Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
July 7, 2014
Ferry survivors return to school amid tears, grief
ANSAN, South Korea (AP) — More than 70 teenagers who survived a ferry
sinking that killed hundreds of their schoolmates walked in a somber procession
last month to their first classes since the April disaster. Some of the 74 students,
wearing white and black uniforms and carrying book bags, bowed their heads as
they cried and walked slowly from a bus to the school entrance. Some stopped to
hug the parents of their friends. Adults carried banners of encouragement. One
read: “We pray the dead will rest in peace.” Another simply said: “I love you.” The
anger, grief, and deep remorse at Danwon High School in Ansan, outside of
Seoul, was a reflection of what many South Koreans have felt since the April 16
sinking that left more than 300 people dead or missing.
Pyeongchang gets first sponsor for 2018 Olympics
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — It may have taken some time, but the 2018
Winter Olympics finally have their first domestic sponsor. The Pyeongchang
Organizing Committee said South Korean telecom giant KT Corp. has agreed to
become the first Korean partner for the games. The announcement follows
months of concerns that Pyeongchang had yet to secure a domestic sponsor,
nearly three years after being awarded the 2018 Olympics. KT will provide
telecommunications services for the games, including wireless communications
and broadcasting facilities. The company is South Korea’s largest fixed-line
telecom service provider and the second-largest mobile service operator.
FUKUSHIMA FARMERS. Japanese farmer Masami Yoshizawa (holding rope) shows a black bull with speckles to
the media as police officers block him from leading the bull off a truck he drove from Fukushima, northeastern Japan, to
the Agriculture Ministry in Tokyo. Yoshizawa and fellow farmer Naoto Matsumura, whose livelihoods were wrecked by the
March 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, staged a protest briefly at the ministry to appeal for
help with the livestock, some of which have developed unexplained white spots on their hides. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
Fukushima farmers appeal
to Tokyo with live bull
By Elaine Kurtenbach
Indonesian Nazi-themed music video causes outrage
The Associated Press
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A Nazi-themed music video supporting a
candidate in this month’s Indonesian presidential election is causing outrage at
home and abroad. The video, “Indonesia Bangkit,” or “Awakening Indonesia,” is
based on Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” It shows musician Ahmad Dhani wearing
a fascist-style uniform and holding an Indonesian Garuda bird emblem that
resembles the Nazis’ imperial eagle. According to the German news magazine
Der Spiegel, the military costume is similar to the uniform worn by SS
commander Heinrich Himmler. The video was uploaded on YouTube on June 19
as a campaign song for Prabowo Subianto, a former general who has been
accused of abducting pro-democracy activists in 1998. Brian May, Queen’s lead
guitarist, has waded into the controversy, saying “of course this is completely
unauthorized by us.”
OKYO — Two Japanese farmers whose
livelihoods were wrecked by the 2011
nuclear disaster staged a protest at
Tokyo’s agriculture ministry, scuffling briefly
with police as they unsuccessfully tried to
unload a bull from a truck.
Masami Yoshizawa and fellow farmer Naoto
Matsumura have remained at their farms to
care for their own and others’ abandoned
livestock in areas where access has been
restricted due to radiation fears since the
March 2011 meltdowns at the Fukushima
Dai-Ichi nuclear plant.
The two drove down from Fukushima,
bringing the black bull in the back of a truck, to
appeal for help with the livestock, some of
which have developed unexplained white
spots on their hides.
“Stop, stop, stop, stop,” shouted a policeman
in a blue uniform who climbed into the back of
the truck and blocked the farmers from
leading the bull onto the pavement in front of
the ministry. “It’s dangerous. Absolutely not!”
Yoshizawa and Matsumura are among
thousands of farmers who lost their livelihoods
when their farms, produce, and livestock were
declared off limits and unsafe after the nuclear
plant, crippled by a massive earthquake and
tsunami, spewed radiation into the country-
side.
They want the farm ministry or other
government agencies to help them figure out
what is causing the spots on the animals’ hides
Filipinos to receive disaster alerts on cellphones
MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — The Philippines has passed a law that
requires cellphone companies to send warnings to millions of people in the path
of deadly typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes in an effort to reduce
the high number of fatalities that occur almost every year. The measure was in
response to one of the deadliest typhoons ever to make landfall — Typhoon
Haiyan (also known as Typhoon Yolanda), which killed more than 6,300 people
and displaced 4 million in the central Philippines last year. The Free Mobile
Disaster Act, which was signed last month by President Benigno Aquino III,
directs cellphone operators to send out alerts about storms, tsunamis, or other
calamities whenever required by national disaster agencies. Similar early
warning systems are in place in a number of other countries, including Japan.
The Philippines, which sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where volcanic
activity and earthquakes are common, is hit by about 20 typhoons a year. The
new law says the alerts should include up-to-date information sent directly to
subscribers in or near the area to be hit by a potential calamity. The messages
should also include contact information for local governments and other
agencies and possibly details such as evacuation or relief sites and pickup points
for those fleeing their homes.
Rival nations mark 64th anniversary of Korean War
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North and South Korea last month
marked the 64th anniversary of the war between them that ended in a truce and
left the nations bitterly divided. Thousands of North Koreans took part in a huge
rally in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. Signs praising North Korea’s leaders
past and present, and highlighting North Korea’s confrontation with America,
decorated the square. The chairman of the Pyongyang City People’s Committee
spoke from a balcony, his speech punctuated by chants and raised fists from the
crowd in the square. Speeches from representatives of workers, farmers, and
young people followed his remarks. In South Korea, U.S. veterans of the war
were among people attending a ceremony in Seoul. North Korea says America
started the Korean War. Historians around the world agree the war began when
North Korea invaded the South. The 1950-1953 conflict ended with an armi-
stice, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula still technically in a state of war.
Myanmar monks go to court in property dispute
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — A court appearance by five Buddhist monks who
refused to abandon their monastery in a property dispute has attracted
hundreds of supporters. The monks, including one who holds British
citizenship, were forced to change out of their robes for their appearance in
Yangon’s Tamwe township court, where they faced charges of disobeying the
State Sangha board, which supervises organized Buddhist monks and their
activities. The committee had issued an eviction notice to the abbot in charge of
the temple, saying it had been given ownership of the temple by Myanmar’s
previous military government. A June 10 raid on the temple by police and
Sangha officials outraged the public, because it appeared high-handed and was
reminiscent of raids by the previous ruling junta on pro-democracy monks.
T
and to stop culling abandoned livestock and
burning radiation-contaminated vegetation
they need to feed the animals.
“The ministry told us they don’t know what
is causing the spots. Well, they need to do more
research and figure it out. They can’t just run
away, saying they don’t know,” Yoshizawa
said.
Shouting through a megaphone, he urged
the farm minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, to
come down and take a look for himself.
Hayashi was not at the building, but at
parliament, and no other officials responded to
Yoshizawa’s appeal, though the two were
allowed to present a written appeal at the
ministry’s reception desk.
More than 100,000 “nuclear evacuees” have
left areas near the nuclear plant, many
resettling elsewhere, resigned to giving up
their homes in areas that may remain
hazardous for decades.
Though some areas are gradually being
cleaned up and cleared for re-occupation, in
many areas, feral cattle, pigs, dogs, and other
animals wander the overgrown fields and
streets of the nuclear ghost towns.
Rice farmer Matsumura defied evacuation
orders to stay in Tomioka, once a town of
16,000, though other members of his family
left. He is tending 40 cattle, while Yoshizawa
says he has 360 on his “Hope Farm.”
Altogether, the two say they are trying to look
after several hundred head of cattle.
“Discarded towns, discarded evacuees. The
cattle and people are still living. We cannot
remain silent,” Yoshizawa said.
Retirement Living
. Studio & One-Bedroom Apartments
. Dining Room, Beauty and Barber Shop
. Activities, Clubs, and Garden Area
. Safety, Security, and Companionship
. Federal Rent Subsidies Available
Westmoreland’s
Union Manor
Marshall
Union Manor
6404 SE 23rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97202
2020 NW Northrup Street
Portland, OR 97209
503 . 233 . 5671
503 . 225 . 0677
Kirkland
Union Plaza
Kirkland
Union Manors
1414 Kauffman Avenue
Vancouver, WA 98660
3530 SE 84th Avenue
Portland, OR 97266
360 . 694 . 4314
503 . 777 . 8101
www.theunionmanors.org
Asian Currency
Exchange Rates
Units per U.S. dollar as of 7/03
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 · · ·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
77.4
4047.0
6.2127
1.833
7.7511
59.742
11918
25480
102.15
8062.6
3.1953
95.828
98.581
2.4444
43.6
34.269
3.7504
1.2478
1008.5
130.26
29.907
32.43
21300