The betel nut, which is often wrapped in a betel leaf spread with slaked lime to enhance the stimulative effect, is ubiquitously available at roadside kiosks across Taiwan and chewed by millions daily.

Taiwan’s battle with betel nut addiction Nantou City (Taiwan) – 05 October 2017- AFP (Michelle YUN)

For years Huang Sheng-yi helped feed Taiwan’s addiction to betel nut, planting thousands of the trees on his mountainous farm.

Today he has felled most of them, incentivised by the government to grow something else, as part of its push to reduce availability of the nut, which is a stimulant and also a known carcinogen linked to oral cancer.

But the green nut, which is often wrapped in a betel leaf spread with slaked lime to enhance the stimulative effect, is still ubiquitously available at roadside kiosks across the island and chewed by millions daily.

The chance of a betel nut user developing oral cancer is 28 times the average person, according to the health ministry.

“Simply promoting the health risks is not enough. Betel nut chewing is too deeply ingrained in society,” says Chuang Li-chen, project manager at Sunshine Social Welfare Foundation, an NGO that offers rehabilitation services for oral cancer survivors.

Since a 2003 study confirmed betel nut as a carcinogen there has been a gradual decline in popularity, although around two million people still chew the nut, according to government figures.

The nut, which stains users teeth blood red, remains popular among the working class, particularly men, who rely on its stimulant properties to better cope with long hours of manual labour.

ADDICTIVE AND DEADLY

The government is attempting to reduce the amount of betel nut available as part of its plan to tackle the issue.

It subsidises farmers as much as Tw$250,000 ($8,315) per hectare if they convert to other crops.

Huang now grows oil-seed camellia which produces an edible extract often likened to olive oil at his farm in Lugu town in the central county of Nantou.

However, the 57-year-old says many are still hesitant to make the leap. It will be more than two years before he can harvest the oil-seed camellia, he says, and he is only able to stay afloat because he has another tea-growing business.

“Farmers are reluctant because managing a new crop is much harder,” he told AFP.

“There needs to be even greater guidance and incentives to really make a difference.”

Authorities concede the programme has not yet made a significant dent since it started in 2014.

Of the 42,940 hectares of betel plantations on the island, only 435 have changed crops under the initiative, although more may have done so without government assistance.

But Su Mao-hsiang, deputy director of Taiwan’s agriculture and food agency says applications have risen this year off the back of government offers of more support.

“We hope more farmers can participate in the conversion,” he told AFP.

Betel nut has been part of Taiwan’s aboriginal culture for thousands of years, used in ceremonies and rituals.

At the height of its popularity it was known as “green gold” because it was such a lucrative crop – second only to rice in value – and many had come to rely on it for their livelihood.

Its skinny palms still pervade parts of the rural landscape and flashing signs at roadside kiosks flag down drivers, although they are lower key than in the past.

Young women in skimpy outfits – known as “betel nut beauties” – often used to staff the stands are less common now after the government crackdown.

CAUSES ORAL CANCER

Despite the various measures to curb production and use, campaigners say there is still too little awareness of the damage betel nut can cause.

Former addict Chen Yung-an wishes he had believed his doctor when told he had early signs of oral cancer two decades ago.

“I didn’t think it was possible. Other people chewed it for years and nothing happened to them,” said Chen, now 53, who had a tumour removed three years ago, taking out a chunk of his right jaw.

Chen went through 200 a day at the peak of his habit, saying it served as a social lubricant among co-workers.

“In the rural areas betel nut is like fruit. We didn’t have the concept that it was bad for us,” he told AFP.

“It felt uncomfortable whenever my mouth wasn’t moving. While driving back I would buy Tw$200 to eat on the car.”

“My mouth would only rest when I was sleeping,” he explained.

Today he is limited to eating soft and bite-sized foods to avoid choking and has not worked since the disfiguring surgery.

“Of course it’s hard to find a job now. I would have to face the looks people give me,” he told AFP.

The disease can take 10 to 20 years to develop, which means many people do not seek treatment until it is too late, said Chuang.

Only about half of the population is aware of the fact that the betel nut directly induces cancer, even without any other additives, she adds.

“We’ve let the betel nut industry develop for decades. We can’t just ignore the livelihoods of these growers and vendors,” said Chuang.

It needs more coordination between education, agricultural and economic departments, she says. “We need a comprehensive approach to effectively tackle this problem at its roots.”

TOKYO – A poodle’s dash for freedom briefly shut down one runway at a major Japanese airport Monday (Oct 9), forcing its owner to come out and catch the canine, police said.

The fully-grown dog escaped at Tokyo’s Haneda airport while cargo crews were loading its cage onto a Japan Airlines flight bound for Naha in Okinawa around 8:50 am, airport police said.

It appeared to enjoy its brief taste of freedom, dashing across a runway and sniffing around in grassy areas.

But officials had to close one of four runways for a total of six minutes, causing delays for 14 flights, said a police spokesman.

In the end, the poodle’s owner had to come out to catch the pet about 40 minutes later.

The Health Support Service Department is taking action against the Lelux Hospital for advertising surgery for female genital mutilation.

“We consider such advertisements, which includes a picture of a patient with her legs wide apart, inappropriate and against public morals,” Arkom Praditsuwan, who heads the department’s Bureau of Sanatorium and Art of Healing, said yesterday.

He said the Nonthaburi Public Health Office had already contacted the hospital to summon its representatives to acknowledge the wrongdoing.

Lelux Hospital is located in Nonthaburi province.

“The advertisement must be removed immediately,” Arkom said. “The surgery is not illegal. But advertising it this way is illegal.”

CEBU CITY – “May I take your order?” Yasmin, 27, asked a customer who just entered the cafe on Ramos Street here.

“Your food will be served in 15 minutes. Please wait,” she said after taking her orders.

A few minutes later, Andrew, 26, arrived. “Here’s your order, Ma’am. Enjoy your meal.”

Yasmin and Andrew are not ordinary servers at Special Hands Cafe.

They are among the 20 students-staff at the cafe who have congenital disabilities, including autism. But Yasmin, who has Down Syndrome; and Andrew, who has developmental disability, do their tasks like regular workers – taking and serving orders, cooking food and even issuing bills.

Special Hands Cafe looks like a regular cafe with neatly arranged tables topped with brown and white cloth, white chairs and handmade arts and crafts displayed on a shelf.

But it is a project of Stages Center Inc., a school serving students with special needs for more than two decades now.

TRAINING VENUE

“We decided to open the cafe so our students will have venue for training,” said Marie Macasero, head of Stages Center. “Here, we can teach them how to work like other normal people do.”

The cafe, which opened on Aug. 17, offers sandwiches, pasta, cakes, chips and beverages. It caters to organisations, schools and the students’ families upon invitation.

Earnings go to the students, for their projects, for maintenance and for programs that benefit them, Macasero said.

“We always make sure that our students are ready when they work in the cafe, so we don’t open regularly,” she said. “We train them or do simulations for a week or two before letting them do the actual job.”

The cafe introduced students to the framework of a real workplace, with each student assigned to a specific task, depending on skill and talent.

Yasmin serves because she likes dealing with people.

Francis Niño, 30, who sits inside a white kiosk, could become the cashier for his writing and math skills.

Surprisingly, he has good penmanship, too.

Macasero said the students had shown eagerness to learn how to cook and serve. Some do kitchen chores, such as dishwashing.

“These students prepare the ingredients of all our food products and they cook them. They also prepare the drinks and everything we offer,” she said.

They are guided by the centre’s teachers to avoid accidents, especially in the kitchen.

Aside from being an avenue for the students to deal with people, the cafe also offers a chance to catch a glimpse of how people with special needs act, talk and work.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

Macasero said the centre had been receiving positive feedback from organisations and schools whose staff members and students had dined in the cafe.

“It has even become a routine that after our customers eat, they ask for a group picture with the cafe staff, and we take that as a positive sign that our students did well,” she said.

Three architecture students from Cebu Institute of Technology-University were inspired by just looking at the cafe staff who served their sandwiches and juices.

“It really feels good to see that these people, even if they have limitations, are doing their best. I find it very touching,” said Mary Eunesse Montenegro, whose brother has special needs, too.

She and her two schoolmates are preparing a thesis on the appropriate forms and shapes of buildings and homes for people with special needs.

“After seeing the people here in Special Hands, we are getting more ideas on the outcome of our project,” Montenegro said. “And we want this project to be our contribution in helping these people have better living conditions.”

REAL WORKPLACE

Stages Center is now coordinating with fast-food chains and hotels for the possible deployment of its students.

It also plans to tap the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for more intensive training for the students. It hopes that certificates the students get from the agency will help them get jobs.

“It is really our goal to let these students go out and be part of the working population,” Macasero said.

Putting behind the 10-day holiday, South Koreans are flocking back to the capital city of Seoul on Monday from their respite at provincial hometowns and overseas vacation spots.

The extended holiday, which started on Sept. 30, is set to end on Monday. Workers and students return to workplaces and schools on Tuesday.

Seoul Station and Yongsan Station, the main train stations linking the capital city with local areas, are busy with foot traffic of people returning to Seoul, Monday.

A record number of passengers were tallied to be arriving at Incheon International Airport throughout the weekend. Authorities said more than 116,000 passengers used the airport Sunday.

The long holiday includes two weekends conjoined by National Foundation Day, the three-day Chuseok holidays, a state-designated temporary holiday and Hangeul Proclamation Day.

Pyongyang held large-scale parades and fireworks to celebrate 20 years since Kim Jong-il, the late father of current leader Kim Jong-un, became the leader of the nation, the North’s state-run media reported Monday.

According to the Korea Central News Agency, the late leader’s ascent to power was celebrated with much fanfare over the weekend across the country, including a large-scale fireworks display in the capital.

The fireworks display, held late Sunday, lit up the sky along the Daedong River, following a rally at Kim Il-sung Square earlier that day attended by some 100,000 people, including top officials.

The weekend of celebrations are considered a warmup for the founding day of the nation’s ruling Korea Worker’s Party, an anniversary bearing substantial political significance for the communist state.

The South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae raised the possibility that the North may stage a military provocation this week to mark the special occasion for the nation.

The Jakarta Police have thwarted an attempt to smuggle 17 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine hidden inside Chinese tea products, kompas.com reported on Sunday.

The drug syndicate attempted to cover the crime by fronting as a pharmaceutical business.

Jakarta Police narcotics director Sr. Comr. Suwondo Nainggolan said five members of the syndicate had been arrested in separate locations, starting with the Oct. 4 arrest of Safrizal, alias Rizal, alias RZ, the owner of a drugstore on Jl. Walang Timur in Koja, North Jakarta.

“From the suspect RZ, we seized 3 kilograms of crystal meth inside three packages of Chinese tea products branded Guanyingwang,” Suwondo said in Jakarta, as quoted by kompas.com on Sunday.

From their investigation into RZ, the police obtained information that the crystal meth was sent from Pangandaran, West Java.

Two days later on Oct. 6, the police raided two locations in Pangandaran and arrested four people, with 17 kg of crystal meth seized as evidence.

Suwondo said 15 kg of the drug was hidden inside tea products, while the other 2 kg were packed in 33 small plastic containers.

The concealed drugs were kept in a house in Sindangasih village of Banjarsari district, Pangandaran.

“The drugs were ready to be distributed,” Suwondo noted.

He added that during the arrests, police also confiscated three cars suspected of being purchased using money made from drug trafficking.