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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2017)
ASIA / PACIFIC Page 16 n THE ASIAN REPORTER June 19, 2017 Hong Kong “shoebox,” “coffin” homes a challenge for new leader Continued from page 4 waiting list, the average wait is 4.7 years. Wong Tat-ming, 63, has occupied an even smaller “coffin home” for four years. He pays HK$2,400 ($310) per month for a 3’x6’ compartment crammed with his meager possessions, including a sleeping bag, small color television, and electric fan. His bunk sits beside grimy toilets and a single sink shared by two dozen residents, including a few single women. On a per-square-foot basis, “it’s not cheap here either,” Wong jokes. “Would you say it’s more expensive than living in a mansion?” Leg pain from sclerosis forced Wong to stop driving a taxi 10 years ago. He gets by on about $5,300 ($680) per month from welfare. Wong is skeptical Lam can help. “So she says she’s going to take care of these problems, but that will take at least seven to eight years,” he said. Chan Geng-kau, who works here and there as a janitor, and his wife worry about being forced out of their hut in one of the city’s “slums in the sky” atop a terrace of a Kowloon tenement bristling with television antennas and CRAMPED QUARTERS. Li Suet- wen and her son, six, and daughter, eight, live in a 120-square-foot room crammed with a bunk bed, small couch, fridge, washing machine, and small table in an aging walkup in Hong Kong that she pays HK$4,500 ($580) per month in rent and utilities. The amount is nearly half the HK$10,000 ($1,290) she earns at a bak- ery decorating cakes. They are among an estimated 200,000 people in the former British colony living in “subdivided units.” (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) crisscrossed by overhead wires. The government plans to demolish the illegal concrete and corrugated metal huts. “If they come to clear us out, my income isn’t high, I don’t earn FREE HOME REPAIRS FOR PORTLAND SENIOR & DISABLED HOMEOWNERS Plumbing l Electrical l Carpentry Call (503) 501-5719 or visit https://reachcdc.org Portland Housing Bureau TAKING THE LEAD. Singapore’s foreign minister, Vivian Balak- rishnan, left, shakes hands with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi after a joint press conference following a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. Energy ministers from around the world gathered in Beijing to report increased spending to help counter climate change. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) U.S. bucks trend amid increases for clean energy research BEIJING (AP) — As energy ministers from around the world gathered in Beijing to report increased spending to help counter climate change, U.S. energy secretary Rick Perry has delivered a starkly countervailing message. India, France, Norway, Canada, Australia, and Japan have said they were on track to double their clean energy research spending. Perry said that in the U.S., the private sector will have to do more as President Donald Trump promotes fossil fuels and proposes to roll back spending on clean energy. Perry emphasized that government-backed early stage scientific work remained a priority in the U.S., but bringing any breakthroughs to market will be up to private companies. The new policies are a sharp departure from past practice and illustrate a new reality emerging across the global energy landscape, where U.S. innovations have long dominated. Three giant pandas return to China from Japan under agreement BEIJING (AP) — Three giant pandas born and raised in Japan have returned to China under a standard agree- ment to improve the breeding success of the rare animals. The six-year-old twins and their four-year-old sister had been living at Wakayama Adventure World in southern Japan. The three arrived in the city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province that is home to most wild pandas, as well as sanctuaries and breeding centers. The official Xinhua News Agency said the three travelled to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding where they’ll remain in quarantine for a month while acclimatizing to their new home before being displayed to the public. “They are expected to adapt to changes in food, environment, language, and even the taste of bamboo,” Yang Zhi, a disease-prevention expert with the center, was quoted as saying by Xinhua. They are also performing health checks on the pandas. Wakayama Adventure World and the Chengdu base have been cooperating on panda breeding research since 1994. The program has led to the births of 15 pandas, eight of whom have now returned to China, according to Xinhua. Around 420 pandas live in captivity, the majority within China, while an estimated 1,864 live in the wild. China for decades gifted friendly nations with its unofficial national mascot in what was known as “panda diplomacy.” The country more recently has loaned pandas to zoos on commercial terms. Most loans last for 10 to 15 years, with fees of as much as $1 million per year. very much and the apartments out there are very expensive so I can’t afford it,” said Chan, 58. With his unstable income, he’s barely able to pay his HK$2,000 ($260) per month rent. “If I pay those rents, I can’t afford to eat.” Black Pearl Acupuncture Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine are great for: - Acute/Chronic Pain (i.e. neck, back, sciatica & shoulder) - Treating & Preventing the flu and colds - Stress Relief - Headaches/Migraines www.blackpearlacupuncture.com Sita Symonette Licensed Acupuncturist seasymonettea@gmail.com Call to schedule an appointment: (503) 308-9363 Interpretation services available 505 N.W. Ninth Ave., Portland, OR 97209