Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
December 21, 2015
Hackers crash Japan PM’s website to protest whale hunt
TOKYO (AP) — A hacking group says it crashed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s
official website to protest Japan’s plans to hunt whales. Chief cabinet secretary
Yoshihide Suga told reporters that one of Abe’s websites became inaccessible
during the early morning while police investigated. The site was restored by the
evening. Suga acknowledged that the Anonymous hacker group posted a
Twitter message claiming responsibility, but added authorities had not singled
out the group as a prime suspect. One of the group’s twitter messages criticized
Japan over its whaling plans. The group also retweeted anti-whaling messages
and one urging Abe not to eat whale meat and go vegan. The incident on Abe’s
site is the latest in a series of recent attacks on Japanese websites. The group
claims responsibility for dozens of earlier attacks. The group most likely chose
Abe’s site “to get public attention and spread their message against dolphin and
whale hunts, rather than causing real damage,” said Nobuhiro Tsuji, a
cybersecurity expert at Softbank Technology Corp. “They think bringing down
the prime minister’s website could cause an impact.” Japan, despite protests
from anti-whaling groups, resumed its annual Antarctic whale hunt, which it
says is done for research, under a revised plan after the International Court of
Justice found its earlier program unscientific.
Ten Cambodians die after eating dog meat, drinking wine
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian health officials were sent to a
northeastern district where 10 people died and more than 100 were sickened in
two separate incidents linked to the consumption of dog meat and rice wine,
according to a medical officer. Kratie provincial health department chief
Chhneang Sivutha said experts from the U.N.’s World Health Organization
were also investigating the incidents, both in Snuol district. He said people in
the province have been warned not to eat the meat of animals that died from
illness or poisoning, and not to drink any wine that has not been properly
inspected. Six people died after eating the barbequed carcass of a dog that died of
unknown reasons. Four others died after drinking rice wine. Chhneang Sivutha
said samples of the dog meat and wine were collected and sent to the Health
Ministry in the capital, Phnom Penh, for laboratory testing. He said in a
telephone interview that poisoning cases are not unusual, but it’s rare to have so
many victims at the same time. Food safety is not a priority in Cambodia, one of
Asia’s poorest countries. The country has also grappled with bird flu, with 56
confirmed cases of human infections since 2003, 37 of them fatal. Rice wine is
particularly popular in rural areas, where it is cheap and usually infused with
fruits or plants believed to have medicinal value.
Firefighters spray wrong plane with foam at Chinese airport
BEIJING (AP) — When crew members of a passenger plane reported sparks
coming from an engine while taxiing at an airport in southern China, eight fire
trucks responded within minutes. Then they covered the wrong plane with
white foam. The mistake at the Fuzhou city airport was quickly amended and
the firefighters turned their attention to the correct plane, but the other one —
with passengers aboard — was delayed 10 hours and the entire incident delayed
30 flights, the airport said in a statement. The Air China flight reported the
problems in a right-side engine of a Boeing 737-800 for a flight headed to Beijing.
By the time firefighters arrived four minutes later, engines were switched off.
However, a Fuzhou Airlines plane of the same make had exhaust fumes coming
from its tail. The firefighters sprayed the Fuzhou Airlines plane with foam until
the airport’s control center alerted them to the mistake, and then they sprayed
the correct plane, the airport said. Fuzhou Airlines said its plane was covered
with white foam and had to be towed away to check its engines. It took off about
10 hours later. The airport apologized for the inconvenience.
PACHYDERM PAMPERING. Two elderly elephants that are part of the Mondulkiri Project in Mondulkiri province
in eastern Cambodia are seen in this June 2015 file photo. The Mondulkiri Project aims to act as a sanctuary for elephants
that previously worked for timber companies or as attractions in the tourist hub of Siem Reap. The project also seeks to
give the local indigenous population jobs and curtail logging in the area. (Kristi Eaton via AP, File)
Elephants get love and care in
Cambodia, with the help of tourists
By Kristi Eaton
The Associated Press
S
EN MORONOM, Cambodia — The trip
to the hills of eastern Cambodia had all
the makings of a luxurious getaway:
delicious fresh fruit fed by hand, a dip in a
refreshingly cold watering hole, and a relaxing
massage.
But I wasn’t receiving these amenities.
Elderly elephants were. And I was one of
several tourists paying for the privilege of
doting on them.
At the Mondulkiri Project, it’s not the people
who call the shots, but the elephants. Visitors
from all over the world travel to Cambodia for
a chance to interact with the behemoth
creatures by washing them, feeding them,
playing with them, and, of course, getting
selfies with them. One thing that doesn’t
happen: riding on the animals’ backs.
Named for Cambodia’s most sparsely
populated province, the Mondulkiri Project
aims to act as a sanctuary for elephants that
previously worked for timber companies or as
attractions in the tourist hub of Siem Reap,
home to the Angkor Wat site. The project also
seeks to give the local indigenous population,
called the Bunong, opportunities for jobs and
help in curtailing logging and promoting forest
conservation.
The Mondulkiri Project began in 2013,
founded by the Tree family, who are not
members of the Bunong community, but who
support the Bunongs with revenue from the
project. The Tree family offers trekking along
with the elephant experiences, and they run
Tree Lodge, a bare-bones but comfortable set
of bungalows with magnificent views of the
Cambodian countryside.
During my stay, I joined several other
tourists, both solo and group travellers, in
cleaning and feeding the elephants. We also
got an in-depth explanation of the project, its
goals, and why preserving the area is impor-
tant.
Then came the fun part: getting up close and
personal with the gigantic mammals. The
elephants spend all their time in a protected
area of the forest, with local guides watching
over them. The elephants were friendly,
hungry, and eager to interact with us.
For the humans, there was a lunch of rice,
vegetables, meat, and iced coffee. Then an
English-speaking Bunong guide led us on an
easy trek through the lush jungles as we
headed to a chilly watering hole to wash one of
the creatures.
More photo opportunity than actual
cleansing, the elephant seemed to enjoy
getting his back scratched and didn’t mind the
picture-taking. We all had the same post-
cleansing goal anyway: a nap.
Mondulkiri province is located about five
hours by minivan from Cambodia’s capital of
Phnom Penh and about 10 hours by minivan
from Siem Reap. To learn more, visit
<www.mondulkiriproject.org> or <www.
elephantvalleyproject.org>.
Alibaba buys HK’s South China Morning Post newspaper
HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba says it is buying
Hong Kong’s leading English-language newspaper, the South China Morning
Post. Alibaba Group says it signed a deal with publisher SCMP Group to buy the
Post and the company’s other media assets, which include magazines, outdoor
advertising, and digital media, for 2.06 billion Hong Kong dollars ($266 million).
The newspaper said in a story on its website that the purchase price is not being
disclosed. It is the latest media-related acquisition for Alibaba and gives control
of Hong Kong’s most prominent English-language publication to a mainland
Chinese company. The deal is part of Alibaba’s strategy of diversifying away
from its core internet shopping business by tapping rising demand for online
content from Chinese consumers.
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U.S. donates vehicles to poorly-armed Philippine forces
MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — The U.S. government has turned over to
the Philippines the first of more than 100 armored personnel carriers (APCs) to
boost its Southeast Asian ally’s poorly equipped military, according to officials.
The U.S. Embassy said the APCs are being given at no cost following a request
by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The Philippines and the U.S. are defense
treaty allies, and such grants are under the U.S. Excess Defense Article
Program that allows the transfer of U.S. military equipment for free to qualified
allies. The first 77 vehicles arrived in Subic Bay, a former U.S. Navy base. In
November, the Philippines received two South-Korea-made fighter jets — the
country’s first supersonic combat aircraft in a decade — as it strengthens its
underfunded military amid an escalating territorial feud with China and
long-running Muslim and communist insurgencies.
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