www.theasianstar.com Vol 19 - Issue 46 Devastation, mayhem in Fiji’s Vanua Levu island as cyclone Yasa passed A path of devastation and mayhem has been left behind on Vanua Levu as Tropical Cyclone Yasa passed. The category five cyclone made landfall near Lekutu in Bua around 6pm on Thursday and moved slowly at a speed of 18 kilometres per hour. Wind speeds of 150 kilometres per hour with gusts well over 200 kilometres have battered Vanua Levu. As at 9pm, TC Yasa was still in Vanua Levu but slowly exiting from Namalata and headed towards Koro. Reports have emerged that there has been extensive damage to homes and infrastructure in most of Vanualevu. Homes have been completely damaged. Tabia, Vunivau, Dreketi in Bua, Nabouwalu and most areas in the province of Bua and Macuata have felt the brunt of TC Yasa. Reports emerging from Labasa suggested high speed winds causing devastation. Kinoya based Navin Singh made contact with family in Tabia. He said he was told that none of the homes in the area were standing. “I was told that none of the wooden homes were standing. Most homes have had their roofs blown away,” he said. “My uncle in Tabia said the winds were still strong.” Jeet Lal was able to talk to family in Vunivau for a short while. ‘ He said his sister’s home was destroyed and had been told by friends in the day that their homes were destroyed as well.
Saturday, December 19, 2020
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Possible’ all Canadians could be vaccinated faster than scheduled: PM Prime Minister Trudeau says that “it’s possible” that Canada will be able to accelerate its timeline for vaccinating all Canadians who want to be against COVID-19. The federal government has given the target that sometime between September and December of 2021, all Canadians who want to be vaccinated will be, with one of the seven vaccines Canada
has signed deals to secure. Now, the prime minister has said that’s a conservative estimate. Asked if the timeline could speed up as was this month—seeing first vaccines in arms in December rather than January—Trudeau said it could happen, but warned that there’s also potential for delays.
Family in mourning after runaway delivery van kills mother of two The last thing Paramjit Masutta did before she died was push her twin daughters to safety. The 48-yearold mother was walking with her girls in Surrey on Tuesday when a runaway delivery van suddenly veered in their direction. At the last moment, Masutta, who had been holding her daughters’ hands, managed to push the girls out
of the way. By all accounts, she saved their lives. “I would expect that,” said Masutta’s brother-in-law, Daljit Banga. “Paramjit was a beautiful mother, she was always very protective of the children.” Grieving relatives returned to the scene on Wednesday, including the victim’s eight-year-old daughters. Continued on page 6
Surrey teachers appeal to Dr. Bonnie Henry for stronger COVID-19 school protocol With over 75,000 students in K-12 in 130 schools, some Surrey campuses are so “severely crowded that there are as many as 20 portables on the fields or parking lots.” The Surrey Teachers Association has written an open letter to Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry that calls for stronger coronavirus (COVID-19)
safety protocol in schools. Matt Wesphal, a member of the association, took to Twitter on Dec. 15 to share the letter to B.C.’s top doctor. He captioned his post: “We are not safe.” The letter notes that over 6,000 teachers are employed in the Surrey School District, which is also the largest in B.C. With over Continued on page 8
All Canadians who want a shot will be vaccinated by September 2021, public health agency says Canada expects to have enough doses on hand next year to vaccinate every Canadian who wants a shot by the end of September, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The statement comes amid confusion over competing information released to reporters last week about vaccination timelines. Some federal documents distributed at a COVID-19 briefing last Wednesday suggested the inoculation campaign would be completed by the “end of 2021,” while other material pointed to the more optimistic September date. Continued on page 7
BC businessman David Sidoo charged in US college scam, released from prison A South Asian businessman David Sidoo has been released from US prison on Thursday. The 61-year-old was sentenced to 90 days after pleading guilty for his role in the U.S. college admissions scandal. He was serving his time at a federal institution somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. He entered prison on Sept. 23. Prosecutors alleged Sidoo paid admissions consultant William (Rick) Singer two installments of $100,000 to have an associate take the SATs for his two sons and attempted to pay for further tests on top of those. He previously pleaded not guilty to multiple
charges in March 2019, but changed his plea a year later. When he appeared in court via video link on July 15, he apologized and told the judge he felt “deeply ashamed” of what he did. “I make no excuses. I broke the law. I pled guilty to a crime and now I must pay for my actions,” Sidoo said. The judge said he displayed an “unbelievable lack of integrity, morality and common sense” in trying to cheat his sons’ way into prestigious universities.