Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
July 3, 2017
Chinese parents alarmed by miniature crossbow craze
BEIJING (AP) — Powerful mini-crossbows that shoot toothpicks and needles
are the new must-have toy for schoolkids across China — and a nightmare for
concerned parents and school officials. Several cities, including Shenzhen and
Qingdao, have reportedly banned sales of the palm-sized contraptions, which
sell for about $1 and are powerful enough to puncture soda cans, apples, and
cardboard, depending on the projectile. The fad appears to have sprung out of
the southwest city of Chengdu, but quickly spread to China’s east coast and even
across the border to Hong Kong. In the Chinese territory of Macau, police issued
a warning that using the crossbows might constitute a criminal offense.
Although there have not yet been widespread reports of serious injuries, parents
across China have raised concerns with schools, with many circulating petitions
on social media in support of a nationwide ban. “People getting blinded will
become commonplace, must ban!” said one user on the messaging forum
hupu.com while another asked: “What was the inventor of this thing thinking?”
Taobao and JD.com, China’s two most popular e-commerce sites, have
responded in recent days by blocking sales. Searches for “crossbow” or “toothpick
crossbow” now return empty.
China tightens online video controls, jolting investors
BEIJING (AP) — Three popular Chinese internet services have been ordered
to stop streaming video after censors complained it contained improper
comments on sensitive issues. The move prompted a sell-off in the U.S.-traded
shares of Sina Corp. and its microblog service, Sina Weibo. The announcement
adds to efforts by President Xi Jinping’s government to tighten media control
ahead of a Communist Party congress late this year. Xi is due to be appointed to
a second five-year term as party leader. Video streamed by users of Sina Weibo,
AcFun, and Phoenix New Media’s ifeng.com contained “negative comments”
about unspecified sensitive issues, the State Administration of Press,
Publication, Radio, Film, and Television said. It ordered them to stop the
services. Communist leaders promote internet use for business and education,
but try to block access to material deemed subversive or obscene. Beijing has
been especially wary of social media since its use by organizers of the Arab
Spring protests that spread across the Middle East in 2010 and led to the
downfall of the Egyptian and Tunisian governments.
U.S., EU urge China to limit food import control
BEIJING (AP) — Food exporters, including the United States and Europe, are
stepping up pressure on China to scale back plans for intensive inspections of
imports they say will hamper access to its fast-growing market. Nine nations
and the European Union have sent a joint letter to Chinese regulators asking
them to suspend a proposed requirement, due to take effect October 1, for each
shipment to have an inspection certificate from a foreign government. The
dispute adds to complaints Beijing is reducing market access for other goods
ranging from medical technology to farm-related biotechnology in violation of its
free-trade commitments. The letter says the rules will affect billions of dollars
worth of meat, fruit, dairy, and other products as well as thousands of suppliers
who look to China as a growing market.
Philippine rebels storm police station, seize assault rifles
MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — Philippine police say communist guerrillas
recently stormed a police station in a central province and seized a dozen assault
rifles and pistols, two-way radios, cash, jewelry, and a patrol car. Regional police
chief superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag condemned the attack by about 50
New People’s Army guerrillas in Iloilo province’s Maasin town, saying criminal
complaints would be filed against the gunmen. The rebels claimed responsibility
for the 20-minute attack, which they said they carried out without firing a shot,
to punish Maasin policemen who were allegedly involved in extortion and have
failed to take action to stop the spread of illegal drugs and gambling. The
communist rebels staged the attack as troops struggled to end a 27-day siege by
Islamic State group-aligned militants in southern Marawi city.
MARKET MODERNIZATION. Prospective buyers inspect the quality of frozen tuna fish in the early morning before
the first auction of the year at Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, in this January 5, 2017 file photo. The huge, and hugely popular,
Tsukiji fish market won’t be destroyed, but will be closed for up to five years while it is modernized and turned into a “food
theme park,” according to Tokyo’s governor. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
Famous Tsukiji fish market will
be remade, not destroyed
By Yuri Kageyama
AP Business Writer
OKYO — Tokyo’s huge, and hugely
popular, Tsukiji fish market won’t be
destroyed, but will be closed for up to
five years while it is modernized and turned
into a “food theme park,” the capital’s governor
has said.
The market will move to a state-of-the-art
600 billion yen ($6 billion) facility in Toyosu on
the eastern outskirts of Tokyo while Tsukiji is
rebuilt. After that, Tokyo will have two
wholesale fish markets, governor Yuriko
Koike said.
Koike had halted the planned move to
Toyosu last August, just months before the
new market’s scheduled opening, after food
safety concerns were raised. Toxins have been
found in soil and groundwater at Toyosu,
which was previously the site of a gas plant.
The initial plan was to sell the bayside
Tsukiji property after the move, possibly for a
shopping mall or casino.
But Koike said she is opposed to such a
one-time cash gain for the capital. Tsukiji is a
valuable brand and landmark, she said at a
news conference.
“Our country has always valued tradition,”
she said.
Koike declined to give an exact timeline,
stressing she was just announcing a basic plan
that still requires approval by the city
legislature.
Toyosu will also need to be cleaned to ensure
T
Retirement
its water systems and soil meet safety
standards. The city faces a challenge in
calming public fears about the toxins at
Toyosu, which have drawn widespread media
coverage.
The massive new complex, loaded with huge
refrigeration units, will be expensive just to
maintain.
Meanwhile, Tsukiji, famous the world over
for its tuna auctions and quaint sushi joints,
has hobbled along and is still busy with
tourists.
Koike said she wants to turn Tsukiji into a
“food theme park,” rebuilding its antiquated
buildings and adding the latest earthquake-
resistant technology. Japan is among the most
quake-prone nations in the world.
She believes Toyosu’s high-tech distribution
systems and its proximity to airports will help
make it a bustling market that can co-exist
with Tsukiji.
Some were skeptical.
Hiroyuki Doko, proprietor of Doko Shoten, a
wholesale seafood store in Tsukiji, questioned
whether businesses will be able to make the
same profit in Koike’s theme-park plan.
But Yu Takahashi, manager of a sushi
restaurant in Tsukiji, said he welcomes the
decision to keep Tsukiji.
“This is where all the fish from Japan, the
best fish, come together in one place. The
decision will be a good thing for Japan and
Tokyo,” he said.
AP journalist Kaori Hitomi contributed to this report.
Living
Conservationists find rare cache of crocodile eggs
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Wildlife researchers in Cambodia say
they’ve found a clutch of eggs from one of the world’s most endangered
crocodiles, raising hopes for its continuing survival in the wild. The New York-
based Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement that its researchers,
along with Fisheries Administration employees and local residents, found six
eggs of the Siamese Crocodile in Sre Ambel District in the southern province of
Koh Kong as they were exploring for tracks, signs, and dung of the reptile. It said
it was the first Siamese Crocodile nest recorded in six years of research and
protection in the Sre Ambel area. The group says the crocodile, with an
estimated global population of around 410, is found only in Cambodia, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, with the greatest number in Cambodia. The
species is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature because its numbers are rapidly shrinking. “To avoid
any threats, we moved the eggs to a safe place to hatch and track their progress,”
the statement quoted In Hul, a staff member of the Fisheries Administration, as
saying. Such threats, said the statement, “include illegal hunting of adults and
hatchlings and collecting of eggs to supply crocodile farms in Cambodia and
Thailand, especially during the last two decades.” Other threats include the
“degradation of habitats, decrease of natural food, low chance of breeding in the
wild due to low number of individuals in the wild, and weak law enforcement
such as regulations on crocodile farming and trading.”
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