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Asia Beat: May 28 08
BEIJING, China PHNOM PENH, Cambodia TOKYO, Japan
The death toll from a strong aftershock in southwestern China rose to eight on Monday, with another 927 people injured. The deaths were spread across the provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi and the large municipality of Chongqing. The 6.4-magnitude quake was the strongest of thousands since the 8.0-magnitude quake on May 12 which left more than 88,000 people dead or missing.
YANGON, Burma
The Burmases junta declared a victory on Monday for a military-backed constitution after a second round of voting in regions hit by the cyclone, claiming nearly 93 per cent endorsed the charter, state media said. Balloting was held on Saturday in regions where 2.4 million people need emergency food, shelter and medicine, after Cyclone Nargis pounded the country more than three weeks ago, leaving 133,000 dead or missing.
Cambodia’s royal cows have performed an ancient ceremony, predicting the country will have a "quite good" rice harvest this year, despite global concerns over supplies of the grain. King Norodom Sihamoni presided over the country’s royal ploughing ceremony in a park outside the royal palace. Thousands of people watched as royal astrologers observed what the cows ate from seven dishes — rice, corn, beans, sesame, grass, water and alcohol — laid out on trays.
JAKARTA, Indonesia
Climate change has helped push malnutrition in the Indonesian half-island of West Timor to levels "higher than in Africa," said the aid group Church World Service. A survey of 4,800 households by the group found that 50 per cent of West Timorese children — out of a total population of up to two million — were moderately or severely underweight, compared to a figure of 21.9 per cent in Africa overall.
When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught — recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help.The African Grey kept mum with the cops who rescued him, but began chatting after a few days with the vet. "I’m Mr. Yosuke Nakamura," the bird told the veterinarian. The parrot also provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.
HONG KONG
A former dean of medicine at Hong Kong University has been charged with fraud, theft and misconduct over allegations that he pocketed fees totalling nearly $300,000 from patients. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) alleges that Lam Shiu-kum falsely told 20 patients who had received treatment at Queen Mary Hospital clinic that fees should be paid to the Gastrointestinal Research (GR), an organization wholly owned and controlled by him.
BANGKOK, Thailand
The United Arab Emirates-based Dubai World has signed an agreement with the Thai government that could pave the way for a land bridge linking the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand in south Thailand. Under the memorandum of understanding, the two parties would conduct a feasibility study of the project over the next year and plan to develop two new ports on each side of the peninsula that may include a special free zone or business park.
YANGON, Burma
The United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, is trying to convince army-ruled Burma not to place at least 2,000 youngsters orphaned by Cyclone Nargis into state-run homes. Anne-Claire Dufay, UNICEF’S child protection chief in Burma, said the children should be kept in family envirnoments and their own communities to better protect them psychologically.
TOKYO, Japan
An unsuspecting passenger flew to Tokyo carrying about $9,555 worth of cannabis, compliments of customs authorities after a sniffer dog failed a detection test, officials said Monday. On Sunday, an officer at Narita International Airport stuffed 142 grams of the drug into the side pocket of a randomly selected black suitcase coming off an overseas flight so that the animal could detect it. Which it didn’t.
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