Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
August 1, 2022
China launches lab modules to join space station
BEIJING (AP) — China has launched one of two laboratory modules to
complete its permanent orbiting space station. The Wentian was launched from
tropical Hainan Island with a large crowd of amateur photographers and space
enthusiasts watching. Designed for science and biology experiments, the module
lifted off on the Long March 5B remote 3 rocket, and spent roughly eight minutes
in flight before it entered orbit, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. A
second lab module, called the Mengtian, is due to be launched in October, and
both will join the Tiangong space station. Three astronauts are already living in
the core module and will oversee the arrival and docking of the lab. The launch is
the third since the Chinese space station entered its construction phase. It was
preceded by the Tianzhou-class cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-14 crewed
spacecraft. China’s space program is run by the ruling Communist Party’s
military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, prompting the U.S. to exclude it
from the International Space Station. As a result, China largely had to work on
its own in its Tiangong space station program, building and then abandoning two
experimental stations before embarking on the latest iteration. The 23-ton lab
module is heavier than any other single-module spacecraft that is currently in
space, according to the state-owned Global Times. China’s space program
launched its first astronaut into orbit in 2003, making it only the third country to
do so on its own after the former Soviet Union and the U.S.
India expresses deep concern about Myanmar executions
NEW DELHI (AP) — India has expressed “deep concern” at Myanmar’s
executions of four political prisoners. This was India’s first reaction to the
executions carried out in July. All were tried, convicted, and sentenced by a
military tribunal with no access to appeal. India supports the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations’ efforts to bring peace to Myanmar, which has been
rocked by civil unrest and widespread fighting since the military seized power
from an elected government in February 2021. “We have noted these develop-
ments (executions) with deep concern. As a neighboring country, we have always
highlighted the need for a peaceful resolution to the issue. The rule of law and
democratic process must be upheld,” said a statement by External Affairs
Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. “As a friend of the people of Myanmar,
we will continue to support Myanmar’s return to democracy and stability,” he
said. India and Myanmar share a long land border of over 1,000 miles and a
maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. The proximity of the two countries has
helped Myanmar become a key partner in India’s fight in the remote northeast
against dozens of ethnic insurgent groups whose demands range from indepen-
dent homelands to maximum autonomy within India. India and Myanmar in
recent years have signed defense cooperation agreements committing to peace
and stability in border areas, and they promised to not allow anyone to use their
respective soil for hostile activities against the other side.
Malaysia seizes African tusks, pangolin scales worth $18M
PORT KLANG, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian authorities say they seized a
container of African elephant tusks, pangolin scales, and other animal skulls and
bones estimated to be worth 80 million ringgit ($18 million). The Customs
Department said in a statement that it discovered the contraband hidden behind
sawn timber following checks on July 10 on a ship coming from Africa. This
included 13,227 pounds of elephant tusks, 220 pounds of pangolin scales, 55
pounds of rhino horns, and 661 pounds of animal skulls, bones, and horns, it said.
Investigations are ongoing on the importer and shipping agent, the department
said without providing further details. It was unclear if the container was meant
to be shipped to other parts of Asia. Ivory tusks, rhino horns, and pangolin scales
are believed to have medicinal properties and are in high demand in the region.
Micronesia’s first COVID-19 outbreak balloons
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Micronesia’s first outbreak in late July of
COVID-19 grew in one week to more than 1,000 cases, causing alarm in the Pacific
island nation. Micronesia likely became the final nation in the world with a
population of more than 100,000 to experience an outbreak of the disease, after
avoiding it for 2 1/2 years thanks to its geographic isolation and border controls.
Health officials said cases were rapidly increasing. Eight people had been
hospitalized and one older man died, officials said. Many top lawmakers and
senior officials have caught the disease, including Vice President Yosiwo George,
who was hospitalized, officials said. They said the vice president’s condition was
improving. Camille Movick, whose family owns Fusion Restaurant in Pohnpei
State, told The Associated Press that a lot of people have been posting on Facebook
asking, for instance, that others stay away from their homes. “Initially there was
quite a bit of panic and worry with most people,” she said. She said her restaurant
remained open although business was slow because many people were afraid to
dine in. She said some other restaurants had closed their dining rooms and were
only offering takeout services. Movick said authorities had issued a directive that
all people must wear masks in public — even outdoors — and that they faced fines
of $1,000 for noncompliance. She said one positive outcome was the outbreak had
prompted many previously unvaccinated people to get their shots. She said many
people suspected the virus might have been circulating before the first community
case was confirmed because health authorities weren’t routinely testing patients
for the disease. Last year, Micronesia became one of the few countries to impose a
broad mandate requiring all eligible citizens get vaccinated against the
coronavirus. The government threatened to withhold federal funds from any
individuals or business owners who didn’t follow the rules. Health officials late
last month had said 75% of people age five and older were fully vaccinated.
MONKEY MAYHEM. This image taken from a video shows a monkey loitering around a home in Yamaguchi, Japan,
on July 23, 2022. People in the southwestern Japanese city have come under attack from monkeys that are trying to
snatch babies, biting and clawing at flesh, and sneaking into nursery schools. (Twitter via AP)
Japanese city alarmed by biting,
clawing, attacking monkeys
By Yuri Kageyama
The Associated Press
T
OKYO — People in a southwestern
Japanese city have come under attack
from monkeys that are trying to snatch
babies, biting and clawing at flesh, and
sneaking into nursery schools.
The attacks — on 58 people since July 8 —
are getting so bad that Yamaguchi city hall
hired a special unit to hunt the animals with
tranquilizer guns.
The monkeys aren’t interested in food, so
traps haven’t worked. They have targeted
mostly children and the elderly.
“They are so smart, and they tend to sneak
up and attack from behind, often grabbing at
your legs,” city official Masato Saito said last
week.
When confronted by a monkey, the
instructions are: Do not look them in the eye,
make yourself look as big as possible, such as
by spreading open your coat, then back away
as quietly as possible without making sudden
moves, according to Saito.
A woman was assaulted by a monkey while
hanging laundry on her veranda. Another
victim showed bandaged toes. They were
taken aback and frightened by how big and fat
the monkeys were.
The monkeys terrorizing the community are
Japanese macaque, the kind often pictured
peacefully bathing in hot springs.
One male monkey, measuring 1.6 foot in
height and weighing 15 pounds, was caught by
the team with the tranquilizer gun. It was
judged by various evidence to be one of the
attacking monkeys and put to death.
But more attacks were reported after the
capture.
No one has been seriously injured so far. But
all have been advised to get hospital treat-
ment. Ambulances were called in some cases.
Although Japan is industrialized and urban,
a fair portion of land in the archipelago is
mountains and forests. Rare attacks on people
by a bear, boars, or other wildlife have
occurred, but generally not by monkeys.
No one seems to know why the attacks have
occurred, and where exactly the troop of
monkeys came from remains unclear.
“I have never seen anything like this my
entire life,” Saito said.
q
28 people dead, 60 sick in
India from drinking spiked liquor
By Ajit Solanki
The Associated Press
A
HMEDABAD, India — At least 28
people have died and 60 others became
ill from drinking altered liquor in
western India, according to officials.
Senior government official Mukesh Parmar
said the deaths occurred in Ahmedabad and
Botad districts of Gujarat state, where the
manufacture, sale, and consumption of liquor
are prohibited. It was not immediately known
what chemical was used to alter the liquor.
Ashish Gupta, Gujarat state’s police chief,
said several suspected bootleggers who were
involved in selling the spiked alcohol have been
detained.
Deaths from illegally brewed alcohol are
common in India, where illicit liquor is cheap
and often spiked with chemicals such as
pesticides to increase potency.
Illicit liquor has also become a hugely
profitable industry across India, where
bootleggers pay no taxes and sell enormous
quantities of their product to the poor at a
cheap rate. In 2020, at least 120 people died
after drinking tainted liquor in India’s
northern Punjab state.
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94.53
4.099.6
6.7439
2.1911
7.8499
79.315
14820
42290
133.37
15005
4.448
126.77
239.7
3.522
55.33
61.0
3.7558
1.3826
1306.0
358.46
30.034
36.34
23342