ASIA / PACIFIC
Page 20 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
May 2, 2016
Myanmar or Burma? Take your choice, Suu Kyi tells diplomats
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) —
Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu
Kyi, has made it clear to foreign diplomats:
It doesn’t matter if they call her country
Myanmar, or its old name, Burma.
Suu Kyi gave her position in a speech to
the foreign diplomatic corps. She is the
government’s de facto leader in the
specially created post of state counsellor,
and also is foreign minister. Her National
League for Democracy party took power
from an army-backed government at the
end of March.
Democracy supporters in Burma balked
when the then-ruling military renamed
the country Myanmar in 1989. The
military in turn was irritated when
activists and their supporters abroad —
including many western governments —
insisted on sticking with the old name.
As she explained her policy of friendship
and mutual benefit to the diplomats, Suu
Kyi interrupted herself to say she should
clear up the matter of what name to use for
her country “because there are some
members of the diplomatic corps who don’t
know quite which term to use.”
“So it is up to you, because there is
nothing in the constitution of our country
COUNTRY CONUNDRUM. Myanmar foreign
minister Aung San Suu Kyi speaks during a meeting
with diplomats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in
Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto
leader, has made it clear to foreign diplomats: It
doesn’t matter if they call her country Myanmar,
or its old name, Burma. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
that says that you must use any term in
particular,” she said. “I use Burma very
often because I am used to using it. But it
does not mean that I require other people
to do that as well.
“And I’ll make an effort to say Myanmar
from time to time so you all feel
comfortable,” she told her audibly amused
audience. “This is what diplomacy, I think,
is all about. We have to learn to
accommodate each other.”
The generals changed the country’s
name as a nationalistic gesture, spurning
the name that was handed down from
when the country was a British colony.
The military sought to boost its patriotic
South Korea unveils Zika-proof Olympic uniforms
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Olympic
committee has unveiled Zika-proof uniforms complete
with mosquito repellent it says will help protect athletes
from the virus at this year’s games in Rio de Janeiro.
Mosquito-repellent chemicals were added to the outfits,
which all include long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and
jackets. The uniforms will be worn by athletes during
ceremonies, training, and at the athletes’ village, the
Korean Olympic Committee said.
The committee said it couldn’t make changes to the
uniforms worn during competition because of strict rules
and performance concerns, although athletes will be
allowed to use anti-mosquito spray during competition.
Brazil has been fighting the spread of the Zika virus,
which causes severe birth defects, including
microcephaly, a condition in which a baby’s head is
significantly smaller than normal. The threat of Zika has
emerged as a major concern in the buildup to this year’s
Olympics along with construction delays and the political
turmoil in Brazil.
A team of South Korean government and Olympic
officials visited Rio de Janeiro in April to inspect Olympic
venues and local hospitals. The Korean Olympic Commit-
tee said it expects to soon provide guidelines to Olympic
credentials a year after its bloody
suppression of mass pro-democracy
demonstrations in 1988. It also changed
the style of many place names, including
the then-capital, Rangoon, which became
Yangon.
Its opponents sought to deny the army
regime’s legitimacy by rejecting the name
changes.
It was an argument fought mostly on the
international stage, since the country’s
name remained the same in the national
language, and the English versions,
Burma and Myanmar, both derive from
the same Burmese word.
Suu Kyi is the country’s most popular
political figure but was unable to become
president because of a clause in the
military-imposed constitution that bars
anyone with a foreign spouse or child from
holding the job. Her two sons are British,
as was her late husband.
Cats at Japan’s ‘cat cafés’
now allowed to stay up until 10
By Mari Yamaguchi
The Associated Press
OKYO — Felines at Japan’s popular “cat cafés” are
now allowed to stay up until 10:00pm to interact
with customers. The Environment Ministry’s
animal-rights panel says the cats will be allowed to hang
out two hours later than the old guidelines allowed.
Under the 2012 guidelines, cats and other animals at
pet shops could not be displayed after 8:00pm.
Cat cafés — establishments where customers can see
and play with cats — were provisionally allowed to have
their cats out until 10:00pm while the impact of the
nightlife on their health could be studied. During the trial
period, only cats age one or older that were free to take a
break were allowed to be out at cafés for up to 12 hours.
Experts concluded that the late hours had no noticeable
effect on the cats’ stress levels.
Café owners say their felines are not under stress while
being out late because they are nocturnal anyway and
become used to a café environment while growing up.
Japan has hundreds of cat cafés. Tokyo alone has more
than 50 that are frequented by tourists and students
during the day and by many others who visit after work.
T
ZIKA-PROOF UNIFORMS. South Korean Olympic athletes and
models present the South Korean Olympic team uniforms for the 2016
Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games at the Korean National Training Center
in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea’s Olympic committee unveiled long-
sleeved shirts and pants it says will help protect the country’s Olympic
athletes from the mosquito-borne Zika virus at this year’s games in Rio
de Janeiro. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
athletes and others travelling to the games about how to
protect themselves from Zika.
The U.S. team also revealed its Ralph Lauren-designed
closing-ceremony outfits, and the Americans don’t seem
as worried. The men and women will wear shorts.
The Portland City Auditor’s Independent Police
Review (IPR) is responsible for the civilian
oversight of the Portland Police Bureau (Police
Bureau). The Citizen Review Committee (CRC)
is an advisory body to IPR and the Police Bureau.
CRC holds appeal hearings of police misconduct
investigations; listens to community concerns;
periodically serves on the Police Review Board,
an advisory body to the Chief of Police that makes
recommendations as to findings and disciple of sworn
police members; reviews Police Bureau policies;
and advises IPR on complaint handling processes.
CRC members are appointed by Portland City Council
to serve three-year terms. Candidates must be
Portland, Oregon, residents or business owners, and be
impartial and objective in regards to law enforcement.
Applications are available at
www.portlandoregon.gov/auditor/ipr
or the IPR office: City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Avenue,
Room 140, Portland, OR 97204.
Return applications by 5:00pm, Thursday,
June 2, 2016, via fax (503) 823-4571,
e-mail crc@portlandoregon.gov,
mail, or hand-delivery to IPR.
Celebrate
Earth Day
everyday!
Reduce w Reuse w Recycle