ASIA / PACIFIC June 4, 2018 Actress Priyanka Chopra visits Rohingya kids in Bangladesh DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Priyanka Chopra, actress and a goodwill ambassador of the U.N.’s children’s agency, says the world should be more compassionate to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children who desperately need help in Bangladeshi camps where they have been sheltered. Some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state since late August to escape military-led violence and are now seeking U.N. protection to return home. Almost 60 percent of the total refugees are children, and 60 babies are being born every day in camps in Bangladesh. Chopra went on a four- day tour to Bangladesh, PRIYANKA’S PLEA. Priyanka Chopra, an Indian Bollywood actor and UNICEF goodwill ambassador, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Chopra said the world should be more compassionate to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children who desperately need help in Bangladeshi camps where they have been shel- tered. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad) visiting camps in Cox’s Bazar district bordering Myanmar and meeting ref- ugees, especially children. In an interview with The Associated Press in the Bangladesh capital, Chopra said the world should open its heart to the Rohingya children. Forests watchdog sends ultimatum to Indonesian paper giant Continued from page 4 wood suppliers it had told the outside world were independent, apparently trying to greenwash its image. Most of the wood suppliers were based in Sinarmas offices and owned by employees of the Sinarmas group and in some cases former employees. Separately, a group of 13 global and Indonesian environmental and civil society organizations, including WWF and Indonesia Corruption Watch, released a report of their own investigation into the ownership of Sinarmas wood suppliers, which found they are largely owned by current and former employees of the conglomerate. It also said Sinarmas controls sizeable land that wasn’t included in the zero deforestation commitment made by its Asia Pulp & Paper and Sinarmas Forestry arms in 2013 as part of the agreement with Greenpeace. The Bonn, Germany-based forest council’s letter said the “pattern of using corporate proxies to control operations without legal ownership is very alarming.” The letter said “these proxies and agents are considered directly linked” to the Sinarmas empire, which will be held “responsible for remedying violations committed by these proxies.” THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 5 Thousands join Hong Kong bun-snatching festival HONG KONG (AP) — Thousands of people flocked to an outlying is- land in Hong Kong to cele- brate a local bun festival despite record-breaking heat. A parade featuring children dressed as deities floated on poles. Later, contestants in a bun- scrambling competition raced up a 46-foot bamboo tower to snatch as many plastic buns as possible. Buns higher up the pole are worth more points. One of Hong Kong’s oldest and most colorful festivals started about a century ago after a deadly plague devastated the outlying island of Cheung Chau. Residents built an altar in front of the Pak Tai temple imploring the deities for help and used white steamed buns as offerings to drive away the evil spirits, according to tradition. The bun-snatching con- test was cancelled after a bun tower collapsed in 1978, injuring 100 peo- ple. The tradition was revived in 2005 as part of BUN-SNATCHING FESTIVAL. A child dressed in a traditional Chinese costume (top photo) floats in the air supported by a rig of hidden metal rods during a parade on Cheung Chau island in Hong Kong to cele- brate the Bun Festival. Thousands of local residents and tourists flocked to the outlying island for the local bun festival despite record-breaking heat. The event featured a parade with children dressed as deities floating on poles and a bun-scrambling competition. In the bottom photo, shopkeep- ers are seen selling buns with the sign of the Chinese character “Peace” at the Bun Festival. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) an annual “Bun Festival.” sturdier tower and bun As added safety measures snatchers received moun- this year, workers built a taineering training. Become an online reader! Visit and click on the “Online Paper (PDF)” link to download our last two issues. How to identify a possible gas leak. If you smell ROTTEN EGGS it could be a gas leak. And the best thing to do is leave your home and call NW Natural. We’ll be out to make sure everything is safe. Unsure of what to do? Just take a look at our tips to the right. Smell. Go. Let Us Know. 800-882-3377 If you smell a rotten egg or sulfur odor, you hear a blowing or hissing sound, or you see blowing dirt, it could be a gas leak. What to do. Leave your home and the area immediately. Don’t use any electrical device such as a light switch, telephone, appliance or garage door opener. And don’t try to fi nd the leak yourself. Who to call. 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