February 18, 2019
ASIA / PACIFIC
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3
Malaysia crowns Pahang state’s
Sultan Abdullah as 16th king
By Eileen Ng
The Associated Press
UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia —
Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad
Shah of central Pahang state was
crowned as Malaysia’s 16th king under a
unique rotating monarchy system, nearly
a month after the sudden abdication of
Sultan Muhammad V.
Garbed in aqua blue regalia, Sultan
Abdullah, 59, took his oath of office in a
nationally televised ceremony at a
cavernous hall in the national palace.
Dozens of dignitaries, led by Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his
cabinet ministers, attended the event.
Nine ethnic Malay state rulers take
turns as the country’s king for five-year
terms under the world’s only such system,
which has been maintained since
Malaysia’s independence from Britain in
1957.
Sultan Muhammad V, 49, of northeast
Kelantan state, abruptly resigned
January 6 as Malaysia’s king after just two
years on the throne in the first abdication
in the nation’s history. No reason was
given, but it came after he reportedly
married a 25-year-old former Russian
beauty queen in November.
British-educated Sultan Abdullah, a
prominent figure in sport bodies, was
sworn in after inspecting a military honor
guard and receiving a 21-gun salute at
K
SECT INITIATION. Hindu men take a dip to become Naga Sadhus, or naked holy men, at sangam, the
confluence of three holy rivers during the Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival, in Prayagraj Uttar Pradesh state, India.
At every Kumbh, including this year’s, thousands of devotees are initiated into the reclusive sect of the Naga
Sadhus, naked, ash-smeared, cannabis-smoking Hindu warriors and onetime-armed defenders of the faith
who for centuries have lived as ascetics in jungles and caves. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Naked pot-smoking sect
grows at Indian Hindu fest
PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — At the
world’s largest pilgrimage in Prayagraj in
northern India, tens of millions of Hindu
faithful travel to the sacred sangam — the
confluence of three holy rivers — to take a
dip.
The Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival, is a
series of baths by Hindu sadhus and
sadhvis, holy men and women, and other
pilgrims who believe the ritual cleanses
them of their sins and ends the process of
repeated reincarnation.
For some, stripping down for a holy dip
also signifies the stripping away of the
material world.
At every Kumbh, including this year’s,
thousands of devotees are initiated into
the reclusive sect of the Naga Sadhus —
naked, ash-smeared, cannabis-smoking
Hindu warriors and onetime-armed
defenders of the faith who for centuries
have lived as ascetics in jungles and caves.
On so-called royal bathing days, the
Naga Sadhus lead the 13 monastic orders’
processions — on garlanded horses,
elephants, and tractors — through the
festival grounds and into the river, armed
with tridents and swords.
Performed by senior priests, the
elaborate process of initiation comprises
five rituals, starting with the shaving of
heads and beards, ritual offering of saffron
robes, wearing prayer beads, applying ash
on the body, and giving up their last piece
of clothing.
The aspirants have to take a vow of
celibacy, practice tough physical and
mental conditioning, and renounce
worldly possessions and family ties.
After a purifying bath in the river and a
prayer ceremony, the sadhus have to
perform “Pind Dan,” a Hindu funeral
ritual to pay homage to their ancestors for
the salvation of their souls.
Usually this ritual is performed only
after a person dies.
But the last “Pind Dan” ritual of the
Naga initiation ceremony is for the sadhu
himself, symbolizing the unity of his soul
with god.
“They will consider themselves dead,
and only their soul will live on. They will
pronounce themselves dead even while
living,” said Santosh Mishra, a 50-year-old
priest of the Juna Akhara monastic order.
After they are ordained, the Naga
Sadhus must remain partially or fully
naked for the rest of their lives, sleep on
the ground, limit themselves to one meal a
day, obey their leaders and gurus, and
protect the Hindu religious traditions.
The ancient Kumbh festival, which
UNESCO added to its list of intangible
cultural heritage in 2017, runs through
early March. About 150 million people are
expected to attend.
The Associated Press
ATHMANDU, Nepal — One-third
of Himalayan glaciers will melt by
the end of the century due to
climate change, threatening water sources
for 1.9 billion people, even if current efforts
to reduce climate change succeed, an
assessment warns.
If global efforts to curb climate change
fail, the impact could be far worse: a loss of
two-thirds of the region’s glaciers by 2100,
said the Hindu Kush Himalaya Assess-
ment released by the International Centre
for Integrated Mountain Development.
“Global warming is on track to
transform the frigid, glacier-covered
mountain peaks of the Hindu Kush
Himalayas cutting across eight countries
to bare rocks in a little less than a century,”
said Philippus Wester of the center, who
led the report.
The five-year study looked at the effects
of climate change on a region that cuts
across Asia through Afghanistan, Paki-
stan, India, Nepal, China, Bhutan,
Bangladesh, and Myanmar. The area,
which includes the world’s tallest moun-
tain peaks, has glaciers that feed into river
systems including the Indus, Ganges,
Yangtze, Irrawaddy, and Mekong.
K
The assessment said that the impact of
the melting could range from flooding from
the increased runoff to increased air
pollution from black carbon and dust
deposited on the glaciers.
Saleemul Huq, director of the
International Center for Climate Change
and Development, an environmental
research center in Dhaka, described the
findings of the report as “very alarming,”
especially for downstream nations such as
Bangladesh.
“All the countries affected need to
prioritize tackling this upcoming problem
before it reaches crisis proportions,” he
said in an e-mail. Huq was one of the
study’s external reviewers.
The study said that even if the most
ambitious Paris climate accord goal of
limiting global warming to 1.5º Celsius
(2.7º Fahrenheit) by the end of the century
were met, more than a third of the region’s
glaciers will be lost. If the global rise in
temperature were 2º C (3.6º F), two-thirds
of Himalayan glaciers will melt, it said.
The 2015 Paris Agreement was a
landmark moment in international
diplomacy, bringing together governments
with vastly different views to tackle global
warming. It set a headline target of keep-
Continued on page 4
parliament. He is a council member of the
world football governing body, Fédération
Internationale de Football Association
(FIFA); president of the Asian Hockey
Federation; and an executive board
member of the International Hockey
Federation.
Known as Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, or
“He Who is Made Lord,” Malaysia’s king
plays a largely ceremonial role, since
administrative power is vested in the
prime minister and parliament. But the
Continued on page 4
LIVE PIGS
FOR SALE
Pigs available for
purchase for your
celebration!
Tu Phan
Branch Manager, NMLS #7916
Call about
refinances & purchases
Offering
FHA/VA/Conventional Mortgages
(503) 780-6872
<tu.phan@fairwaymc.com>
<www.LoansNow.com>
12817 S.E. 93rd Ave.
Clackamas, OR 97015
Copyright©2018 Fairway Independent Mortgage
Corporation. NMLS#2289. 4750 S. Biltmore Lane,
Madison, WI 53718, 1-877-699-0353. All rights
reserved. Fairway is not affiliated with any
government agencies. These materials are not
from HUD or FHA and were not approved by
HUD or a government agency. This is not an offer
to enter into an agreement. Not all customers will
qualify. Information, rates and programs are subject
to change without notice. All products are subject to
credit and property approval. Other restrictions
and limitations may apply. Equal Housing Lender.
Study says a third of Himalayan glaciers can no longer be saved
By Binaj Gurubacharya
KING CROWNED. Malaysia’s King Sultan
Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah salutes next to Queen
Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah during his welcome
ceremony at Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur, Ma-
laysia. Sultan Abdullah, ruler of central Pahang state,
was named Malaysia’s new king, replacing Sultan Mu-
hammad V, who abdicated unexpectedly after just two
years on the throne. (AP Photo/Yam G-Jun)
w Lunar New Year
w Birthdays
w Other celebrations
Visit our family farm in
Estacada, Oregon!
w Live 100- to 200-
pound pigs
w Customers are able
to butcher the pig
they choose onsite
w Hot water available
To learn more,
call Jesse:
(503) 820-1830
PU BLIC IN VIT ED TO CO MMEN T
You are invited to review and submit comments on the Project’s environmental
study, including Sections 106 and 4(f), from February 15 to April 1, 2019 at 5 pm.
You may review the document and provide comments in the following ways:
OPEN H OU SE
PU BLIC H EARIN G
March 7, 2019, 5:30 pm – 8 pm
Leftbank Annex – Clubroom
101 N W eidler St, Portland, O R
March 12, 2019
O regon Convention Center
Room A108
777 N E MLK Jr Blvd, Portland, O R
• 4:30 pm – 6 pm – Sign up to speak
• 5 pm – Event begins: Presentation
followed by public comments
ON LINE OPEN HOUSE
February 15 – April 1, 2019
www.i5RoseQ uarter.org
EMAIL
info@ i5RoseQ uarter.org
Visit www.i5RoseQuarter.org for a project overview, to review the
Environmental Assessment and to learn additional ways to comment.
For AD A (Americans with D isabilities Act) or Civil Rights Title VI accommodations,
translation/interpretation services, or more information call 50 3 -731-4128 , TT Y
8 0 0 -735 -29 0 0 or Oregon Relay Service 7-1-1.
Si desea obtener información sobre este proyecto traducida al español, sírvase
llamar al 50 3 -731-4128 .