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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 2018)
ASIA / PACIFIC August 20, 2018 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3 Boys rescued from cave, once stateless, receive Thai citizenship By Kaweewit Kaewjinda The Associated Press ANGKOK — Three young soccer players who were trapped with other team members for almost three weeks in a cave in northern Thailand were granted Thai citizenship along with their 25-year-old coach. All four had been stateless, and their lack of citizenship deprived them of some basic benefits and rights, including the ability to travel outside of Chiang Rai, the northern province where they live. The area is home to ethnic minorities with roots in neighboring Myanmar. The boys and coach were among 13 people who were trapped in the cave until their dramatic rescue by scuba divers. Nopparat Kanthawong, the head coach of the Wild Boars team, said they received official Thai ID cards along with another team member who had not been in the cave but also applied for citizenship. “I’m happy,” he said. “I want to say that football (soccer) can elevate the lives of kids whose families may not be in the best position.” “If they have Thai citizenship, in the future, if they don’t want to play football, they can take exams to become public officials or find good work that is related to their field of studies,” he said. Nopparat said he submitted docu- mentation to help apply for citizenship for seven other Wild Boar players who are stateless. The boys given citizenship in early August in their home district of Mae Sai had all applied for it before the cave incident, and all were fully qualified for the change in status, said a local official, district chief Somsak Kanakam. “There are many people who are born in Thailand but haven’t received citizenship yet,” he said, adding that residents seeking Thai nationality should apply quickly, while he still holds his job, because he has “no corrupt intentions.” He said most people present at the ceremony were aware of under-the-table payments that B A-BOMB ANNIVERSARY. Doves fly around the Peace Memorial Statue during a ceremony at Nagasaki peace park in southern Japan, marking the 73rd anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on the city that killed an estimated 70,000 people three days after a bomb dropped on Hiroshima killed 140,000. The bombings were fol- lowed by Japan’s surrender, ending World War II. (Miyuki Saito/Kyodo News via AP) Nagasaki marks 73 years since A-bombing as U.N. chief attends By Mari Yamaguchi The Associated Press OKYO — Nagasaki marked the anniversary of the world’s second atomic bombing with the United Nations chief and the city’s mayor urging global leaders to take concrete steps toward nuclear disarmament. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the first United Nations chief to visit Nagasaki, said fears of nuclear war are still present 73 years after the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings and that the attacks should never be repeated. He raised concerns about slowing efforts to denuclearize, saying existing nuclear states are modernizing their arsenals. “Disarmament processes have slowed and even come to a halt,” Guterres told the audience at the Nagasaki peace park. “Here in Nagasaki, I call on all countries to commit to nuclear disarmament and to start making visible progress as a matter of urgency.” Guterres added that nuclear weapons states should take the lead. “Let us all commit to making Nagasaki the last place on earth to suffer nuclear devastation,” he said. More than 5,000 citizens, including Nagasaki atom bomb survivors, and representatives of about 70 countries remembered the victims as they observed a minute of silence at 11:02am, the moment the plutonium bomb Fatman hit the city. Emperor Akihito joined a silent prayer from Tokyo with his wife Michiko as they monitored the ceremony on TV, marking the last Nagasaki commemoration before his planned abdication next April, Kyodo News reported. The U.S. bombing of Nagasaki on T August 9, 1945 killed an estimated 70,000 people three days after a bomb dropped on Hiroshima killed 140,000. They were followed by Japan’s surrender, ending World War II. Guterres said the peace and nuclear disarmament movement started by survivors of the atomic bombings has spread around the world, but frustration over the slow progress led to last year’s adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Japan, despite being the only country in the world to have suffered nuclear attacks, has not signed the treaty because of its sensitive position as an American ally protected by the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Nagasaki mayor Tomihisa Taue urged Japan’s government to do more to seek nuclear disarmament, especially in the Asian region, to help achieve a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. He said citizens of the atomic-bombed cities are hoping to see North Korea denuclearized. Taue urged Tokyo to sign the treaty and “fulfill its moral obligation to lead the world toward denuclearization.” He said more than 300 local assemblies have adopted resolutions calling on Japan to sign and ratify the treaty. Japan seeks to close the gap between the views of nuclear and non-nuclear states about nuclear disarmament to eventually achieve a nuclear-free world, said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, repeating almost the same phrase he used in a speech three days earlier in Hiroshima. At a meeting later with Abe, an atom bomb survivor, or hibakusha, confronted the prime minister, asking how exactly he could bridge the divide while remaining under the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Department of Consumer & Business Services NEW CITIZENS. Mongkol Boonpiam, left, re- ceives an identity card denoting Thai citizenship from Somsak Kunkam Sheriff of Mae Sai during a cere- mony in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai province, north- ern Thailand. Mongkol Boonpiam, Adul Samon, and Pornchai Khamluang, three of the young soccer play- ers who were trapped for almost three weeks in a cave in northern Thailand, and 25-year-old assistant coach Ekapol Chanthawon, who had been with them, had been stateless, their lack of citizenship not only re- stricting their upward mobility, but even their right to travel outside of Chiang Rai, the northern province where they live. (Chiang Rai Public Relations Office via AP) some officials had asked for in the past. There are 488,105 stateless people registered in Thailand, according to government statistics. The actual number could be as high as 3.5 million, according to the International Observatory on Statelessness. The group says stateless people in Thailand are unable to vote, buy land, seek legal employment, work in certain occupations, or travel freely. Northern Thailand, whose porous borders have long been a boon to migrants, refugees, and smugglers, is a melting pot of ethnic groups, including the Akha, Lahu, Lisu, Yao, Shan, Hmong, and Karen. In neighboring Myanmar, the frontier regions are dominated by ethnic minority groups, but underdevelopment and conflict make opportunities scarce. Some people flee for their lives to Thailand; others just seek a better life. PARDON THE DELAYS. ROLLING OUT A FRESH HIGHWAY TAKES TIME. It’s summer highway construction time. Find the best routes to avoid closures and backups. The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Building Codes Division (BCD) ensures safe building construction while supporting a positive business climate. Hiring a licensed electrician or plumber helps ensure that the person doing the work is qualified. To check on whether a person you wish to hire is licensed, visit our website at bcd.oregon.gov, then click on “license holder search.” For more information about obtaining a license, please call (503) 373-1268. BCD also wants to remind you that permits help protect the safety and value of your home. You may need a permit if you are: a room n Building a fence taller than 6 feet n Remodeling a kitchen or bathroom n Adding electrical circuits n Building a deck 30 inches above ground n Building a shed n Adding Call your local building department or check our website, www.PermitsProtect.info, to find out when you need a permit for your building or remodeling job. www.bcd.oregon.gov BIG FIX PDX Building Codes Division Know before you go. www.BigFixPDX.com Go paperless! Read The Asian Reporter – exactly as it’s printed here – online! Visit <www.asianreporter.com> and click the “Online Paper (PDF)” link to view our last two issues.
