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Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Japan pop group AKB48 cancels events after attack Associated Press Writer
TOKYO — Japan’s hugely popular female pop group AKB48 canceled fan events Monday after a saw-wielding man attacked two members and a staffer, shocking the nation and raising questions over security. The two group members, Anna Iriyama, 18, and Rina Kawaei, 19, suffered hand and head injuries, and the male staffer who tried to stop the attack Sunday at a fan event in northern Japan had cuts on his hand. All three left the hospital by late Monday. The women, wearing hats and covering their hands with white towels, appeared in front of a huge crowd of reporters outside the hospital and thanked fans for their concern. “We’ve caused you worry, but we are returning to Tokyo now,” Kawaei said. “Thank you very much.” The attack on the group, whose members are dubbed “idols you can meet” because of their fan events, has rattled people in a nation known for public safety. The news topped TV entertainment shows and even the two nationwide newspapers Yomiuri and Mainichi. On Sunday, the group gave a miniconcert for hundreds of fans in Takizawa city which was followed by a handshaking event, in which fans who buy special CDs can shake hands and chat briefly with their favorite member. As soon as
the handshaking event started, a man took a foldable saw from his jacket and went toward the two women, who were standing at the entrance of one of several tents set up inside a gymnasium. Police arrested Satoru Umeta, a 24year-old unemployed man, on suspicion of attempted murder. Iwate prefectural police official Takahiro Fujibayashi said Umeta told investigators that he was not an AKB48 fan and just wanted to commit random murder. Fujibayashi said there were no full security checks of bags and the suspect might have hidden the saw inside a bag he had at the time of his arrest. AKB manager Hiroshi Yuasa told reporters he believed the security checks were appropriate but would review safety measures. Dozens of AKB48 handshaking events are held in Japan every year.
Bouncers — called “peelers” here — are assigned to these events to remove fans who linger, but no major attacks have been previously reported. “It’s nice they are close to the fans, but we have to remember there is a possibility that people like (the attacker) may sneak in,” popular talk show host Seiji Miyane said on his NTV program. He said handshaking is one of the main appeals of AKB48 but the risk needs to be reduced. Twitter and other social networking sites were flooded with comments about the incident, many of them raising concerns about security checks. AKB48 members kept quiet about the case. “Such an incident should never have happened. Even if they recover from their physical injuries, their emotional scars will never heal,” former AKB48 member Erena Ono tweeted. AKB48 management announced Monday it was canceling a concert at its main theater in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, as well as several other events around Japan. Affiliates SKE48 in central Japan and NMB48 in Osaka also canceled or postponed events. Established in 2005, the group has a rotating cast of more than 90 young women and affiliates across the country and in Indonesia, China and Taiwan.
Taylor Swift cancels Bangkok concert after coup FILE - In this April 6, 2014 file photo, Taylor Swift arrives at the 49th annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Photo by Al Powers/Powers Imagery/Invision/AP, File
Associated Press Writer
BANGKOK — Taylor Swift has canceled a sold-out concert in Thailand, which came under military rule last week after a coup d’etat. Concert promoter BEC-Tero announced Tuesday on its website that the concert was canceled “due to recent events in Thailand.” It didn’t elaborate but called the move “a difficult decision for all parties.” The concert in Bangkok would have been the night of June 9. The country is under a nighttime curfew though it’s loosely enforced. “I’m sending my love to the fans in Thailand,” Swift tweeted.” I’m so sad about the concert being canceled.” The American singer-songwriter has other performances throughout Asia during her current Red Tour. Several other international performers have canceled or postponed appearances in Thailand during the recent months of political protests and the coup carried out last Thursday.
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Not Published We, the International Bali Post would like to apologize in advance becuase we will not be published on Thursday. Thank You
Foreign tourist is playing Parasailing at Tanjung Benoa Beach. The arrivals of Indian tourists to Bali increased 29.24 percent to 28,468 people in the January - April 2014 period compared with the same period in the prior year, when it was 23,686.
AP Photo/Kyodo News
In this Jan. 29, 2014 photo, Rina Kawaei of AKB48 poses in a promotion event in Yokohama, near Tokyo. Kawaei and Anna Iriyama, members of the all-female Japanese pop group AKB48 and one staffer have been injured by a saw-wielding man at a fan event.
Indian tourists to Bali increase Antara
DENPASAR - The arrivals of Indian tourists to Bali increased 29.24 percent to 28,468 people in the January - April 2014 period compared with the same period in the prior year, when it was 23,686. “The tourism promotions conducted by the Indonesian government yielded concrete results,” tourism observer and operator in Bali Made Sudana said. The local government of Bali is providing a chance for religious leaders to conduct a tirtayatra (holy) trip to India every year so that it will strengthen the relation between the religious communities of the two countries. He said this was also expected to attract more Indians to Bali because the people in India also needed to know the development of the Hindu religion in the island. The tourism observer said the holy trip was also an
example of concrete promotion in India, expecting that the Indian tourist visits to Bali will increase. He said the Indian tourists arriving in Bali in the past four months accounted for 2.16 percent of foreign tourists visiting the province in the same period. In the JanuaryApril 2014 period, 1.1 million people visited Bali. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Association of Tourism Industries (GIPI) of Bali said the country’s tourist island will gain from the unfavorable political conditions after the military takeover of power in Thailand. Most of the foreign tourists will change their destination
IBP/Yudi Karnaedi
from Thailand to Bali, GIPI chairman Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya said here on Monday. “Bali will certainly receive more tourists originally planning to visit Thailand,” Ngurah Wijaya said. Thailand has been the main rival of Bali in attracting foreign tourists, especially those coming to enjoy the beauty of the beaches, he said. In addition, Thailand now has low season, he said. He said Chinese tourists, who favor visiting Thailand and Vietnam, where anti-China protest is increasing, are expected to change their destination to Bali. A surge was already recorded in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Bali, he pointed out. At least 45 countries have issued warnings to their citizens against visits to Thailand. Foreign tourists are sensitive to security problem, he said.