Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
May 6, 2019
Myanmar pardons 9,551 prisoners but not two reporters
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — More than 9,500 prisoners are being released in
Myanmar under a presidential amnesty, but they don’t include two Pulitzer
Prize-winning Reuters reporters. The Facebook page of the Office of President
Win Myint says he has signed a pardon for 9,551 prisoners, including 16
foreigners, released nationwide on the occasion of the country’s traditional New
Year. Official lists of those to be freed are usually not made public, but activists
monitor releases, especially at Yangon’s Insein Prison, where most important
detainees are held. Sympathizers waited outside the prison for the possible
release of two Reuters reporters jailed for breaking the Official Secrets Act, but
they were not freed. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says it
knew of only two political detainees, imprisoned since 2000, being released.
Devotees nailed to crosses on Good Friday in Philippines
SAN PEDRO CUTUD, Philippines (AP) — Several Roman Catholic devotees
were nailed to wooden crosses in a gory Good Friday ritual in the Philippines,
and others flogged themselves or took part in religious plays to reenact Jesus
Christ’s suffering. Four men and a woman wearing crowns of twigs were
escorted by villagers dressed as Roman centurions and nailed to crosses on a
dusty hill in San Pedro Cutud village. Similar reenactments played out in
nearby farming towns. Thousands, including many tourists, watched the
annual spectacle. The Catholic Church frowns upon it, instead calling on the
faithful to mark Lent with prayers and acts of charity. Prior to the reenacted
crucifixions, dozens of penitents beat their bare backs with sharp bamboo sticks
and wood. Some had their backs cut to keep them bloody.
Four wives of Abu Sayyaf commanders arrested
ZAMBOANGA, The Philippines (AP) — Philippine police say they have
captured four wives of Abu Sayyaf commanders who take care of their financial
transactions, help procure guns and bomb parts, and arrange the travels of
foreign militants to the country. Police say the women were arrested in raids on
houses in southern Zamboanga city where authorities seized two grenades, a
bag of suspected ammonium nitrate, and electrical parts that can be used to
make bombs. Police say the women work under Abu Sayyaf leader Hajan
Sawadjaan, who is the main suspect in the January 27 bombing of a Roman
Catholic cathedral during a mass that killed 23 people in nearby Sulu province.
The cathedral attack by two suspected suicide bombers sparked the latest
military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf.
Malaysia to revive major China-linked property project
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s government says it will
resurrect a multibillion-dollar property project in Kuala Lumpur involving a
Chinese state company, calling it a contribution to China’s “Belt and Road”
infrastructure initiative. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad says the cabinet
agreed to reinstate the Bandar Malaysia project, which is expected to cost 140
billion ringgit ($33.8 billion). He said the project, which is 40-percent owned by
the government, will be developed with the same consortium partners, local
developer Iskandar Waterfront Holdings and China Railway Engineering Corp.
The project was started by the indebted 1MDB state investment fund, which
sold a 60-percent stake to the consortium. The project was terminated in May
2017 due to a payment dispute. The 1MDB scandal led to former Prime Minister
Najib Razak’s election ouster last May.
Thousands march in Hong Kong against extradition law
HONG KONG (AP) — Thousands of protesters marched through downtown
Hong Kong in opposition to changes to an extradition law that many see as
eroding the territory’s independent legal system. Many of those who took part
carried yellow umbrellas, recalling Hong Kong’s massive 2014 pro-democracy
protests, the leaders of which have been sentenced to up to 16 months in prison.
Hong Kong police said around 22,800 people took part in the protest at its peak
period. Participants carried placards accusing Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam of
“selling out” Hong Kong, and called on her to resign. Revisions to the law would
make it easier to send criminal suspects to mainland China, where they could
face vague national security charges and unfair trials. Hong Kong’s legal system
offers greater protections than in mainland China.
China seizes 2,700 ivory tusks in massive smuggling case
BEIJING (AP) — China has seized more than 2,700 ivory tusks in what
customs authorities are calling the country’s biggest smuggling case in years.
China’s Customs Administration announced that it confiscated nearly 7.5 tons
of ivory on March 30. The illicit goods came from an international criminal group
that has been smuggling ivory for some time, authorities said, noting that 20
suspects are now in custody. Since the start of the year, customs officers have
seized a total of 8.5 tons of ivory products through 53 investigations. An
additional 129 cases involved the smuggling of other endangered animal
products, including pangolin scales, shark fins, and turtle shells. The ivory
seized March 30 came from Nigeria and other African countries, according to
officials. It was shipped across multiple countries, hidden in cargo containers of
wood, and kept in an old Chinese waste factory while the suspects prepared to
sell it. China has cracked down on smuggling in recent years and implemented
in 2018 a total ban on all trade in ivory products. The ban does not cover the
semiautonomous port of Hong Kong, which remains a major transit point for
endangered species products and other contraband. The financial center is now
working toward a complete ban on the local ivory trade, slated to begin by 2021.
RARE REPTILE. Nguyen Quang Hue touches an injured giant softshell turtle after he and other workers pulled it from
Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam, in this file photo taken on April 3, 2011. Veterinarians examined the rare giant turtle,
which has a shell the size of a desk, is estimated to weigh about 440 pounds, and is considered sacred by many Vietnam-
ese, at a makeshift hospital in Hanoi to check mysterious lesions afflicting one of the last known members of its species.
(AP Photo/Na Son Nguyen, File)
Death of rare turtle leaves
three remaining in the world
BEIJING (AP) — The only known female
member of one of the world’s rarest turtle
species has died at a zoo in southern China,
officials said.
The animal was one of four Yangtze giant
softshell turtles known to be remaining in the
world. The Suzhou zoo, where the female
turtle lived, also houses a male Yangtze giant
softshell turtle. The other two live in Vietnam,
but their genders are unknown.
The turtle died April 13, the Suzhou city
government said in a statement, citing the zoo.
It said experts have already used technology to
collect the turtle’s ovarian tissue for future
research.
The state-run People’s Daily reported that
the turtle was over 90 years old and had
undergone a fifth attempt at artificial
insemination shortly before she died.
A medical examination found the turtle to be
in good health prior to the procedure, the
People’s Daily said, and the artificial
insemination appeared to go smoothly. But the
turtle died the following day.
Yangtze giant softshell turtles originated in
China, making their homes in the Yangtze
River and Taihu Lake, according to the
People’s Daily. The species is often referred to
as the most endangered turtle in the world.
Suzhou authorities said Chinese and foreign
experts are investigating the cause of the
turtle’s death.
In Cantonese opera, Trump
finds his twin brother in China
HONG KONG (AP) — With the blond wig
and red tie, the star of the Cantonese opera in
Hong Kong may look familiar.
The Chinese actor and singer had the lead
role in Trump on Show, a four-day comedic
opera reimagining the U.S. president’s
personal life and his fictional twin brother who
lives in China.
The three-hour opera opened with America’s
first family moving into the White House,
where Trump’s daughter Ivanka discovers an
old suitcase. Inside she finds an English
version of The Little Red Book, which details
ideas on class struggle by the founding
chairman of modern communist China.
In the show, Donald Trump goes to China
and meets Mao and Zhou En-lai, the first
premier of communist China. Trump also
receives a visit from North Korean leader Kim
Jong Un in the U.S.
Li Kui-Ming, a 64-year-old feng shui master
turned Cantonese opera playwright, explains
that his 34th opera piece does not aim to focus
on serious international politics. Rather, the
show simply uses current political characters
to grab the audience’s attention.
“It could definitely draw people’s attention if
the play is about popular political figures due
to their popularity and influence. I hope this
opera will get my ideas across to the audience,”
he said.
He hopes that one day Trump on Show could
even be performed at the White House or in
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84.27
4055.8
6.7337
2.1227
7.845
69.079
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42017
111.27
8651.4
4.141
111.11
140.9
3.367
51.85
65.1
3.7502
1.3606
1166.0
177.32
30.872
31.92
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