Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
August 19, 2019
Lost baby dugong dies of shock, ingesting plastic
BANGKOK (AP) — An eight-month-old dugong nurtured by marine experts
after it was found lost near a beach in southern Thailand has died of what
biologists believe was a combination of shock and ingesting plastic waste. The
female dugong — a large ocean mammal — was named “Marium” and became a
hit in Thailand after images of biologists embracing and feeding her with milk
and sea grass spread across social media. Veterinarians and volunteers had set
out in canoes to feed Marium for up to 15 times a day while also giving her health
checks. Last week, she was found bruised after being chased and supposedly
attacked by a male dugong during the mating season, said Jatuporn Buruspat,
the director-general of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. She
was brought in for treatment in the artificial sea on Libong Island in Krabi
province. “We assume she wandered off too far from her natural habitat and was
chased, and eventually attacked by another male dugong, or dugongs, as they
feel attracted to her,” he said. An autopsy showed a large amount of plastic waste
in her intestine, which could also have played a part in her death as it led to
gastritis and blood infection, he said. “She must’ve thought these plastics were
edible,” Jatuporn said. The dugong is a species of marine mammal similar to the
American manatee. It can grow to about 11 feet in length. Its conservation
status is listed as vulnerable.
First-round NBA pick Hachimura scores 35 points for Japan
CHIBA, Japan (AP) — First-round National Basketball Association (NBA)
draft pick Rui Hachimura scored 35 points to lead Japan to a 99-89 win over New
Zealand in a World Cup warm-up game at Port Chiba Arena. Hachimura
became the first player from Japan to be chosen in the first round of the NBA
draft, taken with the No. 9 overall pick by the rebuilding Washington Wizards in
June. The former Gonzaga University star played in the NBA’s Summer League
for the Wizards, but now will take up national duties for Japan at the World Cup
and for other warm-up games, including New Zealand again on Wednesday. “We
got off to a good start and went from there ... I want to lead this team,” Hachi-
mura said after the game. “I’m just happy to be back in Japan after a while for
these friendly games.” The 21-year-old from Toyama prefecture scored 22 points
in the first half and impressed Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey. “I think
he’s going to be a heck of a player, the NBA is a physical game, a tough game.
He’s got a great body for the NBA,” Casey, who is in Japan for a coaching clinic
and was at the game as a spectator, told Kyodo News. “I see Rui ... developing his
game to move out to the 3-point line. Because that’s where the NBA is. Great kid,
great work ethic.” Tai Webster led New Zealand with 18 points. Japan played
without Memphis Grizzlies’ forward Yuta Watanabe, who has an ankle injury.
Japan opens its World Cup competition against Turkey on September 1 in
Shanghai and then takes on Czech Republic and the United States.
Cambodian rescued after being wedged in mountain rock
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A Cambodian man who became wedged
between rocks while collecting bat droppings for sale was rescued after being
trapped for almost four days. Police said Sum Bora slipped while trying to
retrieve his flashlight, which he accidentally dropped in the small rocky hollow.
Bat droppings — guano — are used as fertilizer and sold for supplementary
income by poor farmers, who sometimes try to attract bats to their property.
Cambodia’s Fresh News reported that when the 28-year-old failed to return
home after three days, his worried family began to search for him. His brother
discovered him in the Chakry mountain jungle in the northwestern province of
Battambang and alerted authorities. Police Maj. Sareth Visen said about 200
rescue personnel took about 10 hours to carefully extricate the trapped man by
destroying bits of the rock that had pinned him. Cambodia is one of the poorest
countries in the world, with 35% of its 15.2 million people living in poverty,
according to a September 2018 report by the United Nations Development
Program.
HOLY HAJJ. Muslim pilgrims walk to take part in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, and
the first day of Eid al-Adha, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on August 11, 2019. The pilgrimage to
Mecca is required once in a lifetime of every Muslim if they are physically and financially able. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Over 2 million Muslims visit
Mecca for hajj pilgrimage
By Bassam Hatoum and Aya Batrawy
The Associated Press
ECCA, Saudi Arabia — More than 2
million pilgrims were gathered in
the holy city of Mecca in Saudi
Arabia on Friday, August 9, to perform initial
rites of the hajj, an Islamic pilgrimage that
takes the faithful along a path traversed by the
Prophet Muhammad some 1,400 years ago.
The hajj in Islam is meant to be a great
equalizer and unifier among Muslims, with
pilgrims shedding overt displays of wealth and
materialism. All male pilgrims wear simple
terry cloth white garments and women don
conservative dress and headscarves, forgoing
makeup, nail polish, and perfume in an effort
to draw closer to god and engage in intense
worship for the five-day hajj.
On Friday, thousands of pilgrims circled the
cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca, Islam’s holiest
site. They circle the Kaaba counter-clockwise,
their hearts tilting toward the structure that’s
meant to symbolize the monotheistic principle
of the oneness of god in Islam. Muslims around
the world pray toward the Kaaba daily, using
compasses to help them pray in its direction.
The hajj is one of the largest and most
diverse gatherings in the world, drawing more
than 1.8 million people from around the world
this year, according to Saudi officials. Several
hundred thousand more pilgrims are Saudi
residents or citizens. Last year, 2.4 million
people took part in the hajj, with similar
numbers expected for 2019.
“I am very happy now. It is the first time I
am here in Mecca. I am very excited,” Siti
Haslina Yousof, a Malaysian pilgrim in Mecca,
said.
M
The U.S. consulate in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia,
said some 20,000 U.S. citizens and residents
were expected to take part in this year’s hajj.
The pilgrimage this year takes place amid a
backdrop of political and sectarian tensions
between Saudi Arabia and Iran and as
conflicts continue to flare in Yemen, Syria, and
Libya. Muslim minorities around the world
also face increased threats, with Uighurs
facing repression in China, Rohingya facing
genocide in Myanmar, and Kashmiris under a
sweeping curfew and communication blackout
in the Indian-administered territory.
“I cannot express my feelings. The atmos-
phere is spiritual, still, and tranquil. We hope
Yemen will be united for good,” said Ali Ahmed
Al-Sudani, a Yemeni pilgrim who said he was
praying for unity in his war-torn country.
Saudi King Salman invited as his guests to
the hajj this year 200 survivors and relatives of
victims of a shooting spree in Christchurch,
New Zealand, where a white gunman opened
fire and killed 51 people in two mosques.
Those on the hajj view the pilgrimage as an
opportunity to strengthen their faith, erase
past sins, and start anew. The hajj is one of the
five pillars of Islam, required of all Muslims to
perform once in their lifetime if they are
physically and financially able.
For the well-heeled, the pilgrimage includes
a partial stay in towering five-star hotels with
lavish buffets overlooking the Kaaba. But for
most, it means sleeping in simple accommoda-
tions or even spending weeks sleeping on the
ground around Mecca’s Grand Mosque to
perform daily prayers and rites near the
Kaaba ahead of the hajj.
Many pilgrims will save for years to perform
Continued on page 4
Asian Currency
Exchange Rates
Malaysia renews Aussie rare earth plant’s permit, sets rules
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s government extended
Australian miner Lynas Corp.’s license to operate a rare earth refinery for six
months but set new rules for it to tackle radioactive waste amid renewed public
fears of health and environmental risks. Lynas has been operating its
Malaysian refinery, the first outside China producing minerals that are crucial
to high-tech manufacturing, in central Pahang state since 2012 but it hasn’t
dealt with low-level radioactive waste accumulating at its plant. The Atomic
Energy Licensing Board said Lynas’ operating license, which expires September
2, will be renewed for another six months but it must move its cracking and
leaching process — which produces the radioactive waste from Australian ore —
out of Malaysia in four years. It said in a statement that Lynas will also have to
identify a site to construct a permanent disposal facility in the country or get
written approval from a country willing to accept more than 580,000 tons of
waste stockpiled at its refinery, which is exposed to possible floods and other
natural disasters. It told the miner to halt plans to process the waste into
agricultural soil conditioner. The Lynas issue has put Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad’s government, which won a stunning victory in general elections in
May 2018, in a tight spot. Some members of the current government previously
opposed Lynas’ operation in the country, citing high risks of pollution. Cabinet
members are also divided, with entrepreneur minister Mohamad Redzuan
Yusof supporting rare earth as a strategic industry that could open doors for new
investment in the country.
Units per U.S. dollar as of 8/16
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84.25
4032.2
7.0413
2.1441
7.8426
71.15
14197
42018
106.34
8707.2
4.176
114.52
157.35
3.3956
52.359
66.494
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1.3852
1205.3
177.16
31.266
30.91
23309