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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (July 2, 2018)
Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC July 2, 2018 Koreas combining in three sports at Asian Games JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) says North and South Korea will field combined teams in three sports — canoeing, rowing, and women’s basketball — at the Asian Games in the latest sign of cooperation between the countries. The Koreas will also march together at the opening and closing ceremonies at the games in Indonesia from August 18 to September 2. Ties between the neighbors have improved since the PyeongChang Olympics in South Korea in February. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed at a summit in April to jointly participate in international sports events. Vinod Kumar Tiwari, the OCA director of international and National Olympic Committee relations, said, “This will be an historic Asian Games for the Olympic Council of Asia and for the continent because it will be the first time that North Korea and South Korea will form a unified team in certain sports. “They have marched together before in the opening ceremony and we are delighted that they are extending their joint cooperation further in the spirit of unity and friendship.” Mayor saved by nurse says female sumo ban irrelevant TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese mayor who suffered a stroke at a sumo event and was given first aid by a female nurse who entered the male-only ring has said the sport’s ancient ban on women is outdated. Ryozo Tatami, the mayor of Maizuru city in northern Kyoto, recently resumed work after recovering from the stroke he suffered in April while making a speech in the ring, or dohyo. Sumo officials repeatedly demanded that the nurse leave the ring, triggering public criticism of the female ban. Tatami said the ban is outdated, especially in life-threatening situations. “Even though sumo has a long history and traditions, its female ban policy is irrelevant today,” Tatami told a news conference on his first day back at work. He was earlier presented with a bouquet as city employees welcomed his return. “At least in situations requiring first aid, male or female should not matter. Anyone should be allowed to help out,” he said. When Tatami, 67, collapsed on the dohyo, two women in the audience, including one later identified as a nurse, rushed in and started performing first aid as sumo officials looked on helplessly. When two more women entered the dohyo trying to join the effort, a sumo official repeatedly made an announcement demanding that the women get out of the ring. In male-only sumo, women are considered ritually unclean and are banned from the dohyo, which is considered sacred. Tatami’s case has prompted sumo officials to review the policy. Some female mayors also demanded that the sumo association treat them the same as their male counterparts at sumo events. The head of the sumo association has acknowledged that the announcement at the Kyoto event was inappropriate, but said women can only enter the dohyo in an “emergency.” Former Cambodian PM Ranariddh hurt in crash, wife killed PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Former Cambodian Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh has been seriously injured in a road crash that killed his wife and injured at least seven other people. A senior official from his FUNCINPEC political party said the 74-year-old Ranariddh was in a convoy along with senior party figures heading toward Sihanoukville in southwest Cambodia when a taxi travelling in the opposite direction slammed into his SUV. Sihanoukville police chief Gen. Chuon Narin said Ranariddh — a son of the late King Norodom Sihanouk — suffered head injuries. He was transferred to Phnom Penh for urgent treatment. Chuon Narin said Ranariddh’s wife, Ouk Phalla, died at the hospital. Ranariddh was co-prime minister for four years in a power-sharing arrangement with current Prime Minister Hun Sen after a U.N.-organized election in 1993. South Korean crypto exchange loses $31 million from hack SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A leading South Korean cryptocurrency exchange says $31 million worth of virtual currencies were stolen by hackers, the latest in a series of recent hacks that raised security concerns. Bithumb, South Korea’s second-largest exchange, said cyberattacks led to the loss of 35 billion won worth of cryptocurrencies. Bithumb said it has suspended trading and exchanging cryptocurrencies to Korean won following the hacking. It did not say which types of coins were lost. The company promised it would compensate the loss. Cyberattacks on crypto exchanges have raised security concerns for investors. Earlier in June, a small exchange in South Korea called Coinrail was hacked and reportedly lost coins worth $37 million. Beefing up security on crypto exchanges will be a key in shoring up confidence in the largely unregu- lated sector that has risen as one of the hottest investment areas. THE POWER OF YOGA. A worker carries mats for International Day of Yoga in Dehradun, India. Tens of thousands of people joined in mass yoga exercises across the country, from staff at the New Delhi airport to middle-class urbanites and students at countless schools. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) Tens of thousands join Indian leader for world yoga day By Manish Swarup The Associated Press D EHRADUN, India — Some 50,000 people gathered with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Himalayan foothills to salute the power of yoga. Modi, an ardent Hindu nationalist, travelled to the hill town of Dehradun for the fourth International Day of Yoga, and shortly after sunrise was doing yoga exercises with about 50,000 people. Yoga “is enriching millions of lives all over the world,” Modi said in a speech. He also urged Indians to take pride in their heritage. “The gems of India’s unique heritage, such as yoga, will be respected by the world at large only when we ourselves respect our culture and traditions,” he said. Tens of thousands of people joined in mass yoga exercises across the country, from staff at the New Delhi airport to middle-class urbanites and students at countless schools. U.N. refugee agency: Record 68.5 million displaced GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency has reported that nearly 69 million people who have fled war, violence, and persecution were forcibly displaced last year, a record for the fifth straight year. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the continued crises in places like South Sudan and Congo, as well as the exodus of Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar that started last year, raised the overall figure of forced displacements in 2017 to 68.5 million. Of that total, 16.2 million were newly displaced last year — an average of more than 44,000 people per day. Most have been displaced for longer than that, some forced to flee multiple times. “The global figure has gone up again by a couple of million,” said the High Com- missioner, Filippo Grandi. “This is because of protracted conflicts and lack of solutions for those conflicts that continue, continuous pressure on civilians in countries of conflict that pushed them to leave their homes, and new or aggravating crises, like the Rohingya crisis.” For the fourth year running, Turkey was again the country with the largest number of refugees — mostly Syrians — at 3.5 million at the end of 2017. The United States received the most new individual applications for asylum last year, at nearly 332,000. Germany was second at more than 198,000. But UNHCR, Grandi’s agency, said the figures debunked the flawed perception among some that a refugee crisis has affected more developed countries in the “Global North.” It said 85 percent of refugees are in developing countries, many of them “desperately poor.” “It should be an element dispelling the perception, the notion that is so prevailing in many countries: That the refugee crisis — singular — is a crisis of the rich world,” Grandi said. “It is not. It continues to be a crisis mostly of the poor world.” Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council who once headed the U.N. humanitarian aid agency, said cooperation between countries and diplomacy for peace were in “deep crisis.” “International responsibility-sharing for Continued on page 3 Affordable Quality Retirement Living for Seniors 62 years and older Alberta Simmons Plaza 6611 NE Martin Luther King Blvd Portland, Oregon 97211 503 . 240 . 4198 Five arrested in crackdown on commercial surrogacy PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian police have arrested five people on charges of providing commercial surrogate services. Keo Thea, chief of anti-trafficking police for the Phnom Penh Municipality, said four Cambodian women and a Chinese man were arrested in a house in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. He said that during the raid, police rescued 33 pregnant surrogates who were allegedly hired by the Chinese man. Developing countries are popular for surrogacy because costs are much lower than in countries such as the United States and Australia, where surrogate services can cost around $150,000. The surrogacy business boomed in Cambodia after it was put under tight restrictions in neighboring Thailand. There also were crackdowns in India and Nepal. After Cambodia’s crackdown, the trade shifted to neighboring Laos. In July last year, a Cambodian court sentenced an Australian woman and two Cambodian associates to 1 1/2 years in prison for providing commercial surrogacy services. . One–Bedroom Apartments with Full Sized Kitchens and Living Areas . Planned Activities, Laundry Facility, Conference & Meeting Room, Elevator and Library . Conveniently Located to Shopping, Restaurants, Pharmacy and Medical Offices Asian Currency Exchange Rates Units per U.S. dollar as of 6/29 Bangladesh Taka· · Cambodian Riel · · China Renminbi · · Fijian Dollar · · · · Hong Kong Dollar · Indian Rupee · · · · Indonesian Rupiah · Iranian Rial · · · · Japanese Yen · · · Laos New Kip · · · Malaysian Ringgit · Nepal Rupee · · · · Pakistani Rupee · · Papua N.G. Kina · · Philippine Peso· · · Russian Ruble · · · Saudi Riyal· · · · · Singapore Dollar · · South Korean Won · Sri Lankan Rupee · Taiwan Dollar · · · Thai Baht · · · · · Vietnam Dong · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 83.699 4048.5 6.621 2.103 7.8466 68.47 14311 42615 110.76 8427.7 4.0385 109.73 121.58 3.2661 53.373 62.778 3.7505 1.3624 1114.7 158.3 30.475 33.037 23102