April 6, 2015
Arts Culture & Entertainment
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 13
Ai Weiwei, Joan Baez honored by Amnesty International
ARTISTS OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.
Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei walks near a play-
ground outside a shopping mall in Beijing. Amnesty
International awarded its top honor to Ai, who has
spent years shining light on his country’s restrictive
political atmosphere, and to U.S. folk singer Joan
Baez for her civil-rights activism. (AP Photo/Andy
Wong)
By Isolda Morillo and Jack Chang
The Associated Press
EIJING — Amnesty International
has awarded its top honor to
Chinese dissident artist Ai Wei-
wei, who has spent years shining light on
his country’s restrictive political atmos-
phere, and to U.S. folk singer Joan Baez for
her civil-rights activism.
Both were named Ambassador of
Conscience Award recipients, which recog-
nizes lifetime human-rights leadership.
Ai told The Associated Press that the
award reminded him of his social
responsibilities as an artist, especially as
the Chinese government tightens its grip
on free expression and activism.
He noted that the repression was
affecting “ordinary people around us con-
cerned about basic issues” while answer-
ing a question about five women’s rights
activists who remain in custody for plan-
ning anti-sexual-harassment protests.
“I think as an artist, I use my own way to
fulfill my responsibility to society,” the
bearded 57-year-old said. “Whether we
have compassion for our own people or
other countries, we all have to take
responsibility.”
Baez was cited by Amnesty Inter-
national for her involvement in U.S. civil-
rights activism since the 1960s.
Over the past four years, Ai has paid a
high price for his activism, having been
Japan opts for massive, costly
sea wall to fend off tsunamis
Lee eulogized at funeral
as architect of Singapore
B
Continued from page 4
Despite pockets of opposition, getting
people to agree to forego the sea walls and
opt instead for Hosokawa’s “Great Forest
Wall” plan is a tough sell, says Tomoaki
Takahashi, whose job is to win support for
the forest project in local communities.
“Actually, many people are in favor of
the sea walls, because they will create
jobs,” said Takahashi. “But even people
who really don’t like the idea also feel as if
they would be shunned if they don’t go
along with those who support the plan,” he
said.
While the “Great Forest Wall” being
planted in some areas would not stave off
flooding, it would slow tsunamis and
weaken the force of their waves. As waters
recede, the vegetation would help prevent
buildings and other debris from flowing
back out to sea. Such projects would also
allow rain water to flow back into the sea, a
vital element of marine ecology.
Some voices in unexpected places are
urging a rethink of the plan.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s wife, Akie,
offered numerous objections to cementing
the northeast coast at a speech in New
York last September. She said the walls
may prevent residents from keeping an
eye out for future tsunamis and would be
costly to maintain for already dwindling
coastal communities.
“Please do not proceed even if it’s
already decided,” she said. Instead of a
one-size-fits-all policy, she suggested
making the plan more flexible. “I ask, is
building high sea walls to shield the coast
line really, really the best?”
Rikuzentakata, a small city near Osabe
whose downtown area was wiped out by
the tsunami, is building a higher sea wall,
but also moving many tons of earth to raise
the land well above sea level.
Local leader Takeshi Konno said no
construction project will eliminate the
need for coastal residents to protect
themselves.
“What I want to stress is that no matter
what people try to create, it won’t beat
nature, so we humans need to find a way to
co-exist with nature,” Konno said.
“Escaping when there is danger. The most
important thing is to save your life.”
Associated Press writers Miki Toda
and Koji Ueda contributed to this
report from Rikuzentakata and Osabe.
Continued from page 3
competitive.
Today, Singapore’s GDP is among the
highest in the world at $54,000 per head,
according to the World Bank, and it
consistently ranks at the top of surveys of
competiveness, while other Southeast
Asian nations lag far behind.
Lee gained “disproportionate influence”
in international politics because of his
record in shaping Singapore into the kind
of nation that would be useful to the
international political and economic order,
said London-based author Salil Tripathi,
who was a foreign correspondent in
Singapore in the 1990s.
“His sharp intellect gave him the aura of
an elder statesman, allowing his admirers
at home and abroad to overlook more
complicated facts about him, including
how political opponents were treated,” he
said, and “how there was little space for
imagination on that crowded island.”
q
Don’t just eat that ramen: Go to
a museum and learn about it
Continued from page 16
Bazaar, said to reproduce an “Asian night
market” and “eight varieties of noodles
that Ando encountered during his travels
in search of ramen’s origins.” The food
stands include Italian pasta, Vietnamese
pho, and dishes from Kazakhstan, China,
Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
And there’s a play area (an extra 300 yen)
where kids can experience the Cup Noodle
manufacturing process from the point of
view of the noodle.
The main attraction here, though, is the
make-your-own section. For a separate fee
for a timed ticket, kids (or adults) can
make their own personal Cup Noodle,
decorating the cup, then putting in the
noodles and choosing the soup and
toppings. Watch the lid get sealed and the
whole cup shrink-wrapped, then your
creation is enclosed in a cool protective
package that you pump air into to cushion
it on the trip home. There’s also the much
more involved Chicken Ramen Factory, a
90-minute session where participants
make the noodles from scratch.
A warning: Cup Noodle Museum,
educational as it is, is extremely popular
with school groups and was packed with
them on the weekday I visited.
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beaten by the authorities, imprisoned, and
blocked from leaving the country. In the
process, he’s become one of China’s most
internationally known figures, a fame that
has partially protected him.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua
Chunying declined comment on the award,
but said China hopes Amnesty can regard
China “objectively.”
Ai made his first big splash by helping
design Beijing’s iconic Bird’s Nest stadium
for the 2008 Summer Olympics. He fell
afoul of Chinese authorities after taking
up causes such as those of parents angry
over what they said was shoddy construc-
tion of schools that collapsed in the 2008
Sichuan earthquake, killing hundreds of
children.
Ai said he hasn’t had a passport since his
2011 arrest for tax evasion, which he has
called politically motivated, but still hoped
he would be able to attend the May 21
award ceremony in Berlin.
Previous award winners include dissi-
dent Aung San Suu Kyi and rock band U2.
Associated Press writer Louise
Watt contributed to this report.
Fiji reclaims Hong Kong 7s title beating NZ 33-19 in final
Continued from page 8
gifted Domolailai the fifth and last try for
Fiji.
“That’s a great Fijian side,” New
Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens said. “They
defended really well and a couple of
length-of-the-field tries killed us.”
Fiji did well merely to survive its
quarterfinal. It led England 14-5 with a
penalty try, then lost a man to the sin-bin,
too. England, at 14-12 down, gave James
Rodwell a chance in the right corner, but
Rawaca pulled off a brilliant try-saving
tackle.
Fiji blasted to a 21-0 lead against South
Africa in the semifinals then just managed
to hold on 21-15 in another thriller. South
Africa finished third, beating Samoa 26-5.
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