China sets new record submersible deepest seas dive

Chinese sub dives over 6,000 meters

ABOARD XIANGYANGHONG 09 - China's manned deep-sea submersible Jiaolong and three divers inside are rising from over 6,000 meters below the sea in the Mariana Trench after setting the country's dive record on Friday.

China's manned deep-sea submersible, Jiaolong, is unmoored from its mother ship before making its first dive in the Mariana Trench, as part of a bid to go to depths of up to 7,000 meters, June 15, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

The dive, which began at 9 am local time Friday (2300 GMT Thursday), is the first of a series of six scheduled ones.

The dive went smoothly and cost about 3 hours for the Jiaolong to reach the depth of 6,000 meters at 12 pm local time (0200GMT), which far surpassed the 5,188-meter record it made last July.

The three divers Ye Cong, Cui Weicheng and Yangbo inside the vessel wished China's Shenzhou-9 spacecraft launch a success from 6,055 meters below the sea.

The Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft Thursday completed its final full-system drill before its planned launch in mid-June.

The Jiaolong threw ballast iron and began to rise at 12:44 pm local time (0244 GMT).

So far, the three drivers and the Jiaolong itself have been OK.

There was something wrong with the submersible's No 1 communication system, but the No 2 set is working soundly to guarantee the connection between the vessel and Xiangyanghong 09, its mother ship.

The rise is expected to last three hours and the on-scene dive headquarter will timely release the diving information.

The Jiaolong, depending on local weather and sea conditions, will try another five dives, deeper and deeper, in the coming days. The fifth and sixth are scheduled to challenge the depth of 7,000 meters.

The six dives, each of which may last eight to 12 hours, will test various functions and performances of the manned submersible at great depths.

Experts say, for safety, sea dives can only be conducted in daylight under no-more-than-four-class wind and no-more-than-three-class wave.

The Xiangyanghong 09 ship reached the designated dive zone in Mariana Trench on Monday morning.

China's manned deep-sea submersible, Jiaolong, is hung up before making its first dive in the Mariana Trench, as part of a bid to go to depths of up to 7,000 meters, June 15, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

Submersible sets new China dive record 

Enlarge

File photo of the Chinese submersible "Jiaolong". The manned Chinese submersible on Friday set a new record for the country's deepest ever sea dive at 6,000 metres (19,685 feet), state media said.

A manned Chinese submersible set a new record for the country's deepest sea dive Friday, over 6,000 metres, showing Beijing's technological ambitions as it also readies for its first manned space docking.

The "Jiaolong" craft dived over 19,685 feet into the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, the first in a series of six dives which will plumb depths of 7,000 metres, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The deep-sea dive push comes as China prepares to launch a spacecraft on Saturday to conduct its first manned space docking, as part of efforts to establish a permanent space station by 2020.

The submersible, which carried three men, reached around 6,500 metres with only a technical glitch in communications, state media said.

"In our first battle, we have already reached 6,500 metres. All of our tasks have been completed," chief commander Liu Feng told state television aboard the ship carrying the submersible.

He said a piece of communications equipment on the surface of the water failed, but the team switched to a back-up system and restored communications. He did not say whether contact was completely lost with the Jiaolong.

The same vessel -- named after a dragon from Chinese mythology -- reached 5,188 metres in a Pacific dive last July, the nation's previous record.

Friday's dive sparked outpourings of nationalism on the Internet and comparisons to the upcoming space launch.

"Three pilots will take the Jiaolong to attempt the 7,000-metre dive, while three astronauts will take the Shenzhou-9 to connect with the Heavenly Palace," a Shanghai based blogger wrote on his microblog.

"Up in the sky we can pluck the moon, down in the oceans we can catch the turtles," said the posting on Sina's microblog service, quoting a saying attributed to late Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

Experts say China intends to use the submersible for scientific research, such as collecting samples of undersea life and studying geological structures, as well as future development of mineral resources.

But one Chinese expert on Friday described the latest dives as an "experiment" for China and said future use of submersibles for scientific research faced obstacles, such as with stability and durability of the craft.

"Even after it reaches the 7,000-metre depth, it still remains a question whether it can achieve scientific purposes," Zhou Huaiyang, professor of the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences at Shanghai's Tongji University, told AFP.

Scientists say the oceans' floors contain rich deposits of potentially valuable minerals, but the extreme depths pose technical difficulties in harvesting them on a large scale.

 AFP
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 China achieves double record-breaker: Sky-high and abyss-deep sea!
 

China will launch three astronauts, including a woman on Saturday

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The very latest on Saturday's launch of the historic Shenzhou-9 space mission. Both the crew and the launch time have been announced by a spokesman for China’s manned space program.



The Shenzhou-9 spaceship will be launched at 18:37 Beijing time on Saturday June 16th. The crew will consist of PLA astronauts Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang, and the first ever Chinese female astronaut, Liu Yang.

Astronaut Jing Haipeng.

The Shenzhou-9 is due to perform China’s first ever manned space docking mission with the Tiangong-1 orbiting module. It will be launched on board China’s Long March 2F rocket carrier.

All preparations have been completed at the launch site, and all systems are ready for the launch. The astronauts are said to be in good condition and are doing their final preparation work. The Shenzhou-9 mission headquarters is due to hold a press conference this afternoon, with the crew members due to meet the press. We’ll bring you full coverage of that as it happens.

Astronaut Liu Wang.

Astronaut Liu Yang.  Liu Yang, China's first woman astronaut waves as she leaves after attending a meet the press event at the Jiuquan satellite launch center near Jiuquan in western China's Gansu province, Friday, June 15, 2012. (AP / Ng Han Guan) View Larger Image Read more: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/SciTech/20120615/china-space-manned-mission-120615/#ixzz1xvLRiFlA Related stories China's space lab Tiangong-1 enters docking orbit 2012-06-15 US astronauts wish Chinese peers well 2012-06-15 Crossover: Astronauts' final line-up 2012-06-14 Space module made for China's female astronauts 2012-06-14 China's first female astronaut meets media China's astronauts Jing Haipeng (C), Liu Wang (R) and Liu Yang meet with media in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province, June 15, 2012. The three astronauts will board Shenzhou-9 spacecraft on Saturday to fulfill China's first manned space docking mission. (Xinhua/Li Gang)     1 2 3 4 5 6 7   JIUQUAN, June 15 (Xinhua) -- China's first female astronaut Liu Yang, together with her two male crew mates Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang, met the media on Friday. The three astronauts will board the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft on Saturday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China to fulfill China's first manned space docking mission. "I am grateful to the motherland and the people. I feel honored to fly into the space on behalf of hundreds of millions of female Chinese citizens," said Liu Yang. She said that to be an astronaut, one has to obtain a lot of theoretical knowledge, go through very challenging space living environment training and survive examinations on operation skills with no error. "The sense of mission and responsibility as well as the passion for aerospace undertakings are the source of courage to overcome difficulties," she said. "When I was a pilot, I flew in the sky. Now I am an astronaut, I will fly in the space. That will be a higher and farther flight," Liu said. She said many tasks have been arranged for this space trip. "Aside from fulfilling the tasks, I want to experience the fantastic environment in space and appreciate the beautiful Earth and our homeland from the space." She said she will keep a detailed record of her feelings and experiences and share with scientists and future astronauts when she comes back. She also expressed her gratefulness to all the people. "I will live up to your expectations and work with my teammates to fulfil this space mission," she said. All three crew members are former pilots of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). They are all members of the Communist Party of China. Enlisted in the army in 1997, Liu was a veteran pilot with 1,680 hours of flying experience and the deputy head of a flight unit of the PLA's Air Force before being recruited into China's second batch of prospective astronauts in May 2010. She is now an air force major. After two years of training that has shored up her astronautic skills and adaptability to the space environment, Liu excelled in testing and was selected in March this year as a candidate to crew the Shenzhou-9.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 China to send its first woman into space June 15, 2012 by NG HAN GUAN, PHYS.COM   Enlarge File photo of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force women fighter pilots at a PLA base in Beijing. China said Friday a female astronaut will be among the three-person team on board the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, which will launch on Saturday, the official Xinhua news agency reported. (AP) — China will launch three astronauts, including a mother of one who flies transport planes, to live and work on a space station for about a week, a major step in its goal of becoming only the third nation with a permanent base orbiting Earth. Liu Yang, a 34-year-old, volleyball-playing air force pilot, and two male colleagues are expected to be launched Saturday in the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft that will dock with the bus-sized Tiangong 1 space module now orbiting 322 kilometers (200 miles) above the Earth. Two of the astronauts will live and work inside the module to test its life-support systems while the third will remain in the capsule to deal with unexpected emergencies. State media have said the mission will last about 10 days before the astronauts travel back to Earth in the capsule that will land on the Western Chinese grasslands with the help of parachutes. Success in docking — and in living and working aboard the Tiangong 1 — would smooth the way for more ambitious projects, such as sending a man to the moon, and add to China's international prestige in line with its growing economic prowess. If completed, the mission will put China alongside the United States and Russia as the only countries to have independently maintained space stations, a huge boost to Beijing's ambitions of becoming a space power. It already is in the exclusive three-nation club to have launched a spacecraft with astronauts on its own. The mission "demonstrates China's commitment to its long-term human spaceflight plan," said Joan Johnson-Freese, an expert on the Chinese space program at the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island. She said its success "will demonstrate the technological capabilities requisite for a future permanent space station." Still, that is some years away. The Tiangong 1 is only a prototype, and the plan is to eventually replace it with a permanent — and bigger — space station due for completion around 2020. The permanent station will weigh about 60 tons, slightly smaller than NASA's Skylab and about one-sixth the size of the 16-nation International Space Station. Analysts say China's exclusion from the ISS, largely on objections from the United States, was one of the key spurs for it to pursue an independent program 20 years ago, which reaches a high point with Saturday's launch. The three astronauts will conduct scientific and engineering tasks on Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace, which was put into orbit in September. Morris Jones, an Australian writer and space analyst, said they will also conduct experiments, likely including physiological tests on themselves, in anticipation of longer stays in future. China first launched a man into space in 2003 followed by a two-man mission in 2005 and a three-man trip in 2008 that featured China's first space walk. In November 2011, the unmanned Shenzhou 8, successfully docked with the Tiangong 1 by remote control — twice to show the durability of the system. While operating with limited resources, China's space program is a source of huge national pride and enjoys top-level political and military backing. This has left it largely immune from the budgetary pressures affecting NASA, although China doesn't say what it spends on the program. The selection of the first female astronaut is giving the program an additional publicity boost. State media have gushed this week about Liu, pointing out that she once successfully landed her plane after a bird strike disabled one of its engines. As with China's other female astronaut candidates, Liu is married and has a child, a requirement because the space program worries that exposure to space radiation may affect fertility. The Associated Press.   Newscribe : get free news in real time   Related post: China to launch 3 astronauts in new manned space flight docking

Malaysia my 2nd home, more Japanese to invest in property in Penang

Japan folk scouting for overseas property to invest in

GEORGE TOWN: More Japanese investors are expected to scout for property in Penang this year because of fears of another round of natural disasters in their country.

Tropical Resort Lifestyle (MM2H) Sdn Bhd managing director Shotaro Ishihara said more Japanese were now scouting for overseas property to invest in and to relocate.

Ishihara, whose company promotes Malaysian property in the Japanese market, said Penang real estate was an attractive investment because it cost less than property in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.

“However, only a small number of Japanese have bought residential property in Penang.

“This is because Penang is known in Japan as a holiday resort and not as a property investment destination. The rental yield is also still not attractive,” he said.

Ishihara said the Japanese media should be roped in to help promote property in Penang.

About 1,500 Japanese expatriates work in Penang while some 600 more live in Penang under the Malaysia My Second Home programme.

The property rented or bought by the Japanese are usually condominiums in the residential neighbourhoods of Pulau Tikus, Tanjung Tokong and Tanjung Bungah, all priced from RM500,000.

In the last few years, Tropical Resort has helped to sell about 200 condominum units in Kuala Lumpur and Penang to Japanese investors, priced between RM600,000 and RM1.8mil each.

Reports by ISABELLE LAI, DAVID TAN and HAFIZ MARZUKHI

More Japanese opt to live in Malaysia

Reports by ISABELLE LAI, DAVID TAN and HAFIZ MARZUKHI

PETALING JAYA: The Japanese have overtaken Iranians in making Malaysia their second home, snapping up properties in the Klang Valley and other urban areas.

According to the Malaysia My Second Home Centre, Japan has been the top participating country since last year, when the country was hit by a tsunami and a nuclear crisis in Fukushima.

Malaysia's political stability and economic growth are said to be a big draw.

Feeling at home: Hiroko Hirano, 64, and her husband Hiroyuki Hirano, 67, watering plants at their home in Glugor, Penang. They find it an ideal place for a second home. — ZHAFARAN NASIB / The Star

MM2H statistics showed that the number of Japanese applying to participate in the programme doubled from 195 in 2010 to 423 last year. A total of 787 Japanese applications were approved from 2009 to last year.

The Chinese jumped to second place last year, with 405 applications approved.

The Iranians, who topped the list from 2008 to 2010, dropped to third place last year and fourth this year, below the Bangladeshis.

As of March, 18,090 foreigners have successfully applied to participate in MM2H.

The rise in Japanese applicants followed the announcement of Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen in late 2010 that Japanese senior citizens were welcome to make Malaysia their second home.

She had said the number of Japanese aged 65 and above was increasing, and living in Malaysia was ideal due to its strategic location, advances in medicine and cheaper living costs.

Real Estate and Housing Developers Association president Datuk Seri Michael Yam said Malaysia, as part of its Look East policy in the past few decades, had focused on making living here convenient and comfortable for the Japanese.

This, he said, included the setting up of a Japanese School in Kuala Lumpur in 1966.

The school is the fifth oldest Japanese school overseas, with spacious premises that include a kindergarten and primary and secondary schools.

Such initiatives had helped to build a cordial relationship between the two countries, Yam said, adding that there were many Japanese investors in Malaysia today.

“These people used to work in Malaysia. When they went back, they probably thought that this is not a bad place to have a second home, especially since it is one of the cheapest places to live in,” Yam said.

He noted that Malaysian condominiums now incorporated a “sprawling lifestyle complex” approach, which includes amenities such as big swimming pools and tennis courts.

“You get good value for money, which you don't necessarily get in other countries, which are more densely packed,” he said, adding that Mont Kiara, which is popular among expatriates, was one of the biggest Japanese enclaves in the country.

According to the Japanese Embassy, the earthquake and tsunami which happened in March last year were another “push factor”.

Japanese Ambassador Shigeru Nakamura said there were about 1,000 couples who have made Malaysia their second home.

Couple finds Penang ideal for second home

Reports by ISABELLE LAI, DAVID TAN and HAFIZ MARZUKHI

GEORGE TOWN: While many foreigners look upon Penang as a tourist destination, a Japanese couple feel the island is ideal for a second home.

Hiroyuki Hirano and his wife Hiroko love everything about Penang so much that they have no plans of moving elsewhere at the moment.

The 67-year-old hardware products quality control consultant moved to Penang in 2007 when he was offered a job here.

Time together: Hiroko helping her husband Hiroyuki wash their car at their house in Minden Heights in Glugor, Penang. 

“As I had visited Penang previously, I had no hesitation taking up the job offer,” Hiroyuki said at his rented house in Minden Heights.

He loves the local cuisine such as Hokkien mee and roti canai.

“I also like nasi lemak and char koay teow,” Hiroyuki added.

Hiroko, 64, a professional dollmaker, said Penang's warm climate suited her and her husband.

“If the weather is too cold, we may get joint pains. Penang's weather suits us perfectly,” Hiroko added.

Asked if they intend to buy property in Penang, the couple said that one of their sons, who is working in Kuala Lumpur, had plans to buy a house.

“We are comfortable in our present home as the neighbours are nice and friendly and the environment is peaceful,” Hiroko said.

Japanese businessman Takayuki Kaneko said he was looking to buy a condominium in Pulau Tikus, Tanjung Tokong or Tanjung Bungah.

“I have lived in a condominium here for seven months with my wife and two daughters. As I am here for the long-term, I want to have my own property.

“Pulau Tikus, Tanjung Tokong and Tanjung Bungah all have easy access to shopping malls, schools, hospitals, restaurants and hotels,” he said.

Reaping rewards from hot crop grown at home

ALOR SETAR: There seems nothing outstanding about a double-storey terrace house in Lorong Kelompang here.

But take a closer look and you will see leaves from rows of chilli plants on the balcony of the house.

Although the view from below only shows about 15 chilli plants, there are actually 260 of them along the 15.2m-long balcony over the front porch.

The plants are a source of extra money for house owner Eang Ah Seng, 72, as well as a way to keep fit.

Passionate farmer: Eang harvesting chillies on the balcony of his house in Lorong Kelompang, Alor Setar, yesterday.

 

Some of the plants are in plastic bags while others are in rows of pots that Eang and his wife Kee Mei Choo, 70, painstakingly hauled up from below using a bucket.

Eang said the chilli plants were planted about three years ago.

“At first I planted them in front of the house but flash floods and pests damaged them. I then moved the plants to the balcony and they have been there since,” he said.

Eang, who owns a fruit orchard in Changkat Jering, Perak, said he got the chilli seedlings from there and decided to plant them at his house here.

The father of nine children aged between 30 and 50 and a grandfather of 16 with one great-grandchild, Eang said he had worked as a farmer for about 40 years.

Although he has left his fruit orchard in Perak in the care of his workers, he still plants small plots of vegetables at his house here.

“I extended the balcony from about 1.2m to 15.2m about seven years ago. At first, I planted bitter gourd and long beans. Later, I switched to chilli,” he said.

Eang said he collected the chillies five times a month and sells them at several wet markets here.

He also sends some to his daughter, who operates a restaurant in Butterworth.

For each harvest he collects about 17kg of chilli and sells them at RM15 per kg.

Taking care of the plants has provided him with much needed exercise.

“I tend to the plants each day including watering and trimming them. This act is a good exercise by itself,” he said.

Eang said besides farming, he is also involved in construction.

“I renovated the balcony myself. I have also done construction work for friends,” he said.

Kee said her husband has been passionate about farming since they got married.

Initially, they lived in Tunjang where Eang planted vegetables to support the family.

“He has no serious illness and farming keeps both of us busy every day,” Kee said.

By EMBUN MAJID embun@thestar.com.my 

From Idea to Business: Persistence is Critical

In honor of Entrepreneur Month, today’s column is an excerpt from my newest eBook, The Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur, premiering on Amazon this week.

There is no impediment that seems too great for a successful entrepreneur

Persistence is a vital characteristic of successful entrepreneurs. Driven by an indomitable spirit, successful entrepreneurs never give up on their dreams of building a viable business. There is no impediment too great. This unflagging attribute is a key characteristic of triumphant business builders.

Entrepreneurs face and tackle bewildering and potentially catastrophic situations. They possess courage, hope and a deeply held belief that they can survive the moment and continue to prosper. Personal strength, greatness, self-confidence, maturity and wisdom are by-products gained through unfathomable adversity. It has been said that men become great mariners when sailing on troubled waters, not calm seas. The same axiom applies in the business world.

Serious hardships may be financial in nature. They might also be employee-, client-, vendor-
 or investor-based. They may arise through human error or market conditions. I can see, in
 my mind’s eye, the depressed face of an entrepreneur who can’t make payroll or has just lost a substantial client. I can sense an owner’s profound frustration upon learning a product has failed and there is a lawsuit to manage. We can empathize with a founder’s pain when there has been a fire, theft or betrayal. Consider the emotions felt with the death of a spouse or key employee. These occurrences are severe, somewhat common, and require a powerful and thoughtful response.

During my forty years in business, I have experienced several situations that elevated my blood pressure and caused sleepless nights. They were emergencies that had to be resolved or the business would fail. I can recall with clarity, in the early days of MarketStar, a small technology client in Canada that would not send payment for the services we had rendered. Cash from the client was critical to our continuance as a startup company. We had to have the money the client owed us to survive. I repeatedly called the client’s president. I sent multiple messages via fax. He would not respond to my pleas. I was desperate. I wondered what I should do.

I decided to fly to Vancouver to meet him at his office, unannounced. He was startled to see me. “I’m here to collect payment,” I said. “I won’t leave until I have a cashable check for $50,000 in my hand. I will sit in your office as long as it takes.”

A few minutes later, I had what I had come to obtain and returned home satisfied with my actions and the results. Gratefully, MarketStar would not be added to a long list of defunct businesses. A treasured personal motto learned in my youth served me well: when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

For some heavy-laden founders, the obstacles are insurmountable and they quit. The dream they pursued comes to an inglorious end. As I visit with former entrepreneurs I have learned that immobilizing doubt and fear rule their thinking. They become paralyzed and unable to act. Disheartened, they feel helpless. They can see no good options, no appropriate answers to their state of affairs.

Having started and failed at four startup businesses myself, I can authentically sympathize with their dilemma. In many cases, the best decision is to turn out the lights and close the doors. For dedicated and persistent entrepreneurs, business failure teaches invaluable lessons — lessons that can be applied in the next venture. Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle; it’s an everlasting journey.

Most successful entrepreneurs have started and stopped several ill-conceived enterprises. I know of only a few lucky executives who have launched an award-winning business in their first try. Most of us need multiple attempts. We are, by nature, persistent souls.

If you plan to start your own business or you run one now, may I provide a few suggestions to help you when the going gets tough?

1) Don’t panic. Don’t give up. Be at peace. Have faith. Know you will develop an answer.

2) Take time to ponder and understand the situation. Obtain all the facts. Find out what happened and why.


3) Consider every option and every possibility to solve the problem.

4) Invite a trusted mentor to advise you on the matter.


5) Engage employees who can help.


6) Make a decision, then act.


7) Evaluate the results. If they are unsatisfactory, try something else.

Great leaders are survivors. They have weathered life’s stormy seas. They have moved heaven and earth to accomplish their business goals. They will never give up.

Alan Hall, Forbes Contributor

Speaker, author, investor and catalyst for entrepreneurial growth.  

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Malaysian Internet users to become victims of Evidence Act; Rampant hacking puts online accounts at risk!

Hackers may cause Internet users to become victims of Evidence Act

Rampant hacking is putting numerous account holders at risk of being prosecuted for offensive material on their website which they did not publish with the newly-introduced Evidence Act putting the onus of proof on them.

According to Cybersecurity Malaysia, an average of eight personal accounts, blogs and websites are being hacked in Malaysia daily.

“It doesn't take an expert to hack into personal accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and e-mail,” said Cybersecurity Malaysia chief executive officer Lt-Col (Rtd) Prof Datuk Husin Jazri.

“Any computer literate person can learn how to do it.”

He added that Internet users who did not secure their personal accounts were the easiest targets.

By P. ARUNA and TASHNY SUKUMA, The Star/Asian News Network

Hackers have their ways to tap into accounts

A graphic designer was not aware that pornographic pictures appeared on his Facebook page until a friend alerted him.

The 25-year-old man, who wanted to be known only as Shan, said he had been asleep at home when he received the call from his friend.

“I found that I could no longer log in to my account as the password had been changed.

“Someone was using my account to post the content under my name,” he said, adding that he then contacted his friends and asked them to delete the compromised account from their list.

Cybersecurity Malaysia CEO Lt-Col (Rtd) Prof Datuk Husin Jazri said there were special devices in the market that enabled anyone to “sniff” WiFi networks.

Lawyers: Act will result in more cautious Net users

The newly-amended Evidence Act will potentially result in a wave of more cautious Internet users, say lawyers, as the onus is now on the person to prove they did not post or create offending material.

If one is hauled up, however, maintaining innocence might prove to be tricky unless Internet users are more thorough with safety measures, they said.

“Witnesses or documents would suffice, depending on circumstances.

“However, if you're a website owner and someone posts such comments, there's no way out,” said Bar IT Committee co-chairman Foong Cheng Leong.

> For more story in The Star today.

Related posts:
 

Warning to Malaysian Internet Users: an Amendment to Evidence Act 2012 May 27, 2012

Pandas to soothe your nerves; Huge housing task; Are Malaysians creative naming them?

Pandas to soothe the nerves

As Malaysia rolls out the red carpet for the pandas, it is hoped that China’s panda diplomacy can also help ease political tension in the country.

ANYTHING about the Giant Pandas are a big hit and when it was announced by our Natural Resources and Environment Ministry on Monday that China had decided to loan two endangered baby pandas for a 10-year period, it made instant world news.

Pandas, from the bear family, are about the most easily recognised and loved animals in the world.
They evoke excitement from viewers who line up for hours outside the zoos from London to New York, Tokyo and Singapore, to get a glimpse of these furry and cuddly animals.

The baby pandas, about a year to three years old, are part of the loan system China has worked out since the early 1980s after concerns were raised over their loss of habitat, endangered status and the difficulty of breeding in captivity.

They are only loaned to countries that China has established strong and friendly relationship with or those that figure very highly on the list of countries deemed important to China.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had made the request when he met his counterpart Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in April when the two leaders opened the joint Malaysia China industrial park in Chengdu, Nanning.

The loan of the pandas, estimated to number about 1,600 in the wild and 268 in captivity, is an important gesture from China to Malaysia as well as commemorating the strong diplomatic ties between the two countries.

It is also to commemorate 40 years of relationship between China and Malaysia.

The political overtones are unmistakable.

Najib’s father Tun Abdul Razak made a path-breaking visit to communist China in 1974, shook hands with Mao Zedong and returned to call a snap election which the enlarged, new coalition Barisan Nasional won handsomely.

It was the first election after the May 13 riots in 1969 and the alienated Chinese community had backed Razak in the hope that the new Barisan Nasional he headed would usher in a new era in politics.

Forty years later, Najib is not hoping to win over the Chinese voters – most of whom are backing his political opponent Pakatan Rakyat – with his “panda diplomacy” with China but the successful arrival of the furry creatures is expected to definitively lighten the divisive atmosphere in the country.

Overall, Najib’s engagement with China and the continuing importance he is giving to China in trade, cultural and education matters will have a desirable effect on voters, including Chinese voters.

Having said that, pandas have always figured importantly in China’s diplomatic efforts.

The practice reportedly existed as far back as the Tang Dynasty when Empress Wu Zetian (625–705) sent a pair of pandas to the Japanese emperor but in modern times, “panda diplomacy” really took off after US President Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to China.

China gifted two pandas – Ling Ling and Xing Xing – following that visit and the pandas generated world headlines and a mad craze in America.

Millions of people lined up to see them in Washington and in one stroke, China scored an instant diplomatic victory.

Japan reportedly dispatched two military aircraft to guard “Lan Lan” and “Kang Kang” when they entered its airspace on arrival from China as part of the now fine-tuned “panda diplomacy”.

West Germany rolled out the red carpet for its pair of pandas in 1974.

In the years since, the rare pandas have become firmly established as an important piece of China’s modern day diplomacy – to break the ice, ease tension and promote goodwill.

But it is not all diplomacy with pandas.

They have to be kept in special enclosures being built at the wetlands park in Putrajaya.

Pandas do nothing but laze around and eat special bamboos shoots (about 20kg a day) – their favourite and only food, which has to be imported from China or specially planted here.

They have to be kept in special, fully air-conditioned enclosure with climate controlled at temperatures ranging between 18°C and 22°C and humidity controlled at 50% to 60% all year round.

Ambient conditions have to be adjusted to simulate the four seasons similar to their natural habitat in south-western China.

According to one estimate, the cost can run up to RM20mil but the returns in the form of gate collection, research and diplomacy, far outweighs the cost.

The reverse is also true. Any mishap will spark a diplomatic uproar and ruin relations as well.

On arrival, the pandas will be quarantined for a month and five more months for acclimatisation before they are opened for public viewing.

Malaysia, the third country in South-East Asia after Thailand and Singapore to get the pandas, will also get the chance to name the pandas in a nationwide contest.

Hopefully, the arrival of the pandas, celebrated for breaking the ice between nations and exciting people, will also ease the tensions and divide in our nation.

COMMENT BY BARADAN KUPPUSAMY  baradan@pc.jaring.my

 

Huge task in housing pandas

By FLORENCE A. SAMY  florenceasamy@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The arrival of the two pandas is exciting news but housing them here is no easy task and requires a big commitment, experts said.

For a start, the Wetlands Park in Putrajaya, which has been announced as the preferred location, would need to construct a proper indoor habitat for the two baby pandas which are of opposite genders.

The enclosure needs to be air-conditioned as the adorable but endangered mountainous animals are not used to living in a tropical climate.

“It must include a playground for the pandas to exercise and a den for them to sleep in. There must also be a back-up for the air-conditioning system as the pandas cannot wait for it to be repaired if the air-condition breaks down.

“It is better for a local keeper to head to China to be trained and be with the pandas for at least six months to study its habits, likes and dislikes before they are brought here,” experts said.

There must also be sufficient bamboo plants for them and it needs to be of a certain species.

A local team will head to China to study the bamboo species.

Chinese conservation experts are also here and will visit the site and outline strict specifications for the enclosure, sources said.

The park also needs to consider building a nursery and possibly an incubator for potential baby pandas since the two animals will be here for 10 years and may procreate.

China had agreed to loan the pandas to Malaysia for 10 years in recognition of the good bilateral ties and in conjunction with the countries' 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry announced the news of the pandas' arrival on Monday.

The Government will sign the agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) tomorrow.

Singapore, which is expected to receive two pandas later this year, is building a 1,500 sq m enclosure at its new River Safari park.

Wetlands International Malaysia senior technical officer Lee Shin Shin said the team in charge of the pandas' care should be properly trained and adequate allocation should be provided as it would be a long-term commitment.

She is however disappointed that huge amounts of money would be spent to bring the pandas over and said it could have been used for local conservation.

Her views were echoed by Malaysian Nature Society president Prof Dr Maketab Mohamed who disagreed with bringing the pandas here and said priority should be given to conserving local endangered animals.

Malaysians are getting bear-y creative

By TERENCE TOH
terence.toh@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: From the run-of-the-mill to the outlandish, Malaysians have been ringing The Star radio stations to suggest names for the giant pandas from China.

Fatimah and Abdullah, Duri and Riang, Satu and Malaysia, Teh and Tarik Malaysians are a bear-y creative lot!

The radio stations under The Star media group had invited listeners to suggest names for the lovable animals. They were inundated with colourful and cheeky responses.

         Amused: Yi Hui taking suggestions from listeners for names for the pandas.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak also received an enthusiastic response when he invited followers of his Ah Jib Gor on his Chinese Facebook page to suggest names for the pandas.

Najib's invitation drew 222 replies from the public as at 8.15pm yesterday.

Among the names suggested were Fufu and Yaya, Ali and Ahmad, Left and Right, Flower and Bing Bing, Salt and Spring and Nini and Lola.

At Red FM, deejay Lil Kev said many callers suggested the pandas be named after local heroes (Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat), famous couples (Romeo and Juliet), popular local food like Kaya and (roti) Tisu, Puttu and Mayam), and even after local politicians.

Athena Tan, better-known as DJ Yi Hui to listeners of 98.8FM, said many callers made references to popular Chinese phrases.

She said examples included Xing Xing and Fu Fu (from xingfu, the Cantonese word for happiness) and Sam Sam and Si Si (from sam si, meaning to think twice).

Yi Hui said she liked the sound Tuan Tuan and Puan Puan.

“I think that's really cute,” she said.

“Plus, it's a must-learn phrase for anyone coming to Malaysia.”

The loan is part of an agreement between the Malaysian Government and the China Wildlife Conservation Association to mark the 40th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries. The agreement will be signed tomorrow.

To celebrate the event and the arrival of the pandas, there will be a nationwide contest to name the animals.

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