The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current, December 05, 2022, Page 2, Image 2

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    Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
December 5, 2022
Hong Kong airport launches new third runway
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s airport has officially launched a new third
runway which is expected to boost the city’s status as an aviation hub. Airport
Authority Hong Kong said about 140 flights a day are already using the new
runway, which has been in operation since early July. However, the airport is
still using only two runways because its center runway was closed in July for
reconfiguration. The airport is also expanding its Terminal 2 and is building a
new concourse and baggage handling system. Work is expected to be completed
by 2024, after which the airport will use all three runways, giving it more flight
capacity. The entire project will cost 145 billion Hong Kong dollars ($18.5
billion), according to Jack So, chairman of the airport authority. “The project
was funded from the private market and it doesn’t involve any government
money,” So said at the launch ceremony. “This proves that the international
financial community, banking sector, and funds are confident of Hong Kong and
its airport.” Brendan Sobie, an independent aviation analyst based in
Singapore, said that when all three runways are operating, it will allow more
planes to land during peak hours, thereby expanding the airport’s capacity. “You
need that capacity, that infrastructure, because you’d start losing out if others
have something you don’t have,” Sobie said. He noted that several other airports
in Asia, including in Bangkok and Jakarta, are either working on a third runway
or have already added one. Hong Kong’s additional runway will also facilitate
cargo growth. The city eased pandemic travel restrictions in October, allowing
inbound and outbound travel without mandatory quarantine. However,
incoming travellers must have a regular COVID-19 test upon arrival.
WHO, CDC: Record 40 million kids missing measles vaccine
LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say measles immunization
has dropped significantly since the coronavirus pandemic began, resulting in a
record high of nearly 40 million children missing a vaccine dose last year. In a
recent report, WHO and the CDC said millions of children were now susceptible
to measles, among the world’s most contagious diseases. In 2021, officials said
there were about 9 million measles infections and 128,000 deaths worldwide.
WHO and CDC said continued drops in vaccination, weak disease surveillance,
and delayed response plans due to COVID-19, in addition to ongoing outbreaks
in more than 20 countries, mean that “measles is an imminent threat in every
region of the world.” Scientists estimate that at least 95% of a population needs
to be immunized to protect against epidemics; WHO and the CDC reported that
only about 81% of children receive their first dose of measles vaccine while 71%
get their second dose, marking the lowest global coverage rates of the first
measles dose since 2008. “The record number of children under-immunized and
susceptible to measles shows the profound damage immunization systems have
sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle
Walensky said in a statement. Measles is mostly spread through direct contact
or in the air and causes symptoms including fever, muscle pain, and a skin rash
on the face and upper neck. Most measles-related deaths are caused by
complications including swelling of the brain and dehydration. WHO says
complications are most serious in children under age five and adults older than
30. More than 95% of measles deaths occur in developing countries, mostly in
Africa and Asia. There is no specific treatment for measles, but the two-dose
vaccine against it is about 97% effective in preventing severe illness and death.
In July, the U.N. said 25 million children have missed out on routine
immunizations against diseases including diphtheria, largely because the
coronavirus disrupted routine health services or triggered vaccine
misinformation.
Chinese coast guard seizes rocket debris from Filipino navy
MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — The Chinese coast guard forcibly seized
floating debris the Philippine navy was towing to its island in another con-
frontation in the disputed South China Sea, according to a Philippine military
commander. The debris appeared to be from a Chinese rocket launch. The
Chinese vessel twice blocked the Philippine naval boat before seizing the debris
it was towing off Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos
said. He said no one was injured in the incident. It’s the latest flare-up in
long-seething territorial disputes in the strategic waterway, involving China,
the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. Chinese coast guard
ships have blocked Philippine supply boats delivering supplies to Filipino forces
in the disputed waters in the past, but seizing objects in the possession of
another nation’s military constituted a more brazen act. Carlos said the Filipino
sailors, using a long-range camera on Thitu island, spotted the debris drifting in
strong waves near a sandbar about 800 yards away. They set out on a boat and
retrieved the floating object and started to tow it back to their island using a rope
tied to their boat. As the Filipino sailors were moving back to their island, “they
noticed that China coast guard vessel with bow number 5203 was approaching
their location and subsequently blocked their pre-plotted course twice,” Carlos
said in a statement. The Chinese coast guard vessel then deployed an inflatable
boat with personnel who “forcefully retrieved said floating object by cutting the
towing line attached to the” Filipino sailors’ rubber boat. The Filipino sailors
decided to return to their island, Carlos said, without detailing what happened.
Maj. Cherryl Tindog, spokesperson of the military’s Western Command, said the
floating metal object appeared similar to a number of other pieces of Chinese
rocket debris recently found in Philippine waters. She added the Filipino sailors
did not fight the seizure.
CHA CHAAN TENGS. Eric Tam, an insurance manager who moved to Liverpool with his family in June, poses for a
photo after an interview in Hong Kong. As tens of thousands leave Hong Kong for new lives abroad, many are craving a fla-
vor from childhood that’s become a symbol of the city’s culture: the sweet, heavy tea with evaporated milk that’s served
both hot and cold at diner-like restaurants called cha chaan tengs. Workshops are popping up to teach professionals to
brew tea like short-order cooks, and milk tea businesses are expanding beyond Chinatowns in Britain. (AP Photo/Vernon
Yuen)
Hong Kong émigrés seek milk
tea in craving for taste of home
By Kanis Leung
The Associated Press
ONG KONG — In London, Wong
Wai-yi misses the taste of home.
A year ago, the 31-year-old musician
was in Hong Kong, earning a good living
composing for TV and movies and teaching
piano. Today, she makes about half as much in
London working part-time as a server
alongside her musical pursuits. She chose the
job in part because staff meals allow her to
save money on food.
It’s a difficult adjustment. And Wong, who
left Hong Kong with her boyfriend in January,
has turned to a beloved hometown staple to
keep her grounded: milk tea. She brings the
beverage to parties with Hong Kong friends
and gives bottles to co-workers as gifts.
“It’s like reminding myself I am a Hong
Konger. It will be fine as long as we are willing
to endure the hardships and work hard,” said
Wong, who left as part of an exodus that began
after Beijing passed a law in 2020 that
curtailed civil liberties.
As tens of thousands leave Hong Kong for
new lives abroad, many are craving a flavor
from childhood that’s become a symbol of the
city’s culture: the sweet, heavy tea with
evaporated milk that’s served both hot and
cold at diner-like restaurants called cha chaan
tengs. Workshops are popping up to teach
professionals to brew tea like short-order
cooks, and milk tea businesses are expanding
beyond Chinatowns in Britain.
In Hong Kong, milk tea is an unassuming
beverage, something you use to wash down
sweet French toast off a plastic plate. It’s so
H
beloved that members of Hong Kong’s protest
movement have called themselves part of a
“Milk Tea Alliance” with activists from
Taiwan, Thailand, and Myanmar who drink
similar beverages.
Following a law that silenced or jailed most
political opposition, more than 133,000
residents have secured a special visa that
allows them to live and work in the U.K. and
apply for British citizenship after six years.
Official figures have not been released on how
many have gone, but most recipients are
expected to do so given the visa’s cost.
The pathway was introduced last year in
response to China’s 2020 enactment of the
National Security Law, which the U.K. called
“a clear breach” of the 1984 Sino-British Joint
Declaration. The declaration included a
promise to retain the former British colony’s
rights and freedoms for 50 years after it was
returned to China’s rule in 1997.
Exiled activist Lee Ka-wai said that
immersing himself at a Hong Kong-style café
in London with a cup of milk tea was a
“luxury.”
The 26-year-old fled Hong Kong in March
last year out of fear of being arrested. He is
wanted by the city’s anti-graft body for
allegedly inciting others to boycott the
legislative election in December 2021. As an
asylum seeker in Britain, he is not allowed to
work and is living on savings.
Even if the taste is right, he said, the feel of a
cha chaan teng and the sounds of customers
chatting in Cantonese cannot be replicated.
“It’s strange because I can feel a sense of
home overseas. But it also has another
Continued on page 4
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The Asian Reporter is published on
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Bangladesh Taka· ·
Cambodian Riel · ·
China Renminbi · ·
Fijian Dollar · · · ·
Hong Kong Dollar ·
Indian Rupee · · · ·
Indonesian Rupiah ·
Iranian Rial · · · ·
Japanese Yen · · ·
Laos New Kip · · ·
Malaysian Ringgit ·
Nepal Rupee · · · ·
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Papua N.G. Kina · ·
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102.3
4111.6
7.019
2.1683
7.7838
81.41
15389
42400
135.36
17,303
4.383
130.35
223.65
3.521
55.725
61.75
3.758
1.3546
1304.3
368.13
30.609
34.69
24363