Asianews November 8- 14,2013

November 8-14, 2013

SACRED RIGHT TO BELIEVE Malaysia's court ruling on the use of 'Allah' opens a debate on the freedom of religion

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November 8-14, 2013

Contents We e k l y b r i e f i n g Society

Hired

Sacred right to believe

Enviroment

Saving the Sumatran rhino

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November 8-14, 2013

Contents Entertainment

Same, same but different

Business

A storm in a coffee cup

Business

Here come the chinese

Society

The colour of prejudice

November 8-14, 2013

Contents

>>DATEBOOK Entertainment

Reeling it in

Entertainment

Hollywood meets China

Happenings around Asia

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WEEKLY BRIEFING AFP

Hakimullah Mehsud, chief of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was killed in a US drone strike in the North Waziristan tribal region on November 1, intelligence officials and the Pakistani Taliban said.

Intelligence officials said the Pakistani Taliban supremo was leaving a meeting at a mosque in Dande Darpakhel area of North Waziristan when the drone targeted the vehicle he was travelling in.

Five militants, including Abdullah Bahar Mehsud and Tariq Mehsud, both key commanders and close aides of the TTP chief, were also killed with two others injured in the drone strike, multiple sources confirmed.

Mehsud has been reported dead several times before. —Dawn

American actor Ashton Kutcher is joining Lenovo as a product engineer.

His job is to help the company's young tablet team develop products that can compete with Apple Inc.'s iPad series.

Chief marketing officer David Roman said at a Los Angeles news conference that the actor/ entrepreneur will provide input on design, specifications, software and usage scenarios.

Details of the contract weren't divulged.

In the popular sitcom Two and a Half Men, Kutcher plays an immature billionaire Internet tycoon. He also stars in the new movie Jobs, giving Hollywood's first portrayal of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

In real life, Kutcher has invested in a number of Silicon Valley companies, such as Skype, Foursquare, Path and Fab. —China Daily

AFP

KILLED

HIRED

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WEEKLY BRIEFING

AFP

HACKED At least 38 websites of Philippine government agencies were attacked by hackers opposed to the graft-ridden pork barrel system. The websites hacked included the Office of the Ombudsman, which handles plunder cases filed in connection with the 10-billion-peso (US$228 million) pork barrel scam and the misuse of 900 million pesos from a fund that was meant for typhoon victims.

The hacker group, Anonymous Philippines, also posted a message on several government websites.

“We apologise for this inconvenience, but this is the only easiest way we could convey our message to you, our dear brothers and sisters who are tired of this cruelty and this false democracy, tired of this government and the politicians who only think about

themselves,” the message read.

“The government, in many ways, has failed its Filipino citizens….

Let us remind the government that fairness, justice and freedom are more than words.”

The message did not name any politician, but it warned: “To the corrupt—fear us.” — Philippine Daily Inquirer

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ENVIRONMENT

Saving the Sumatran rhino O n l y 3 , 5 0 0 r h i n o s re m a i n i n A s i a

ANDATU (RIGHT) AND HIS MOTHER, RATU, AT THE SUAKA RHINO SANCTUARY.

ENVIRONMENT

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THE FIVE RHINOS AT THE SANCTUARY GET DAILY CHECKUPS TO WARD OFF COMMON AILMENTS SUCH AS TUBERCULOSIS, HEPATITIS AND SALMONELLA.

ENVIRONMENT

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SOME SPECIES ARE HANGING ON BY ONLY A THREAD, WITH SINGLE POPULATIONS NUMBERING LESS THAN 50 ANIMALS.

ENVIRONMENT

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ANDATU, A 16-MONTH-OLD SUMATRAN RHINO CALF CURRENTLY TIPS THE SCALES AT 352 KILOGRAMS, UP FROM 25 KILOGRAMS AT BIRTH.

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ENVIRONMENT INDRA HARSAPUTRA The Jakarta Post Bandar Lampung

I

n Way Kambas National Park in East Lampung, a conservation centre has sprung up to save the Sumatran rhino.

Sumadi, the manager of the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS), spoke fondly of Andatu, who was born on June 23, 2012.

The calf is only the fourth in the world—and the first in Asia—born in semi-in-situ captive breeding.

“Andatu is in good health with a good appetite. Now he weighs 352 kilograms, almost the size of Ratu, his mother, who is over 500 kilograms,” Sumadi said at the inaugural Asian Rhino Range State Meeting in Bandar Lampung last month.

The calf—which tipped the scales at 25 kilograms at birth— was the focus of attention at the meeting of Asian and European specialists. In attendance were

representatives of the major Asian nations with rhino populations: Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nepal.

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan was enthusiastic. “The birth of Andatu has opened the window of conservation for us all, because this is a very difficult undertaking due to the solitary nature of rhinos.”

Zulkifli said semi-in-situ captive breeding for rhinos was possible —and Indonesia had proven it.

Occupying an area of 100 hectares of tropical forest in the 125,621 hectares of the national park, the sanctuary was established as part of the government’s Indonesian Rhino Conservation Strategy and Action Plan.

“Andatu” is a portmanteau of his parents’ names: Andalas, the father, who was born in the Cincinnati Zoo in the US in 2001 and has lived at the sanctuary since 2007; and Ratu, who was born and raised in Way Kambas.

It’s not easy to breed Sumatran rhinos in captivity, according to Indonesian

Rhino Foundation Executive Director Widodo S. Ramono: Ratu had two miscarriages before delivering Andatu.

On hand during Ratu’s delivery were Benn Bryan from Australia’s Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Scott Citino from the White Oak Conservation Centre and Paul Reinhart from the Cincinnati Zoo in the US, Susie Ellis from the International Rhino Foundation and Bibhab K. Talukdar from the Asian Rhino Specialist Group of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

“The birth of Andatu has inspired Indonesia to become a Sumatran rhino conservation centre,” Widodo said. “Experts have also agreed to undertake bull conservation at the same time through a semi-natural exsitu breeding programme.”

Widodo said the state of the rhinos in Asia was critical, and that Sumatran, Javan and the greater one-horned rhino of India needed to be protected.

Christy Williams from the

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ENVIRONMENT World Wildlife Fund’s Asian Rhino and Elephant Programme said while the international community had paid significant attention to the plight of the black rhinoceros and white rhinoceros in Africa, relatively little focus had been given to Asian species.

There are far fewer rhinos in Asia: only 3,500, versus 25,000 across Africa, as of March. Some species are hanging on by only a thread, with single populations numbering less than 50 animals.

However, there are proven examples of rhino populations bouncing back from the brink.

Committed action by governments has doubled the number of rhinos in West Bengal in India over the last 13 years, for example. Crackdowns on poachers have also given a boost to rhinos in Nepal and India.

After a lunch of bananas, Ratu and Andatu walked out of their cage to spend their time outdoors in the 100-hectare sanctuary, which is surrounded by an electrified

fences that spans 4 kilometres.

The five rhinos at the sanctuary—Andatu, Ratu, Andalas, Rosa and Bina—get daily checkups to ward off common ailments such as tuberculosis, hepatitis and salmonella.

All-Indonesia Zoo Association secretary-general Tony Sumampau said the sanctuary needed an additional stud rhino to meet a goal of a 3-per-cent population increase by 2020.

“The male rhino and Rosa will be mated so as to produce a generation unrelated to Andatu,” Tony, who is also director of the Indonesian Safari Park, said.

“It’s also necessary to protect the Sumatran rhinos previously discovered in East Kalimantan.”

Also on the agenda for the specialists at the meeting was the establishment of teams to set up rhino sperm banks, among other things.

According to Tony, Kalimantan is also home to Sumatran rhinos, as per the research of Hermann

Witkamp, a Dutch geologist.

“Witkamp is recorded to have proposed the protection of a two-million-hectare zone as a roving rhino region, but after the big wildfire in 1982, everybody thought the rhinos were nowhere to be found.”

Tony has plans with the Forestry Ministry to create another sanctuary, this one for Javan rhinos, in Ujung Kulon, West Java.

“This second habitat is meant to anticipate the dangers from an eruption of Mount Krakatau.”

According to the ministry, only 50 Javan rhinos currently live in Ujung Kulon, much less than the population of about a 100 Sumatran rhinos that lives near Mount Leuser, Way Kambas and Bukit Barisan Selatan.

Not all the news is good, however, Tony said that rhino poaching was on the upswing in South Africa, with the number of poached animals soaring from about 20 earlier in the decade to over 668 in 2012. ¬

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BUSINESS

A storm in a coffee cup JINTANA PANYAARVUDH The Nation

A Bangkok

A street stall coffee vendor in Thailand is being sued by Starbucks for infringement of intellectual property rights

n ordinary and largely anonymous vendor, Damrong Maslae has been selling old-fashioned Thai-style coffee to residents and workers of Bangkok's Phra Nakorn district for the last five years. Today, anonymous no more, he is making national headlines as the defendant in a court case that's being brought by coffee giant Starbucks.

So what has Damrong done to invoke such ire? Well, according to the multinational, the "Starbung Coffee" logo emblazoned on his streetside cart, which features a man in a Muslim hat pouring coffee and holding up a victory sign, is an infringement of US Starbucks Coffee's intellectual property rights.

The warning he'd received a year ago became a court reality 10 days ago, when a Thai law firm filed a complaint on behalf of Starbucks

BUSINESS

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BUSINESS

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BUSINESS

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BUSINESS

Coffee Company against Damrong and his brother, for not complying with a 2012 injunction to remove the offending logo.

The international coffee giant has demanded compensation of 300,000 baht (US$9,600) plus 7.5 per cent annual interest and monthly instalments of 30,000 baht ($964) until he abandons his Starbung insignia.

Damrong, who used to sell coffee in Phang Nga but whose business was badly affected by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, moved to Bangkok six

years ago and set up shop. The "bung" in the name, he explains, came from his regular Thammasat University student customers, and is a reference to the Thai habit of calling a Muslim man "Bung".

Initially a simple placard written in pen, the sign became a bigger deal three years ago when Damrong asked a friendly cartoonist to draw him a logo. That logo, which admittedly is very similar to the familiar Starbucks sign, became his trademark in 2011. "When we first saw the logo, none of us even thought about a legal case. Foreigners seemed to love it and posed for photos with my logo," says Damrong, adding that while he had heard

of Starbucks coffee, he had never seen its logo.

"I have no intention to imitate but I don't see how it's imitation. My stall is on footpath, not in a department store.

I use Thai coffee beans from Krabi, not imported ones. Customers know which coffee they are buying," he says.

In September last year Starbucks sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Starbung owner telling him to stop using the logo so he adjusted it. However, one of the original stickers is still attached to the front of his cart.

"I added the moon to the star in the original one and changed the colour of the border from green to blue. However, I insist on using green

because it is the colour of Islam [his religion]," says Damrong, who is better known to his customers as Bung.

He also produced T-shirts with the logo for sale at 159 baht ($5) but after the first notice from Starbucks, he ordered that the silk screen block be destroyed.

Damrong has sought assistance for his case from Lawyers Council of Thailand.

"If they refuse [to help] I will fight the case on my own. I'll become my own lawyer and go to the court by myself. I will tell the truth to the court," the 44-year-old vendor says, adding that the plaintiff 's case should be against the creator of the logo and not him.

"Starbucks demanded

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BUSINESS that I remove the logo and the word "Starbung" in Thai but I refused to do that so they filed their complaint. If I follow their notice I know that I will not be able to use them again. It's better to wait for the court's verdict," he says, though he has suggested that his brother, who sells coffee at Klong Lod night market, changes his logo and the name to "Stylebung".

Starbucks has sent a statement to The Nation saying that the company has been attempting to resolve this trademark issue informally and amicably for more than a year.

"Long before considering legal action, we attempted to resolve the issue

amicably with Star Bung on multiple occasions.

This included several informal discussions with the Star Bung owner and the Department of Intellectual Property, all with an aim to find a solution that would be mutually beneficial for both parties. We also offered the owner resources to help design a unique Star Bung logo," the statement said.

"Unfortunately, the discussions were unsuccessful. We are left with no choice but to take legal steps to protect our trademark," Starbucks has 150 branches in Thailand.

Damrong, meanwhile, says he will accept the court verdict and if he loses, he will change his logo but

keep the colour and his "Starbung" name. If he wins, he will consider filing a defamation lawsuit seeking damages against the firm.

Damrong said there are several coffee cart stalls with similar names to his, for example, Starbats, Starwars, and Starducks.

In the meantime, he's selling more coffee to the local and foreign media who crowd around his stall wanting interviews. Customers too are showing support, with one American giving him 1,000 baht ($32) and a Korean donating 500 baht ($16) to help fight his case.

He is also thinking of producing T-shirts and coffee mugs for sale.

Asked if he fears this action could be deemed

as a challenge to the coffee firm, he replies "Why do I have to be scared? It's become a legal issue now. I have to fight for my dignity."

Damrong adds that he never thought he'd become entangled in a legal wrangle with a multinational but notes that from crisis comes opportunity: his normal daily earnings of 1,000 baht have increased by 30 per cent.

"It is also good for Thai coffee. Now it becomes known worldwide," he laughs.

And is his logo almost the same as Starbucks?

"If that's what you think then I can only suggest you have a problem with your eyesight.

"I'm just an o-lieng street vendor," he says. ÂŹ

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BUSINESS

HERE COME THE CHINESE Chinese enterprises are finding lucrative reasons to move into Europe

Eric Feferberg, AFP

THE BEAUGRENELLE SHOPPING CENTER IN PARIS. CHINA'S STATE ADMINISTRATION OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE IS SAID TO HAVE INVESTED IN A US$966 MILLION PROJECT TO DEVELOP THE FRENCH SHOPPING CENTRE.

BUSINESS

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Paul Ellis, AFP

A VIEW OF THE MANCHESTER AIRPORT, UK. THE BEIJING CONTRUCTION ENGINEERING GROUP CO. PLANS TO INVEST US$19.4 MILLION TO REDEVELOP THE AIRPORT, TO INCLUDE A BUSINESS DISTRICT AT THE AIRPORT.

BUSINESS

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Mark Ralston, AFP

CHINESE SHOPPERS LOOKING AT A MODEL OF THE EIFFEL TOWER OUTSIDE THE FRENCH DEPARTMENT STORY GALERIES LAFAYETTE WHICH OPENED IN BEIJING IN OCTOBER 2013. DESPITE THE ATTEMPT TO LURE THE GROWING CHINESE MIDDLE CLASS INTO BUYING MORE EUROPEAN LUXURY GOODS, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN CHINESE INVESTMENT IN EUROPE AS DEVELOPERS FIND MORE OPPORTUNITIES THERE PARTICULARLY IN REAL ESTATE.

BUSINESS

BAO CHANG China Daily Beijing

T

ravellers get their first impression of a city from its airport. And as more Chinese tourists visit Europe, many are disappointed with the outdated transport facilities they encounter in the developed economies.

Now, Chinese investors are helping to give these facilities a facelift.

Beijing Construction Engineering Group Co. said it will invest 12 million pounds (US$19.4 million) to redevelop the United Kingdom's Manchester Airport. The project also involves the joint construction of a business district at the airport, in conjunction with the Greater Manchester Pension Fund.

The project, called Airport City, involves about 61 hectares, which will be turned into a complex featuring about 465,000 square metres of offices, shops and green space. It's also expected to create 16,000 jobs for local residents.

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UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said his government will ensure that investment from China flows to all parts of the UK, since the nation's economic plan is about securing a recovery for all regions.

Osborne and London Mayor Boris Johnson recently made a five-day visit to China, in a move to promote bilateral ties.

"Europe's GDP has been weakened by the slump in fixed-asset investment in the region," said John Ross, the former director of Economic and Business Policy (London).

In the short term, Ross said, it will be hard to see an obvious rebound in Europe, given the weak capital inflows.

But money from China may offer some hope. Managing $3.66 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) is reportedly seeking to diversify its investments.

It's giving strong emphasis to opportunities in the real estate sector in the UK, French, German, Polish and Czech markets.

SAFE also is reportedly involved in the Beaugrenelle shopping centre in Paris, in a deal that could involve at least 700 million euros ($966 million).

BUSINESS

OPPORTUNE MOMENT

"This is the best time for Chinese investors to tap into the European market," said Tong Jisheng, deputy general manager of Shanghai Construction Group.

The SCG has invested in and built several transformational projects in Europe, including the A2 road in Poland, since it entered the market in 2005.

By 2020, total investment in Europe could reach $500 billion, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Chinese dream, which aims to improve the nation's living standards, is also a dream that involves finding opportunities in Europe and improving the region's prospects.

During the "Go To Europe" Investment Forum recently held by the China Public Diplomacy Association in Shanghai, the European Union delegation urged China to explore the potential of Europe as a unified market and sign a comprehensive investment pact with the bloc.

"Although China has signed bilateral investment agreements with some European countries, it's not enough. We hope to establish a very comprehensive

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investment treaty ... to offer a unified investing environment to Chinese investors," said Michal Makocki, a representative of the EU delegation.

Trade ministers from the EU will discuss a plan by the European Commission to pursue an investment agreement with China at their meeting in Luxembourg.

China has signed bilateral investment protection agreements with several European countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark.

"The fast growth of Chinese outbound investment will continue. Meanwhile, the field will be more diverse, and more will come from private enterprises, especially small and medium-sized companies," said Pascal Gondrand, France's investment counselor in China.

Almost 15,000 French citizens now work in France for Chinese companies. Big investors from China include Lenovo Group Ltd, ZTE Corp and Haier Group, which have established their European headquarters in Paris.

Smaller and lesser-known Chinese companies have also invested in France, with some entering the film, technology, healthcare

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BUSINESS and aviation sectors, according to Pascal.

France was China's largest investment destination in Europe in 2012, accounting for 21 per cent of the total, followed by the UK and Germany, with 16 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

"China's investment destinations are not spread equably through Europe. There's still the traditional sense of focusing on the UK, French and German markets," said Chen Xin, director of the economic section of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Europe.

"We need to explore new markets. There are some fixed concepts about investing abroad, focusing on the developed financial industry in the UK, advanced manufacturing in North America, and the design and tourism fields in southern Europe.

"However, Europe is a very large area with much diversity, and that means lots of options.

For example, Central and Eastern European nations offer a good entry point for China.

"They have high-quality but lowcost labour, and they provide access to the markets within the developed part of Europe," Chen added.

NO SPECULATION

With Chinese investors moving into Europe, some worry about their plans and motives.

"The investment attitude must be correct, without speculation and vulturelike behavior," said Cui Hongjian, director of the European section at the Institute of International Studies.

Chinese investors are strongly driven to seek bargains in Europe, where many companies are short on cash and governments are eager for foreign investment to boost their economies, according to Cui. But if investors go in with the wrong ideas or bad information, the project won't work, he said.

One example of such a failure was the Chinese trade centre project, a proposal intended to replicate the "Yiwu model" in northern Europe.

Yiwu, in Zhejiang province, is a global centre of trade in thousands of small goods.

While visiting Switzerland five years ago for the acquisition of a vehicle parts factory, Yiwu-based merchant Luo Jinxing found that these products from China were selling for 10 times the original price.

BUSINESS He decided to invest and establish a Chinese trade town with 1,100 booths, plus a hotel. But work ground to a halt after two years.

Problems that included the right to permanent residency, labour force benefits and funding shortfalls are thought to have doomed the project.

"The European market is very complex, so every company in every industry needs different solutions and strategies.

Before investing in Europe, one must do careful, in-depth case studies on the market and investment. Understanding the policy environment is crucial for investment success," Cui said.

Some Chinese investors are not familiar with the language, culture, customs, laws, policies and regulations of their target markets. And staying within their own narrow circles is another problem, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Still, looking at rising investing opportunities abroad, Chinese companies are deepening their international presence.

"Chinese investment in Europe has grown rapidly, but for China to become a successful and mature

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investor in the continent requires more time," said Ma She, deputy directorgeneral of the department of European affairs at the Ministry of Commerce.

"The success of investments there depends not only on financial strength.

It requires a combination of economic, social and cultural factors," Ma said.

Yang Ming, deputy general manager at Yingli Green Energy Holding Co Ltd's international sales branch, said he believes that intangible factors also play a role in gaining brand awareness and acceptance in developed markets.

Yingli's first success in Germany started with a soccer game. In 2006, a German company bought some photovoltaic components from Yingli for use in the World Cup stadium. But the container vessel carrying the shipment was hit by a typhoon.

After hearing of the situation, Yingli immediately offered to send another shipment at its own expense.

"Although the two sides ultimately split the air freight costs, Yingli's efforts impressed its German customer, which put up prominent display ads for Yingli inside the stadium," Yang said. ÂŹ

LIFE

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SACRED RIGHT TO BELIEVE

A Malaysian court ruling on the use of the word 'Allah' opens a debate on the freedom of religion

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LIFE SYAHREDZAN JOHAN The Star Petaling Jaya

To many, religion is something that is close to their hearts.

Religion is something that cannot be compromised, no matter what the circumstances. Some choose to value their faith even higher than they value their own lives.

When there is religion, there is also the possibility of religious persecution and discrimination.

The history of mankind is replete with examples of how believers have been denied, many times violently, their freedom of religion. It is still happening in many parts of the world today.

Freedom of religion is a basic human right. This is to protect governments from denying adherents of faith, any faith, from practising and professing their faith. A Muslim Sunni in Iran has this right. A Hindu Sri Lankan has

A PROTESTOR HOLDS UP A SIGN SAYING 'DO NOT DISTRIBUTE MALAY-LANGUAGE BIBLES'.

this right. A Christian in India has this right. It is the right of every believer and must be protected and observed by the government of every country and nation.

When France made it a requirement that Sikh men take off their turban on official photographs, it was a violation of their freedom of religion. Similarly, when the same country banned the burqa it was also a violation of the rights of Muslim women in France who chose to veil themselves.

Unfortunately, far too many governments of the world have been guilty of violating this right to freedom of religion. Even in developed countries and mature democracies like France, we see violations of this freedom.

In Malaysia, human rights principles are enshrined in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. Part II of the Federal Constitution protects the fundamental liberties of the people. Freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, right to life and liberty and right to own property, amongst others, are protected by the Federal Constitution.

These fundamental liberties form one of the basic structures of our Constitution and the constitutional provisions must not be removed even by amending the Constitution itself.

Freedom of religion is also protected. Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution provides that Islam is the religion of

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LIFE the Federation but all other religions may be practised in peace and harmony.

Islam's special position in the Constitution does not mean that the rights of other believers may be denied because of it. This is the mistake that many make when interpreting Article 3(1).

It was never intended to be used a license to deny the religious rights of other believers.

Article 11(1) then provides that every person in Malaysia has the right to profess and practise his or her own religion.

This right to profess and practise one’s faith cannot be restricted or denied by any person or body for any reason at all. However, if the practice of the faith offends any general law relating to public order, public health and morality, the Constitution provides that one cannot rely on Article 11 to justify the offence.

This is important to remember.

It effectively means that no

government in Malaysia can restrict the profession and practice of faith by a believer.

No government can deny this right on the basis that the profession or practice offends the majority, cause confusion or for any other reasons.

In this country, ‘human rights’ has been stigmatised either intentionally or through ignorance. Human rights have been portrayed as a ‘Western concept’ that cannot fit squarely into our religious, cultural and societal norms. So it has been far too easy for human rights such as freedom of religion to be dismissed as a ‘human rights concept’. But freedom of religion is also a constitutional right.

A government cannot on one hand uphold a constitutional provision that allows certain discriminatory practices but at the same time disregard constitutional provisions on fundamental liberties. A government does

not have that luxury.

When religious rights are denied, arguments have been made that this is a democracy and therefore the majority can decide for the minority. But this is a flawed understanding of what a democracy entails.

Yes, a political party would be able to form a government if it obtains the majority of seats in the legislature. But that is as far as it goes.

Democracy is not ruled by majority. Democracy does not mean that the majority can dictate what rights others may practise. Fundamental liberties are guaranteed by the Federal Constitution, not at the pleasure of certain groups of people.

There is a constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion in this country which must be upheld and protected. This is a sacred right to believe and to practise that belief, hallowed by the highest law of the land. ¬

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LIFE

Saeed KHAN/AFP

MALAYSIA'S LANDMARK PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS (R) STAND BEHIND A MOSQUE IN KUALA LUMPUR.

LIFE

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MOHD RASFAN/AFP

A MUSLIM PROTESTER READS A KORAN DURING A DEMONSTRATION AGAINST A MALAYSIAN CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER USING THE WORD 'ALLAH' AT THE COURT OF APPEAL IN PUTRAJAYA, OUTSIDE KUALA LUMPUR ON OCT 14, 2013.

LIFE

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The Star

CROWDS GATHERED OUTSIDE THE MALAYSIAN COURT OF APPEAL IN PUTRAJAYA ON OCTOBER 14, WHERE THE RULING WAS PASSED BANNING CATHOLIC WEEKLY THE HERALD FROM USING THE WORD "ALLAH" IN ITS PUBLICATIONS.

LIFE

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The Star

CROWDS GATHERED OUTSIDE THE MALAYSIAN COURT OF APPEAL IN PUTRAJAYA ON OCTOBER 14, WHERE THE RULING WAS PASSED BANNING CATHOLIC WEEKLY THE HERALD FROM USING THE WORD "ALLAH" IN ITS PUBLICATIONS.

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LIFE

A CALL FOR COMPASSION LOSHANA K. SHAGAR The Star Petaling Jaya

Twitter, the treasure trove of opinions, was abuzz following a landmark decision by the Malaysian Court of Appeal earlier last month to ban Catholic weekly The Herald from using “Allah” in their Bahasa Malaysia editions.

Some were wondering why the court overturned a 2009 High Court decision to allow said usage, while others were rejoicing at the latest turn of events.

There was also no shortage of people who stooped to personal, baseless attacks against one another, despite various attempts to hold a clean, practical discussion.

After reading one too many such tweets, my head felt so hot

that I had to stop following the heated debate, and I wondered why it really matters what name one should call or give God. A Christian friend said he had always been taught that the Bahasa Malaysia version of God was referred to as "Tuhan" (a more general term in Bahasa Malaysia for "God"), therefore he questioned The Herald’s insistence on using the word “Allah” when they could easily use the more acceptable term, Tuhan.

Since my childhood years in a Muslim majority area some 50km from Kuala Lumpur, I had been indoctrinated to believe that terms like “Allah” were exclusive to Muslims, not just here but everywhere else.

Yet, frequent interactions with Muslim friends led me to unwittingly use such terms in conversation, and for the longest time I remained oblivious to the looks I was eliciting.

I vividly remember the

first time I hosted the weekly school assembly nearly 10 years ago, where the script included "Assalamua­laikum" (Peace be upon you).

Thinking nothing of it, I promptly greeted the assembly with the term, leading to the headmistress taking me aside afterwards to “clarify” that only Muslims were allowed to use the greeting.

Fast forward to 2008 and I was in university, seeking answers to the many questions in my head.

When the “Allah” issue cropped up, I naturally burrowed into available resources to trace its usage in other places.

Imagine my surprise when I found that the word “Allah” itself pre-dates the birth of Islam in the sixth century, with non-Islamic Arabs using the term before the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.

The word has also been used

by Christians and Jews in Arab countries for generations, but it is

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LIFE

interesting to note that a Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research poll early this year revealed 83 per cent of Muslims interviewed had agreed that the usage of “Allah” is their absolute right.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal’s common finding was that “Allah” was not an integral part of the Christian faith and that using it could cause confusion.

The court also said it granted the government’s appeal in the interest of public safety.

For the record, I am neither Christian nor Muslim.

In fact, I am hardly classifiable as religious, judging from the number of times my Hindu mother scolds me for apparently scowling during prayers.

Yet, I believe whatever one’s reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with the court, it should not affect one’s faith as

ultimately, God is to each of us what we believe God to be.

My opinion on this issue is reflected in a scene in one of my favourite films, the 2011 Indian Tamil drama, Vaanam (Sky).

In this scene, rock star Bharath Chakravarthy and his girlfriend Laasya are attacked by religious fanatics as they travel by road to perform at a concert.

They are saved by strangers, causing Bharath to reflect on life as they go along.

Laasya and the other band members are shocked and angry that people could even use God as a reason to fight, yet Bharath says the problem is not God, but language.

To explain, he empties a mineral water bottle onto the ground and asks his friends to name the substance.

When they say “water”, Bharath asks what it is called in Tamil.

“Thannir. Niru in Telugu and Paani in Hindi. So what?” his friends reply.

Bharath responds with an awesome quote—“The product is just one, but each person calls it differently.

“Similarly, in one man’s language God is Rama, in another man’s language God is Jesus and in yet another man’s language God is Allah.

“The problem is not God, but how we address God.” So, let us not forget where God really lives—in the hearts of those who acknowledge their wrongdoings.

Let us not forget that the God concept is one and the same, regardless of the names given.

And let us not forget that every religious person has his or her own way to refer to God, which is best kept on a personal level and not blown up as a national problem.

| November 8-14, 2013

LIFE

A hundred names JUAN L. MERCADO Philippine Daily Inquirer Manila

M

uslims in mosques from Quiapo to Cotabato call Divinity as “Allah”.

In Cebu Daily News, an imam writes a weekly column on his faith. Liberties of faith and speech are constitutionally buttressed rights here.

Muslims form 5 per cent of the population, Catholics 83 per cent and Iglesia ni Cristo 2.3 per cent.

In next door Malaysia, “Allah means God—unless you’re a Christian,” notes Time magazine.

Or Sikh, Hindu or atheist. Only Muslims may invoke “Allah”, says a new court decision. Yet, four years back, Kuala Lumpur courts ruled that “Allah” transcended different faiths.

Why this flip-flop? “Islam (is) vulnerable to conversion efforts by other faiths,” the decision says. Allah is “not an integral part… in Christianity.”

No? The Herald editor Fr. Lawrence Andrew, will appeal.

Non-Muslim Malaysians were livid. “Appalling,” snapped Jagir Singh of the Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism.

Sabah and Sarawak churches, where Christians are a majority, protested. Bahasa-speaking Christians used “Allah” even before the formation of Malaysia.

They’ll continue to invoke “Allah” and use “Al-Kitab”— the Bahasa bible allowed by Malaysia’s parliament in 2011.

These rekindled 2007’s uproar when government confiscated 15,100 bibles. Printed in Indonesia, the text used “Allah”.

The high court however shredded that ban in December 2009. And non-Muslim places of worship, including Sikh temples, were ransacked.

In Geneva, the 17th UN

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LIFE

Commission on Human Rights, last week, grilled Malaysia. This “Universal Periodic Review” was second for Malaysia since 2009.

Austria and others prodded Kuala Lumpur to allow the freedom to practise, even change, religions. Keep your pledge to abolish the 1948 Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1984, the United States urged Prime Minister Najib Razak: These laws leash media through permits.

“The fear is Muslims will start practising Christianity if both groups refer to God by the same name,” Waleed Aly wrote in Sydney Morning Herald. Do Malaysian Muslims need a form of protection from their own ignorance?

“Young, educated, urban Malays in particular, are deserting this brand of politics

in droves. They’re becoming increasingly skeptical of their own privileged status.

Upwardly mobile, they are unlikely to be swayed by a Mecca-oriented compass.”

Not the “old guard Malays.

(Yet) they confront the fact that the privileged position they’ve held for the first 50 years of Malaysian independence won’t hold for the next 50.

Now they’re lashing out, as if trying to resist the death throes of their own supremacy.”

That “supremacy” remains law for now. “Islam is the religion of the federation, but other religions may be practised in peace,” Malaysia’s Constitution says. Malaysia signed the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Article 18 undergirds the “freedom of an individual or community, in

public or private, to manifest belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

Are ethnic Malays exempted?

They make up two-thirds of the country’s 28 million people. Chinese and Indians number 22 per cent and 7 per cent respectively. About 9 per cent are Christians.

Religious intolerance can trigger strife, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong cautioned. “Public debate cannot be on whose religion is right and whose is wrong,” but on rational considerations of public interest.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population (205 million) or 13 per cent of the world’s Muslims. But “no one who believes in the power of one supreme God can claim exclusivity, ,warned Endy Bayuni, The Jakarta Post’s

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LIFE

senior editor. “There is no such thing as God for Catholics… or Allah for Muslims.”

“Indonesia and Malaysia may rightfully claim to have developed a more moderate strand of Islam. But there’s a thin line dividing tolerance and intolerance.

So we should not take this moderation for granted…”

The claim to a monopoly on “Allah” is absurd, wrote opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in Wall Street Journal.

“Arabic’s sister Semitic languages used similar words for the Deity, namely ‘Elaha’ in Aramaic and ‘Elohim’ in Hebrew. Historical manuscripts prove Arabic-speaking Muslims, Christians and Jews collectively prayed to God… as Allah for over 1,400 years.”

“Go into any church in the Middle East and you will hear: “Quddusan Allah, Quddusan al-Qawi (Holy God, Holy and Strong),” The Economist notes. “They’ve been doing so for centuries.”

Kuala Lumpur’s ruling party, the United Malays National Organisation, welcomed the court straitjacket. “This is to appease extremist supporters after the party scraped thru with a thin majority,” wrote parliamentarian Mujahid Yusof Rawa. The parties play the “radical and religious card” to woo votes.

“Move to another country,” suggested spokesperson Abdullah Zaik Rahman to those who disagreed with the court. You “no longer accept the supremacy of Islam.”

No, former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim told Malay Mail. “We should instead get (these hardliners) to move over to Saudi Arabia. There, the sovereignty of Islam is not questioned…. We have become a nation we were not.”

The “beginning of wisdom is to call all things by their right names”, an Asian proverb teaches. “God Of A Hundred Names” is the title of a book on prayers of various faiths culled from the world’s major faiths. They all revere the Divinity’s names.

Jews would not address God directly. Muslims have 95 other names for Allah.

And many where scandalised when Jesus taught his disciples: “Say Our Father…

Abba.” Tatay. Dad. Ama. ¬

SOCIETY

| November 8-14, 2013 AFP

The colour of prejudice Many South Asian women face the colour bias one way or another

NINA DAVULURI FROM NEW YORK IS THE FIRST INDIAN AMERICAN TO WIN AS MISS AMERICA.

SOCIETY

| November 8-14, 2013 AFP

RAKSHA KUMAR Dawn ISLAMABAD

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What makes you think you can win the fashion show?” the college professor questioned a flabbergasted Richa. “If I were as dusky as you, I wouldn’t have competed. Why feel humiliated?” she asked.

Richa 22, firmly believed she had the perfect looks, attitude and physique to participate in her college fashion show, one of the most sought after in Mumbai. Ignoring her professor’s advice, she decided to put her name down anyway.

After several months of yoga, controlled diet and speech practice, Richa, who doesn’t wish to disclose her last name, believed she was fully prepared.

INDIAN ACTRESS/DIRECTOR NANDITA DAS IS A SUPPORTER OF THE DARK IS BEAUTIFUL CAMPAIGN.

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SOCIETY

“We knew Richa would win,” said her classmate for three years, “she just has it in her—the elegance, the attitude, the wit.”

On the much anticipated day, Richa and her talents were not only overlooked, but brushed under the carpet. “Let alone short-listing me, the judges asked me to step down as a participant because they said that even if they encouraged a “dusky” girl at the college level, she had no future in the fashion industry,” Richa said.

Many South Asian women face the colour bias in one way or another in their lives. “Rarely have I met a South Asian woman who is not colour-conscious,” says actress Nandita Das. The fairness bias in the subcontinent is an entrenched social belief.

This prejudice manifests itself in everything from favouring light-skinned employees to demanding fair prospective

brides or grooms. The moot questions are why does it exist and how to get rid of it?

The ‘why’ is not something that most people have been able to answer convincingly, but the ‘how’ has had various answers.

Das is a supporter of the Dark Is Beautiful campaign that began in March this year. In this campaign, Das urges women to throw out their fairness creams and abandon the belief that dark skin is ugly. While campaigns like these hold the fort in battling prejudices, let us try and look at the deep entrenched reasons for such a prejudice.

In her recently released book, "Skin: A Biography", Sharad Paul, says people in this part of the world developed dark skin as an adaptive response to the tropical sun. “Within the last 5,000 years—people with European skin types migrated across the Indus Valley into India and

southern Asia. The skin of these migrants darkened over the next 2,000 to 4,000 years,” she says. “This happened to protect folic acid levels in the body, as white skin was not conducive to promoting breeding in tropical climes, since light could penetrate it easily. Darker skin also helped to prevent diseases like skin cancer,” she adds.

However, many, including Das believe that the bias against dark skin has taken on new forms in the modern world.

“We're part of the consumer world today. The market is waiting to cash in on people's aspirations and biases," says Das. Even though the fairness industry first evolved as a response to consumer demand, the market appears to be perpetuating the discrimination against dark skin in today’s economically vibrant India. For centuries Indians used natural

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SOCIETY

ingredients, such as lemon or turmeric, to lighten their skin.

In the socialised environment of 1970s India, Unilever launched a commercial skin lightening cream called “Fair and Lovely”, marking a beginning of fairness creams in the subcontinent. It was important for the women to be fair, even if the men were not. Therefore, the creams were originally targeted at women, but over time as women became independent thinkers in society, such fairness products emerged for men as well. However, women couldn’t think beyond the fairness bias. In 2005, Emami launched the “Fair and Handsome” cream for men.

What began as expensive skin care products are now being priced for as low as 5 rupees and targeting even the lowest of classes. According to a Wall Street Journal report of July 2013, sale of fairness creams

generates over US$400 million in revenue a year in India, which is more than all other skincare products combined. In fact, sales of fairness products surpass that of Coca-Cola and tea in India.

The survival of this burgeoning industry now depends on ensuring that consumers continue to want fair skin. Such a market design is very tough to battle. The campaigners of Dark Is Beautiful recognise the uphill task. But, refuse to be disheartened by it. They have filed a petition against market giant Emami.

They also say that the flurry of opinions in the Indian media following the first IndianAmerican to be crowned Miss America was also a step towards sensitisation of the society about colour consciousness.

Several commentators in the Indian media said that Miss America, Nina Davuluri

would never win pageants in South Asia because she’d be too dark to be considered beautiful in the subcontinent.

Das says that she has been repeatedly asked to ‘lighten’ her dark skin for an onscreen role.

“It’s probably good that Davuluri has no Bollywood aspirations,” says Lakshmi Chaudhury, commentator and editor. “Dance routines aside, even a Miss America crown won’t propel Davuluri to a celluloid screen near us—not unless she makes the miraculous colour ‘adjustment’ achieved by leading Bollywood actresses who have successfully paled into significance,” she adds.

This story is painfully exemplified by Richa’s story in Mumbai. “There is no room for the dusky in the fashion and entertainment industry,” says Richa, “unless you are a one-off, a Bipasha or a Nandita Das.” ¬

| November 8-14, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

JESSADAPORN PHOLDEE AND SUCHA MANAYING STARRED IN THE THAI REMAKE OF "AUTUMN IN MY HEART". THE ORIGINAL KOREAN DRAMA STARRED SONG HYE-KYO AND SONG SEUNG-HEUN.

Same, same but different

Thailand remakes some of the famous Korean dramas

| November 8-14, 2013

PIRAT 'MIKE' NITIPAISALKUL AND SUCHA MANAYING, ABOVE, STAR IN THE THAI REMAKE OF "FULL HOUSE".

THE ORIGINAL SOUTH KOREAN VERSION STARRED RAIN AND SONG HYE-KYO.

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THE THAI VERSION OF "COFFEE PRINCE".

THIS WAS TRUEVISIONS' FIRST REMAKE OF A SOUTH KOREAN SERIES.

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ENTERTAINMENT

PARINYAPORN PAJEE The Nation Bangkok

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hailand’s free TV channels have long stuck with a tried-and-tested formula for success by mixing in remakes of popular dramas with newly scripted soaps.

Thong Nua Kao, Khoo Kam, Baan Sai Thong and Dao Phra Sook are just some of the stories that return to the screen in a new production and with a new cast every five years or so and inevitably score high ratings. Unlike their Western counterparts, it seems Thais never tire of stories they know from beginning to the end.

Last year, pay cable provider TrueVisions joined in the remake game but rather than select local stories, opted for Thai adaptations of South Korean dramas that have proved so popular with viewers in recent years.

TrueVisions launched the project with the Thai version of Coffee Prince and followed up with Autumn in My Heart, the romantic drama largely credited for setting off a Korean wave around the world.

Now the cable provider is bringing the project to a close with the romantic comedy Full House, which will air in December. The romantic comedy was snapped up by TV stations around the world and jettisoned singer Rain into the acting orbit.

Attapon Na-Bangchang, TrueVisions' vice president for programming, credits the idea for the remakes to the company's chief executive Suphachai Chearavanont, a selfconfessed Coffee Prince fan.

Attapon was able to reach an agreement with TrueVisions' Korean partners and bought the remake rights for all three series for what he says was a fair but inexpensive price.

"Certainly buying content is a lot easier and cheaper but remaking such series with a local context is important to our growth as a TV provider," Attapon says.

Talented movie director Songyos Sukmakanan was handed the reins for Coffee Prince and it proved an auspicious start for the filmmaker who went on to make his own TV series, the hit drama Hormones, earlier this year.

However, the Thai version of Coffee Prince received mixed reviews from fans, with many feeling it retained too much of a Korean taste despite the Thai cast. The story is similar to the Thai drama classic Thaddao Bussaya, relating the romance between a tomboyish woman and a rich, handsome guy who isn't sure of her gender.

Songyos admits he found the remake difficult. "The scenes move back and forth between different places and we had to really focus to avoid slips in the details

| November 8-14, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT and continuity. I'm reasonably satisfied with it," he says.

He does however acknowledge the criticism of too much of a Korean context, saying that while they tried to adapt it and make it more Thai, much more time would have been required to work on the concept and script than TrueVisions could have allowed.

Attapon though was very happy with the first project, which starred several "True Academy Fantasia" alumni as well as actress Intaporn Tamsukhin as the tomboyish protagonist, Autumn in My Heart was produced by actor Ananda Everingham's Halo Production Company and directed by indie filmmaker Sivaroj Kongsakul.

While it starred soap stalwarts Jessadaporn Pholdee and Sucha Manaying, many fans found his cinematographic style too mellow.

"It gave us a better production awareness and also helped draw new viewers to our channel. However, we also

learned how hard it is to hold an audience. We need to learn more from Hollywood films that retain their magic even when they are screened on television," says Attapon.

The upcoming Full House, which is also being produced

by Halo, has Saratsawadee Wongsomphet of Yes or No Yak Rak Kor Rak Loei as the director.

She says she's finding the project every bit as hard as making the sequel to her hit film, noting that while it can be equally as good, if not better, a mistake is enough to throw it in the opposite direction.

Full House was the first Korean drama she watched and it turned her into an admirer of Korean TV series. Learning from the lessons of the two earlier projects, she and the scriptwriter Wattana Weerawatthana have worked hard on the script.

"We've changed a lot of things in the story though we have kept the key characters and

certain situations. Our aim is to transform the story so that it fits with the Thai context," she says.

With Pirat ‘Mike’ Nitipaisalkul and Sucha Manaying replacing Rain and Sung Hye-kyo in the lead roles, the right chemistry between the protagonists will be vital to the series' success. A romantic comedy, it centres on a superstar singer and aspiring scriptwriter who enter a fake marriage, forcing them to live together in the same house. One of the most memorable sequences of scenes is when the couple goes on a (fake) honeymoon to Phuket and the Thai version returns the compliment by setting its honeymoon scenes in Korea.

Full House will be released on Asian Series channel and will close the cable provider's Korean drama remake project. Attapon says that they'll be going back to remaking Thai dramas next year.

"But they'll be different from what viewers see in today's dramas," he says. ¬

ENTERTAINMENT

| November 8-14, 2013

Reeling it in Hollywood movies once dominated in China, South Korea and Japan, but the East Asian trio are fighting back these days

MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 IS A HEART-WARMING TALE ABOUT A MENTALLY-ILL FATHER WHO ENDED UP IN PRISON AFTER BEING WRONGLY ACCUSED, AND WHOSE FELLOW JAILMATES HELP HIM SEE HIS DAUGHTER AGAIN BY BREAKING HER IN.

| November 8-14, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

SOUTH KOREA’S 'MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7' DREW 100 MILLION VIEWERS AND IS ON THE PATH TOWARDS BREAKING LAST YEAR’S RECORD OF 114.6 MILLION VIEWERS.

| November 8-14, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

CHINESE ACTRESS VICKY ZHOU’S DIRECTIONAL DEBUT 'SO YOUNG' BEAT HOLLYWOOD’S 'MAN OF STEEL' IN CHINESE CINEMAS.

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ENTERTAINMENT

HO AI LI The Straits Times Singapore

H

ome-grown movies devoured the lion's share of China's box office this year, and South Korean and Japanese movies are setting records and eclipsing Hollywood blockbusters at their own cinemas.

In China, six of the 10 most popular films this year were Chinese, led by Journey To The West by Hong Kong director Stephen Chow and starring Wen Zhang and Shu Qi.

In South Korea, local movies, led by Miracle In Cell No. 7, drew 100 million viewers as of October and is on track to break the record of 114.6 million viewers last year.

This means that every South Korean watched more than two local movies on average.

In Japan, animated movies like One Piece and Dragon Ball Z dominated the box office this year. In particular, The Wind Rises, the swansong of animation great Hayao Miyazaki, sold at least 10 billion yen (US$102.5 million) worth of tickets, the most for an animated film in Japan since Toy Story 3 in 2010.

Last year, Japanese movies made up 65.7 per cent of total box office sales of 195.2 billion yen—crossing the 60 per cent mark for the first time since 1969, said Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

The combination of "Western genre conventions, film technologies, formats and rich East Asian socio- politicocultural content might be a key factor behind such a victory", said South Korean film expert Jung Sun of the National University of Singapore.

China and South Korea especially are fast-changing

| November 8-14, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT societies where "pre-modern, modern and post-modern elements are complexly yet nicely mingled with each other like a melting pot", added Jung, who is from the Asia Research Institute at NUS. Beijing-based film researcher Rao Shuguang in turn believes the East Asian countries have turned the tables on Hollywood with a two-pronged strategy.

They do what Hollywood does—make big-budget movies like South Korean director Bong Joon Ho's sci-fi thriller Snowpiercer starring Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell and Song Kang Ho.

Or they go for movies that are very local, basically movies that Hollywood can't make, said Rao. One example is Lost In Thailand, a comedy about two Chinese buddies in Bangkok, which brought in box office gold. That kick-started a string of successes for Chinese films like actress Vicki Zhao's directorial debut So Young, which beat Man Of Steel at the cinemas in China.

Chinese productions in particular have been enjoying a bumper year so far, as more cinemas opened in smaller cities and attracted more viewers, who prefer films with familiar settings, noted Rao. The films too have improved in production standards

and storylines. They are no longer limited to period dramas or martial arts films but can be comedies, love or aspirational stories that appeal to the domestic market, like Peter Chan's American Dreams in China.

Likewise, movies made in South Korea have gone beyond the usual melodrama, comedy, horror or action films, said Jung.

Now they include thrillers, sci-fi and disaster films, and many movies also mix the genres, she added.

There has also been greater synergy between these countries' film industries.

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ENTERTAINMENT

'SO YOUNG' IS BASED ON BEST-SELLING NOVEL "TO OUR YOUTH THAT IS FADING AWAY" BY CHINESE WRITER XIN YIWU, AS WELL AS DIRECTOR VICKY ZHOU’S OWN EXPERIENCES IN COLLEGE.

Chinese arthouse filmmaker Jia Zhangke, for instance, often works with the Japanese. His latest work A Touch Of Sin, which won a prize at the Cannes film festival for its script, has Japanese funding.

China and South Korea, in particular, have put more emphasis on co-productions.

Between 2005 and 2011, there were 23 such films, said trade magazine Film Business Asia, citing the Korean Film Council, which set up an office in Beijing last year to support collaborations.

One notable co-production this year was Go, a 3D movie about a gorilla that can play baseball. Starring Chinese

actress Josie Xu, it was partly bankrolled by Chinese film company Huayi Brothers.

The movie, made by a South Korean crew, took in 112 million yuan (US$18.4 million) in China, far better than previous South Korean releases here.

Besides East Asian cinematic improvements, one reason for their better showing is simply that Hollywood movies have become less appealing.

As Rao noted: "Hollywood movies used to be quite innovative but there has not been any breakthrough in genre or theme. Their appeal has dimmed." ¬

ENTERTAINMENT

| November 8-14, 2013

JAPANESE ANIMATED FILM 'THE WIND RISES' SOLD OVER US$ 102.5 MILLION WORTH OF TICKETS.

ENTERTAINMENT

| November 8-14, 2013

'THE WIND RISES' IS WRITTEN BY HAYAO MIYAZAKI. THE FILM IS BASED ON A MANGA NOVEL OF THE SAME NAME, WHICH IS IN TURN BASED ON A SHORT STORY BY 20TH CENTURY WRITER, POET AND TRANSLATOR TATSUO HORI.

| November 8-14, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

HOLLYWOOD MEETS CHINA Jiang Dong / China Daily

HUGH JACKMAN’S PRESENCE AT 'THE WOLVERINE' PROMOTION IN BEIJING ATTRACTS ABOUT 1,500 ENTHUSIASTIC FANS. THE OUTDOOR RED CARPET LIKE THIS IS THE FIRST FOR A HOLLYWOOD STAR IN CHINA.

| November 8-14, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT LIU WEI China Daily Beijing

H

Jiang Dong / China Daily

e wanted people to kneel before him and shout his name, but the villain was thwarted by The Hulk and slammed onto the ground. For Tom Hiddleston, though, the people were screaming his name without any prompting, unlike his screen villain Loki.

Hiddleston was in Beijing on October 11 to promote Thor 2, in which he reprises the role of Loki.

The English actor was surprised by 500 Chinese fans waiting for him outside the press conference, all chanting his name.

They had also given him a rousing welcome at the airport the night before. The 32-yearold Hiddleston has a strong fan base in China, both for his villainous role in The Avengers.

"I don't remember being so popular since I graduated from theatre school," he jokes in an interview.

Hiddleston was not the only Hollywood star surprised by the passion of fans in China.

A few days after Hiddleston's tour, Hugh Jackman walked the red carpet outside a Beijing theatre, here to promote The Wolverine, released on October 17.

About 1,500 fans lined the sides of the 95-metre carpet and Jackman spent 40 minutes signing and greeting before he arrived at the end, where another surprise awaited him.

His fans had brought him a cake to celebrate his birthday a few days before, because they knew he was on the road and might have spent his birthday on a plane.

"More and more A-listers will come to China to promote their films, as they become aware of the market's importance," says Jo Yan, senior vice-president of studio distribution for Greater China at The Walt Disney Company (Shanghai) Limited.

TOM HIDDLESTON POSES WITH A SCEPTER AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE FOR THE RELEASE OF 'THOR 2' IN BEIJING.

ENTERTAINMENT China's annual box office takings reached 17 billion yuan (US$2.7 billion) in 2012, increasing more than 30 per cent over the last year. It is the largest overseas market for many Hollywood films, such as Avatar and Kung Fu Panda 2. Some films, such as Pacific Rim, grossed more in China than in North America.

Nearly a month before Hiddleston and Jackman came to China, Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman were in Qingdao, the port city in East China's Shandong province.

They were there to add lustre to a ceremony announcing the launch of a studio complex

by Chinese real estate giant Wanda Group.

"It was not even a film promotion, it was just an event," Yan says. "But the fact that Wanda owns the biggest theatre chain in China and had bought AMC theatres is enough reason for the stars to consider supporting the event.

"We used to have to persuade the stars, but now they are more willing to come themselves. The change has been very obvious since last year," says a Chinese staff member of one of the big six Hollywood studios.

But in China, it is never easy to campaign with Hollywood star power, even when stars are willing. The biggest difficulty is the uncertainty regarding release dates.

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China imports 34 foreign films a year for theatrical release, but even the powerful Hollywood studios have no distribution rights in the country.

The state-owned China Film Group has the monopoly in deciding when to release imported films and it shares distribution rights with another local company, Huaxia Films.

"We often get very short notice of when we can release our films, and CFG would suggest we hold the events in venues they own," says the anonymous staff member. "It is not an enforcement, but often the studios would follow the advice just to maintain goodwill with CFG." Universal's Fast and Furious 6, for example, was scheduled for mid-June. The studio's mainland partner Edko had collected interview requests in early June for the cast, including Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Both actors had planned to come to China.

But the film was put off again and again until July 26, two months after its North America premiere. By then, the actors had moved on to new projects and their trips were cancelled.

While studios could plan a star-studded event months in advance in many other countries, they are used to changes all the time in China.

"We have to move fairly quickly if we plan a campaign in China," says Sunder N.

ENTERTAINMENT Kimatrai, senior vice-president of 20th Century Fox International in Asia Pacific.

"Movie stars are busy, they cannot appear in two places at the same time. But even so, China is absolutely our top priority in Asia now, no doubt about that."

As more Hollywood stars come into China for promotions, the competition for publicity is pushed up a notch.

"We need more innovative marketing stunts," Yan says. "The mere presence of the stars is not enough."

So, at the press conference for Thor 2, Disney tried to underline the bond between the star and his role. As the host was introducing Hiddleston, all the lights blacked out suddenly. Just as everyone thought it must have been a power failure, Hiddleston appeared, a spotlight behind him and flashes of lightning lit up the room.

Hiddleston was also given a sceptre with his name carved in Chinese, and he obligingly swung it around as the cameras went wild at this unique photo opportunity.

"It will require more originality to catch attention from audience as they get used to more and more stars," says Yan. Jackman's outdoor red carpet, the first for a Hollywood star in China, created

| November 8-14, 2013

quite a stir. Although it is de rigueur in Hollywood, it takes more initiative and ambition for organisers in China.

"We were worried about a lot of things—the weather, security and so on. And then we were worried that not enough fans would turn up," says Min Zhang, one of the event's organisers.

"But we were wrong. Some fans had waited from noon until the event, which began at 7pm.

"It is becoming more difficult to impress fans and media. We have to try something different, something nobody has done before."

There is one more problem facing publicists that may be uniquely Chinese.

Not all Chinese fans adore the same Hollywood celebrities, says film critic Bi Chenggong, veteran researcher of the American film industry and Chinese subtitler for Hollywood films like Warhorse and Monster University.

"China is big," he says. "In second- and third-tier cities and the many, many smaller towns, the definition of A-listers is different from that in Beijing and Shanghai. For some of them, the top draws are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.

"That's something the studios must consider as they develop different strategies to cater for Chinese audience." ÂŹ

ENTERTAINMENT

| November 8-14, 2013

Photos provided to China Daily

THE OPENING CEREMONY FOR A STUDIO COMPLEX DRAWS A-LISTERS INCLUDING NICOLE KIDMAN AND LEONARDO DICAPRIO TO QINGDAO.

ENTERTAINMENT

| November 8-14, 2013

Photos provided to China daily

THE OPENING CEREMONY FOR A STUDIO COMPLEX DRAWS A-LISTERS INCLUDING NICOLE KIDMAN AND LEONARDO DICAPRIO TO QINGDAO.

DATEBOOK

| November 8-14, 2013

HOI AN, VIETNAM FULL MOON FESTIVAL

SINGAPORE DEVOTION AND DESIRE: CROSS-CULTURAL ART IN ASIA Be inspired by the creation of artistic works across Asia at this showcase of over 150 new acquisitions of the Asian Civilisations Museum, many of which are on show for the first time.

Discover how trade, the transmission of religions, courtly art, and colonial networks shaped the objects on display, and gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the arts across Asia.

When: Until December 8 Where: Asian Civilisations Museum

Under the light of the full moon, Hoi An becomes one big centrestage where all the locals and tourists come out and participate in reviving the golden days of prosperity and folklore with music, plays and parties. They shut down the streets in the old town to all motorbikes, so it's safe to roam around and gaze at the lovely shop fronts full of brightly coloured lanterns.

When: December 15-16

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| November 8-14, 2013

HONG KONG BRANDS AND PRODUCTS EXPO As the largest outdoor expo in the city, the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo is chock-full of renowned brands and quality products from home and away to seduce dedicated shopaholics. Make sure you catch the Miss Exhibition Pageant, booth design competition and heaps of giveaways.

NEW DELHI DELHI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL The week-long festival is one of the major entertainment events in India. The festival will give opportunity for visitors to view at least a hundred of films and art works from all over the world.

The festival also provides a platform to aspiring artists, sculptors and painters from all around the world to discuss and share working experiences.

When: December 21-27 Where: NDMC Convention Centre Cannaught Place

When: Dec 14, 2013 to Jan 6, 2014 Where: Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island

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AYUTTHAYA, THAILAND AYUTTHAYA WORLD HERITAGE AND RED CROSS FAIR Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, in collaboration with relevant government agencies, private sector,and locals will organise a fair to celebrate the World Heritage City in December. The annual event features activities including merit making. The visitors can also enjoy local music, concerts, singing contests, beauty contests, and a lot more. Local products and a wide variety of delicious Thai dishes and will also be offered at the festival.

When: December 13-22

| November 8-14, 2013

SAVANNAKHET, LAOS THAT INHANG FESTIVAL That Inhang Stupa is located just outside the city of Savannakhet in the central part of Laos. During the annual festival, an international trade fair will be held, featuring exhibitions of tourism products from Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The fair will also include the performance of Traditional Lao music and dance, as well as a sports competition featuring football, boxing, tennis and local traditions, including a druming competition.

When: Mid-December

DATEBOOK

| November 8-14, 2013

SINGAPORE GHOST: THE BODY AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY This art exhibition aims to get viewers thinking about how the human body has "haunted" the arts, and how it represents the relationship between artists and the state.

When: Until December 31 (Tuesdays to Sundays, 11am to 7pm, closed on Mondays) Where: Sculpture Square, 155 Middle Road Admission: Free

| November 8-14, 2013