ASIA / PACIFIC
Page 16 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
August 7, 2017
Nepal woodcarvers inspired to
restore quake-toppled temples
By Niranjan Shrestha
The Associated Press
ATHMANDU, Nepal — In
the rubble of Nepal’s 2015
earthquake, a team of dedi-
cated woodworkers is finding inspira-
tion to re-create what was lost.
Centuries-old Char Narayan and
Hari Shankara temples were
completely destroyed by the massive
April 2015 earthquake that shook the
Himalayan nation, killing nearly
9,000 people. The temples were the
jewel of Patan Durbar Square, which
is thronged by thousands of tourists
and local visitors every day. The
structures were crumpled by the force
of the tremor and the carved doors,
roof, and brick lie in ruins.
A team of dedicated woodworkers
is now trying to restore Nepal’s heri-
tage. They have been working six
days a week for nearly two years, re-
pairing the beautifully handcarved
wooden doors and windows.
The broken wooden beams are
being replaced by new ones, but the
workers are trying to use the sal-
vaged portions as much as possible.
The “Silpakars” — as woodworkers
from the Newar ethnic community
are known — have passed down their
craft and skills for generations.
“I am proud to continue my
K
ASIAN DOMINATION. The Ladies Professional Golf Association
season began with Lydia Ko (pictured) at number one in the Rolex Rank-
ings, after just missing winning the top spot for the second-straight year
in 2016. In this photo, Ko is seen hitting an approach shot along the 12th
fairway during the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open Golf tournament
in Bedminster, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Young Asian golfers
take turns atop LPGA
Continued from page 13
Jutanugarn,
however,
has completely lost her
groove, in part due to a
flare-up of an old injury. In
the tournament following
the Meijer LPGA Classic,
she missed the cut at the
PGA Championship after
shooting a poor 77 on the
first day. She shot a 78 at
the Thornberry Creek
LPGA Classic a week later,
then withdrew because her
right
shoulder
was
bothering her.
This was the same
shoulder Jutanugarn had
surgery on in 2013 to fix a
torn
labrum.
It
undoubtedly contributed to
her missing the cut at the
U.S. Women’s Open after
again opening with a
disastrous round — this
time a 79 — and following it
up with a 72. She is
currently in third in the
Rolex Rankings, just a
whisker
away
from
Jutanugarn and American
Lexi Thompson. Along with
Canada’s
Brooke
Henderson, Thompson is
one of just two non-Asian
golfers in the Top Ten.
These two, along with
the other top-ten golfers,
will continue to put pres-
sure on Ryu. In addition to
Jutanugarn, Ryu, and Ko,
the top-ten Asian group
includes
four
South
Koreans — Sung Hyun
Park, In Gee Chun, Inbee
Park, and Amy Yang —
along
with
China’s
Shanshan Feng.
All of these Asian golfers
are formidable forces; each
has won at least one event
this season except for
Chun, who has merely
come close, with four
second-place finishes. And
there’s more Asian talent
behind them: 16 of the top
25 golfers have Asian roots.
As the east continues to
dominate the women’s
tour, Asian sports fans can
look forward to more
dramatic battles, whether
it’s last season’s down-to-
the-wire finish or this
season’s Asian triumvirate
atop the Rolex Rankings.
And golf fans from all
nations can appreciate the
skill, passion, and drive for
excellence these women
bring to the game.
LABOR OF LOVE. A woodworker from the Newar ethnic community carves wood in Lalitput,
Nepal. In the rubble of Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, a team of dedicated woodworkers is finding inspi-
ration to re-create what was lost. They have been working for nearly two years repairing the beauti-
fully handcarved wooden doors and windows. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
ancestral trade and help restore a big he said.
part of Nepal’s history that was
Already two years at work, they
destroyed by the earthquake,” said will likely need another year to just
Shyam Krishna, chiselling away the get the windows, doors, and beams
wood pieces.
ready.
He and his fellow workers are paid
Nepal faces criticism from the
only about $15 a day each, which is international community for slow
much less than they would earn as progress in reconstruction work
building furnishers.
despite a $4.1 billion international
“It is not about the money. We pledge, and the low priority it has
might make less money, but this is a given to restoration of heritage sites.
moment of pride for us to be able to
Associated Press writer Binaj
restore the heritage of our country,”
Gurubacharya contributed to this report.
Myanmar says no crimes against humanity in Rakhine violence
By Esther Htusan
The Associated Press
ANGON, Myanmar — The
Myanmar
government’s
inquiry into violence in
northern Rakhine state last year that
forced tens of thousands of Muslim
Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh and
led to U.N. accusations of crimes
against humanity by the army has
concluded that no such crimes
happened.
Speaking at the release of the
Rakhine Investigative Commission’s
final report, vice president Myint Swe
— a former general — told reporters
“there is no evidence of crimes
against humanity and ethnic
cleansing as the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights
Y
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claimed.”
He also denied charges that there
had been gang rapes by the military
as it swept through Rohingya villages
in a security clearance operation. The
army was reacting to deadly attacks
against border police posts by a
previously unknown insurgent group
in October 2016 in the Maungdaw
area of Rakhine.
The commission’s report did accept
that some things might have
happened that broke the law,
attributing it to excessive action on
the part of individual members of the
security forces.
Rights groups have previously
expressed their doubts over the
commission’s work, saying it lacked
outside experts, had poor research
methodologies, and lacked credibility
because it was not independent.
The U.N. has mandated its own
fact-finding mission to travel to the
Maungdaw area to conduct its own
inquiry, but the government has said
its members will not be allowed to go.
Zaw Myint Pe, a senior member of
the government commission, said the
report released in early February by
the Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights, which included
accusations of rights abuses by
security forces, failed to take into
consideration violent acts com-
mitted by Muslim groups.
“The report does not contain
forward-looking constructive recom-
mendations but instead accuses
Myanmar of committing genocide
and ethnic cleansing by killing Mus-
lims and it is terribly affecting our
country’s image,” said Zaw Myint Pe.
The government has shut down
northern Rakhine, where the
allegations of right abuses are
ongoing, to independent journalists,
rights experts, and humanitarian
workers for almost nine months. The
security
forces
launched
an
aggressive clearance operation in
Rakhine in October 2016 after
shadowy insurgents killed nine
border guard police officers.