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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2016)
Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC August 15, 2016 Indonesia to sink dozens of foreign illegal fishing vessels JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia will mark its Independence Day this month by sinking as many as 71 foreign vessels that were seized for fishing illegally in the country’s waters. Maritime and Fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti said boats from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and China will be sunk simultaneously at several locations on the August 17 national holiday. Many of the boats were captured off Indonesia’s Natuna Islands in the southern reaches of the South China Sea. Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago nation, has taken a hardline stance against illegal fishing since President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo took office in 2014. Pudjiastuti has overseen the destruction of more than 170 illegal fishing boats from several countries. Indonesia blew up more than 20 foreign vessels in April, but Pudjiastuti said the method won’t be used for the upcoming sinkings. The ships will be kept intact and will form artificial reefs, she said. In March, Indonesia destroyed the Nigeria-flagged Viking with explosives. The ship was wanted around the world for illegally taking toothfish from southern waters. Uber’s Chinese rival acquiring its China operations BEIJING (AP) — Uber Technology Ltd.’s main Chinese rival, Didi Chuxing, says it is acquiring the U.S. ride-hailing service’s China operations, linking the companies in a business alliance after a costly battle for market share. The announcement marked a surrender by another foreign technology brand to intense competition in China. Yahoo and eBay also turned over local operations to Chinese partners or shut down. Didi Chuxing said it would take over all of Uber China and operate it as a separate brand. In exchange, the company said, Uber will receive a stake in Didi Chuxing and Uber founder Travis Kalanick will join the Chinese company’s board. The two companies have suffered heavy losses as they fought to attract customers. False alert of massive earthquake triggers panic in Japan TOKYO (AP) — An erroneous alert that a massive earthquake had hit the Tokyo area sent many in Japan into a brief panic and disrupted some train service. The Japanese Meteorological Agency sent the alert just after 5:00pm, saying a magnitude-9.1 quake had struck. Some people who have smartphone apps that alert them to quakes received warnings that popped up on their screens. The agency’s alert, which was cancelled within seconds, set off alarmed chatter on Twitter. The meteorological agency said it was investigating why the alert was sent. An agency official, who spoke on customary condition of anonymity, said the reason may have been lightning hitting a seismograph, an instrument that monitors quakes. Following the alert, some Tokyo trains shut down temporarily. Japan is among the most quake-prone nations in the world. A magnitude-9 quake off the country’s northeast coast in March 2011 set off a giant tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people and sent three nuclear reactors into meltdown. Groups oppose Marcos burial at heroes’ cemetery MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — A Philippine historical commission, former human-rights victims, and left-wing groups are opposing President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval of a plan to bury late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in a heroes’ cemetery, reigniting a politically divisive and emotional debate. A coalition of groups opposed to the plan said Marcos was a plunderer who ordered the torture and deaths of thousands of his critics. Duterte gave the go-ahead for the burial, which is expected in September. He said Marcos, who was ousted in a 1986 “people power” revolt, is qualified to be buried at the military-run cemetery as a former soldier and president. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines, meanwhile, said it opposes Marcos’ burial because his military record is “fraught with myth, factual inconsistencies, and lies.” SHIN GODZILLA. A scaled-down model of Godzilla is displayed at a movie theater in Tokyo. Godzilla is back in its homeland of Japan after a 12-year absence, still breathing fire and mercilessly stomping everything in its way. The latest in the giant reptile Godzilla movies, Shin Godzilla, or New Godzilla, is now showing in theaters in Japan and is promised for the U.S. and other countries later this year. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Godzilla comes back to Japan, in ways fresh and familiar By Yuri Kageyama The Associated Press OKYO — Godzilla is back in its homeland of Japan after a 12-year absence, still breathing fire and mercilessly stomping everything in its way. The Associated Press noted four ways the new film Shin Godzilla, or New Godzilla, breaks from its past, and other ways it is reassuringly familiar. It’s now showing in theaters in Japan and is promised for the U.S. and other countries later this year. What’s different The Americans: Japan’s most important ally sends scientists and other advisers, their participation depicted at times as a nuisance. A Japanese-American special envoy, played impudently by Satomi Ishihara, asks where the nearest Zara store is, but mainly mediates between Japan and the U.S., which is worried Godzilla might reach its shores. She resists a U.S. proposal to nuke Godzilla. “Is Japan going to have the atomic bomb dropped for the third time?” she asks mournfully. Given that the 2014 Hollywood Godzilla helped Toho film studio decide to revive the series it originated, the U.S. has proved a true ally for Godzilla’s silver screen survival. The man behind the monster: Godzilla is not a man wearing a rubber suit, like in the 1954 original. Toho used motion-capture technology based on the movements of Mansai Nomura, an actor in traditional kyogen theater whose casting was a secret until opening day. The center of gravity is kept low during kyogen moves, similar to noh dance, except that kyogen specializes in comedy. Nomura said he was honored to be chosen for the role, stressing T China ridicules Trump’s criticism of its trade practices BEIJING (AP) — China’s official news agency is accusing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump of playing the “China-bashing card” in an attempt to rescue his falling poll numbers. Xinhua News Agency ridiculed the accusations he made in a speech that China was breaking trade rules “in every way imaginable.” Xinhua called such rhetoric inflammatory and said while his intent was to appeal to blue-collar Midwestern voters, the remarks were dangerous and offered nothing of substance to improve bilateral relations. Trump in his speech accused China of illegally subsidizing exports, mani- pulating its currency, and stealing intellectual property. His criticism of Beijing during the campaign has focused almost exclusively on trade practices with few mentions of its authoritarian political system and human-rights abuses. Malaysia confirms Flight 370 course was on pilot’s simulator KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia has confirmed one of the pilots of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 had plotted a course on his home flight simulator to the southern Indian Ocean, where the missing jet is believed to have crashed. It’s the first time Malaysia has acknowledged the route was on captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah’s simulator. Australian officials overseeing the search for the plane said data recovered from the simulator included a flight path to the southern Indian Ocean. Transport minister Liow Tiong Lai, who made the comments, also cautioned there were “thousands” of destinations on the simulator and no evidence to confirm that Zaharie flew the plane in that area. A recording of the news conference for local media was made available to The Associated Press. that he hoped to communicate the spiritual and the ghostly in Godzilla. “I am thrilled that the DNA of kyogen, which has more than 650 years of history, will now be part of the DNA of the pride of Japanese cinema — that life called Godzilla,” he said in a statement. The 2011 Fukushima disaster: Godzilla is no longer a result of nuclear testing. Instead, the monster recalls the March 2011 quake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that devastated northeastern Japan. In the film, people measure the radiation around them and share information on social media, as they did five years ago. News conferences and meetings are filled with confusion and jargon, and government officials on screen even use the same word that was used to describe how unprepared Japan had been for the tsunami, soteigai, or “beyond expectations.” Scenes of people fleeing from torrents of water, and later huddled in gymnasiums, bring back heart- breaking memories of the 2011 disaster. Defending itself: Post-World War II Japan has repeatedly stressed it will abide by pacifism. When Godzilla crashes onto its shores, Japan debates how far it can go in defending itself. That reflects a modern debate over using Japan’s military beyond its self- defense role. Bureaucrats try their best to find Japanese-based solutions, treating Godzilla as a crisis requiring military might and vowing the nation can be rebuilt from scratch — as it was after World War II. The original monster symbolized the tragedy of nuclear power and, through it, the ability of humankind to destroy itself. Now the threat we perceive could be anything, but is almost certainly a horror we brought on ourselves. 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Kina · · Philippine Peso· · · Russian Ruble · · · Saudi Riyal· · · · · Singapore Dollar · · South Korean Won · Sri Lankan Rupee · Taiwan Dollar · · · Thai Baht · · · · · Vietnam Dong · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 78.322 4096.2 6.6362 2.0538 7.7562 66.889 13118 31065 101.3 8088.7 4.0275 106.97 104.63 3.1696 46.63 64.758 3.7504 1.3451 1098.0 145.35 31.433 34.775 22301