Wednesday March 20, 2013
Easter Island statue to give hope to Japan tsunami town
TOKYO: A giant statue from Chile's Easter Island was unveiled in Tokyo Wednesday before it is erected in a small tsunami-devastated northeastern Japanese town as a symbol of recovery.
The three-metre (9.8-foot) Moai statue is a gift from Chile, which pledged to supply a new statue to the fishing community of Minami Sanriku after the town's original was destroyed in the March 2011 quake and tsunami.
"It has been two years since the disaster and reconstruction has just begun," the town's mayor Jin Sato said at an unveiling ceremony.
"I want people to see this new statue and feel hope for the future."
The town's link to Chile, some 17,000 kilometres (11,000 miles) away, dates back to 1960, when a 9.5 magnitude earthquake struck the South American country and killed more than 1,600 people.
The quake also sent a tsunami hurtling across the Pacific to Japan, where it claimed 142 lives - more than a quarter of them in Minami Sanriku.
Decades later, after a visit from the Chilean ambassador, the Japanese town marked the connection by installing a replica Moai statue in a coastal park which local residents named Chile Plaza.
When the huge tsunami waves again swamped Minami Sanriku two years ago, the statue was toppled along with hundreds of buildings and the head was knocked off.
About 800 people were killed or missing in the once picturesque town, among nearly 19,000 people nationwide.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera promised a "bigger, more magnificent and more beautiful" statue after visiting the community following the 2011 disaster.
Hundreds of human figures - some as tall as several metres and carved up to 750 years ago - stand in groups on Easter Island off the coast of Chile. Details such as how they were transported and raised remain a mystery.
The new statue - an original, not a replica like its predecessor - will be exhibited in Tokyo and Osaka before arriving in Minami Sanriku in May. -AFP
- Former Batu Uban assemblyman withdraws defamation suit against bank executive
- Task force formed to salvage Cameron Highlands
- Stern action to be taken against the culprits
- Dept: Less than 1% of forests being illegally logged
- Take action against Kian Ming, voter told
- Second-term Selangor MB Khalid outlines his plans for development of the state
- DAP unhappy over Selangor exco positions
- MPs can earn up to RM10,000 per month
- Abdul Wahid and Paul Low taking huge pay cuts
- Organisers of Penang ceramah to be called up by police
- Stern action awaits rally-goers
- Visually-impaired Faiq swims across Penang Channel
- MCA to discuss Tee’s exco appointment tomorrow
- Azmin: Stop making statements with racial overtones
- MCA group seeks change
- Affin Research lowers Petra Energy to Reduce
- Pintaras surges to all-time high on higher earnings
- MIDF Research: Return of local retail investors
- SapuraKencana drives KLCI higher in early trade
- Sino Hua-An in the black, posts RM3.33m net profit
- Malaysia-Market factors to watch on May 20(Monday)
- Maybank KE Research maintains Buy on Alam Maritim, ups TP to RM1.30
- Winning ticket for record $590.5mil Powerball lottery sold in Florida
- Rod Stewart tops UK album chart for first time in 34 years
- AmResearch maintains Overweight on O&G sector
- Trading ideas: Instacom, Zecon, PPB Group
- Yahoo's board approves US$1.1bil Tumblr acquisition
- Professionals warn there is too much of office space in the Klang Valley
- Ten important items for you to prepare for the inevitable
- Malaysian stocks likely to go higher this week
- Golf: Johnson triumphs by one stroke at Mobile Bay LPGA
- Chong Wei urges team-mates to bounce back from shock defeat to Taiwan
- Kien Keat-Boon Heong may not play in Group C tie against Germany
- Koo-Tan’s stunning loss rocks Malaysian camp
- Kjaersfeldt ready to continue strong Danish tradition
- Sindhu shines for India after spectacular performance
- Danial shatters 100m mark as four records fall on opening day
- Pavithraa in sizzling form despite the heat
- Wee Wern relishes playing at unique venue ... a football stadium
- Coach Irving has no doubts Nicol will peak at the right time
- ‘Comeback king’ Timothy lands his second title
- KLHC to the fore again
- New Cheras velodrome may steal limelight from RM80mil Labu project
- Azlan and Zamri do Malaysia proud in ARRC race at Sentul
- Broken clutch lever costs Hafizh dearly in Le Mans
- Abdul Wahid and Paul Low taking huge pay cuts
- MPs can earn up to RM10,000 per month
- DAP unhappy over Selangor exco positions
- Take action against Kian Ming, voter told
- Stern action awaits rally-goers
- Second-term Selangor MB Khalid outlines his plans for development of the state
- Utusan says no to AirAsia ads
- English-medium schools seen as right move
- Hindraf co-founder Uthayakumar blames his sibling for polls defeat
- Task force formed to salvage Cameron Highlands
- MPs can earn up to RM10,000 per month
- Ten important items for you to prepare for the inevitable
- Abdul Wahid and Paul Low taking huge pay cuts
- Professionals warn there is too much of office space in the Klang Valley
- Crest Builder adopts sell some, keep some strategy
- Take action against Kian Ming, voter told
- Should Sime Darby also demerge; big values can be created by spinning off companies
- Stern action awaits rally-goers
- Is BR1M a negative income tax?
- English-medium schools seen as right move
RSS
