By The Associated Press
Voter registration forms now in 5 Asian languages
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Voter registration forms are now available nationally in five Asian languages.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission released the forms on its Web site Thursday in Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and Tagalog.
States already have been producing ballots in those languages, but voter registration forms previously were offered only in English and Spanish.
Nationwide, the Asian-American population has grown from 0.5 percent in 1960, to 5 percent now. The Census projects it will grow to 8 percent, or to 33.4 million, by 2050.
Immigrant advocates say the newly translated forms are an important move to ensure new citizens’ participation in the electoral process.
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On the Net:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission, http://www.eac.gov/index(underscore)html1
Petition backs Krishnamoorthi IL lt gov
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CHICAGO (AP) _ Indian Americans are pushing for a leader of their community to be the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor.
Raja Krishnamoorthi (RAH’-jah krish-nah-MOOR’-thee) is a former deputy Illinois treasurer. In February, he narrowly lost the primary race for comptroller.
He’s sent in his application to Democratic party officials who will pick a replacement for their former lieutenant governor’s candidate, Scott Lee Cohen.
More than 10,000 supporters have so far signed a petition to put Krishnamoorthi on the ballot. The petition’s organized by the Indo-American Democratic Organization.
A former president of that organization, Pramod Shah, says his group’s worked hard for Democrats for years and it’s time to put an Asian-American on a statewide ticket.
Internment camp art on display in DC
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Artwork made by Japanese Americans interned during World War II is on display at a Smithsonian museum.
The exhibit opened Friday and contains more than 120 art objects. Soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, 120,000 Japanese were interned in 10 camps for the duration of World War II. The objects on display are mostly on loan from people who were interned or their families.
The exhibit is called “The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps, 1942-1946.” It will be on display at the Renwick Gallery until Jan. 30, 2011.
Failed Asian funeral fund to pay back thousands
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) _ Thousands of mostly Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants are hoping to get back money they deposited in a bankrupt organization that was supposed to help them pay for their funerals.
San Jose City Councilman Kansen Chu told a crowd of anxious policyholders on Sunday that the Chinese-American Mutual Assistance Association had reached a settlement with the state Attorney General’s office. But frustration set in when Chu said the association might not have enough cash to fully reimburse all the approximately 8,000 policyholders.
The association collected dues for 19 years. After 10 years, policies could be worth $15,000.
Several families have filed lawsuits against the association and its president, Angela Chen. She could not be reached for comment on Monday.
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Information from: San Jose Mercury News, http://www.sjmercury.com