VOL 34 NO 21 | MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

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VOL 34 NO 21

MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

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BLOG Remembering a community leader » P. 10

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

SIFF kicks off with some “Seoul Searching” This year’s Seattle International Film Festival includes an impressive number of Asian American selections, which assembles a collection that includes a Korean replicate that evokes John Hughes feel-good, historical Taiwanese brothels, and Tibetan archery.

Check out some initial rundowns of reviews and previews on page 9.

Demolition, but A mission to create development hope through planning Hing Hay Park will expand

Filipino American develops new environments and inspiration

By James Tabafunda Northwest Asian Weekly

{see FORMANTES cont’d on page 16}

Photo courtesy Callison

Raldi Formantes fights poverty.

He designs highly imaginative and habitable places around the world, some reflect hope to the world’s poorest people and those seeking a more prosperous future.

Formantes, 53, of Redmond, likes the Benjamin Franklin saying, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to

Raldi Formantes

It’s a volley!

Chinese American street volleyball documentary hits cable

Rendering of the park expansion

By Staff Northwest Asian Weekly Renovation is underway in the International District. The iconic Hing Hay Park, located on the corner of Maynard and King St. (423 Maynard Ave) will be getting a makeover. The existing park will be expanded and developed due to the demolition of the adjacent post office site, which was acquired with a 2000 Pro Parks Levy funds.

Hing Hay is known in the neighborhood as an event venue and community gathering place.

Seattle Parks wanted to note in the plans to develop that the new expansion would reflect the community’s needs and traditions.

The Seattle firm of SvR is working together with the Beijing-based firm of Turenscape on the expansion. Flyers translated into Chinese and Vietnamese were mailed to residents. Community members had the opportunity to voice input.

The Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority and {see HING HAY PARK cont’d on page 15}

By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly Ursula Liang’s “labor of love,” 9-Man, which documents the Chinese American sport of street volleyball has received critical acclaim. We first covered the documentary in December 2012. Since then, the film and its makers have traveled the country showing it at various festivals and receiving awards.

The film was shown at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival this past February to great reviews. It won the Directors’ Choice Award at the festival. “We had a packed house,” recalled Liang of the Seattle debut, “It was a wonderful crowd.” She noted that the energy of the Seattle crowd stood out to her when it was shown.

She notes that several players that participate in the 9-Man volleyball tournaments live in the Seattle area.

Liang believes that Seattle as well as Chicago and {see 9-MAN cont’d on page 13}

The Inside Story NAMES People in the news » P. 2

■

WORLD Possible political win for Manny? » P. 5

A&E Ricamora & his lifechanging moment » P. 7

TRAVEL Eloping... » P. 8

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MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

■ names in the news

Nguyen battles celebrity chef Seattle chef Thoa Nguyen, founder of Chinoise & Wabi Sabi restaurants, competed on national television this past January on “Beat Bobby Flay.” The format of the show pits two professional chefs against one Chef Thoa Nguyen another for the opportunity to do battle with TV personality/ chef Bobby Flay. The episode featuring Chef Thoa is titled “Homeland” and will air May 14th. The results of the rivalry will not be known until that time. “The experience was great. I had fun and thank everyone who made this possible for me”, says Chef Thoa.

Thoa was also profiled by National Public Radio for their Last Days in Vietnam program, premiering April 28 in 2015. 

Chaya auction raises over $300,000

Chaya fundraiser

API Chaya’s 2015 Dinner & Auction on May 9 had over 580 registered guests and a preliminary total of approximately $300,000 dollars raised, an increase from the previous year’s $275,000. Chaya also raised $2,800 for the Nepal Earthquake relief fund during the dessert raffle. 

Okazaki awarded Kip Tokuda Award The Asian Pacific Islander Community

Bamboo awards for Tosh Okamoto and Seattle World School

behalf of diversity. It is the only University and community-selected award, and is regarded as the highest achievement in diversity at the University of Washington (UW).

The award was presented at the 45th annual EOP Celebration, Fête and Honors hosted by UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity.

For 16 years, Fukui-Sketchley served as Nordstrom’s corporate diversity affairs specialist until being promoted to her current role in 2012. 

Widener speaks about “Tank Man”

Jeff Widener presents his prominent photographs

Jeff Widener, Pulitzer Prize-nominated

photographer of “Tank Man” spoke at the International District/Chinatown Community Center May 2. He discussed his “Tank Man” photograph, known for its portrayal of a single figure that stops a lineup of tanks after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. He had to elude Chinese security to take and send the photograph to the Associated Press. Widener also discussed other images and experiences from stories he covered in his career, from the Gulf War to the Khmer Rouge. 

Blakeney moves to Downtown Seattle Association

Don Blakeney

Don Blakeney, Executive Director of the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area, will be resigning after five years of service. At the end of May, he will be joining the team at the Downtown Seattle Association as their Vice President of Advocacy & Economic Development, where he will be focusing on strengthening partnerships and policies to make the greater downtown area a healthy, vibrant urban core. 

All sale lasts from Friday 5/15 to Thursday 5/21 1221 S. King St., Seattle ∙ 206-720-0969 Monday—Sunday: 8:30 a.m.—8 p.m. www.lamsseafood.com

Tosh Okamoto, seated

Tosh Okamoto, a co-founder of Nikkei Concerns, and Seattle World School, a public school that helps immigrant children fully participate in American society, have been recognized with the Bamboo Award for Health, which honors one individual and one organization whose works have improved the lives of the International Community Health Service’s (ICHS) target populations of disadvantaged and underserved residents.

The award was presented to Okamoto and Seattle World School on May 8 during the 2015 Bloom Gala at the Westin Seattle Hotel.

Okamoto, 88, a military veteran who was on the board of Nikkei Concerns up until a decade ago, worked with his colleagues to champion the rights and well being of Japanese American seniors. One of their achievements was construction of Nikkei Manor, which provides affordable housing for the elderly. 

Fukui-Sketchley receives Odegaard Award Colleen Fukui-Sketchley, diversity affairs director for Nordstrom, has been named the 2015 recipient of the University of Washington Charles E. Odegaard Award.

The Odegaard award honors individuals whose leadership in the community exemplifies the former UW president’s work on

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Bernie Matsuno, who has served as director of Department of Neighborhoods (DON) since 2011, will be stepping down effective June 2.

Matsuno came out of retirement to serve as director of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, intending to serve only a few months, but stayed on for over four years.

She developed and expanded new community programs at DON, including the People’s Academy for Community Engagement (PACE) and the Public Outreach and Engagement Liaison (POEL) program to expand civic engagement, especially in underrepresented communities.

Matsuno will continue to lend her expertise to future City community-engagement projects. 

Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange, Colleen’s husband Chris Sketchley, son Jackson Sketchley, Colleen FukuiSketchley, and Blake Nordstrom

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SEAFOOD

Bernie Matsuno

Leadership Foundation (ACLF) announced that Mark is the Okazaki winner of the Kip Tokuda Award. The Kip Tokuda Award recognizes a comMark Okazaki munity member that has demonstrated outstanding contributions to ACLF and the Asian Pacific Islander Community. Past winners of the Kip Tokuda Award include Vera and Joey Ing, Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, Jill Nishi and Ruth Woo. He will be honored May 16 at the 15th Community Leaders Program Dinner..

Okazaki was born, raised and educated in Seattle. He worke for the Seattle-King County Private Industry Council (PIC), the precursor to the Workforce Development Council. At the PIC, Mark helped plan and implement innovative job training programs for low-income youth and adults throughout the county, eventually serving as Assistant Director.

In 2000, Mark assumed the role of Executive Director for Neighborhood House, a 109 year old non-profit anti-poverty agency that provides a wide range of education, employment, health and social services to thousands of low-income children, families and elders throughout Seattle and King County. 

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33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

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MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

■ world news Thai king leaves 500 Rohingya from Bangkok hospital, Myanmar land in returns to palace Indonesia BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s unifying figure.

87-year-old king, the world’s Bhumibol has faded from longest-reigning monarch, left public life over the past several a Bangkok hospital he checked years, though, and on his rare into last year and returned outings looks visibly frail and Sunday to his seaside palace does not speak publicly. south of the capital.

The king made a rare King Bhumibol Adulyadej public appearance Tuesday at had been in a Bangkok hospital Bangkok’s Grand Palace to Bhumibol since last October, when he had King mark the 65th anniversary of his Adulyadej his gallbladder removed. coronation.

As the king left Siriraj Bhumibol’s near-disappearHospital with his wife, Queen ance from public life has coinSirikit, throngs of well-wishers shouted cided with a decade of political instabil“Long live their majesties.” Traveling in ity in Thailand. Worries about the king’s separate vans, the royal couple arrived at health and succession have contributed to the Klaikangwon Palace in the coastal city the instability. of Hua Hin a few hours later.

The heir apparent, Crown Prince Thais hold great affection for Bhumibol, Vajiralongkorn, does not command the who was crowned on May 5, 1950, after same respect and affection as the king. coming to the throne in 1946 following the Open discussion of the monarchy is death of his elder brother. constrained by a strict lese majeste law While he is a constitutional monarch with that makes criticism of the royal family no formal political role, Bhumibol is widely punishable by up to 15 years in prison.  revered and regarded as the country’s sole

■ Community news

Vietnamese puppetry comes back to Seattle

The 1,000 year-old folk art form of water puppetry spins the traditional stories and folk melodies of Vietnam into a lavish, over-the-top spectacle: multi-colored phoenixes and copper turtles, fantastical jumping fish, pirouetting dragons spouting water. The Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre of Saigon is performing alongside the 7-member orchestra Rup Tung Cack, the Vietnamese description of drums beating, whose distinct blend of rural and contemporary Vietnam showcases the country’s colorful heritage May 19. It will feature more than 15 different instruments, including gongs, kettle drums, bamboo flutes, zithers, and two-stringed violins.

Rup Tung Cack’s arrangements help the puppets come vividly to life in a rare treat for North American audiences (last seen in Seattle in 2002). This performance is appropriate for adults, and for children ages 3 and up/grades Pre-K and up. 

■ region

Chinese citizen sentenced in Seattle for firearms smuggling

SEATTLE (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Chinese citizen illegally in the United States has been sentenced to three years in prison for smuggling firearms, firearm parts and ammunition.

U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman said Friday the actions of 45-year-old Yong Guo were particularly egregious because they went on for nearly two years.

Guo pleaded guilty in February to charges that he sent about 80 packages

containing firearms or firearms parts using false names and return addresses from post offices in King and Pierce counties. The parts included .22-caliber rifle bolt assemblies sent to a contact in Hong Kong, and the packages were mislabeled as containing steel blocks, toy parts or other items.

It is illegal to export firearms, firearms components or ammunition without the permission of the U.S. government. 

By Margie Mason and Robin McDowell Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Boats carrying more than 500 members of Myanmar’s long-persecuted Rohingya Muslim community washed ashore in western Indonesia on Sunday, with some people in need of medical attention, officials and a nonprofit organization said. They warned that thousands more are believed to be stranded at sea.

Steve Hamilton, deputy chief of mission at the International Organization for Migration in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, said his teams were racing to the Aceh province sub-district of Seunuddon, where the boats landed.

Of the four boats found, three had apparently been abandoned by the smugglers and the other ran out of fuel, he said.

Most of those on the boats were Rohingya, but there were also some Bangladeshis on board, Hamilton said.

“We had nothing to eat,” said Rashid Ahmed, a 43-year-old Rohingya man who was on one of the boats. He said he left Myanmar’s troubled state of Rakhine with his eldest son three months ago.

“There were about 20 children on our boat — they were so hungry,” he said, crying as he spoke to The Associated Press by phone. “All

we could do was pray.”

The Rohingya have for decades suffered from state-sanctioned discrimination in Myanmar.

Attacks on the religious minority by Buddhist mobs in the last three years have sparked one of the biggest exoduses of boat people since the Vietnam War, sending 100,000 people fleeing, according to Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, which has monitored the movements of Rohingya for more than a decade.

An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 Rohingya are now being held in large ships in the Malacca Straits and nearby international waters, she said, adding that crackdowns on trafficking syndicates in Thailand and Malaysia have prevented brokers from bringing them to land.

That has added to a spiraling crisis, with some stranded at sea for more than two months.

Tightly confined, and with limited access to food and clean water, their health is inevitably deteriorating, Lewa said, adding that dozens of deaths have been reported in recent months.

Thailand has long been considered a transit point for human traffickers across the region. {see THAILAND cont’d on page 12}

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

■ WORLD NEWS

5

Boxing loss could be Pacquiao’s political win

By Oliver Teves Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Manny Pacquiao lost his biggest fight in the ring, but that won’t stop him from plotting a bigger comeback — in the political arena that is.

In a country where elections are also entertainment and political programs secondary, candidates often win because of star power and money.

Pacquaio, who earned more than $100 million despite losing the Fight of the Century against Floyd Mayweather Jr. last weekend, certainly has that working for him.

But can he overcome his poor record as an incumbent

congressman, his humble origins and lack of political savvy to win a Senate seat, or even higher office?

Having established himself as a local politician, the natural path for the 36-year-old Pacquiao would be the 24-seat Senate, a national position, which has been used as a springboard for vice president or president. His most ardent supporters say he can be a future president.

The Bible-quoting boxer, who by law cannot run for president before turning 40, has said his “thoughts on the presidency ... are merely aspirational.” His first presidential race would be in 2022.

That could be harder than defeating Mayweather., but he can take comfort in the thought that Filipinos love the underdog.

His rags-to-riches story — rising from extreme poverty to becoming the wealthiest Philippine congressman — has captured the imagination of the millions in his Southeast Asian nation.

Pacquiao the underdog played well at home after it was disclosed that even with his shoulder injured he still fought aggressively against Mayweather, said political analyst and public administration professor Prospero de Vera.

He said the way Pacquiao lost the fight “actually enhances his political viability” and could help him win as senator in elections next year. {see PACQUIAO cont’d on page 12}

China island building now totals 2,000 acres

By Lolita C. Baldor Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — China’s rapidly expanding campaign to construct artificial islands, potentially for military use or airstrips, now totals about 2,000 acres (800 hectares) and could far outstrip that amount as the year goes on, a senior defense official said Friday.

The new estimate, disclosed for the first

time, comes as the Pentagon released its annual report on China’s military power. The report warns that while the intent of Beijing’s construction in contested islands in the South China Sea intent is unclear, five emerging outposts could be used for surveillance systems, harbors, an airfield and logistical support. {see CHINA ISLAND cont’d on page 12}

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MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

■ COMMUNITY calendar THU 5/14 WHAT: “Globalization with Chinese Characteristics: Conceptualizing a textbook adaption that avoids turning China into a set of examples or exceptions” WHERE: UW, Thomson Hall WHEN: 3:30-4:30 p.m.

THU 5/14 & FRI 5/15 WHAT: Book reading with Janice Nimura WHERE: at SAM on Thursday, at Eagle Harbor Book Co. on Friday WHEN: 7 p.m. on Thursday, 5:30 p.m. on Friday

THU 5/14 THRU TUE 5/19 WHAT: Shimane Japan Food Fair WHERE: Seattle Uwajimaya and Beaverton Uwajimaya INFO: uwajimaya.com

SAT 5/16 WHAT: A Glimpse of China – Chinese Culture and Arts Festival WHERE: Seattle Center Armory WHEN: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

INFO: seattlecenter.com, 206-684-7200 WHAT: 15th Annual Community Leaders Program

Graduation Dinner WHERE: 415 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle WHEN: 5-8 p.m.

INFO: 206-718-8249

at Kubota Garden WHERE: Kubota Garden, 9817 55th Ave. S., Seattle WHEN: 2:30-4 p.m.

INFO: seattle.gov/parks

FRI 5/15 THRU SUN 5/17

SAT 5/23

WHAT: Saigon’s Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre WHERE: Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle WHEN: Various times.

Check Townhall website.

COST: $5-$25 INFO: townhallseattle.org

SUN 5/17 WHAT: Justice Steven Gonzalez, Carrie HesslerRadelet, and Theresa Pan Hosley to receive honorary degrees WHERE: University of Puget Sound, 1500 N. Warner St., Tacoma WHEN: 2-4:30 p.m.

INFO: pugetsound.edu

WED 5/20 WHAT: Newly sworn in Seattle City Councilman John Okamoto WHERE: Nagomi Tea House, 519 6th Ave. S., Seattle WHEN: 5:30-7:30 p.m.

RSVP: 206-412-3209, 206321-7805

THU 5/21 WHAT: New terrace overlook

WHAT: Meet the artist Maggie Ho WHERE: APCC, 4851 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma WHEN: 2-4 p.m.

INFO: 253-383-3900 WHAT: Gallery party with Aaliyah Gupta WHERE: Core Gallery, 117 Prefontaine Place S., Seattle WHEN: 4-6:30 p.m.

INFO: aaliyahgupta.net

SAT 5/30 WHAT: CISC’s 43rd Annual Friendship Dinner & Auction WHERE: Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center WHEN: 5:30-8:30 p.m.

COST: $125/person INFO: kevinc@cisc-seattle. org, 206-624-5633 RSVP: by 4/30 REGISTER: cisc-seattle.org WHAT: The Legacy of Justice at Hirabayashi Place WHERE: Lobby of Addison on Fourth Apartments, 308 4th Ave. WHEN: 1-3 p.m.

INFO: 206-624-1802

■ briefly THU 6/4 WHAT: Han in the Upper Left: a brief history of Korean Americans in the Pacific Northwest WHERE: Wing Luke, 719 S. King St., Seattle WHEN: 6-8 p.m.

RSVP: rsvp@kahs.org

TUE 6/9 WHAT: How to make Rock Plant Kimchi with Instructor Jung Hee Park WHERE: APCC, 4851 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma WHEN: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

REGISTER: 253-383-3900

EVERY WED WHAT: Seattle University School of Law Citizenship Project WHERE: Yesler Community Center Computer Lab, 917 E. Yesler Way, Seattle WHEN: 5–6:30 p.m.

COST: Free INFO: 206-386-1245

THIRD SAT, JANJUN 2015 WHAT: Northwest Folklife’s Family-Friendly, Interactive Performance Series WHERE: Crossroad’s Mall, 15600 N.E. 8th St., Bellevue WHEN: 6:30-8:30 p.m.

INFO: nwfolklife.org

Harrell critical of police May Day arrest Bruce Harrell, Seattle city councilman who chairs the council’s public safety committee, has criticized a police bike officer’s arrest of a protester during last Friday evening’s May Day march in the Capitol Hill neighborBruce Harrell hood.

The Seattle Times reports that Councilman Harrell questioned police officials about their approach Wednesday, saying the arrest “just seems idiotic to me.”

Harrell referred to aerial video that showed the bike officer racing toward a male protester in the anti-capitalist march, jumping off his bike and tackling the man.

Assistant Police Chief Steve Wilske told Harrell that police appeared to have probable cause to arrest the protester for assaulting a police officer.

Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole said late Wednesday in a statement she was “shocked and disappointed” by Harrell’s comments.

She says they contradict “the overwhelming, positive feedback” police have received from the community.

Incident Commander Capt. Chris Fowler has said the march turned from a demonstration to a riot when the crowd began assaulting police.

Sixteen protesters were arrested and nine officers were injured. 

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

7

■ arts & entertainment TV, Broadway’s Conrad Ricamora on a ‘life-changing’ moment

By Mark Kennedy NEW YORK (AP) — Conrad Ricamora’s acting career is on fire of late. He may want to thank his genes.

He’s on ABC’s hot new drama “How To Get Away with Murder” and he’s also singing on Broadway in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical “The King and I.” Not bad for a guy who took his first acting class on a whim in his junior year of college.

Then again, Ricamora recently found out that he’s related to a pretty famous person in acting circles — none other than William Shakespeare.

“Isn’t that crazy?” the Filipino-American actor said recently over coffee before taking the stage in “The King and I” as the doomed lover Lun Tha. Ricamora and his boyfriend were consulting the genealogy website Ancestry. com when he discovered his ninth great grandfather on his mother’s side married Judith Shakespeare, the Bard’s youngest daughter.

The news comes four years after Ricamora visited Shakespeare’s birth place of Stratford-upon-Avon. “Now I want to go back and be like, `This is mine. This is mine,”’ he said, laughing.

Ricamora, the son of a U.S. Air Force member, moved all the time growing up — California, Colorado, Iceland and Florida were some stops. He attended Queens

Conrad Ricamora

University in Charlotte, North Carolina, on a tennis scholarship and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

When he took his first acting class, he read a monologue from Lanford Wilson’s play “Lemon Sky” about meeting his estranged father for the first time — and it made a strong impression.

“My mom left when I was an infant and I met her much later when I was 8 or 9. I just was like, `I know exactly what this is like.’

It was immediately there. I didn’t feel like I had to do anything,” he recalled.

“The connection between an author telling a story to an audience was so electric that I kept wanting to find my way back there. It was life-changing.”

Ricamora was done with psychology — “It doesn’t fit my personality really well” — and got a master’s in acting at the University of Tennessee. His background in sports psychology helped with the painful life of an up-and-coming actor.

“You win a lot, you lose a lot, and your ego has to totally get out of the way in order to do what you’re there to do. I transferred that skill set over to auditioning.”

Ricamora earned parts in “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and the off-Broadway musical “Here Lies Love” by David Byrne about Filipino exfirst lady Imelda Marcos.

The musical helped Ricamora, who played opposition leader Ninoy Aquino, get closer to his father, who saw the show 14 times and started to talk about the country he left when he was 11.

“Anyone that is a minority in this country can tell you what it means for them to have their story be told because you feel so left out growing up,” Ricamora said.

Bartlett Sher, who directs “The King and I” saw Ricamora in “Here Lies Love” and wanted the fire and political anger he brought to that part to transfer over to Lun Tha.

“He gets to be strong and sexy and a revolutionist. He gets to fight for the people.

He gets to fight for the underdog. He’s fantastic,” said Ruthie Ann Miles, a co-star who earned a Tony nomination this month.

Ricamora is getting the most attention these days for his role as Oliver, the handsome but slightly nerdy I.T. guy, on “How To Get Away with Murder.”

Ricamora will feature in season two.

Oliver wasn’t supposed to survive the pilot but kept returning because creator Pete Nowalk liked what the actor did and story lines opened with his on-screen conniving boyfriend.

The show has developed a strong following, in part because it depicts a mixed-race couple in love — and having steamy sex — without being coy or commenting on it.

“We’re just allowed to be two people,” Ricamora said. “I like that a lot. I like that it doesn’t feel like they’re asking us to be stereotypes in any way.”

Whether its stage or screen, Ricamora seems happy just being able to tell a story, the way he did that first time reading “Lemon Sky.” “That same electricity that infused my first connection to acting, that’s why I’m here,” he said. “That’s the biggest honor — to have that happen every night in front of people who are leaning in to be part of an experience.” 

Making a Difference Friday, May 15, 2015 • 11:30 a.m.—1:30 p.m. • China Harbor Restaurant • 2040 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle

Honorees

Sponsors

Emcee Sonya Green

News and Public Affairs Director 91.3 KBCS

Diana Lindner

Fellow American Academy of Pediatrics

Rita Meher

Co-founder & Executive Director Seattle South Asian Women Focus Festival

Katie Wilson

Organizer Transit Riders Union

Marisa Herrera Ed.D- Executive Director UW Ethnic Cultural Center

C. June Strickland Professor Community Health UW, School of Nursing

Kia Franklin

Partnership Director Equal Opportunity Schools

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Zenzile Brooks

Marketing Manager Glosten Innovative Marine Solutions

Lorena Gonzalez

Former advisor & legal counsel to Seattle Mayor Ed Murray

Tracy Hilliard

Director City of Seattle’s Human Services Dept.

Andrea Akita

Executive Director InterIm

Thanh Tan

Multimedia Editorial Writer/Columnist Seattle Times

Lani Cao

Attorney Lani Cao Law Office

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WOMEN OF COLOR EMPOWERED CO-CHAIRS: Kiku Hayashi and Winona Holins-Hauge PLANNING COMMITTEE: Elizabeth Younger, Connie Sugahara, Diane Martin, Francine Griggs, Kathy Purcell, Leny Valerio-Buford, Assunta Ng, Shoko Toyama, Rosa Melendez, Lourdes Sampera Tsukada, Sonia Doughty, Bonnie Miller, and Sylvia Cavazos LUNCHEON PRICING: Discounted price of $35 if purchased by May 5. Full price of $45 after May 6. Walk-ins $50. Student price of $25 with I.D. before May 5; $30 after May 5; student walk-ins $35. No tickets will be mailed; confirmation is by e-mail only. $350 for a table. To sponsor the event including logo online and print and table is $1,000. Men are welcome! MAKE RESERVATIONS: To purchase tickets, call us at 206-223-0623, fax the above form to 206-223-0626, mail a check to Women of Color Empowered, P.O. Box 3468, Seattle, WA 98114, or email rsvp@nwasianweekly.com. For more information, visit womenofcolorempowered. com.

asianweekly northwest

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MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

■ travel

The Village Report Eloping...

By Dipika Kohli Northwest Asian Weekly “Did you change your hair?” I said, thinking out loud. ”Yeah. There’s a place called the Chop Shop in Skibbereen.” ”It’s interesting how the front of your hair flips up a little bit like that.” I was used to Yoshi Kayukawa’s wilder cuts, like the shaved look in his punk hang-on phase, then the short cropped cut he got when I pointed that out. ”Weslife style, you mean?” ”What?” ”I mean, it’s boy band hair, like.” ”Wait, what?” ”Oh, just that... you go into the Chop Shop, and you come out with the same haircut that everyone else in line is going to get. It’s pretty funny.” He tapped the wheel with both thumbs, the same way he did when we’d drive to the North Carolina coast for breaks from school, playing U2 and Dinah Washington mixes on cassette. ”I think I’m a little tired, Yoshi. I’m not getting what you’re saying, exactly.” ”No worries, just rest a little. You can sleep some when we get home. The lads from work are looking forward to meeting you, and there’s going to be a session on tonight at Baby Hannah’s. We’re invited.”

We passed four pubs, a little place with a picnic table and purple flowers dangling from a basket.

Clonakilty

Soon, very soon, we were home. * Later, I’d associate West Cork with poetry and song, with drink and dance. Bia agus craic agus ceoil. I’d watch Michael Collins and think of Clonakilty, and I’d remember all the stories about 800 long years of oppression the Irish had to deal with under British rule.

I’d lose it a bit when Yoshi brought me to the famine grave at Abbeystrewery, seeing with my own eyes the trauma and negligence

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spelled out there.

I would picture children dashing along the short strand at Tragumna, tugging on the sleeves of their mothers, with their siblings close by, or the sun sliding down beyond Roaring Water Bay. I’d think about the early breakfast at The Stove I got with Yoshi one morning, sharing tables with farmers readying for a day in the fields, though I wasn’t going anywhere but Cork to shop for shoes for the day, and taking Bus Éireann that way. I remember the same bus, later, not picking me up, and confronting the driver about it when I saw him next. He wasn’t apologetic, and this turning of the tide made me feel the first inclinations to want to leave Ireland, despite how relaxed I felt at last.

Recalling Ireland makes me think about how Dan O’Mahoney poured his heart out with a rendition of Ride On, at a pub called Baby Hannah’s, on my first night in Skibbereen. We sat on low stools and heard the night flicker in a fire not so far from me.

I’d see the hills of Donegal and think of people in Chicago agonizing over how far they were from their native land. I’d peek at pink phosphorescence on Loch Oighinn

when a kayak tour brought me out that way. I got better with the kayaking and sailing when I took an instructor course in Schull, but I only got one semester deep before I did, after all, leave the country. I biked only twice, it was too hard with the lorries rumbling by, so instead I floated through rows and fields of gorse at Reen Pier, or noted the bobbing daffodils lining our drive that I imagined Wordsworth would have liked, placed in the foreground with buoyant, lonely clouds in the far.

I’d tell myself over cafe teas and perfect scones, the kinds that come with homemade clotted cream, with milk in tiny pitchers but not nearly as small as those in Japan, that I would get through this all right. That I would be okay. We’d do things we’d never done, like watch horses in trotting races, they called them, or driving through the middle of someone’s road bowling game, which was perfectly normal and people just waited politely at the side to let you through. You could picture a wild ocean edging these scenes, with cool pebbles on {see TRAVEL cont’d on page 11}

■ world news

Singapore teen guilty of insulting Christians in video blog

By Jeanette Tan Associated Press

SINGAPORE (AP) — Teen blogger Amos Yee was found guilty Tuesday of insulting Christians in a video monologue and of distributing an obscene image of Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew with former British leader Margaret Thatcher.

The 16-year-old Yee had faced three years in jail but instead will be put on probation.

He was released on a bail of 10,000 Singapore dollars ($7,500) and probation officers will now interview him and his parents to determine what kind of probation he would receive and how long it would last. The result would be announced June 2.

Asked how he felt about the verdict, Yee — who was wearing a navy T-shirt and khaki

shorts — told reporters: “I don’t know. I can’t decide. I don’t know if I should celebrate my release or mourn my sentence.”

District Judge Jasvendar Kaur rejected Yee’s Amos Yee defense that he did not intend to insult Christians. She also noted she was concerned by the effect on teenagers that the image of the faces of the two leaders superimposed on the drawing of two figures engaged in sexual activity would have.

“The question I had to ask myself was: would any right-thinking parent or teacher {see YEE cont’d on page 15}

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

■ at the movies

MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

9

Seattle International Film Festival represents!

“Seoul Searching” kicks off SIFF

By Daria Kroupoderova Northwest Asian Weekly The title of Seoul Searching is as cheesy as the movie itself, but in a good way! This homage to John Hughes’ classic The Breakfast Club follows a group of foreign-born Korean teens at a government-run summer camp in Seoul in the late 80s. Like The Breakfast Club, each main character has a distinct stereotype they fit into: the bad boy, the goody-two shoes, the preacher’s daughter who is a bad girl and so forth. All these teens are stuck together at the camp with rules that are begging to be broken.

Following their experience at camp, you witness each of the teens dealing differently with what it means to be Korean. Especially striking is Kris

Schultz, a teen that was adopted by a white family when she was a toddler from Korea. She doesn’t speak any Korean, but is interested in finding her birth parents. With the help of her goody-two shoes friend (and possible romantic interest), Klaus Kim, they track down her birth mother, which stirs up emotions for Kris --and the audience.

Director and writer Benson Lee cleverly weaves a coming-of-age story with moments that pull at your heartstrings or make your cheeks hurt from laughter.

Bonus: Lee is scheduled to attend the AMC Pacific Place 11 screenings.  Friday, May 15, 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 16, 3:30 p.m., AMC Pacific Place 11, Wednesday, May 20, 8:30 p.m., Lincoln Square Cinemas Daria Kroupoderova can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.

■ arts & entertainment Get back to normal life Chui Wan on their first American tour

By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly The Chinese psychedelic band Chui Wan, named from a passage written by Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi, brings a particular brooding spin to explorations of the macrocosm-as-microcosm and occasionally vice versa. On their first American tour, to promote their second, self-titled album, they’re playing at Seattle’s Lo-Fi on Wednesday, May 27th.

Three of the four members—multi-instrumentalist Yan Yulong, new drummer Li Zichao, and guitarist Liu Xinyu—took some questions over email.

NWAW: How did the band first get together?

Yan Yulong: Wu Qiong and I met each other on the internet in 2009.

Li Zichao: I met them through a website in 2012.

Liu Xinyu: I had a no wave band and the drummer had an important exam so Yan Yulong spontaneously came on stage to jam with us! Nobody knew him yet, then.

NWAW: What were the band’s early influences?

“Golden Hill” Reviewed by Tiffany Ran

Young student Lhakpa returns to his remote home village Mustang in the mountains of Nepal. Upon his return home, he is jolted by the harsh lifestyle he once knew, but is now estranged from. He peers down at scenic Mustang from a neighboring hill, writing in his journal, and reflecting on his life.

As the film progresses, Lhakpa’s birds eye view draws closer as he is woven into life in the village harvesting grain, skipping stones in the river, and finding love with a childhood friend. As his view of Mustang changes, the village’s voice becomes stronger, digressing from Lhakpa’s inner dialogue and filling the narrative with the sound of the wind blowing through mountains, a traditional song played on a lute, and children singing as they till the earth. Lhakpa not only reenters life at home, but is faced with the heart wrenching decision of retuning to the big city and the modern world or staying behind to help his village that struggles under the weight of change. Golden Hill subtly transports its viewers to the rugged mountains of Nepal, which softens with scenic shots of architectural cliffs, wild flowers swaying in the wind, and the warm village within it that quickly embraces the return of its prodigal son.

“Golden Hill” show times: May 18 at 7pm at AMC Pacific Place 11 May 20 at 4:30pm at AMC Pacific Place 11 May 22 at 6pm at Renton IDEA Performing Arts Center

“The Sacred Arrow”

Reviewed by Andrew Hamlin Yan Yulong: For me it’s La Monte Young, Velvet Underground and Swans.

Li Zichao: I don’t know. I’m still the new guy!

Liu Xinyu: Japanese new psychedelic noise, world music, underground music from Europe and the USA. NWAW: What is the rock-and-roll scene like in China? How has it grown and changed over the years? {see CHUI WAN cont’d on page 14}

Nobody ever hits the bull’s-eye square on in this study of Tibetan archery, and how it reflects rivalries, feuds, name-calling, trash-talking, merry piss-taking, changing times, and quietly, reflectively, the need for decency and calm nerves. Theoretically a tale of a rivalry between two villages, the

deceptively-funny film manages to drag in all of the above , not to mention one furtive romance, one skull fracture, and one mountedon-motorcycle shooting contest.

It’s been japed already, but frankly, I wish more Hollywood movies would show that today’s enemies, can be tomorrow’s friends.

Sunday, May 17th, 8:30 pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown; Tuesday, May 19th, 4:30 pm, Harvard Exit; Saturday, June 6th, 8:15 pm, Kirkland Performance Center, Kirkland

“Where I am King” Reviewed by Tiffany Ran

Upon facing bankruptcy, Ricardo, a self-made millionaire in the Philippines, returns to the slums where he was raised with his coddled grandchildren with hope to revitalize the slum and teach his grandchildren to “grow some balls.”

The lighthearted film follows, but also glosses over, the personal growth of each character that is needed to guide the film, and with some weak performances, the story is stalls between dueling family members trying to avoid financial ruin with weak motivations to derail the budding friendships between the grandchildren and the residents. However, the film is a candid glimpse inside the harsh life of an isolated caste. The experiences and life of the residents more than the plot centered on Ricado’s family take the lead as the most memorable aspects of this film.

“Where I am King” show times: May 19 at 4pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown Festival May 27 at 9:30pm at AMC Pacific Place 11 {see SIFF cont’d on page 16}

asianweekly northwest

10

MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

■ PUBLISHER'S BLOG

OPINION

Recognizing Joey Ing

Photos by Assunta Ng/NWAW

A spotlight on a community leader

From left: Jamie Stroble, InterIm CDA WILD (Wilderness Inner-city Leadership Development) program manager; Irene Situ, InterIm CDA WILD Program Coordinator and Gala speaker, and Andréa Akita, InterIm CDA Executive Director

Joel and Joey Ing

Left to right (seated): 2015 Growing Communities Gala Planning Committee Co-Chairs: Caroline Raganit, Martin Choy, and Diana Nguyen and volunteer Mila Umagat (standing). The gala at the Waterfront Marriot Hotel May 2, raised approximately $70,000 net, and close to 300 were in attendance.

Vera Ing, the late community leader was known as the “glue” of the Asian community. But glue does not stick if it has nothing to attach to.

Vera was able to get community support because there was a force behind her, giving her strength and guidance through thick and thin, tears and laughter through all these years.

The man behind that, who was that the ‘glue,’ is Joey Ing, 78, Vera’s husband for half a century. Joey retired as a successful architect of his own firm for multiple projects—the International District Children’s Park, South Seattle College, several restaurants, which include the House of Hong and the Anthony’s chain in the Puget Sound area.

Glue requires chemicals. It serves as an adhesive and cohesive force to make things attach. It creates bonds. Joey was the adhesive and protective chemical for Vera, as well as the community. Joey supported her goal of bonding communities. Their home was the house to host fundraising for numerous politicians, charities, and celebrate the success of Asian Americans breaking through the glass ceiling.

Imagine the planning and strategies to entice people to open their pockets, and the mess and cleanup afterwards, for as many as a hundred people pouring through the house and yard for each occasion.

Over the years, I attended many of the Ings’ functions.

Their home was like a community center before any real Asian community center was born.

Joey understood that gravity isn’t enough to keep the Asian community permanently in place, but at least, he and Vera paved the first step with their hospitality and readiness to develop goals for our community to accomplish.

The Ings contributed to our community, such as helping to revitalize the Chinatown/International District through Interim and the huge support of the Wing Luke Asian Museum. Regarding politics, the Ings worked hard for Gary Locke, and many mainstream candidates to ensure that they understood issues affecting the Asian community and they didn’t take the Asian community for granted.

Interim’s board president.

“While Mom was the one who usually got the headlines, Dad was equally committed to the community and gave back much of his time,’’ said Joel. “He hired many recently graduated architect students out of the University of Washington over the years and helped them learn the business while working on some interesting restaurant, community college, or other commercial project.

“What is fitting about being awarded the Bob Santos Sustainability Award and presented with a Gerry Tsutukawa bronze piece is that Mom and Dad gave Gerry one of this first big opportunities in the mid 1970’s with the design of the bronze dragon which is the centerpiece and which generations of kids have played on at the International District Children’s Park.”

Joey suggested legendary sculpture and painter George Tsutukawa’s son, Gerry, design something for the park, since George was so busy.

Gerry designed the bronze “Mitt” which is the public art centerpiece located prominently on the corner of 1st Avenue outside of Safeco Field.

As the designer for all of Anthony’s 24 restaurants in the Puget Sound area, you don’t feel that each one is a copycat. Instead, each of the chain restaurants is slightly different from one another and has its distinct identity.

Joey was a gentleman.

The decades I’ve known Joey, he let his wife do all the talking, allowing her to be the spotlight. He knew Vera would like that so he usually remained in the background. He was always the clown, his goal was to entertain, making people laugh. Yet when he gave his acceptance speech for the Interim award recently,

he was actually a genuine speaker—funny, and thoughtful.

His words offered an enlightened attitude towards life. And he didn’t even have a script.

While Vera was a high-profile chair of the North Seattle Community College Foundation, Joey also chaired the South Seattle Community College Foundation simultaneously, but few people knew about it. He never made much noise about his contributions.

Congratulations to Mr. Nice Guy, Joey, Joel, and family for the award. This recognition is long overdue! 

Growing up

What would it be like to grow up with a home functioning like a community center, seeing strangers enjoying the swimming pool during holidays?

The Ings’ three children, Joel, JaDeane, and Jeffrey grew up dealing with the issues and needs of the community and they witnessed community leadership in and out of their own home. What better way to teach their own children through their own examples?

Joel said it nurtured and prepared them to give back. “It was easy for me to serve on the Interim board.”

Vera was a long-time volunteer and Interim’s board president. Both son and mother were long-time volunteers and

Want to get the inside scoop on the latest happenings of Seattle’s Asian American community? Follow Publisher Assunta Ng’s blog at nwasianweekly.com under the Opinion section.

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

11

OPINION

■ LETTER ■ editorial Harriet Tubman RE: A-POP! The Slants: Is it offensive? on a twenty?

It should happen!

Left: Harriet’s portrait on the bill (fingers crossed). Right: Susan B. Anthony coin.

Polling reveals that abolitionist Harriet Tubman would be a favorite if we had a woman on a 20-dollar bill. The vote is unofficial, but an online campaign spearheaded by the group Women on 20s resulted in over 600,000 votes for possibilities if we did have a woman on currency. In the final round of voting, 118,328 people voted for Tubman.

Although there have been women on currency before, (for example, the Susan B. Anthony $1 coin), it would be a great statement to have that 20-dollar bill bearing a significant female figure.

It would also be an acknowledgment of respect from our country.

Women On 20s is a non-profit, grassroots organization which aims to compel historic change by convincing President Obama that “now is the time to put a woman’s face on our paper currency.”

The organization began the competition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women earning the right to vote in 1920. “It follows that women should be honored with representation and memorialization on our nation’s banknotes; and

specifically the $20 banknote as part of the commemoration of this Centennial,” says the petition.

The current leader in votes is Harriet Tubman. She is recognized for her contributions to the Underground Railroad, a secret network of routes which helped slaves escape from the south to the north. She helped a countless amount of slaves escape and she continued to work as an activist until she died in 1913.

The other figures included in the unofficial voting were Eleanor Roosevelt, the former first lady and a infamous humanitarian; Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to lead a major Native American tribe; and Rosa Parks, the renowned civil rights activist.

What we should commend is Women on 20s initiative.

If you would like to contribute, use the hashtag #DearMrPresident in social media posts and you’ll be helping to amplify the call for historic change. Women’s equality and value should be heard and seen, even if it is a face on monetary exchange. 

TAITUNG

1) The Trademark Office never claimed that organizations refused to do business with us because of our name; rather, they claimed that one event in particular (Asian American Youth Leadership Conference) cancelled our performance and my keynote due to complaints about our name. This was false - members of the AAYLC steering committee sent signed legal testimony that there no complaints, they cancelled for logistical reasons. Additionally, they printed our name in the program, had me keynote and the band performed in subsequent years without complaint. Knowing this, the Trademark Office continued using the false article anyway.

2) That was also not what I stated; the Trademark Office relied on an outdated Wikipedia entry that edited my quote (from an interview with Asian Week, 2007). What I

actually said was “I was trying to think of false stereotypes that people associate with Asians.

Obviously, one of the first things people say is that we have slanted eyes - which I thought was interesting because we could talk about our ‘slant,’ our perspective on life as Asian Americans.”

3) The free speech issue was more like a footnote in our legal argument. Our main legal arguments for the Federal appeal did not have to do with re-appropriation, but rather on procedural and evidentiary issues. They based their decision on my race, implying that anyone but Asians could register a trademark on “The Slants.” They also presented false and outdated evidence. That’s what we pressed in court.

{TRAVEL cont’d from page 8}

kind the dollhouse maker’s wife shared with us one Saint Stephen’s Day when we came around to say hello. These were the good times.

Many times, I sat still, and closed my hands around my heart, looking for anything that might help me make sense of where I was, how I’d arrived here, and what was past. I looked back much more often than ahead.

I would recall scrambling up cliffs to the Beacon in Baltimore, and ambling about the ruins at Castlefreke with a Frenchman and a Swede, whom we’d later visit in their native countries in coming years. I’d think about all the Gaelic and English song-poets, reciting such lyrics as Teddy O’Neill, where the musicians incited whole rooms of people to join. Never had I seen such love of word and story, and never such a rousing color in the cheek as when I came to Ireland, to West Cork, to the place where I might never have seen were it not already writ in the stars. 

beaches you could see from the tops of tussocky cliffwalks at places with names like ”Owenahincha,” just a stone’s throw from our house in Shepperton. There was all of this, and with time, an acceptance of us, too. I never realized the extent of how much until one day when I scored tickets for a gig when Christy Moore, the Christy Moore, came to Clon.

He’d come to DeBarra’s to play a sold-out show, and because I was writing for the local paper I’d been given two tickets. Yoshi and I sat with Christy’s own brother at our right. The brother bellowed at the chorus and other times, too, but there was no comparison to the original voice, the one I’d first heard through RTÉ’s station on our new stereo on my first week in town, when Christy Moore sang The Rose of Tralee.

What is this music?, I’d thought. Whose is that voice?

Ireland had the kinds of places and people that would make you stop what you were doing, and sit up and pay full attention, to the degree that you felt really aware and present, maybe for the first time in your life.

Christy’s was the last show I saw in Ireland, but the impression was like thick rum cake, the

— Simon Tam, The Slants

Dipika Kohli’s first book, The Elopement, is about running away to Ireland with Akira Morita in 2001. Names are changed in this excerpt.

Dipika Kohli can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.

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asianweekly northwest

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MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

{THAILAND cont’d from page 4} The tactics of brokers and agents started changing in November as authorities started cracking down on smuggling networks on land — a move apparently aimed at appeasing the U.S. government as it prepares to release its annual Trafficking in Persons report next month. Last year, Thailand was downgraded to the lowest level, putting it on par with North Korea and Syria.

In the past, Rohingya and Bangladeshis packed into ships in the Bay of Bengal.

Their first stop was almost always Thailand, where they were held in open pens in jungle camps as brokers collected

{PACQUIAO cont’d from page 5} But the higher the office Pacquiao seeks, the fiercer the competition and the closer the public scrutiny he will face.

Two popular athletes have been elected to the Senate in the last 30 years. One had first served as a city councilor, the other was a businessman and sportsman before running for the upper house. Both worked full time as legislators, unlike Pacquiao.

But, winning an election “most of the time is not connected with being prepared for the job,” de Vera said.

So far, Pacquiao doesn’t have much to show as one of 292 representatives in the lower house — he hasn’t successfully sponsored a single bill and is a top absentee in the chamber over the past five years.

Many Filipinos see Pacquiao’s loss as his cue to retire from boxing. For them, Pacquiao has already sealed his legacy not just as one of the world’s greatest boxers but also as a source of national pride. Others want him to also withdraw from politics and enjoy the fruits of his 20-year boxing career.

Yet others don’t believe he will retire anytime soon from boxing or politics. For one thing, his fight winnings are too big to ignore.

Pacquiao, who according to Forbes was worth $82 million before the latest fight, is often approached for financial support by individual constituents or even entire villages for anything from a community basketball court to funding for fiestas and scholarships.

He also shoulders the expenses of his large entourage of relatives, friends and an assortment of hangers-on.

“I think he is not yet ready to retire,” said Raul Martinez, mayor of Pacquiao’s hometown of Kiamba and his wedding godfather. “Not everything is in place yet. He has so many commitments that if you sum up (his money), it won’t be enough.”

Doling out benefits and building a patronage network is a Filipino politician’s staple.

Pacquiao gives at least 50,000 pesos

“ransoms” of $2,000 or more from family and friends. Those who could pay continued onward, usually to Malaysia or other countries.

Those who couldn’t were sometimes beaten, killed or left to die.

Since May 1, police have unearthed two dozen bodies from shallow graves in the mountains of southern Thailand, the apparent victims, they say, of smuggling rings.

Indonesian authorities said the migrants who arrived in Aceh early Sunday were taken to a police station and a sports stadium, where they were being given care.

Risky Hidayat, from Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, said some of the migrants mentioned that

($1,125) to each of the 144 villages in his impoverished southern Sarangani province and over 500,000 pesos ($11,285) to each of its seven municipalities every year just for fiestas — like celebrations of local patron saints. He also pays professional fees for show-biz personalities he invites to appear at the parties, Martinez said.

Martinez said he will try to persuade Pacquiao to run in next year’s election for governor instead of senator for practical reasons — he will most likely be unopposed and he can save a lot more money on a local election compared to a national campaign for a Senate seat, where he is also expected to contribute to the campaigns of provincial governors and thousands of municipal officials whose support he will seek to win votes.

Some fans still want a rematch because they felt cheated by the lackluster PacquiaoMayweather bout, which boxing analyst Ed Tolentino calls the “Fiasco of the Century.”

Tolentino said that pending investigations

by Nevada authorities into whether there was fraud or “other shenanigans” in the bout, “the rematch is as good as dead.”

Pacquiao lost by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. He said he thought he won despite his injured right shoulder. He is facing several damage suits in the United States for alleged fraud in connection with the injury from people who spent money to watch or bet on the fight.

“When the injury had not yet been disclosed, people were blaming Floyd Mayweather for the lackluster fight because he resorted to hitand-run tactics, but now people are blaming Manny Pacquiao for robbing them of the `fight of the century,”’ Tolentino said.

He said, however, that Pacquiao can still retire without soiling his record as a champion.

“I do not believe that his legacy will be defined by the performance in the Mayweather fight,” he said.  Associated Press writer Teresa Cerojano contributed to this report.

there was another boat with an unspecified number of people on it still at sea in the same area.

One of the Rohingya who arrived Sunday, Muhammad Juned, told the AP that he left Myanmar two months ago, hoping to go to Malaysia.

“We just wanted to leave because the situation in Myanmar is no longer conducive for us to stay,” he said.  McDowell reported from Yangon, Myanmar. Associated Press writer Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

{CHINA ISLAND cont’d from page 5} The wide-ranging report also details Chinese government-backed cyberattacks against the U.S. government to collect intelligence and steal high-tech data from defense programs to support China’s industry. And it warns that China now “boasts the most dynamic space program in the world today.”

The document also repeats persistent U.S. concerns about China’s growing capacity to project military power beyond its borders, with continued investments in new missiles, ships and aircraft as well as cyber, space and electronic warfare. That military modernization, the report said, “has the potential to reduce core U.S. military technological advantages.”

For the first time, however, the report describes the “extensive” land reclamation at five outposts in the Spratly Islands, adding that at four of the sites the work has shifted to mainly development and construction.

The report says China had reclaimed about 500 acres (200 hectares) as of late last December, underscoring the dramatic increase in the past four months. The defense official said the construction has been methodical and continuous since December. The official was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to the report, China’s government says the projects “are mainly for improving the living and working conditions of those stationed on the islands. However, most analysts outside China believe that China is attempting to change facts on the ground by improving its defense infrastructure in the South China Sea.” Chinese officials have defended the land reclamation by saying it is Beijing’s territory, adding that the buildings and

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infrastructure are for public service use and to support fishermen. It accuses the Philippines, Vietnam and others of carrying out their own building work on other islands.

The Obama administration says land reclamation risks exacerbating tensions in the South China Sea, where China and five other claimants contest sovereignty of tiny islands and reefs. Last summer, the U.S. called for a moratorium on construction work by the various claimants, but China has only doubled down.

U.S. officials are concerned China’s activities could be a prelude to enforcing a possible air defense identification zone over the South China Sea, similar to one it declared over disputed Japanese-held islands in the East China Sea in 2013.

Although it is unclear what will ultimately be built on these expanded outposts, the report says, “China will be able to use them as persistent civilmilitary bases of operation to enhance its presence significantly in disputed areas.”

China’s reclamation program dwarfs that of any other nation and has inflamed tensions in the region. Last month, the Philippines urged its fellow Southeast Asian countries to take immediate steps to halt the building, warning that failure to do so will allow Beijing to take “de facto control” of the area.

According to the defense official, Vietnam has reclaimed about 60 acres ( 25 hectares) of land since 2009. The report said Taiwan began a “modest land reclamation effort” on Itu Aba Island last year, and has reclaimed about five acres (2 hectares) near the island’s airstrip. There are reports that Taiwan is building a $100 million port near the airstrip that could accommodate naval frigates and coast guard cutters, the Pentagon said. 

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33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

■ astrology

MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

13

For the week of May 16–May 22, 2015

By Sun Lee Chang

Rat — There are multiple angles to any given situation. While you feel strongly about your position, so does your counterpart.

Dragon — Are you ready to toss your hat into the ring? Ask yourself what you really have to gain by joining in.

Monkey — Is the rate of change too fast lately for your liking? Soon there will be reprieve, which will allow you to become accustomed to the new landscape.

Ox — Everyone makes a mistake once in a while.

Learn from it what you can and then do your best to shake it off.

Snake — There is always room for improvement and growth, though you may have to go out of your way to find it.

Rooster — Your reaction is not what you had expected. There could be some underlying issues that are now bubbling to the surface.

Tiger — You want to have control over the entire project, but there are some parts where you will have to trust someone else.

Horse — If you are hoping for a different outcome, then look at the choices that you are making. Doing the same thing again won’t help you.

Dog — Keeping up appearances can be exhausting.

Remember that the really important people care more about who you are than what you have.

Rabbit — Coordinating with a partner means that should include them on what is going on. Keeping the lines of communication open should help to ensure smooth progress.

Goat — Do you feel as though your concerns are being ignored? Perhaps it’s time to get a little tougher than you usually are.

Pig — Why go it alone when you can share a special moment with friends and family? They will also appreciate your giving them a reason to celebrate.

What’s your animal sign?

Rat 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 Ox 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 Tiger 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 Rabbit 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 Dragon 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 Snake 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 Horse 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 Goat 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 Monkey 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 Rooster 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 Dog 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 Pig 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.

PSYCHIC SARAH

{9-MAN cont’d from page 1} Vancouver are ripe to have 9-Man teams.

Tournament hubs rotate between cities which include New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The sport is comprised mainly of Chinese Americans or Chinese Canadians that compete in volleyball tournaments with its own set of rules. Games started in the 1930’s by men in alleys and parking lots where many Chinese immigrants settled. During those times, it was a source of camaraderie and inclusion at a time when America was not accepting of many Chinese. Now, players come from all walks of life. The sport is a passion for those that compete and a connection to the past.

Liang stated that Northwest Film Forum’s Program Director Courtney Sheehan has helped her from the start. “She contacted us very early on and really cared,” Liang noted.

The local help, assisted with getting 9 Man to be a part of the Seattle Asian American Film Festival.

The film has received considerable notoriety. In addition to the Seattle accolade, the film won an Audience Award and Best Documentary Director Award at the Los Angeles Pacific Film Festival, an Audience Award at the Boston Asian American Film Festival and a Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Austin Asian American Film Festival.

In addition to the film festival circuit, the documentary was featured this past month on the World Channel as part of Asian Pacific Heritage Month. The documentary was featured on America ReFramed, a series on the network that shows independent documentaries. The film received a national audience and Liang received positive notes from people that may not have known about her film. The showing put the film in front of new communities, a goal of Liang for 9 Man. Another goal of the film was to help change the perception of the Asian American athlete.

She believes that the film has accomplished its goal with the personal and athletic portrayal of the film’s athletes.

In order to fund 9-Man, Liang and her small team promoted the project on Kickstarter where they surpassed its $25,000 goal and received $40,591 from public benefactors.

Liang indicated that she received a postproduction grant from the Center for Asian American Media. However, it did not cover all of the post-production costs. In addition to the costs for production and marketing, she still must cover costs to travel to film festivals

You Say Nothing I Tell All

I specialize in reuniting soulmates & lovers. I can guide you to financial freedom. I can give you spiritual guidance.

Removes negative energy. And I will with just one call.

Director Ursula Liang

It was a source of camaraderie and inclusion at a time when America was not accepting of many Chinese. Now, players come from all walks of life. The sport is a passion for those that compete and a connection to the past. and other promotional activities.

Liang continues to work as a freelancer in addition to her work promoting 9-Man. She has done a wide variety of work including projects for the “Op-Docs” section of the New York Times. In the past, Liang worked as a sports journalist before working on the documentary.

9-Man continues to make its way through the independent film festival circuit but Liang is developing a new strategy for the documentary. “We are actually going to start an educational movement,” Liang said.

She hopes that the film can be seen by more university students. The documentary is being sold on DVD via the 9-man web site.

Liang is also working on new projects as she is in the beginning stages of research for her next film. She would like to continue working on projects about the Asian American community. Although she is not committed to a project at this point, Liang stated that she would like to work on a film about women.

While subject matter is important, she also hopes to learn from her debut film to work more economically.  Jason Cruz can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.

866-725-6478

www.psychicpredictionsbysarah.com

asianweekly northwest

14

MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

{CHUI WAN cont’d from page 9} Yan Yulong: Generally it’s quite simple here. Different cities have different scenes.

Li Zichao: From the ‘90s till now lots of bands have sprung up in China.

Liu Xinyu: From 2005 to 2010 there were a lot of good and interesting bands, however, after that a lot of them separated or stopped making music. Since then, there hasn’t been many significant bands from the Chinese scene.

NWAW: What is the relationship of the rock scene to the Chinesegovernment?

Are they encouraging, skeptical, repressive...?

Yan Yulong: Actually, we don’t think much about these things…

Li Zichao: I don’t think they know we exist.

NWAW: How has the band’s sound grown and changed over the years?

Yan Yulong: Our sound is in constant change, however we keep some core ideas.

Li Zichao: Over the past years... I became the drummer! But I think the general idea and perspective of the band have become more unified.

Liu Xinyu: I think we’ve become more open and free to styles other than psychedelic music.

NWAW: I noticed that some tracks on the new album have vocals and lyrics, but most don’t. What makes you decide whether to add vocals and lyrics?

Yan Yulong: We like to give our audience space to imagine. Vocals and lyrics are an optional part of music and not always necessary. Most importantly, they’re never more important than the music itself.

Liu Xinyu: The most important for us is the music itself, if there’s something we don’t manage to express with instruments, we use

voice and lyrics.

NWAW: The band had to cancel some early gigs in the tour because of visa difficulties. What happened there?

Yan Yulong: The process was very slow, we don’t really know what happened. But the important thing is: We finally got the visas!

NWAW: Is this the band’s first trip to America? If not, when was the band’s first trip to America?

Yan Yulong: Yes, it’s our first trip to the US and we’re very excited.

NWAW: How do Chinese audiences compare to audiences in different parts of the world?

Yan Yulong: We don’t know about the American audience yet, but the crowd in Europe is amazing!

Li Zichao: I imagine that because there are

a lot more bands in America than in China, their reaction will be different.

NWAW: What are your most memorable experiences from the tour so far?

Yan Yulong: One of our most memorable experiences of a previous international tour is enjoying mushrooms in the Modern Art Museum of Amsterdam.

NWAW: What’s in the future for the band after the tour?

Yan Yulong: We will tour China then write new songs.

Li Zichao: Go back to normal life! Play shows, practice, write new material.  Andrew Hamlin can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.

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33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Christ. She added that the lack of reactions to his comments stemmed from the fact that they were “not made by someone who is learned or who exerts special influence,” but instead by a person who “plainly has a lot of growing up to do.”

As part of the guilty verdict, Yee will have to remove the two posts.

Yee’s parents said they will discuss with lawyers whether to appeal.

According to court documents shown to The Associated Press, Yee told police that he was raised Catholic but turned atheist by mid-2013.

Arrested and charged in March, he was bailed out by a stranger, then defied one of his bail conditions — refraining from posting any public material online — and jailed again.

When he re-entered custody on April 30, Yee was slapped in the face by a stranger outside court. The 49-year-old man, who was charged with voluntarily causing hurt, pleaded

{YEE cont’d from page 8} approve of their children or students seeing it at home or in the school library? The answer is no... (They would register their) strongest disapproval,” she said.

Yee posted the video blog laced with expletives as Singapore was mourning Lee’s death on March 23. In the eight-minute clip that he posted on YouTube, Yee said Lee and Jesus Christ were “both power-hungry and malicious,” among other derogatory comments mostly targeting Lee. Such open criticism and lampooning of leaders is rarely seen in Singapore, where laws are strictly enforced. The government of the multiethnic city-state says the enforcement of the letter of the law is necessary to maintain order and stability among the various races and religions.

Kaur also said prosecutors had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Yee had intended to denigrate both Lee and Jesus

MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

15

guilty on Tuesday, and will spend three weeks in prison. He faced up to two years in jail. 

{HING HAY PARK cont’d from page 1} the Friends of Hing Hay Park helped promote initial meetings about the development and conduct outreach.

Construction is estimated to be starting by the beginning of summer. 

Photo by George Liu/NWAW

Staff can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

KING COUNTY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ADVERTISEMENT King County is requesting Proposals from qualified firms interested in providing professional services to improve protection and understanding of historical and ethnohistorical archaeological resources in King County.

The Request for Proposals, all addenda and current document holder’s list are available on the internet at http://www. kingcounty.gov/procurement. The County will not mail, ship or fax RFPs and addenda.

Interested firms must register with the County at time of download and ensure that a valid contact email address is given.

Notification of addenda will be sent to the registered email address. Failure to register will result in the Proposer not being notified of any addenda, which may result in rejection of the proposal.

The estimated price of this contract is $300,000 to $350,000. The period of performance is estimated to be twelve to eighteen months.

Contract Title: Professional Services for King County Cultural Resources Protection Project Phase 3 Number: P00175P15 Proposals due: June 10, 2015 Time: 12:00 p.m.

Pre-proposal Meeting: May 21, 2015 Time: 9:30 a.m.

Location: Chinook Building, 401 5th Avenue, Room 126; Seattle, WA SUMMARY OF WORK: This work is funded, in part, by FHWA and applicable federal requirements apply. Professional services to King County’s Historic Preservation Program (HPP) to assist in the implementation of Phase 3 of the King County Cultural Resource Protection Project (CRPP), to improve protection and understanding of historical and ethnohistorical archaeological resources in King County (primarily outside Seattle).

SUBCONSULTANT OPPORTUNITIES: No specific subconsulting opportunities have been identified.

QUESTIONS: Questions concerning this solicitation should be directed to Ruth Williamson, Contract Specialist at 206263-9333, or ruth.williamson@kingcounty. gov. TTY Relay: 711. The Proposer may be requested to submit the question in writing.

No verbal answers by County personnel will be binding on the County.

This information is available in alternate formats for individuals with disabilities upon advance request by calling 206-263-9400, TTY Relay: 711.

Kim Baldwin posts notice of demolition

APPLICATION Name: ____________________ Address: ___________________ __________________________ City: _____________ Zip: _______ Phone: _____________________ Birthdate: _____ / _____ / _____ School: ____________________ E-mail: _____________________ Class (as of academic year 2015-2016).

Open to all students, but priority is given to juniors and seniors: ___ Sophomore ___ Senior ___ Junior ___ College Freshman Are you a Northwest Asian Weekly reader? ___ Yes ___ No

WHEN

Please enclose $50 non-refundable registration fee.

June 22 – July 9, 2015 Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

x_______________________________ Parent or guardian for students under the age of 18.

WHERE

Submit a 100-word essay why you would like to join the program.

Massive Monkees Studio 664 S. King St. Seattle, WA 98104

Mail this application and your essay to: Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation 412 Maynard Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98104

WHAT • • • • • • • •

Develop leadership and communication skills Meet role models and leaders Discover Asian community resources Build friendships with youths from other areas of Puget Sound Exciting field trips Great speakers All expenses paid, including ethnic lunches every day for 3 weeks Earn $200 to $500 in scholarships

Application Deadline: May 30, 2015 Any application received after the above date will be considered on a space-available basis.

NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY 412 Maynard Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98104 206-223-0623 www.nwasianweekly.com

asianweekly northwest

16

MAY 16 – MAY 22, 2015

{SIFF cont’d from page 9}

“Margarita with a Straw” Reviewed by Tiffany Ran

Laila, a 19-year old living with cerebral palsy, is determined to live life unfettered by her disability. She writes music and enjoys hobbies with friends, and like most young women, she is curious about sex. Margarita follows Laila as she explores her sexuality, but Laila’s struggle with cerebral palsy is no afterthought. Viewers are granted a candid look at Laila’s impaired speech movements, and as the film progresses, those struggles coexist merrily with Laila’s budding relationship with her lover Khanum. Viewers are not meant to be feel sorry for Laila, who is neither a victim nor an angel. Margarita tells a unique coming of age story that bestows dignity to the experience of living with disabilities.

quiet, inward. Setsuro Wakamatsu gives us a samurai straining under the burden of letting his master get killed--but Kiichi Nakai, doesn’t brood. He might be the only samurai in film history not to brood.

Actually, his cool determination holds the film’s center, with supporting superlative turns by Ryoko Hirosue as the man’s longsuffering wife, and Hiroshi Abe as a person of interest, let’s say. Quiet, inward, but effortlessly summing up rapid change in Japanese society, and mounting a critique of ethics and obligations into the bargain.

Reviewed by Andrew Hamlin

Will all that blood run out on fields, on streets, on dirt and beaches, the only place left for the samurai film to go is

Reviewed by Tiffany Ran

A charred corpse is found on the outskirts of a remote village and so begins a film that ties together three separate stories of a young man who commits an accidental murder, a woman suffering from domestic violence, and a genuine village chief with plans to retire. Each has a plan that goes awry. The film is divided into three acts that allows for symbolism to show through, but parts of the film tended to drag. A scattered plot line and a sense of back and forth deflate an already long film, but strong performances push the plot forward. As each character face a fate of which they have very little control, the transformation we see with certain characters conveys a sense of deep and profound defeat, and a fate that can be twisted and cruel.

“A Coffin in the Mountains” show times: May 16 at 12:30pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown

Presenting design

At its first stop, Josh Pauw, Formantes’ teammate from Hyder Consulting in Melbourne, Australia, blogged that Formantes presented urban design options “that will work for Iloilo City and its people.”

In Silay, Formantes recalls a fiveminute break during the three-day workshop in which local government officials provided snacks and, to his surprise, a performance by a group of young musicians. He said, “You might call it a gift because they knew we’re also there to give them something so it was a very beautiful exchange.”

Bert Smolders, Shelter program manager and the sixth team mem-

Reviewed by Tiffany Ran

Reviewed by Tiffany Ran

{FORMANTES cont’d from page 1} fail” as a guiding truth.

A design principal at Seattlebased Callison, he was one of five ARCADIS professionals chosen to donate their expertise to a humanitarian mission to the Philippines called Shelter. ARCADIS is Callison’s parent company and a leading global natural and built asset design and consultancy firm.

Formantes said about his selection two months ago, “I was excited because I realized that I would professionally be able to actually have an impact and give back to a more meaningful cause. And as architects, our work is basically building better environments so poverty is a natural target and focus for us to help.”

Shelter is a partnership between ARCADIS and UN-Habitat, the United Nations Program for Human Settlements.

The ARCADIS team was made up of experts from the Philippines, Chile, Netherlands, Australia, and the U.S. Its task was to help develop Iloilo, Silay, and Cagayan de Oro into more sustainable cities. Each member, he says, brought “much needed input to local leaders with the hope of bringing a huge positive impact on their growth plans.”

“Paradise in Service”

“A Coffin in the Mountain”

“Dukhtar”

In this epic journey through the mountains of Pakistan, Allah Rakhi escapes with her 10 year old daughter on the morning that her daughter is set to marry an old tribal leader. Mother and daughter brave the rugged mountains as the relentless chase begins.

Dukhtar is the first feature debut from writerdirector Afia Nathaniel, who has worked for an international women’s non-profit and given addresses on the issue of violence

May 18 at 7:00pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown May 21 at 6:00pm at Lincoln Square Cinema

“Dukhtar” show times May 20 at 9:30pm at AMC Pacific Place 11 May 21 at 4:30pm at AMC Pacific Place 11

Saturday, May 16th, 6 pm, SIFF Cinema Egyptian; Sunday, May 17th, 1:30 pm, Harvard Exit; Monday, May

“Margarita with a Straw” show times: May 15 at 6:30pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown Festival May 16 at 4:15pm at Harvard Exit May 23 at 8:30pm at Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center

“Snow On The Blades”

against women. The film is compassionate and movie, yet thrilling in its depiction of a literal man-hunt where lives are on the line.

The film is soothed by tender moments as a truck driver helps the mother-daughter duo, and becomes a forbidden love interest for the mother. As they dodge capture and disappear into the magical yet treacherous mountains, emotions are stirred as the value for freedom, a sense of loss, and a love forbidden are mixed into a turbulent journey.

ber, said about Formantes, “Having lived in the U.S. for years but born and raised in the Philippines, he combined knowledge and understanding of two cultures and languages.”

“This made him the perfect team member for the Shelter team to the Philippines for the UN-Habitat ASUS (Achieving Sustainable Urban Development) mission in March (14-26) 2015.”

Born in Manila, Philippines in 1962, Formantes grew up inspired by the paintings of an elderly artist who was a neighbor.

“Growing up in the Philippines, you see a lot of poverty. You always

With “Paradise in Service”, director Doze Niu Chen-zer’s evocative film offers a lush portrayal of an isolated time in Taiwan’s history where a state-run brothel served as a paradise for soldiers at the military base of Quemoy. The film follows young soldier Lo Pao-tai when he shows up to Quemoy for his three-year conscription. He is transferred to Unit 831 to manage the brothel. The film follows virginal Pao as he maintains his chastity in the company of sexually frustrated soldiers and wonton prostitutes. In doing so, Pao develops a unique empathy for the sex workers and his relationship with Sergeant Major Chang brings to life the complex emotions behind the band of soldiers who seek to return home and face the possibility of never doing so. The lyrical film sways between the great quiet sorrows of each character to the romantic portrayal of life on a picturesque island at the pinnacle of great change.  “Paradise in Service” show times May 18 at 9pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown Festival May 26 at 6pm at Lincoln Square Cinemas

dream about beautifying places, wonderful, much better places you want to see. So I think that’s how my interest in architecture came about,” he said.

“I think that (poverty) basically shapes you because you have a natural connection, and you empathize with the people’s hardship and suffering.”

In 1983 Formantes received his bachelor’s in architectural studies from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.

He worked as a design executive at the architectural and engineering company Wong & Ouyang Ltd., in Hong Kong from 1987 to 1993.

Before Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997, he said, “A lot of people were leaving Hong Kong, so I was one of those people. I wanted a better future for my children.”

“We left in the early 90s to start planning our move to the U.S. Me and my wife [Lou Carangal Formantes], and I had two children [Jon and Ben].”

He earned two master’s degrees in 1997, one in civil engineering and the other in architecture from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. After receiving them, he said, “I wanted to go back to Hong Kong,” and laughed. “And apply what I just gained.”

Because the July 1997-January 1998 financial crisis hit much of

Asia and “a lot of the projects were all drying up,” he decided not to go.

Formantes started at global architecture and design firm Callison in 1998 as a senior designer. He participated in several large-scale, mixed-use urban projects including Bay Street at International Plaza in Tampa, Fla., Manhattan Village in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and City Creek Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

After several promotions throughout his 17 years at Callison, he said, “I enjoy doing my work so … when the China market exploded, I was part of that. I think it’s natural that you actually get rewarded for those efforts.”

“If you can actually come up with a way to alleviate and help through your planning skill or architectural skill, this is an idealistic notion of what architecture is,” Formantes said.

“You’re actually wanting to change people’s lives.”  For more information about Shelter, go to shelter.arcadis.com/ Shelter_Home.aspx. For more information about Callison, go to www.callison.com.

James Tabafunda can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.