Nine days after the landslide at the campsite of an organic farm, the last of the 31 victims who died in the tragedy was found by the search and rescue team.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Wan Md Razali Wan Ismail said one of its personnel had noticed some liquid flowing at the hillside in Sector A of the areas demarcated at the Father’s Organic Farm in Batang Kali.
“He thought it strange, so he and his team decided to dig manually using a shovel and discovered the body inside a sleeping bag,” he said. Another leader of the search and rescue team, Suffian Abdullah, said the body of the boy was found at 4.53pm underneath 1.5 metres of soil at the hillside some 4m from the campsite at Sector A.
“The victim, who is between seven and 12 years old, was fully clothed, but his body had started to decompose,” Abdullah told reporters at the search and rescue operations centre in Batang Kali yesterday.
He added that the search and rescue operation was still ongoing.
“We will make a decision on the status of the operation [on Sunday].”
A total of 80 personnel from various agencies were involved on the ninth day of the search and rescue operation, he added.
Twenty victims were discovered in Sector A, one in Sector B and 10 in Sector C.
There was no development at the operations centre for most of the day until about 5pm when news about the discovery of the last body came in.
Earlier, a member of the search and rescue team was rushed to the hospital after he collapsed.
“We believe he collapsed under the heat and dehydration. He might have forgotten to eat, too.
“He was rushed to Hospital Selayang for treatment,” officials said in a statement.
Authorities have not officially named the deceased boy.
According to news reports, he is 11-year-old Eng Shao Qi, a pupil at SJK(C) Mun Choong in Kuala Lumpur, where his father Eng Choon Wen, 43, operated a canteen. Choon Wen and his daughter Huai Yi, 12, as well as his canteen assistant Nurul Azwani Kamaruzaman, 31, also died in the December 16 landslide.
Chinese researchers develop new method to preserve female fertility
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2022
A group of Chinese scientists has developed a new method to preserve ovarian follicles of mice at very low temperatures, increasing their viability by more than 30 % after recovering, compared with conventional methods.
The results shed light on a promising approach for fertility preservation in women, according to the study published in the journal Nature Communications.
For prepubescent girls or women in urgent need of cancer treatment, follicle cryopreservation is almost the sole option to preserve their fertility.
However, the protective agents used in the current method of follicle cryopreservation often lead to poor results due to their high concentration and toxicity, said the paper.
Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China, in collaboration with counterparts from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, reduced the demand for the highly toxic protective agents and lowered their concentration by 75 %, said the paper, increasing the viability of mouse follicles by more than 30 %.
In further research, egg cells obtained from these follicles were fertilized in vitro and developed into healthy mouse pups after embryo transfer, said Zhao Gang, the research leader at the university.
The patent for this technology has been filed and is expected to be applied clinically in related hospitals in Anhui province in the next year, Zhao added.
Suspect in Abe murder judged mentally competent to be indicted
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2022
The Nara District Public Prosecutors Office has judged that Tetsuya Yamagami, the suspect in the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Nara City in July, is mentally competent to be held responsible for the criminal act, according to sources.
Yamagami, a 42-year-old jobless man, was referred to prosecutors on suspicion of murder and has been under psychiatric evaluation. The prosecutors made their judgment based on the evaluation results.
The period during which he may be detained in relation to the evaluation expires on Jan. 10. The prosecutor’s office aims to indict him by Jan. 13, when the period for detaining him over the murder charge expires.
Yamagami shot Abe, who was delivering an election campaign speech on a street near Yamato-Saidaiji Station on the Kintetsu Line in the city, around 11:30 a.m. on July 8, according to the police. He was arrested on the spot on suspicion of attempted murder.
On July 10, the charge against him was revised to murder and he was sent to the prosecutor’s office.
During questioning after the arrest, Yamagami testified that he held grudge against the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, commonly known as the Unification Church, as his mother has been a follower of the religious organization and she donated large amounts of money to it.
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Tetsuya Yamagami
As the reason for attacking Abe, Yamagami was quoted as explaining that he believed Abe had ties with the religious organization.
In a letter he sent to a journalist the day before the shooting, Yamagami wrote of Abe, “He is not my primary enemy,” also saying, “He is no more than one of the most influential sympathizers of the Unification Church.”
Anticipating that Yamagami’s mental competence to be held responsible at trial would become an issue, the prosecutor’s office had him detained for a psychiatric evaluation that took four months, from July 25 to Nov. 29.
Specialist doctors repeatedly interviewed Yamagami to examine how he had grown up and probe his psychological condition at the time of the crime. The prosecutor’s office held hearings about the outcome of the evaluations.
In addition, the prosecutor’s office extended the period of detention for psychiatric evaluation to make its judgment more careful.
According to sources, the psychiatric evaluation of Yamagami did not find any mental illness that could greatly affect his ability to judge between right and wrong.
The prosecutor’s office also considered such points as that Yamagami prepared a homemade gun and checked Abe’s schedule of street speeches in advance.
Finding that he had acted based on a plan before the attack, the prosecutor’s office judged it possible to lay a criminal charge against Yamagami.
Christmas will feel very different without Queen Elizabeth, says Britain’s Kate
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2022
Britain’s Princess of Wales paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth at a carol service in Westminster Abbey, saying the royal family’s first Christmas without the late monarch would “feel very different.”
The carol service took place last week and was broadcast on Saturday.
King Charles, accompanied by Queen Consort Camilla, joined his son Prince William, Kate and other members of the family at the service in the abbey, where late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral was held in September.
Kate, who is William’s wife and became Princess of Wales after Charles ascended to the throne, hosted the event and dedicated it to Queen Elizabeth and “all those who are sadly no longer with us.”
“So, whilst Christmas will feel very different this year, we can still remember the memories and traditions we shared,” Kate said in an introduction to the service. Queen Elizabeth died on Sept. 8 aged 96, after 70 years on the throne.
“Her Majesty held Christmas close to her heart, as a time that brought people together and reminded us of the importance of faith, friendship and family, and to show empathy and compassion,” she said.
The family presented a united front at the service on Dec. 15 – the same day that the final episodes of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan‘s Netflix documentary series were released.
Harry, who stepped down from royal duties in 2020, piled fresh criticism on his family in the series, including accusing his older brother William of screaming at him during a summit to discuss his future.
Migrants face freezing Christmas at US-Mexico border
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2022
Hundreds of migrants prepared to camp in the cold at Mexico’s northern border over Christmas, hoping for a swift reversal in U.S. migration restrictions as they endure the bite of a winter storm ravaging the United States.
After the US Supreme Court, this week ruled that restrictions known as Title 42 could stay in place temporarily, many migrants are facing a Christmas weekend of what Mexico’s weather service called a “mass of arctic air.”
“I want to spend Christmas in a place where it is not cold, I would really like to be under a roof,” said Franyer Chavez, a Venezuelan migrant in El Paso,Texas. “Everyone here would like to spend Christmas under a roof because the cold is strong.”
Temperatures in the border cities of Matamoros and Reynosa, where several thousand people are camping outside or in bare-bones shelters, are expected to hover around freezing on Saturday and only slightly improve on Sunday (December 25).
Further west in Ciudad Juarez, where hundreds of migrants have been lining up to seek asylum at the border with El Paso, Texas, temperatures are forecast to drop to minus six degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit). Many have been sleeping in the streets.
Officials have provided more space in shelters in recent days, but some migrants are wary.
Title 42 allows the United States to return migrants to Mexico or certain countries without a chance to request asylum. It had been due to end on Dec. 21 before the court ruling. Without clarity on when it will finish, some officials worry their cities could be overwhelmed if more migrants turn up.
Gunman in Paris kills three in attack on Kurdish center, sparking protests
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2022
Reuters
A gunman killed three people at a Kurdish cultural centre and nearby Kurdish cafe in central Paris on Friday (December 23), prompting violent protests in nearby streets as night fell.
Multiple gunshots were fired on Rue d’Enghien at about midday, creating panic on a street lined with small shops and cafes in the French capital’s busy 10th district.
All three of those who died in the attack were Kurdish, a lawyer for the Kurdish cultural centre told Reuters. Three others were wounded, one of them with life threatening injuries.
Authorities said they had arrested a 69-year-old man, whom Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said had recently been freed from detention while awaiting trial for a sabre attack on a migrant camp in Paris a year ago. He was convicted in June of committing violent acts with a weapon in 2016, and had lodged an appeal.
Riot police fired teargas as darkness descended to drive back an angry crowd gathered a short distance from the scene of the shootings as projectiles were thrown at officers, rubbish bins and restaurant tables overturned and cars damaged.
A group of mahouts, each dressed as Santa Claus, led a herd of elephants into a school in central Thailand on Friday (December 23) to distribute Christmas gifts to students.
Cambodia logs 873 suicides as poverty, debt and depression take heavy toll
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2022
Nearly 900 people have committed suicide in Cambodia this year, the leading causes being debt, depression, failed relationships, chronic illness, or the mental effects of alcohol/drugs, according to a police report.
The report said the favoured methods of suicide were hanging, poison, jumping from tall buildings and bridges, self-immolation, and firearms.
“A total of 873 people died and 13 were injured in suicide attempts,” it said.
Globally, suicides have risen steadily since 2016, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), with no country claiming to be able to address this issue successfully.
“Every case is a tragedy that has a lasting impact on survivors, including families, communities and the nation as a whole. It is the fourth-leading cause of death worldwide among people aged 15-29,” said a WHO report.
Most suicide cases occur in times of crisis when people feel unable to cope with stress, whether from chronic pain or illness, financial difficulties or the end of a relationship, it added.
Sek Socheat, co-founder of Cambodia’s Mindset Development Organisation, said people were becoming mentally ill and depressed under the stress of severe social and economic injustices. Severe depression can lead to people considering their own lives worthless, he added.
“A lack of education to raise awareness of mental health issues is one reason why so many people are vulnerable to serious depression. This, coupled with serious social and economic injustices, has led to some patients committing suicide.
“The most urgent and effective solution would be to integrate mental health education in the community and provide socio-economic and health support to more communities,” he told The Post.
Yim Sobotra, a psychiatrist at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh, said patients he sees with chronic mental illness or severe depression are often suffering from a lack of opportunities or poverty, or have experienced violence or abuse.
“People aware they are experiencing mental health difficulties should see a qualified professional. Receiving treatment from a specialist will help them manage their stress and anxiety more effectively. Parents, guardians or family members should encourage one another to seek help,” he said.
He added that many people’s understanding of mental health remains limited. All units of Cambodia’s healthcare system should work to increase public awareness of mental and physical health, he said.
Phnom Penh logged the highest number of suicides at 119. Four people survived attempts or were rescued. Kampong Cham province recorded the second-highest, with 66 deaths while Battambang was third with 64 suicides.
The province with the lowest number of recorded suicides was Ratanakkiri, with six.
It takes 14 years of serious scrimping to own a home in Seoul
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2022
An average wage earner in South Korea would have to save up their entire income for 14 years to buy a home in Seoul, a recent government study shows.
The price-to-income ratio — the median home price divided by the median annual household income — for Seoul in 2021 jumped to 14.1 from 12.5 in 2020, according to the 2021 Korea Housing Survey released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The figure was higher than that of any other region in the country, with Sejong being the only other city where it was in double digits, at 11.3.
The ratio rose for all regions in the country, with the nationwide figure being 6.7, up from 5.5 in the year before. After Seoul and Sejong came Gyeonggi Province, Daejeon, and Daegu, with 9.9, 7.7 and 7.5, respectively.
The ratio of homeowners in the greater Seoul area — comprising the capital and Gyeonggi Province — logged a slight increase from 53% to 54.7%, while the rest of the country marked a slight drop. The figure for the entire country was unchanged at 60.6%.
Housing prices and related policies have always been key points of interest for South Koreans. The previous Moon Jae-in administration was widely slammed for its housing policy, with some 76% of the respondents in a January survey by Data Research saying it was “not doing well” on housing, despite the outgoing president’s relatively-high overall approval rating of 44.1%.
President Yoon Suk-yeol has vowed to loosen regulations on real estate to increase the supply of homes since his campaigning days, leading up to his election victory in March of this year.
While house prices have risen, rents have become more affordable. The annual government report released on Wednesday also showed that the national rent-to-income ratio dropped from 16.6% in 2020 to 15.7% in 2021. It took an average head of a family 7.7 years to buy his or her first home, the same as the year before.
The survey showed that 88.9% of the respondents believe that owning a home is necessary, up from 87.7% the year before. Newlyweds in particular showed a strong desire to own a home, at 90.7%.
In the interest of achieving that goal, 41.3% said there was a need for government-funded housing support programmes. Specifically, loans for purchasing homes (36%), loans for deposits when renting homes (23.9%), providing more long-term public housing (10.9%), and rent support (9.8%).
The annual report was conducted on 51,000 households across the country, the details of which have been made public on the homepage of the MOLIT Statistics System, provided in Korean and English.
Vietnamese tourism has not recovered as expected despite early re-opening
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2022
Vietnamese tourism and airline services have not recovered as expected despite the country’s early opening for tourism after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Le Quoc Minh, editor-in-chief of Nhan Dan (People) newspaper.
He made the statement at a roundtable themed “Economic and business recovery 2022: Solutions to create a breakthrough from the pillar of the aviation-tourism service,” organised recently by the newspaper in collaboration with the Research and Development Department of the Private Economy.
Minh assessed that Vietnam’s economy recovered rapidly and continued to grow despite global challenges in 2022. The economic recovery momentum comes from macroeconomic stability, agricultural support, and the rapid recovery of the manufacturing, processing and domestic consumption sectors.
However, he noted that the Vietnamese economic recovery has been uneven across sectors. Despite its early opening for tourism after the pandemic on March 15, tourism-airline services have not recovered as expected as the number of international visitors has been much lower than in some other countries in the region.
According to Chris Farwell, representative of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), Vietnam’s tourism in general has grown stronger than forecast in the domestic market, increasing by more than 100 million visitors compared to initial forecasts.
However, the number of international tourists did not achieve the expected recovery rate, reaching about 3.5 million international tourists, much lower than the target of five million international arrivals in 2022 and US$4.5 billion in revenue, he added.
Foreign visitors contribute a significant part to the total revenue structure of the tourism industry. It is estimated that in the three years before the Covid-19 pandemic, international visitors to Vietnam were only 20 % of domestic visitors but contributed about 58 % of total income. In 2019 specifically, total revenue from international tourists accounted for $18.3 billion of the total revenue of $32.8 billion generated by the tourism industry.
Meanwhile, other countries in the region, such as Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia, have all exceeded their targets in terms of attracting international visitors and recovering the tourism industry.
Thailand has reached its goal of 10 million international tourists set for 2022 by the beginning of December, earning total revenue of $14 billion. In the last two months of 2022, some of Thailand’s main markets in Europe have nearly resumed to pre-Covid-19 levels while none of Vietnam’s key markets has recovered to 50 % of their levels before the pandemic.
Urgent actions needed
According to Farwell, one of the main reasons for the success of tourism in other countries in the region after re-opening is the increase of the visa-free period to over 30 days for international visitors.
The representative of TAB added that Vietnam has not had a national plan for revitalising the tourism and hospitality industry. In addition, the national tourism industry is still largely dependent on irregular, regional initiatives and projects or domestic tourists to “feed” itself. The country is also lacking a working group that includes representatives of the Government and the private sector to collaborate to develop and deploy a national plan for tourism.
He, therefore, recommended that quick action and incentives must be implemented to entice more tourists, while the government urgently needs to support the tourism industry.
At the roundtable, business leaders, economic experts and representatives of state management agencies focused on discussing and identifying the main bottlenecks hindering achieving the goal of attracting five million international tourists and the reasons why Vietnam is at the bottom of the international tourism recovery rankings compared to other countries in the region despite its early opening.
The conference agreed to propose urgent solutions for 2023 so that aviation tourism can fully recover, such as making the visa-free list of countries equal to Thailand (65 countries), extending the number of visa-free days to 30-45 days or more, removing Covid-19 treatment insurance and perfecting policies and mechanisms to facilitate the recovery of tourism by setting up a special working group to restore Vietnam’s international tourism arrivals.
The solutions will be compiled and submitted to the Government and the Prime Minister for consideration at a national tourism conference that kicks off on December 21.
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Tetsuya Yamagami
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