‘Hug a Child’ –Hug a Child,” an innovative and heart-

warming project initiated by ourIslamabad chapter, is a great example of whatcan be done with limited resources and agenerous measure of humanity. This projectreceived extensive press coverage in theIslamabad newspapers.

Twenty-five members of the chapterspent an evening in June hugging and playingwith the 450 orphans living at Ashiana. Thefacility, an hour’s drive from Islamabad,houses children who lost their parents in theearthquake that struck Northern Pakistan lastOctober. Under the management of an NGO,the Khubaib Foundation, Ashiana provides

A Publication of the East-West Center Associates Office Summer 2006

EWC Associates Update

Alumni in Islamabad Visit an Orphanage

R E G I S T E R N O W for the EWC/EWCA International Conference in Hanoi

Join alumni from across the Asia Pacificregion at the 2006 EWC/EWCA

International Conference in Hanoi. Renewfriendships, network professionally, enhanceyour knowledge of major issues in the region,and experience the beauty and diversity ofVietnam. Excitement is building and a largeturnout is expected.

Already more than 100 alumni from 17countries have registered for the conferencewhich will be held at the Melia Hanoi Hotel,December 8 to 10. Reservations have beenreceived from alumni in Australia,Bangladesh, India, Japan, Malaysia, NewZealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea,Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United States andeven France, Italy and South Africa. Thecomplete listing of participants can be accessedat: www.eastwestcenter.org/Vietnam2006

“This is a great time for Vietnam to behosting the international conference,” saidEWC alumna Thanh Lo Le-Khac Sananikone,

continued on page 2

continued on page 2

“Building an Asia Pacific Community forSustainable Development.” Those interestedin presenting papers should submit an abstractto the conference committee by September30. All presenters are required to register andpay the registration fee in order to have theirpapers considered for the program.

Cultural Presentations. Conference-goerswill be introduced to the best of popular andtraditional Vietnamese culture. A program byMinh Hanh, Vietnam’s premier fashiondesigner, featuring traditional, ethnic and

co-chair of the event. “Our conference willfollow the APEC conference which Vietnamhosts in November. These back-to-backconferences will be a wonderful showcase forthe Vietnamese people. Our alumni will becoming from all over the world and this willbe a tremendous opportunity for them toreconnect with personal and professionalacquaintances and renew friendships.”

Keynote Speakers. Deputy Prime Ministerand Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem andMinister of Education Nguyen Thien Nhan,an EWC alumna, have been invited toaddress the conference. They join scheduledspeakers: Le Van Bang, deputy foreign ministerfor Vietnam; Ton Nu Thi Ninh, vice chair ofthe Foreign Affairs Committee of the VietnamNational Assembly; U. S. AmbassadorMichael Marine; EWC President Charles E.Morrison; former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnamand EWC Seminars Director RaymondBurghardt; and other leaders from government,education and the business sector. Theprogram will include plenary sessions,concurrent panel sessions and poster sessions.

Theme. Some 100 abstracts have beenreceived related to the conference theme,

“

Conference co-chairs Thanh Lo Le-Khac Sananikoneand Hoang Hoe and Alumni Director GordonRing with EWC alumni who formed a volunteercommittee to support the conference.

Orphans at Ashiana were all smiles for the visitfrom the EWCA Islamabad chapter.

Register now atwww.eastwestcenter.org/Vietnam2006

for the EWC/EWCA InternationalConference in Hanoi.

2

contemporary clothing and a concert oftraditional and contemporary Vietnamesemusic by Quoc Trung are planned.

Tours before and after the conference areavailable for the Hanoi area, throughoutVietnam and for a special seven-day visit toCambodia and Laos.

Chapter Workshop. Preceding the conference,EWCA Chapter leaders will hold a workshopon December 6 and 7 at the conference hotel.

EWC/EWCA International Conferencecontinued from page 1

food, clothing, schooling, medical care andplay facilities for the children.

Chapter General Secretary MunawarSultana (2001 Pop Seminar) was instrumentalin organizing the event. She recruited alumnito come out and hug a child and providesome much-needed affection for the orphans.Some chapter members brought their ownchildren as playmates.

The children of Ashiana welcomed thehugs with great joy. EWCA members playedmusical chairs, pass the parcel and, of course,cricket with the orphans. The sound oflaughter was everywhere. Henna was appliedon girls’ hands. Young boys had the “chandtara” (moon and star) or their names writtenon their hands. They sang songs together.

Chapter member Hajra Tanvir broughtsmall gifts for all the children and prizes fordifferent games. On behalf of the chapter,President Arjumand Faisel (87 MPH OpenGrants) presented a donation of 25,000rupiahs to the Khubaib Foundation.

As the alumni departed, the childrenlined up to say goodbye. “When are yougoing to come back again?” a child calledout. Arjumand assured the youngsters thechapter would organize more activities.Already they’ve planned the next one with apuppet show and a painting session by SanaArjumand and Fatima.

“The sense of achievement that I haveexperienced today would not have come fromcompleting any pending official business,”one member said. Hats off to the IslamabadChapter for this act of pure kindness.

Calendar of EWCA conferences■ EWC/EWCA International Conference,

Hanoi, Vietnam, December 8-10, 2006

■ Annual Asian Studies on the PacificCoast Conference, Honolulu,June 15-17, 2007

■ 1970s Alumni Reunion, Honolulu,August 2007

■ 2nd South Asia RegionalConference, Lahore, Pakistan,November 2007 (tentative)

■ 2008 International Conference (location to be determined)

■ EWC/EWCA 2010 InternationalConference in Hawai‘i — 50th Anniversary Celebration

‘Hug a Child’continued from page 1

An Islamabad chapter member applies henna toa young girl’s hand at the ‘Hug a Child’ event.

They’ll gather to showcase various achieve-ments, network and discuss the new EWCAstrategic plan.

Organizers for the conference are the East-West Center, EWC Association and the EWCAHanoi Chapter, working in cooperation withthe Vietnam Union of Science and TechnologyAssociations (VUSTA). Co-chairs are Thanh LoLe-Khac Sananikone, managing director ofPacMar Inc., and Hoang Hoe, director of theCenter for Environment, Tourism &Development.

Sponsors include the Foreign Trade University,DACO Duyen Trading & Tour Service Co.,Ltd., Gannon Corporation, Indochina Capital,Gary and Bach-Mai Larsen and Sovico Group.

Accommodations. The conference will beheld at the five-star Melia Hanoi Hotel, withexcellent conference facilities and convenientlylocated in central Hanoi, close to manyhotels and stores. Accommodations will beavailable at several hotels located within easywalking distance or taxi ride to the conference.Participants can stay at the Melia HanoiHotel, Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel or throughour tour agent, DACO, at the GuomanHotel, Zephyr Hotel or Hoa Binh Hotel.

Contact Information. For more informationabout the conference, contact the EWCAssociates office: phone (808)944-7506, fax:(808) 944-7376, email: Vietnam2006@eastwestcenter.org or log on to the website:www.eastwestcenter.org/Vietnam2006.

‘Changing Faces’Alumnae Hold 1stReunion in Bangkok

I have come back a changed person. In a mere10 days, I have found the leader in myself,”

Sonali Ghosh of India recalled thinking afterher participation in the EWC’s 2005 “ChangingFaces” seminar. Sonali was among 29 womenfrom 15 countries who attended the first reunionof Changing Faces alumnae at the MenamRiverside Hotel in Bangkok, July 20-24.

Launched in 2002, the Changing Facesprogram brings women from Asia, the Pacificand the United States together to participate indialogue on leadership issues and issues specificto women. With the program now five yearsold, Abby Sines, creator and coordinator ofChanging Faces, thought the time was right tobring the CF alumnae together. She timed thegathering in connection with the 2006 ChangingFaces seminar so this year’s participants couldsee they were part of a growing network.

Abby also wanted everyone to leave thereunion inspired and energized. Wouldn’t it begreat, she thought, if the group could see first-hand the impressive work of CF alumnaPotjana Suansri. Potjana is the dynamic projectcoordinator for Responsible Ecological SocialTours, which has won international awards forcommunity-based tourism projects in Thailand.

Abby and Potjana developed a programthat started with sessions at the MenamRiverside Hotel in Bangkok, then traveled tothe southern province of Surat Thani. Therealumnae saw how community-based tourism isproviding alternative income and promotingconservation among local people in pristinemangrove forests on the Tapi River. The four-day reunion was a stimulating mix ofpresentations, productive discussion, field trip,home stay and, of course, fun. On the last daytogether, the group discussed how they’llmaintain the Changing Faces alumnae network.

May the Changing Faces journey lead to anew EWCA Special Interest Chapter.

“

Changing Faces’ alumnae from 15 countriesgathered in Bangkok.

3

AshokMalhotra: The Shaping of a

‘World Citizen’Began at the

East-West Center

Ask Ashok Malhotra about his arrival atthe East-West Center in 1963 and the

decades melt away and he’s once again ayoung grantee from the Birla Arts/Science/Engineering Colleges in Rajasthan.

“It was the most pleasant and awe-inspiring experience I encountered when Iarrived at the EWC,” he recalls. “This wasthe first time in my life when I was livingwith students from 45 different countrieswho spoke 45 or more different languages,wearing unique attire, sharing diverse ideasand participating in myriad cultural events.

“The Jefferson Hall snack bar at theEWC was like the United Nations and yetbetter than the UN because here the peoplenot only talked but carefully listened to eachother,” he says. During time away from studies,friendships gelled. Grantees from Australia,India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh,Sri Lanka, Nepal and Malaysia started theHonolulu Cricket Team and played againstcrews of ships from England, Australia andNew Zealand on weekends at Kapiolani Park.

Ashok recalls India Night when a Punjabidance called Bhangra, involving 30 dancersfrom a half dozen countries jumped and shookthe Kennedy Theater stage. “It was one of ourfavorite dances and we occasionally perform itat the EWC annual conferences,” he says.

It was the beginning of a four-decadeadventure that has enabled Ashok to affectchange in amazing ways across borders,continents and oceans. He met and marriedhis wife, Nina, who was from New York, in

Hawai‘i. After completing his studies, he washired by the dean of liberal studies at theSUNY College at Oneonta and was asked tostart a philosophy department.

“Because of my EWC experience, Iconvinced the college authorities to introduceAsian philosophy and religion componentsinto the undergraduate curriculum,” he says.“We created courses on Indian, Chinese andJapanese philosophy as part of the philosophymajor and as part of a non-western civilizationrequirement.”

His list of achievements is extensive. In1979, he created the SUNY Oneonta StudyAbroad Program in India. More than 200students, faculty and community membershave participated in the program. He’s beenan active member of the SUNY PressEditorial Board since 1991, encouraging thepublication of books on Asian Studies,including history, geography, philosophy,religion and literature. The SUNY Press isone of the largest publishers of books onAsian Studies in the United States.

He was a member of the NationalEndowment for the Humanities board, wherehe advocated funding for projects like theEWC Asian Studies Development Program.He’s translated the works of the BhagavadGita, Yoga Sutras and Tao Te Ching intolanguage easily understood by undergraduatestudents and a general audience — a goal heset while an EWC grantee.

Because of hisscholarship on theTao Te Ching, Ashokalso enjoyed a closeencounter withHollywood. He was

a consultant for 22 episodes of the popularWarner Brothers TV series, “Kung Fu: TheLegend Continues.”

But his proudest accomplishment is thenon-profit Ninash Foundation, established inmemory of his late wife. The Foundation’smission is to promote literacy among childrenand adults throughout the world. Since it wasestablished in 1996, the Foundation andstudents from the Oneonta campus haveassisted in building Indo-Internationalschools in three impoverished villages inRajasthan and Gujarat, India. More than 500underprivileged children — mostly femaleand minorities — have received a freeeducation and the school has employed morethan 20 teachers and staff who otherwisewould be jobless.

“The East-West Center experienceprovided the fertile ground for an honest andopen discussion on every issue of significance,”he says. “At the EWC, we learned that it wasOK to be different and yet get along wellwith others. We learned ‘how to agree todisagree’ and still be close friends.

“We learned: Once you were at theEWC, you can’t just look at a problem, youhave to do something about it.”

“The four years at the EWC were themost enriching years of my life,” he adds.“The EWC experience got me out of my boxand spread the entire world in front of me asa red carpet. I felt that I did not belong toany one country and at the same time, Ibelonged to the entire world and to theentire human race. The EWC took each oneof us out of our individual boxes and madeus world citizens.”

The Ashok Kumar Malhotra Seva(Compassionate Service Award)was created by a $25,000 contributionfrom the 1960s alumnus. The awardrewards and encourages public service.The scholarship will be given each year toone or more international students withan outstanding academic record and arecord of and intention to be involvedin continuing community service in theU.S. and/or Asia Pacific region. It isdesigned to help EWC students whomay need additional assistance toenhance their EWC grants.Ashok Malhotra with children from an Indo-

International School in India.

“At the EWC, welearned that it was OK to be differentand yet get along well with others.”

4

These Host Family Ties Span Four Decades of Aloha

When Ginny Anami visits Michiko andWarren Higa in Hawai‘i, she’s always

welcomed like a daughter returning home.The Higas were host family to Ginny andBishnu Williams, both EWC students in themid-1960s. For four decades, the Higas havekept in touch with the two women, sendingChristmas gifts, exchanging cards and letters.

So Ginny knew her visit this May wouldbe filled with aloha. As she entered the Higas’Kailua home for dinner, she sniffed thearoma of Southeast Asian curry coming fromthe kitchen. Then the Higas told her to closeher eyes and led her into the dining room.

When they announced, “Open youreyes,” Ginny was delighted to see Bishnu,who’d flown from her home in San Antonioto surprise her. The two women had last seeneach other in 1969, when Ginny wasstudying in Berkeley, California.

The evening was a grand reunion andeveryone was still talking about it a few dayslater during a visit to the East-West Center.At the Center, Alumni Director Gordon Ringpresented the Higas with a letter recognizingtheir 40 years as a host family — possibly thelongest-lasting EWC host family relationship.

“We’ve enjoyed it very much,” WarrenHiga told Ring. “You shouldn’t be thankingus. We should be thanking you.”

Higa, then a banker, was on the board ofthe Friends of the East-West Center in themid-60s when he and his wife volunteered tohost an American and a foreign student.Bishnu, then Bishnu Pradhan, vividly recallsthe June evening she met the Higas in 1966.A graduate geography student, she hadarrived from Nepal that very day the Higas

came to the EWC dorm to take her to dinnerat the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.

“It was night and everything was dark.Besides this, jet lag and motion sickness gotthe better of me,” Bishnu remembers. “I lookso pale and sickly in the pictures taken thatday.” But she was touched by the Higas’“kind and generous ways which continue tothis day after 40 years.”

Ginny Stibbs of New Orleans was asoutgoing as Bishnu was soft-spoken. She’dcome to the Center in 1966 to pursue amasters degree in Asian Studies. “It was alively place and the dorm of Hale Kuahinewas full of the sound of many languages,” shesays. “We had a lot of cultural events andeasily made friends. I remember learningFijian dancing and chanting ‘ni sambula’!”

The two young women spent holidaysand weekends with the Higas and theirchildren at their Lanikai home. “We toldthem whenever they felt they wanted to comeout to call us,” says Michiko. Bishnu loved towalk on the beach. Michiko Higa remembers

the young student from Nepal wading intothe ocean in her sari.

“It was always fun to be invited to theirhouse, to get away from the dorm and bemade to feel like part of their family whileaway from home,” says Bishnu.

In 1967, Ginny left for language schoolin Taiwan where she met her husband,Fumiyo, who retired this year after serving asJapan’s ambassador to China. Bishnu marriedJames Williams, a geography graduate studentas tall as she is petite, and eventually settledin San Antonio where they raised their son.

Through the years, however, their “family”ties endured. “Wherever we went, I got apackage of Hawai‘i love from the Higas,” saysGinny. “They never missed giving us aChristmas gift, no matter where we were inthe world.”

After the Higas and their “daughters”took photos at the Center, they headed off tolunch together. But not before Ginny saidwith great affection, “They are just the besthost family.”

The Sri Lanka chapter played a valuable rolein distributing the relief funds from the

EWC Schools-Helping-Schools Program tofive schools devastated by the December 2004tsunami. Thanks goes to W.A. Siriwardena,current vice president of the chapter, foroverseeing the disbursement of funds to threeschools in Batticaloa and two schools in Galle.The Batticaloa schools, where students comemostly from families of fishermen living at thepoverty level, received US $5,240 for equip-ment and supplies. In Galle, two schools thatsustained damage received US $2,050. A big

Sri Lanka Alumni Deliver Aid to Schoolsmahalo to Siriwardena who traveled to eachof the schools to present the EWC donationchecks and handled all the paperwork andprocessing involved in the disbursements.

At the May reunion in Honolulu: Warren Higa, Ginny Stibbs Anami, Bishnu Pradhan Williamsand Michiko Higa.

“It was always fun to be invited to theirhouse … to feel likepart of their family

while away from home.”

Michiko Higa, Bishnu Pradhan, Pam Higaand Ginny Stibbs in 1967.

The Sri Lanka chapter delivered relief funds tofive schools devastated by the 2004 tsunami.

5

Special Interest Chapters

Asia-Pacific Leadership ProgramThis Special Interest Chapter is emerging as arole model for EWCA. It is one of two chaptersselected for the Outstanding Chapter Awardthis year to be presented at the Hanoiconference. (The other chapter to be honoredis Chennai (India).) Being planned is anAPLP Alumni reunion in Vietnam tocoincide with the EWCA conference. APLPAlumni Update on the EWC website containsmore information on the event. The chapteralso established a Nainoa Thompson Fund,launched by the APLP class of 2005 onbehalf of all APLP alumni. The inauguralrecipient, Lhobsang Pandan from Tibet,graduated in January 2006. Fund-raising forthe fund is under way for 2006-07. East Asia

Okinawa (Japan)A heavy schedule of activities has beenplanned by the chapter. At a general meetinga reception was held to welcome EWC guests:Nancy Lewis, director of Research; TomokoHosoe, project specialist; and Robert Nakasone,Okinawa Special Project director. Coming upis an International Forum co-sponsored bythe Okinawa Prefectural Human ResourceCenter and EWCA Okinawa Chapter onOct. 12 to 15. About 5,000 people, mostlyOkinawan businessmen and their families, areexpected to attend the event. Also planned is afund to raise money to encourage resourcedevelopment among the younger generationof members with the support of majorcompanies. The chapter is planning to send alarge delegation to the Hanoi Conference.

Shanghai (China)The Shanghai Chapter was officiallyrecognized at a recent EWCA ExecutiveBoard meeting. EWCA President LarryFoster (JD 78 Open Grants), currentlyworking in Shanghai, took the initiative tomobilize the support of the alumni andplayed a crucial role in the successfulestablishment of the Chapter. The chapter islooking forward to working in closecollaboration with other EWCA chaptersthroughout the Asia Pacific region. KunChen (APLP 2001) is the liaison officer forthis newly born chapter.

EWCA Chapter Activities

Many chapters reported on their observanceof “EWC Day” on or about May 14, the datethe Center was officially established in 1960.Lectures, reminiscences, salutes to distinguishedalumni, publication of articles, participationby U.S. diplomats and screening of the DVDfilm on the Center marked the celebrations.Details are provided in the respective chapterreports.

AROUND the

Globe

continued on page 6

APLP alumni held their first reunion dinner in Beijing. Left to right: He Jinli (2006), Sun Jie(2006), Qu Pengcheng (2004), friend of Shou Zhenwei, Shou Zhenwei (2007), Eric Hanson(2005) and Wang Shanshan (2007).

Okinawa alumni hosted EWC guests NancyLewis, director of Research; Robert Nakasone,Okinawa Special Project director; and TomokoHosoe, program specialist.

Shanghai alumni recently met with EWCA President Larry Foster (second from right) to launcha new EWC chapter.

6

The Philippine Chapter of EWC Alumni organized a dinner-meeting, spearheaded byUniversity of the Philippines Dean of Public Administration Alex Brillantes (top left), tocoincide with the visit of two long-time EWC staffers, William Feltz (Arts Program) and GlennYamashita (recently retired program officer) (front row, 3rd and 5th from left) on June 8. At themeeting it was announced that Rep. Nereus “Neric” Acosta (front row, left), member of thePhilippine House of Representatives, has been named a 2006 EWCA Distinguished Alumnusand will be presented with his award at the International Conference in Hanoi in December.The gathering included student fellow alumni from each decade, 1960s through 2000s, as wellas alumni from the New Generation Seminar and the Asia Pacific Leadership Program.

Alex Brilliantes (EWC 1980-86), formerHawai‘i Governor George Ariyoshi with AsiaDevelopment Bank Vice President LawrenceGreenwood. In the background is Robert Siy(EWC JDRI 1981), director of the PacificDepartment of ADB.

In July, 20 alumni met with EWC Director of External Affairs Karen Knudsen during her visitto Yangon.

Naris Chaiyasoot, Thai deputy finance ministerand EWCA chapter president, (third from left),greeted guests at the alumni dinner.

Globe, continued from page 5

Southeast Asia

Bangkok (Thailand)Nearly 60 alumni including recent APLPgraduates held a welcoming dinner for EWCDirector of External Affairs Karen Knudsenand Alumni Director Gordon Ring on July 12.Naris Chaiyasoot, chapter president and Thaideputy finance minister, organized thegathering. The alumni discussed plans forvisiting the Center next spring during ThaiWeek, getting more of the younger alumniinvolved and leadership transitions. Theevening ended with hula dancing by SamSurapone Virulak and renditions of “PearlyShells.”

Manila (Philippines)In May, former Hawai‘i Governor GeorgeAriyoshi addressed the participants of theLeadership Enhancement and AdvancementProgram (LEAP) of the Asian DevelopmentBank. He spoke of his experiences as governor,with the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders,and as former chair of the EWC Board ofGovernors. EWC alumni played a role inorganizing the successful seminar. Participantsincluded leaders from government, privatesector and non-government organizations inthe Pacific.

SingaporeThe chapter hosted a talk by Shirley Lim ofthe University of California at Santa Barbaraat the Singapore Management University inMarch. About 75 people attended the program.Lim’s speech about her latest novel, SisterSwing (which bears a testimonial on its backcover by Kirpal Singh, president of theSingapore Chapter), stimulated muchdiscussion.

Yangon (Burma)Alumni and guests celebrated EWC Day onMay 14 at a restaurant in downtown Yangon.Speeches were delivered on the importance ofpromoting better relations and understandingbetween the United States and the nations ofAsia and the Pacific through cooperativestudy, education and research. U MaungMaung reports alumni reminisced about the“good old days” of study and interculturalexchange in the Royal Tropicana Hotel inWaikiki and the dormitories.

A beautiful tapestry was presented to theEast-West Center on the occasion of its 46thanniversary, delivered by a Myanmar alumnuswho traveled to Honolulu to attend aconference.

continued on page 7

7

continued from page 6

P. Subramaniyam, secretary of the ChennaiChapter (right) presents a donation from theWinter 2006 Jefferson Fellows to staff of theTamilnadu AIDS Control Society.

South Asia

Colombo (Sri Lanka)An annual meeting was held recently and anew council was elected: President G.B.A.Fernando, Vice President W.A. Siriwardena,Secretary N.D. Dickson, Assistant SecretaryG.T. Fernando, Treasurer H.P. Susiripala andimmediate Past President S.B. Bandusena.The chapter’s community service project toassist tsunami-affected schools in thedevelopment of curricular activities has beenapproved by the EWCA.

Dhaka (Bangladesh) The Bangladesh Chapter continues to meetmonthly. On EWC Day the chapter organizedan “EWC Alumni Evening.” Activitiesincluded discussion of topics relevant to theCenter, dinner (courtesy Rosie Majid Ahsan)and publication of an article on the Center inlocal dailies The Daily Star and the New Age.Titled “Aloha Spirit,” it was written byKhaleda Ekram and described past activitiesand future programs of the EWCA. Thechapter’s community service project proposal,“Teaching English to UnderprivilegedPeople,” has been approved.

Chandigarh (India)Members celebrated EWC day on May 18.Resolutions were passed on opening a bankaccount and the contribution of 1000rupiahs as a membership fee. Membersexpressed a desire to assist the Pakistanchapters in organizing the second South AsiaRegional Conference in Lahore in 2007.They plan to be in touch with the chaptersregarding this connection.

Chennai (India)The chapter planned to observe EWC Day inJune with a public lecture on a health-relatedissue.

New Delhi (India)The chapter held an alumni get-together onJune 18, when EWC day was observed at afarewell party for Mike Anderson, U.S.public counselor and a member of theEWCA Delhi Chapter. The chapter leaderalso met the U.S. ambassador and invitedhim to speak on Indo-U.S. relations at afuture chapter program.

Mumbai (India)U.S. Consul General Michael Owen andLinda Cheatham, director of the PublicAffairs Section, The American Center inMumbai, attended a program honoring D.K.Sankaran, a 1983 EWC alumnus and recentlyappointed chief secretary of the governmentof Maharashtra. Sankaran spoke on thevarious facets of Indo-U.S. cooperation ineconomic, educational and civil nuclear fields.

Kathmandu (Nepal)The chapter’s community service project is a“Children’s Food Programme.”

Pakistan At a March meeting with Dan Berman,alumni discussed the 2007 South AsiaRegional Conference in Lahore. Two of thefive Pakistan chapter leaders, MuhammadIbrahim and Arfa Zahra, were able to attend.Of 35 participants, 10 were EWC alumniand 25 were friends who attended the regionalconference in New Delhi. Lunch was hostedby Muhammad Ashraf, University of Hawai‘ialumnus, who also hosted several earliermeetings. Since the March meeting, membershave met to discuss the 2007 conference.

Faisalabad and Lahore (Pakistan)The two chapters have a joint communityservice project that addresses “Education forUnderprivileged Children.”

Hyderabad (Pakistan)The chapter has taken on two communityservice projects, a “Library for Children” and“Career Planning for Higher Education.”

Islamabad (Pakistan) The third meeting of the Islamabad Chapter,founded last year, was held on March 28 atthe U.S. Educational Foundation. DanBerman briefly described his three-foldpurpose for visiting Pakistan. Shafique Arif,financial secretary, reported the chapter raisedand distributed 65,000 rupiahs (about US$1,083) to earthquake-affected individualsand a non-government organization assistingvictims. Arjumand gave an update on the2007 South Asia Regional Conference ofEWC/EWCA. Community service projectsapproved involve “Promoting AwarenessThrough Art” and “Earthquake Safety.”

Pacific

Katerina Teaiwa was appointed the RegionalCoordinator for the Pacific. She is a memberof the executive board and the ChapterDevelopment Committee of the EWCA. Sheis currently assistant professor at the Centerfor Pacific Islands Studies in the School ofHawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies at theUniversity of Hawai‘i at Manoa.

Brisbane (Australia)Chapter leader Jeremy Webb volunteered todevelop the EWCA blog now accessible viathe EWCA website. Chapter members can logon and exchange views on global warming.Jeremy circulated a letter to all chapter leadersinviting them to participate in the globalwarming discussion and offering suggestionson how the exchange of perspectives can beuseful for policymaking.

Sydney (Australia) EWCA President Larry Foster met with fouralums at a lunch in Sydney in April to discussthe Center and its programs.

United States

Hawai‘iThe Hawai‘i Chapter’s Annual Meeting andFundraiser on April 30 in Honolulu drewrecord attendance. Among the speakers wereEWC President Charles E. Morrison; RolandLagareta, chair of the EWC Board ofGovernors; and Karen Knudsen, director ofthe EWC Office of External Affairs. Thechapter presented the Distinguished ServiceAward to Ricardo Trimillos for hiscontributions to the University of Hawai‘i,the community and EWC alumni. Theannual meeting, which includes dinner, anauction and bazaar of folk art from aroundthe world, is a fundraiser for travel grants forEWC students. This year the Hawai‘iChapter and the EWCA awarded a total of10 travel grants to EWC students.

The chapter also supported the EWCPAOlympics, held on the UH campus April 1and 2, and assisted students with the East-West Fest on April 15 at the IminInternational Conference Center. In August,the chapter sponsored the EWC NewStudents Orientation Picnic at KapiolaniPark. Each year the Hawai‘i alumni, inpartnership with the EWC OrientationCommittee, host this barbecue for thestudents.

8

Alumni HappeningsMohammad Amin Abdullah (2005 IFP)performed a new piece of music he composedin Poso, Central Sulawesi. Amin, who receivedhis master’s degree in Asian Studies from theUH, is an ethnomusicologist dedicated topreserving traditional music and dance of theindigenous ethnic groups of Central Sulawesi.His composition, “The Loss of Krambangan,”combines traditional and modern music.Amin, who works at the Central SulawesiEducation Office, incorporates forms ofmusic that encourage collaboration betweenmusicians as a symbol of brotherhood thatrises above ethnic or religious differences.

Help Build an EWCCommunity

More than 50,000 menand women have been EWCparticipants in its 46-yearhistory, and many have joinedthe 45 established EWCAchapters in 20 countries.

The East-West CenterAssociation, the Center’sofficial alumni organization,works with alumni tostrengthen the EWC network.We hope that you’ll keep intouch with us.

Send us your currentcontact information so youcan participate in our inter-national network. Send it to:alumni@EastWestCenter.org.

The EWC Associates Updateis published semi-annually by the Center for Cultural and TechnicalInterchange between East and West, Inc. East-West Center, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96848-1601.

EWCCharles E. Morrison, President

EWCAKok Kian Poh, EWCA ChairLarry Foster, EWCA President

Office of External AffairsKaren Knudsen, Director

Associates OfficeGordon Ring, Alumni OfficerNoreen Tanouye,

Assistant Alumni OfficerMary Okihara, SecretaryItsuko Suzuki, Program Assistant

Associates OfficeEast-West Center1601 East-West RoadBurns Hall 1065Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96848-1601

Phone: (808) 944-7506

Fax: (808) 944-7376

Email: alumni@EastWestCenter.org

Website: www.EastWestCenter.org

On-line Community:www.memberconnections.com/EWCA

Editor: Susan YimDesign: Kennedy & Preiss Graphic Design

Pete Walker (TIP 1967-68), who taughtAsian Studies in Portland, Oregon, andserved as president of the Oregon Council for Social Studies and adjunct professor inhistory at Portland State University, iscollaborating on a writing project withProfessor Yoshitaro Nishimura.

Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa andSombath Somphone (Pop 71) at aninternational conference on healing.

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage PAIDHonolulu, HIPermit No. 2641601 East-West Road

Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96848-1601

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Summer Travel Grants forEWC Students

Ten EWC students received travel grantsof $500 each from the EWCA and the

EWCA Hawai‘i Chapter this summer. Eachyear grants are given to students who can usethe funds toward field research, internships,study or presentations at conferences.

This year awards were presented to:Sugato Dutt (India), Song Gao (China),Subir Kumar Kole (India), ElizabethLouis (United States), Shahinur Rahman(Bangladesh), Wilmar Salim (Indonesia),Choden Thinley (Bhutan), Chong Wang(China), Bryan Robert Bushley (UnitedStates) and San Tun Aung (Burma).

In MemoriamKuruwaib Abraham, (CLI 74-76),passed away in West Papua NewGuinea in December.