Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
June 16, 2014
New body found from sunken South Korean ferry
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A victim from the sunken South Korea ferry has
been retrieved in waters 25 miles from the capsized vessel, raising the death toll
to 289, according to officials. It was the first body recovered since May 21. A
government task force said in a statement that fingerprint scans identified the
body as one of the passengers from the ferry that sank April 16. Another 15
people remain missing. Heavy objects like desks and cabinets have made it
difficult for divers to navigate through unsearched parts of the ferry. They have
been cutting open parts of the ship exterior to make searches easier. The victim,
whose surname was Cho, was travelling with his family to the southern resort
island of Jeju. His wife and 11-year-old son have already been found dead while
his seven-year-old son was rescued, according to the task force. Officials said
Cho was born in 1970, making him either 43 or 44. Most of the ferry victims were
students from a single high school near Seoul who were on a school trip to Jeju.
Official says disaster cost quadrupled in three decades
MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — A senior European official says the average
annual cost of natural disasters has quadrupled over the last three decades and
that it makes economic sense to boost spending on preparedness. European
commissioner Kristina Georgieva told a disaster risk-reduction conference of
the Asia-Europe Meeting that costs related to natural disasters have increased
from $50 billion a year in the 1980s to $200 billion in the last decade. She said
only four percent of spending for disasters today goes to prevention and
preparedness, with 96 percent spent on response. But, she said, evidence shows
every dollar spent on prevention brings at least $4 in savings on damage. About
200 participants from 49 countries and organizations gathered in Manila to
discuss ways to increase disaster resilience.
Missing Thai tanker found after pirates steal oil
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Thai tanker that went missing after
leaving Singapore was released by the pirates who stole its oil cargo, according
to a maritime watchdog. The International Maritime Bureau said it was
informed by the ship’s owner that Mt Orapin 4 was released and safely arrived at
Sri Racha Port in Thailand. The ship’s owner lost contact with the vessel and its
14 crew members after it left Singapore. The ship was due at the Indonesian port
of Pontianak within two days but failed to arrive. “Pirates hijacked and stole the
tanker’s oil cargo onboard and destroyed the communication equipment. The
crew and vessel are safe,” said Noel Choong, who heads the bureau’s piracy
reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. No further details were available. Last
month, a Thai ship and a Singapore tanker carrying diesel were also attacked by
pirates after they left Singapore. Pirates stole the cargo before releasing the
ships.
Seven die in Cambodia after looking for money in well
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Seven people died from a lack of oxygen
after climbing down a well in Cambodia to retrieve about 75 cents, according to
police and relatives. The incident happened in a remote area of the northwestern
province of Siem Reap when an 11-year-old boy and six other people went into
the well to collect 3,000 riel (75 cents). The boy’s older sister, Che Chhan, said
their father had accidentally dropped the money when taking water. She said
her 13-year-old sister and 15-year-old brother also died, as well as four of her
neighbors. “My youngest brother thought the amount of money was huge for
poor people like us,” Che Chhan said by phone. Police officer Muy Norn said the
victims died due to a lack of oxygen at the bottom of the 16-foot-deep well.
Cambodia is one of the world’s poorest countries.
Taiwan scholar turned away on arrival in Hong Kong
BEIJING (AP) — A Taiwanese academic says he was turned away by Hong
Kong immigration officials after he flew to the territory to speak at a conference
commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy
movement. Tseng Chien-yuan said he was told that the central government in
Beijing had issued an order banning him from the city. Hong Kong is a former
British colony that retains its own laws and civil liberties, but mainland China
controls immigration and external security. Tseng’s rejection underscores
China’s extreme sensitivity toward commemorations of the bloody crushing of
the 1989 student-led movement centered on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Hong
Kong secretary of security Lai Tung-kwok told reporters he couldn’t comment on
individual cases, but that officers had to turn away those who didn’t meet
“relevant requirements.”
PRIDE IN JAPAN. George Takei, right, speaks with his husband Brad during an interview before a reception at U.S.
ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy’s official residence in Tokyo. Takei said he needed courage and anger to come out
as gay and to join the equal-rights movement for sexual minorities in the U.S., and he hopes his Japanese counterparts will
do the same to make their society more equal. Takei, 77, was in Japan to attend embassy-organized events marking Les-
bian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month in the U.S. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, Pool)
George Takei sees gay
pride beginning in Japan
By Mari Yamaguchi
The Associated Press
OKYO — George Takei said he needed
courage and anger to come out as gay
and to join the equal-rights movement
for sexual minorities in the U.S., and he hopes
his Japanese counterparts will do the same to
make their society more equal.
Takei said he has noticed a movement
beginning in Japan, though the country of his
ancestry has a long way to go. He said
Japanese people need to fight for their own
rights and they need to be a bit angry, too.
The “Star Trek” actor also known for his gay-
and civil-rights activism, said he was
encouraged to have met with Japanese
activists for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) rights, and even some of
their parents fighting for their children.
“They have to have courage to come out and
share their lives honestly,” Takei said. Once
they get a ball rolling, more movement would
follow, like “a ripple effect” that spreads, he
added. “So I’m optimistic. I do think that
Japan will be one of the nations that have
equality and that too will serve as an example
for other Asian nations.”
In a country where conformity is highly
required, many sexual minorities still fear
discrimination at work and bullying at
schools, and many don’t come out. Around the
Asia-Pacific region, only New Zealand has
legalized same-sex marriage.
Takei, 77, was in Japan to attend embassy-
organized events marking LGBT Pride Month
T
in the U.S. He later toasted gay rights at a
reception hosted by U.S. ambassador Caroline
Kennedy attended by about 160 people,
including Japan’s first lady Akie Abe.
Delighted by receiving a miniature of
Starship Enterprise from Kennedy before the
reception, Takei said it was perfect for the
occasion: “That is our Utopian future. This
Enterprise (starship in Star Trek) is a
metaphor of Starship Earth with all of its
diversity — not only the diversity of race and
culture and history but also the unseen
diversity of orientation, all coming together
working in concert for a better future. And that
is what we are doing here tonight. “
At a U.S. Embassy-sponsored talk, Takei
said he was silent for decades due to fear of
hurting his acting career. But he came out in
2005 when then-California governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger rejected a bill legalizing
same-sex marriage. A strong believer of civil
liberty coming from his upbringing as a
Japanese American who spent part of his
childhood in an internment camp with his
family during World War II, Takei said he had
to speak up.
He and his longtime partner, Brad, were
married in 2008. Takei said they chose to
marry in a public ceremony for the sake of
diversity and democracy.
The U.S. has come a long way with more
states recognizing same-sex marriages and
banning discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation, but further effort is needed to
cover all 50 states, Kennedy said.
Continued on page 5
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Brooklyn Nets’ Andray Blatche now a Filipino
MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — Philippine officials say Brooklyn Nets
player Andray Blatche has been granted Filipino citizenship so he can play for
the national team in the FIBA World Cup this year. Presidential spokesman
Edwin Lacierda said President Benigno Aquino III has signed a law granting
citizenship to the U.S.-born Blatche. Senator Edgardo Angara, the main author
of the law, says Filipinos are a “sports-loving nation with a distinct affection for
basketball.” He says the 6’11” Blatche, a power forward and center, can make
“significant contributions to Philippine basketball.” The International
Basketball Federation, or FIBA, allows each team to have one naturalized
player per tournament. The Philippines is competing at the World Cup for the
first time in 35 years. Blatche averaged 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game
this season for Brooklyn.
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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 · · ·
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77.59
4046.0
6.2108
1.8376
7.7516
59.773
11796
25446
102.043
8063.6
3.2185
95.301
98.275
2.4444
43.79
34.408
3.7506
1.2511
1017.9
130.25
30.021
32.375
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