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sport’s ancient ban on women is outdated.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 Tatami said the ban is outdated, especially in life-threatening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