption of the 5,680-foot-high mountain on Java island was one of the most dramatic to hit Indonesia in recent years, with ash falling as far as 370 miles away. Four people, including a 97-year-old woman, were killed when the roofs of their homes caved in under the weight of ash. More than 100,000 people were evacuated to temporary shelters. Hong Kong Disneyland turns profit for second year HONG KONG (AP) — Turning a page on years of losses, Hong Kong Disneyland said it was profitable for a second straight year and plans to build a third hotel to help cater to rising numbers of visitors. The theme park in the southern Chinese city more than doubled its profit to 242 million Hong Kong dollars ($31 million) in the year through September. Revenue climbed 15 percent to HK$4.9 billion as the number of visitors increased 10 percent to a high of 7.4 million. The park had struggled after opening in 2005, with its poor performance blamed on its small size. But it became profitable in 2012 thanks to new attractions that drew more visitors, especially from mainland China. Officials announced plans to build a 750-room resort-hotel that will cost HK$4.3 billion and is expected to open by early 2017. The new hotel will raise total room capacity by three-quarters to 1,750. The Hong Kong government owns 52 percent of the park, with the Walt Disney Co. owning the rest. It’s still the smallest of Disney’s parks worldwide, but an expansion project completed last year added 25 percent to its size. Cambodia cracks down on e-cigarettes, shisha PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia has banned the import, sale, and promotion of e-cigarettes and shisha tobacco, a favorite of hookah-using smokers. The Cambodian Anti-Drug Authority said in a statement that electronic cigarettes, which emit a water vapor containing nicotine, and shisha, flavored tobacco smoked through a water pipe, have been imported in increasing quantities recently and become popular with young people. Smoking shisha has become a popular social activity worldwide in recent years, and more than a dozen shisha lounges have opened in Phnom Penh in the past year or so. The statement described e-cigarettes and shisha as drugs that are a major problem affecting young people’s studies and work. Asylum seekers injured at Papua New Guinea CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Several asylum seekers were seriously injured during a breakout from an immigration detention camp run by Australia on the South Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea, according to an official. The violence at the camp on Manus Island followed a less serious brawl at the same facility a day earlier that led to the arrests of eight asylum seekers and another 19 being treated for injuries, Australian immigration minister Scott Morrison said. No one sustained life-threatening injuries in the violence. The Australian government has warned asylum seekers who attempt to reach Australia by boat that they will never make it to their destination. They are intercepted at sea and sent to detention camps at Manus Island or the tiny Pacific atoll nation of Nauru. The hardline policy appears to be working, with no asylum seeker boat reaching an Australian shore by boat since December 18, 2013. RAY OF HOPE. A manta ray swims in the water off Raja Ampat islands in Indonesia in this file photo. Indonesia is now the world’s largest sanctuary for manta rays, after officials were persuaded by evidence that the gentle giants known for de- lighting tourists are worth more alive than dead. The government recently announced that manta rays within the archipel- ago’s 2.2 million square miles of ocean will be protected from fishing and export. It will take time and cooperation at multiple levels to enforce the ban on poaching in the biggest global shark and ray fishery. (AP Photo/Herman Harsoyo, File) Indonesia hopes to cash in on manta ray tourism By Margie Mason The Associated Press AKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia is now the world’s largest sanctuary for manta rays, after officials were persuaded by evidence that the gentle giants known for delighting tourists are worth more alive than dead. The government recently announced that manta rays within the archipelago’s 2.2 million square miles of ocean will be protected from fishing and export. It will take time and cooperation at multiple levels to enforce the ban on poaching in the biggest global shark and ray fishery. Conservationists point to simple economics as an incentive. According to a study published last year in the online journal PLoS One, a manta ray is worth up to $1 million over the course of its long lifetime, thanks to tourists willing to pay generously for a chance to swim with the curious creatures that glide gracefully through the water by flapping their wide wings, almost as if flying. They are worth only $40 to $500 dead. Government officials were “so surprised that the tourism value is very high. That’s a very powerful argument,” said Tiene Gunawan, marine program director at Con- servation International Indonesia. “Indonesia is such a big, big, big country. When looking at the size of the water, it’s huge. And I think we should start small and make some kind of pilot for this enforcement.” J The regulation was passed January 28. Conservation groups are working to teach fishermen about the value of keeping the mantas alive, while business people, the military, water police, and local officials are being engaged to assist. “There are more than 200 special policemen who have been prepared to guard conservation areas and to enforce the law on protection of this species,” Sudirman Saad, director general for marine, coastal, and small islands, said at a news conference announcing the protections. He said the government will encourage fishermen affected by the ban to take advantage of manta ray tourism. In some areas, including a well-known spot near the resort island of Bali, locals are already seeing profits from taking snorkellers out on their fishing boats, or working at larger dive resorts where mantas are a top attraction. In Indonesia alone, manta tourism brings in an estimated $15 million each year, according to the PLoS One report. “Indonesia now has the second-largest manta ray tourism industry in the world,” Agus Dermawan, director of the country’s Marine Conservation Directorate, said in a statement. “Given the huge area of reefs and islands in our country, if managed properly, Indonesia could become the top manta tourism destination on the planet.” Two types of rays exist in Indonesia, the manta and the mobula. 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