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International News

By Mari Yamaguchi
Associated Press Writer

***

From The Asian Reporter, V18, #22 (June 3, 2008), page 2.

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — More than 350 human skeletons dating back as far as 2,500 years have been discovered on Guam with the removal of a hotel swimming pool. "This discovery represents one of the oldest, largest, and best-preserved prehistoric burial populations ever uncovered in the Western Pacific region," archaeologist David DeFant said. "The results of this research will make a significant contribution to our understanding of how these early people lived and perhaps where they came from," said DeFant, who is with the archaeological firm Paul H. Rosendahl Inc. Previous finds in the Marianas island chain dated back no further than 1,000 to 1,500 years, he said. As old as they are, the skeletons unearthed from beneath the pool at the Guam Hotel Okura in Tumon Bay aren’t those of the first humans to inhabit Guam, DeFant said. DNA testing will be attempted in an effort to trace their ancestry, he said. The swimming pool was removed to renovate the hotel, which is now called the Guam Aurora Resort Villa and Spa. "It’s amazing how they survived underneath the pool," DeFant said.

HONG KONG (AP) — Organizers of this year’s Olympic equestrian events at the Sha Tin race course recently took charge of the $150-million venue from the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The venue has undergone a two-year construction project that included creating a floodlit main arena with seating for 18,000 spectators, an equine hospital, and air-conditioned stables and training areas. "We feel it is money well spent because it has been invested in Hong Kong’s Olympic history," jockey club deputy chairman Brian Stevenson said. Hong Kong is hosting the Beijing Games’ equestrian events because quarantine rules on mainland China do not meet international standards. "Not only was the venue completed within such a short time, but it is also the best equestrian venue ever built," Hong Kong Olympic committee president Timothy Fok said. The club’s testing laboratory will be the first to offer onsite doping tests at an Olympic equestrian venue.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has expressed hope for quick stabilization of Sudan’s political situation. Lee’s office said he supports international efforts to bring peace to Sudan. His remarks came during summit talks in Seoul with his Sudanese counterpart, Omar al-Bashir. Ethnic Africans in Sudan’s Darfur region began fighting the Arab-dominated government in 2003, citing discrimination. The U.N. says the conflict has killed up to 300,000 people and forced 2.5 million from their homes. The Sudanese president thanked Seoul for its aid, which stands at $3.9 million this year. Lee pledged to increase Seoul’s aid to Sudan.

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A 76-year-old Nepalese man reached the summit of Mount Everest and became the oldest person to climb the world’s highest mountain, a tourism official said. Min Bahadur Sherchan reached the 29,035-foot summit with his climbing guides, said a Nepal Tourism Ministry official, Ramesh Chetri. Sherchan was just 25 days away from his 77th birthday, Chetri said. He beat the record set last year by Japanese climber Katsusuke Yanagisawa, who scaled the peak at age 71. The former soldier climbed smaller mountains before Everest and has been an active sportsman, Chetri said. Mountaineers were able to resume Everest climbs on May 9 after the Nepalese government lifted a temporary ban ordered to prevent protests against China’s rule in Tibet during an ascent by Chinese climbers carrying the Olympic torch. The Chinese torch team scaled the summit on May 8 — from the northern Tibetan side of Everest — and Nepal lifted the ban a day later.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The United States said it has lifted a travel warning placed on Indonesia following a string of terrorist attacks. It cited improved security for the decision. Hundreds of Islamic militants have been convicted and imprisoned as part of efforts by local authorities to weaken the regional network Jemaah Islamiyah, blamed for at least four deadly suicide bombings in Indonesia since 2002. The last one was carried out on Bali island in late 2005, killing 20 people. U.S. Ambassador to Jakarta Cameron Hume said the warning was lifted because of "improvements made by Indonesia in its current security situation."

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s education minister has dismissed complaints by an Islamic group that uniforms of schoolgirls are too sexy and invite rape, an official said. Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said his ministry was unlikely to change the uniforms, which he does not consider to be too sexy, but said officials would look into the matter. "It is unfair to punish women and children and the clothes they wear for the act of rapists," The Star daily quoted him as saying. "From what I have seen, clothing is not the main consideration of those who commit despicable acts." The uniform became an issue in the local media after a little-known group, the National Islamic Students Association of Malaysia, issued a statement saying the loose, white blouse worn by schoolgirls was too transparent. It said the blouse encouraged rape and premarital sex. The association, which claims to have some 1,500 members, said the uniforms should be reviewed to suit Islamic ideals.