homeinh-2014-08

Barroso calls for more reforms in Vietnam

31.08.2014 By Peter Taberner (Prague Post) - EC president visited Ho Chi Minh City on trade mission. “I believe we have much to gain from working more closely with each other, whether on political or economic matters.” he said.   ...

Photos reveal newly constructed Chinese military facilities in Spratly Islands

30.08.2014 By Manabu Sasaki (The Asahi Shimbun) - PHNOM PENH--China is rushing to build military-related facilities on reefs in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, aerial photos taken by the Philippine military show.  ...

Learning From China’s Oil Rig Standoff With Vietnam

30.08.2014 By Paul J. Leaf (The Diplomat) - Understanding the motives behind Beijing’s provocation will help the US and its partners deal with future incidents. On May 2, China unilaterally placed an oil-drilling rig in waters 120 miles from Vietnam’s coast – near islands claimed by both countries and well within Hanoi’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone set by international law.  ...

Climate change: Rising sea levels pose salt threat in Vietnam

30.08.2014 By Thu Van (The Straits Times) - HANOI - Pham Thi Ly buys fresh water every 10 days from a well operator in another commune during the dry season. To ensure her children have clean drinking water, she has to buy the bottled stuff. The dry season typically runs for four months and this buying of water puts a dent into whatever she earns from fishing. But Mrs Ly has no choice  ...

Vietnam, We Have a Nutrition Problem

30.08.2014 (VOA) - Vietnam has a nutrition problem: too many of its children are underweight. Yet more and more Vietnamese boys and girls are becoming overweight. The two conditions may appear to be separate, but they are linked. They are both the result of poor diets.  ...

Excerpt: A beautiful story about a Vietnamese family in Quebec

29.08.2014 (Châtelaine) - Mãn is a respectful and dutiful Vietnamese wife. Until a fleeting encounter with a married chef changes everything.  ...

Communist security motorbike strikes and injures Nguyễn Bắc Truyển

29.08.2014 CTV Danlambao * Translated by Jasmine Tran (Dân Làm Báo) - Nguyễn Bắc Truyển was injured after he was hit by the motorbike of two communist securities on 28 August 2014 at around 7pm in Saigon. Truyển is a human rights activist who was sentenced to three and half years in prison for his human rights activities. ...

Prominent blogger sentenced to three years in prison

29.08.2014 (Reporters Without Borders) - She and two other activists, who also got jail terms, were arrested in February

The Vietnamese authorities displayed their warped sense of justice again on 26 August when a people’s court in the southern province of Dong Thap sentenced blogger and pro-democracy activist Bui Thi Minh Hang to three years in prison at the end of a summary trial that violated defence rights.  ...

Joint statement of IJAVN and FVPoC on the Vietnam government’ violation on the right to the freedom of movement

29.08.2014 (VRNs) - Saigon - Once again the Vietnam government seriously violate the right to freedom of movement of citizens relating to the trial, considered as "public", of Bui Thi Minh Hang and her two colleagues on Aug 26, 2014 in Dong Thap province. ...

Vietnamese Activists Get Three Years in Prison for ‘Obstructing Traffic’

29.08.2014 By Mong Palatino (The Diplomat) - Three Vietnamese activists were found guilty by a local court of “serious obstruction to traffic” when they rode their motorbikes last February from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Thap province to visit a former political prisoner. ...

Activist Blogger in Vietnam Gets 3 Years Behind Bars for ‘Obstructing Traffic’

29.08.2014 (IPF) - A court has sentenced prominent Vietnamese activist blogger Bui Thi Minh Hang to three years in prison for posing a “serious obstruction to traffic.” Her two other companions, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh and Nguyen Van Minh, received sentences of 2 years and 2.5 years, respectively.  ...

EEUU: China debe dejar de agravar tensiones

29.08.2014 (Univision) - HONOLULU (AP) — China debería empezar a actuar como un líder regional y ayudar a resolver las disputas en el Mar de Sur de China en vez de estar agravando las tensiones, dijo el viernes el comandante de las fuerzas estadounidenses en el Pacífico.  ...

Ein Hilferuf aus Vietnam

28.08.2014 Ngoc Nhi Nguyen (Danlambao), dt. Übers. von Dr. Thanh Nguyen-Brem (Forum Vietnam 21) - Frau Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lua, ein Mitglied der Organisation „Vietnamesische Frauen für Menschenrechte „ (www.vnwhr.net) und die Tochter des politischen Gefangenen Nguyen Van Lia, der im Gefängnis Xuan Loc, Dong Nai seit 2011 festgehalten wurde, wurde am 26.08.2014 bei der Kundgebung vor dem Gerichtsgebäude in der Stadt Cao Lanh, Provinz Dong Thap verhaftet. Im Gefängnis wurde sie von einem Polizisten mit brutalen Ohrfeigen geschlagen, dass sie aus den Ohren blutete und in Ohnmacht fiel. Im Hospital der Freundschaft wurde sie trotz Kopf- und Gliederschmerzen, Erbrechen, Krämpfe, nicht behandelt. ... Es folgte die Verlegung in anderes Krankenhaus, die von den Freunden organisiert worden war. Die größte Sorge der Angehörigen ist, dass ihre Finanzmittel nicht ausreichen werden, die Behandlung von Frau Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lua, zu bezahlen. ...

Jailed Vietnamese Blogger Refuses to Plead For Release

28.08.2014 (RFA) - Prominent jailed Vietnamese dissident Nguyen Van Hai has refused to make an official application to the authorities seeking his release from prison, insisting instead that they explain the reasons for his initial arrest and demanding that he be freed without condition, family members said Thursday.  ...

Vives protestations après la condamnation de trois militants des droits de l’homme

28.08.2014 (Églises d'Asie) - Le procès qui s’est tenu le 26 août 2014, au tribunal de la province de Dông Thap a attiré l’attention de l’opinion publique du pays ainsi que de plusieurs instances internationales. La raison de l’intérêt accordé à ce procès tenait sans doute à la personnalité de l’accusée principale, Mme Bui Thi Minh Hang (50 ans), jugée avec deux autres militants, Mme Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh (28 ans), une jeune militante des droits de l’homme et M. Nguyen Van Minh (34 ans), adepte du bouddhisme Hoa Hao. ...

Xi Jinping Meets Vietnamese Leader

28.08.2014 By Shannon Tiezzi (The Diplomat) - Vietnam and China have smoothed over tensions, but a long-term solution remains elusive. As The Diplomat reported earlier, Vietnam sent a special envoy to China for bilateral talks this week. Politburo member Le Hong Anh, acting as a special envoy from Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) General-Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, met with high-ranking Chinese leaders. Anh’s visit was embraced by both sides as a chance to mend bilateral ties that soured earlier this summer during a standoff over the placement of a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters. ...

Menschenrechtsbeauftragter Strässer zur Verurteilung von drei Menschenrechtsaktivisten in Vietnam

27.08.2014 (Auswärtiges Amt) - Zur Verurteilung von drei Menschenrechtsaktivisten in Vietnam zu mehrjährigen Haftstrafen erklärte der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Menschenrechtspolitik und humanitäre Hilfe, Christoph Strässer, heute (27.08.): ... Ich fordere die vietnamesischen Behörden auf, die Haftstrafen auszusetzen und die drei Personen umgehend freizulassen. Vietnam ist Mitglied des UN-Menschenrechtsrats und hat zahlreiche UN-Menschenrechtskonventionen unterzeichnet. Daran muss es sich messen lassen. ...

To please Beijing, Hanoi jails three activists on false charges

27.08.2014 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - A Vietnamese court has handed down sentences ranging up to three years, at the end of a trial of three activists that lasted just one day under tight security. Several supporters who protested outside the court demanding the release of the accused were arrested. ...

Para complacer a Beijing, Hanói condena a tres activistas con falsas acusaciones

27.08.2014 (AsiaNews) - Hanói - Un tribunal vietnamita condenó a tres activistas con penas variables hasta 3 años, al finalizar un proceso que duró sólo un día y caracterizado por importantes medidas de seguridad, entre ellas el arresto de numerosos simpatizantes de los juzgados que pedían la libertad de los imputados.  ...

China y Vietnam declaran una “tregua” en sus tensiones marítimas

27.08.2014 (El Mundo) - Representantes de los regímenes comunistas de Vietnam y China reunidos hoy en Pekín, tras meses de tensiones marítimas por la soberanía de las islas Paracel, acordaron hoy una “tregua” para “no llevar a cabo acciones que empeoren sus disputas en el conflicto marítimo”, informó hoy la agencia oficial Xinhua. ...

US alarm as Vietnamese democracy activists jailed for 'obstructing traffic'

27.08.2014 Associated Press in Hanoi (The Guardian) - The US has expressed concern over prison terms given to three Vietnamese democracy activists for "obstructing traffic". Embassy says trio were imprisoned for expressing political views after government used public order laws to prosecut Bui Thi Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh and Nguyen Van Minh ...

"Vietnam will Beziehung zu China stabilisieren"

Es ist fast ein Friedensangebot: Angesichts des Territorialkonflikts mit China schickt Vietnam einen Sonderbotschafter nach Peking. Martin Großheim erklärt im DW-Interview, warum dennoch nichts wie früher sein wird.

26.08.2014 (VW) - Am Dienstag (26.08.2014) brach er auf nach China: Le Hong Anh, ein Mitglied des Politbüros der Kommunistischen Partei Vietnams. 

Enviado de Vietnam visita China para aliviar tensión territorial por islas

26.08.2014 (HOY) - Pekín, 26 ago (EFE).- Un enviado especial del Gobierno de Vietnam llega hoy a China para tratar de reducir las tensiones entre su país y la potencia asiática debido a la disputa que ambos mantienen por las islas Paracel (Xisha en mandarín), controladas por Pekín. ...

Vietnamese Government’s Decision to Convict Activists Bui Thi Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh, and Nguyen Van Minh

Statement of U.S. Embassy Hanoi, Vietnam

26.08.2014 (U.S. Embassy Hanoi) August 26, 2014 - We are deeply concerned by the Vietnamese government’s conviction and sentencing of activists Ms. Bui Thi Minh Hang, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh, and Mr. Nguyen Van Minh to 3 years, 2 years and 2.5 years, ...

Wieder drei Menschenrechtsaktivisten in Vietnam verurteilt

26.08.2014 (Forum Vietnam 21) - Die Menschenrechtsaktivistin Bui, Minh-Hang, zusammen mit zwei anderen Dissidenten, Nguyen, Thi Thuy Quynh und Nguyen, Van Minh, standen heute wegen "Störung der öffentlichen Ordnung" vor dem „Volksgericht“ in der Stadt Cao-Lanh, Provinz Dong Thap im Süden Vietnams. Human Rights Watch (HRW) bezeichnete gestern in ihrer Erklärung diesen Prozess als Verleumdung und politisch motiviert. Sie forderte deshalb die sofortige Freilassung der drei Inhaftierten. Das Hanoier Regime hat offensichtlich Angst vor ihren Bürgern. Die Aktivistin Bui Thi Minh Hang wurde heute zu 3 Jahren, Nguyen Van Minh und Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh zu 2,5 bzw. 2 Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt. ...

Viet Nam: Police beatings outside court amid crackdown on activism

26.08.2014 (Amnesty International) - The Vietnamese authorities must stop attacks on peaceful activists, Amnesty International said today after three human rights defenders were sentenced to jail and police beat and arrested their supporters.

Women activists Bui Thi Minh Hang and Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh, along with their male co-defendant Nguyen Van Minh, were handed between two and three-year jail terms on charges of "disturbing public order" at Dong Thap Provincial People's Court in Viet Nam. ...

Vietnam Jails Prominent Rights Activist

26.08.2014 Marianne Brown (VOA) - HANOI— A prominent rights activist in Vietnam was sentenced to three years in jail Tuesday.

Bui Thi Minh Hang is a well-known human rights activist who uses Facebook to draw attention to issues from land rights to religious and political freedom. ...

Vietnam : trois militants des droits de l'Homme emprisonnés

26.08.2014 (AFP) - Trois militants ont été condamnés à des peines de prison pour "trouble à l'ordre public" au cours d'un procès tenu sous une haute sécurité mardi dans le sud du Vietnam, a annoncé leur avocat.

Bui Thi Minh Hang, 50 ans et manifestante antichinoise de premier plan, a été condamnée à trois ans d'emprisonnement par un tribunal de la province de Dong Thap dans le delta du Mékong, a précisé à l'AFP son avocat Tran Thu Nam. ...

Vietnam Jails Activists For up to Three Years

26.08.2014 (New Delhi Television) - Hanoi: A Vietnamese court has jailed three activists for up to three years, a lawyer said Tuesday, after a one-day trial marked by strict security including the detention of scores of supporters.

Bui Thi Minh Hang, a high-profile anti-China activist and the most prominent of the three, was given a three-year jail term by the court in the southern Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap. ...

Vietnam y China intentan mejorar relaciones

25.08.2014 (terra) - Vietnam envió a un dirigente del Partido Comunista a China esta semana para tratar de mejorar las relaciones, afectadas por la decisión de Beijing de instalar una plataforma petrolera en aguas reclamadas por Hanoi. ...

Vietnam seeking to balance relations with China

25.08.2014 (DW) - In a bid to ease tensions after the deployment of a Chinese oil rig to disputed waters, Vietnam is sending a special envoy to Beijing. But Martin Großheim tells DW the row has changed the way Vietnamese perceive China. Vietnam's Foreign Ministry said on Monday, August 25, that Le Hong Anh, a member of the Communist Party's powerful politburo, had been invited to meet Chinese leaders. ...

Viet Nam: Drop trumped-up charges against human rights defenders Bui Thi Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh and Nguyen Van Minh

Joint press release

25.08.2014 (Observatory & Vietnam Committee on Human Rights) - PARIS-GENEVA - The Vietnamese Government must drop all charges against human rights defenders Bui Thi Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh and Nguyen Van Minh and immediately release them, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a joint programme of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture - OMCT) together with the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) said today. ...

Vietnam : Abandonnez les charges contre les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme Bui Thi Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh et Nguyen Van Minh

Communiqué de presse conjoint

25.08.2014 (Observatoire & Comité Vietnam) - PARIS-GENÈVE - Le gouvernement vietnamien doit abandonner toutes les charges contre les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme Bui Thi Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh et Nguyen Van Minh, et les libérer immédiatement, ont dit aujourd’hui l’Observatoire pour la Protection des Défenseurs des Droits de l’Homme (programme conjoint de la FIDH et de l’Organisation mondiale contre la torture (OMCT)) et le Comité Vietnam pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme (CVDDH). ...

Fachkräfte aus Vietnam gesucht

25.08.2014 (Ärzte Zeitung) - BERLIN - Der Mangel an Pflegekräften ist für das alternde Deutschland die sozialpolitische Herausforderung der nächsten Jahre. Da es den EU-Nachbarn ähnlich geht, will die Politik nun in Drittstaaten wie Vietnam suchen. ...

Vietnam Sends Envoy to China to Smooth Tensions

25.08.2014 (ABC News) - Vietnam is sending a senior Communist party official to China this week to try to rebuild relations badly bit by Beijing's decision to deploy an oil rig in waters claimed by Hanoi in May. ...

Vietnam: Activists Face Trial on Bogus Traffic Offense

24.08.2014 (HRW) - (Bangkok) – Vietnamese authorities should drop politically motivated charges against three activists and immediately release them, Human Rights Watch said today. On August 26, 2014, the People’s Court of Dong Thap province is scheduled to hear the case of Bui Thi Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh, and Nguyen Van Minh, who were arrested in February 2014 and charged with “causing public disorder” by creating “serious obstruction to traffic.” ...

PLA reports maritime drill near Vietnam simulating threat to oil rig

24.08.2014 Minnie Chan (South China Morning Post) - The People's Liberation Army recently staged a drill in waters close to Vietnam in the South China Sea, simulating a scenario in which an oil rig was surrounded by foreign fishing boats. ...

China defends intercepting US Navy plane

24.08.2014 (DW) - China defends interception of US Navy aircraft. China's Defense Ministry has defended what Washington termed a "dangerous"interception of a US Navy surveillance aircraft by a Chinese fighter jet. In a statement, it described the US accusations as "groundless." ...

Dog Napping in Vietnam: Snatching dogs is a thriving – and violent – business in Vietnam

24.08.2014 By Katie Jacobs (The Diplomat) - The last of the day’s hot sun-rays filter through the tree leaves as the puppies – poodles, Huskies, and Labradors to name a few – bound down the grassy slope like a scene from a Kleenex toilet paper commercial. Though different breeds, they all share the same trait: expensive pedigrees. That makes them desirable to both those in the rising moneyed-class of pet owners as well as criminal dog-napping gangs. ...

Mãn alive: A novel of food, fulfillment and family in Vietnam

23.08.2014 Anne Kingston (Maclean’s) - This slim, wondrous book tells a story of love, food, passion and life rooted between worlds. Many chapters are no longer than a paragraph; the longest run two pages. Reading it can feel like reading long-form haiku; pauses are required to contemplate its powerful poetic detail. ...

A new & very dangerous way to cheat at cards

23.08.2014 (Casinos-Online.co.uk) - Police in Vietnam have reported arresting a would-be supplier of marked cards for gambling cheaters, but those who use these may have found that their winning streak was a lot hotter & more dangerous than they thought possible. ...

Die vergessenen Morde von Billbrook

22.08.2014 Von Anke Schwarzer (Zeit Online) - Lange vor den NSU-Anschlägen töteten Rechtsterroristen zwei Vietnamesen in einem Hamburger Flüchtlingsheim. Doch erst jetzt wird der Tat gedacht.  ...

Pentagon: Chinesischer Kampfjet kam US-Maschine "gefährlich" nahe

22.08.2014 (derStandard.at) - Hainan/Washington - Ein chinesischer Kampfjet ist nach Darstellung des Pentagons einer US-Militärmaschine im Flug gleich drei Mal "gefährlich" nahegekommen.   ...

Academic flap turns up heat on China's Confucius Institutes

22.08.2014 By Robert Marquand, Staff writer (The Christian Science Monitor) - Beijing — Just as China has exercised its clout with Japan and Vietnam over major territorial disputes, it is showing a willingness to dictate terms at more modest levels as well in its engagement with the international community.  ...

Delicate diplomacy for Vietnam

22.08.2014 By Brian Leung (Asia Times) - Rising territorial tensions and the recent oil rig crisis have put Sino-Vietnamese ties on the rocks, driving Hanoi to ramp up strategic alliances with other regional powers, particularly the United States. But Vietnam is not poised to completely drop the gauntlet by jettisoning its deep-seated reliance on its giant northern neighbor that has both burgeoned and bedeviled bilateral ties. ...

Demokratie-Referendum in Macao

21.08.2014 (DW) - Nach dem Vorbild der Demokratiebewegung Hongkongs wollen Aktivisten in Macao kommende Woche ein Referendum über politische Reformen abhalten. Sie werden einen langen Atem brauchen. ...

21 Vietnam CSOs: Three accused Minh Hang, Van Minh and Thuy Quynh must be released immediately and unconditionally

21.08.2014 (VRNs) - Saigon -  Joint statement of Vietnam CSOs on the coming trial of Bui Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh and Nguyen Van Minh

Pursuant to Document No. 69/2014 / HSST-QD, signed by the judge Bui Phuoc Loc on July 28, 2014, about "bringing into court under the charge of “disturbing public order " Paragraph 2, Article 245 of the Penal Code, the trial of Bui Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh and Nguyen Van Minh is scheduled to open on Aug 26, 2014 at 7:30 AM in the People's court of Dong Thap province. All 3 people have been detained since Feb 11, 2014 in Lap Vo District police station (Dong Thap province), then they were transferred to Dong Thap provincial detention center (An Binh commune, Cao Lanh city). ...

Mission Hanoi to woo China irritants

21.08.2014 Charu Sudan Kasturi (Telegraph India) - New Delhi, Aug. 21: India is refining its two-decade-old Look East policy to try and wean away investments in China by countries locked in disputes with Beijing, the move coming days ahead of meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top Asia Pacific region leaders. ...

Idemitsu makes gas, condensate find at blocks 05-1b & 05-1c off Vietnam

21.08.2014 (World Oil) - TOKYO, Japan -- Idemitsu Oil & Gas Co., Ltd. (Operator, President: Kosuke Tsuji), JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation (President & CEO: Shunsaku Miyake) and Teikoku Oil (Con Son) Co., Ltd. (President: Kenji Kawano) reported the discovery of gas and condensate at the fourth well in Blocks 05-1b and 05-1c offshore southern Vietnam. ...

Vietnam: Police Reforms Fall Short - Door Opens for Future Accountability, Closes for Lawyers

20.08.2014 (HRW) - (New York) – New Vietnamese government regulations on police investigations improve on past rules but fall well short of the deep reforms needed to curb widespread police abuses, Human Rights Watch said today. ...

Continue the push for human rights in Vietnam

20.08.2014 Posted by Thanh Tan (The Seattle Times) - Remarkable changes are afoot in Vietnam, a country that Americans left in humiliating fashion nearly 40 years ago when Saigon fell to communist forces.

Last week, the U.S. Army’s highest-ranking official visited Hanoi to mend old war wounds and to set the stage for a new, friendlier era that goes beyond diplomacy to possibly include arms sales to Vietnam. Here’s what U.S. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told USA Today in a Aug. 18 news report ...

Zwischen den Welten

20.08.2014 Text und Foto: Eva Famulla (Prager Zeitung) - Der junge vietnamesische Regisseur Duc Viet Duong beschäftigt sich mit der kulturellen Entwurzelung seiner Generation. Streetdance ist für ihn eine Form des stillen Protests gegen seine Eltern ...

In Vietnam, a dog is no longer just for dinner

20.08.2014 (News24) - Hanoi - As disposable incomes rise, Vietnam's pet industry is growing alongside the nation's traditional appetite for dog meat. ...

Chinas Rundfunk erklärt Vietnams Diplomatie

19.08.2014 (der Freitag) - Diplomatie Die Beziehungen vieler ost- und südostasiatische Staaten gegenüber sind von Nachbarschaftsproblemen geprägt – insbesondere mit China. Die USA profitieren davon. ...

Zwangsheirat - Vietnamesische Frauen werden in China zur Handelsware

19.08.2014 (Die Zeit) - In China und Vietnam sind Heiratsagenturen offiziell verboten. Trotzdem ist der Brauthandel mit jungen Vietnamesinnen in China weit verbreitet ...

Chinese military’s ability to wage war eroded by graft, its generals warn

19.08.2014 Ben Blanchard and Megha Rajagopalan (Reuters) - BEIJING - As tensions spike between China and other countries in Asia's disputed waters, serving and retired Chinese military officers as well as state media are questioning whether China's armed forces are too corrupt to fight and win a war. ...

US Could Scrap Ban on Arms Sales to Vietnam

19.08.2014 Lien Hoang (VOA) - HO CHI MINH CITY — The top U.S. military officer traveled to Vietnam last week to help strengthen regional security at a time when Vietnamese fear armed conflict with China over maritime disputes. ...

Papst ruft China und Vietnam zum Dialog auf

17.08.2014 (DW) - Papst Franziskus hat China und Vietnam zur diplomatischen Öffnung gegenüber dem Vatikan aufgerufen. Am vorletzten Tag seiner Südkorea-Reise kam er mit Bischöfen aus Asien zu einem Dialog zusammen. ...

Pope tells Asia's communist nations not to fear Christians

17.08.2014 (The Asahi Shimbun) - HAEMI, South Korea--Pope Francis, in remarks clearly intended for communist-ruled countries such as China, North Korea and Vietnam, said on Aug. 17 that Asian governments should not fear Christians as they did not want to "come as conquerors" but be integral parts of local cultures. ...

Papa: dispuestos a dialogar con los Países que no tienen relaciones diplomáticas con nosotros

17.08.2014 (AsiaNews) - Daejeón - La Santa Sede está dispuesta a dialogar también con aquellos Países que no tienen aún relaciones diplomáticas plenas con ella. Lo dijo esta mañana el Papa Francisco, encontrando a una representación de los obispos de toda Asia, reunidos en el santuario dedicado a los mártires coreanos de Haemi, en el ámbito de su visita apostólica a Corea. ...

Vietnam's Inter-Religious Council: Appreciation and Recommendations

14.08.2014 (VRNs) - Saigon - "After talking of the registry matter, you had expressed concern whether a religious community which cannot be registered is considered as a legal entity. We can tell you that: although some religious communities have registered and the state allows them to operate, but in reality, neither a religion nor a religious organisation in Vietnam has legal personality at all! This, it’s Mr Pham Dung, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Chief of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, on 3rd December 2013 stated: "At present, the issue of "human" and "legal" of the religious organisations is unclear. The religious organisations are recognised, registered for activities, but have no legal rights, such as associations, non-governmental organisations ..."

Son of Jailed Vietnamese Blogger Appeals For Justice for His Mom

14.08.2014 (RFA) - The son of jailed prominent Vietnamese blogger Bui Thi Minh Hang, in the United States to highlight his mother’s plight, has appealed to the international community to help find justice for her as she prepares to face a trial in two weeks on public order charges. ...

35 Jahre Cap Anamur

13.08.2014 (FVN21) - 1979 erreichte die Flüchtlingswelle aus Vietnam ihre Höhepunkt. Das südchinesische Meer ist zu überwinden um in die Freiheit zu gelangen, doch Zigtausende Menschen überlebten die riskanten Überfahrten nach Thailand, Indonesien oder Malaysia nicht.

Am 1. August 1979 gründeten Rupert Neudeck und seine Frau Christel Cap Anamur zusammen mit Freunden ...

EU bemüht sich um Freihandelsabkommen mit Vietnam

12.08.2014 (NZZ) - Die EU-Aussenbeauftragte Catherine Ashton will ein Freihandelsabkommen des europäischen Staatenblocks mit Vietnam unter Dach und Fach bringen. ...

EU seeks free-trade agreement with Vietnam

12.08.2014 (AP) - HANOI, Vietnam -- The European Union's top diplomat says she hopes the EU will soon conclude a free-trade agreement with Vietnam. ...

Avanzan las negociaciones para un TLC UE-Vietnam

12.08.2014 (Univision) - HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — La jefa de la diplomacia de la Unión Europea, Catherine Ashton, expresó confianza en que antes de fines de año pueda concertarse un tratado de libre comercio con Vietnam. ...

Vietnam: Tourism Transforming Women’s Lives

12.08.2014 By Kim Megson (The Diplomat) - The Hmong women of Sa Pa are being empowered by the opportunities offered by tourism. The Vietnamese frontier town of Sa Pa sits 1,600 meters above sea level in the mighty shadow of Fansipan, Indochina’s highest mountain....

Rückruf: Stark überhöhte Aluminiumgehalte in Fertigmehlmischungen aus Vietnam

11.08.2014 (CleanKids-Magazin) - Aufgrund stark überhöhter Aluminiumgehalte in den folgenden Fertigmehlmischungen aus Vietnam werden diese zurückgerufen. ...

Un grupo de periodistas vietnamitas se planta ante el régimen comunista

11.08.2014 Eric San Juan (Univision) - Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) (EFE).- Un grupo de periodistas vietnamitas se ha plantado ante la omnipresente tutela del régimen comunista, que gobierna Vietnam, con la creación de la primera asociación de prensa y el primer diario independientes. ...

Südchinesisches Meer Eiszeit zwischen China und Südostasien

11.08.2014 Von Christoph Hein (FAZ) - Im Streit um das Südchinesische Meer zeichnet sich keine Einigung ab. Wieder einmal warnten jetzt einige der Anrainerländer vor einer drohenden Gefahr der bewaffneten Auseinandersetzung. „Wir bleiben ernsthaft besorgt angesichts der jüngsten Entwicklungen, bei denen die Spannungen im Südchinesischen Meer gewachsen sind“, heißt es in der Abschlusserklärung der Konferenz der Außenminister der zehn südostasiatischen Länder. ...

China rebuffs U.S. efforts on South China Sea tensions

11.08.2014 (The Asahi Shimbun) - NAYPYIDAW--China appeared to rebuff pressure from the United States to rein in its assertive actions in the South China Sea on Aug. 10 as Southeast Asian nations declined to overtly back Washington's proposal for a freeze on provocative acts. ...

Asean calls for progress on Code of Conduct

11.08.2014 By Nirmal Ghosh (ANN) - EXPRESSING serious concern over increased tension in the South China Sea, Asean foreign ministers have called for quick progress on a long-delayed Code of Conduct (COC) to manage disputes in the waters where China has rival claims with four Asean states. ...

Vietnam seeks allies in face of China threat

11.08.2014 (Intellasia) - CHINA’S South China Sea thrusts have triggered a rift within the only other fraternal Communist Party that still runs a major country – Vietnam. Hanoi appears determined to answer that domestic challenge through an international show of strength that includes affirming closer relations with the US, Japan and India. ...

Vietnam turns the corner

11.08.2014 By Wanant Kerdchuen in Ho Chi Minh City (Bangkok Post) - Vietnam's economic recovery is serving as an example for other developing Asean countries as it applies the lessons learned from recent difficulties. After years of struggling with double-digit inflation and unsustainable non-performing loans (NPL), the country is now building up immunity for future economic turbulences. ...

Hanoi: is it possible to grow a city without slums?

11.08.2014 Lauren Quinn in Hanoi (The Guardian) - A policy of legalising unplanned structures if they meet minimum standards means new arrivals to the Vietnamese capital can build homes without official permission, and get basic services. To an outsider, Hanoi can seem like a city trying to consume itself. Jackhammers chatter and circular saws whine like cicadas. ...

La ASEAN expresa su "seria" preocupación por las tensiones en el Mar del Sur de China

10.08.2014 (lainformacion.com) - Bangkok, 10 ago (EFE).- Los ministros de Exteriores de la Asociación de Naciones del Sudeste Asiático (ASEAN) expresaron hoy su "seria" preocupación por las tensiones surgidas en las disputas territoriales en el Mar del Sur de China entre algunos países firmantes y el gigante asiático. ...

La ASEAN pide avanzar en Código de Conducta para apaciguar disputas marítimas

10.08.2014 (lainformacion.com) - Bangkok, 10 ago.- Los ministros de Asuntos Exteriores de la Asociación de Naciones del Sudeste Asiático (ASEAN) han instado en un comunicado conjunto a avanzar en la firma de un Código de Conducta con China para tratar de apaciguar las disputas territoriales en la zona. ...

Beijing hints it may stop activities in South China Sea if Manila drops arbitration

09.08.2014 (Nikkei Asian Review) NAYPYIDAW -- China would be willing to halt its activities in disputed areas in the South China Sea if the Philippines backs out of international arbitration it initiated last year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday. ...

A View From the Sea, as China Flexes Muscle

09.08.2014 By Austin Ramzy (The New York Times) - ABOARD CSB-8003, in the South China Sea — As the large white Chinese ship closed in, the smaller Vietnamese Coast Guard vessel could only veer off, black exhaust billowing from its stack. The Vietnamese vessel had advanced to within 13 miles of the Chinese offshore oil rig, and the Chinese decided it could come no closer. ...

Südchinesisches Meer: China streitet mit Vietnam über Bau von Leuchttürmen

09.08.2014 (Der Spiegel) - Hamburg - Neuer Streit um die Vorherrschaft im Südchinesischen Meer: China hat den Bau mehrerer Leuchttürme auf den Paracel-Inseln angekündigt. Vietnam reagierte wie üblich - mit scharfer Kritik.  ...

China Defends South China Sea Lighthouses

09.08.2014 By Agence France-Presse (Jakarta Globe) - China has defended the building of lighthouses on islands in the South China Sea, calling them its “inherent territory” amid tensions with Vietnam and other nations that also claim parts of the region.  ...

U.S. call for South China Sea 'freeze' gets cool response from China

09.08.2014 By Paul Mooney and Lesley Wroughton (Reuters) - NAYPYIDAW - A U.S. proposal for a freeze on provocative acts in the South China Sea got a cool response from China and some Southeast Asian nations on Saturday, an apparent setback to Washington's efforts to rein in China's assertive actions.  ...

Dating anders: Liebesmarkt in Vietnam + Video

08.08.2014 (Der Tagesspiegel) - Sapa -: Schüchterne Blicke, der erste Tanz: Hier in der vietnamesischen Provinz wird womöglich gerade eine Ehe gestiftet. Vor allem Hmong kommen hierher, eine indigene Minderheit in Südostasien, die in abgelegenen Bergwäldern lebt. ...

Vietnam: les religions en danger

08.08.2014 Samuel Chalom (L'Express) - Heiner Bielefeldt, rapporteur spécial de l'ONU sur la liberté de religion, a accusé le Vietnam de "graves violations" de la liberté religieuse. "Il existe des violations graves de la liberté religieuse dans ce pays" a déclaré Heiner Bielefeldt après une visite de 10 jours au Vietnam, émaillée par de nombreux contrôles de la police et des agents de sécurité vietnamiens, l'empêchant de rencontrer certains de ses interlocuteurs. ...

McCain confident of support for easing arms embargo on Vietnam

08.08.2014 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John McCain said on Friday he was confident of bipartisan support in Washington for easing restrictions on arms sales to Vietnam as early as next month. ...

Vietnamese Activist Detained, Questioned After UN Meeting

08.08.2014 (RIA Novosti) - MOSCOW. Vietnamese activist Pham Le Vuong Cac was held by authorities upon his arrival in Ho Chi Minh City after a UN meeting in Geneva, Radio Free Asia reported, citing a statement by the delegation that represented Vietnamese civil society at the talks. ...

China anuncia la construcción de 5 faros en las disputadas islas Paracel

08.08.2014 (El Día) - Pekín (EFE).- China confirmó sus planes de construir, pese a las protestas de Estados Unidos y varios países vecinos, cinco faros en islas del archipiélago Paracel (Xisha en mandarín), que se disputa con Vietnam, en aguas del Mar de China Meridional, informó hoy el diario South China Morning Post. ...

China's grand plan for the South China Sea

08.08.2014 By Billy Tea (Asia Times) - Whether China's decision to remove an oil exploration rig from waters hotly contested with neighboring Vietnam was motivated by bad weather, a completed mission, or rising diplomatic pressure from the United States, the move was the latest phase of Beijing's grand plan to assert its sovereignty over the South China Sea. ...

Le Rapporteur spécial de l’ONU dénonce la surveillance des autorités durant son enquête sur la liberté religieuse

08.08.2014 (Églises d'Asie) - Le 31 juillet dernier, le Rapporteur spécial des Nations Unies, Heiner Bielefeldt, achevait un voyage d'enquête de 11 jours au Vietnam portant sur la situation de la liberté religieuse dans ce pays. Il a fait part de ses premières conclusions dans une conférence de presse tenue à Hanoi peu avant son retour aux États-Unis. ...

South China Sea rows cloud Asean talks

08.08.2014 By Nirmal Ghosh (ANN) - Amid simmering volatility across the region, Asean foreign ministers are meeting today among themselves and later with counterparts from the United States, China, India and other countries in Myanmar's capital, to work out common positions on potentially contentious issues. ...

EU-Vietnam: FIDH and VCHR submit a Complaint to EU Ombudsperson

07.08.2014 (FIDH) - In a complaint filed today, FIDH and its member organisation VCHR requested that the EU Ombudsperson address the European Commission’s refusal to take human rights into account in negotiations for trade and investment agreements with Vietnam. ...

Vietnam Rights Activist Held Upon Return Home From UN Talks

07.08.2014 By Joshua Lipes (RFA) - Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City held activist Pham Le Vuong Cac for 24 hours and subjected him to “torture” upon his return from a U.N. meeting in Geneva which he had attended to voice concerns over Vietnam’s failure to implement pledges made to improve the country’s rights record. ...

Row over ‘provocative’ acts looms ahead of ASEAN talks

07.08.2014 (AsiaOne) AFP - SINGAPORE - A US and Southeast Asian push for a freeze in "provocative" acts in disputed waters has set the stage for a showdown with China at a regional security summit, analysts said. ...

The World’s Top 5 Cybercrime Hotspots

07.08.2014 Noah Rayman (Time) - ... There is a broad base of tech expertise there. “People who are really good software engineers, those people are going to be naturals when it comes to taking off the ‘white hat’ and putting on the ‘black hat,’... In Vietnam, where the I.T. industry has expanded at a rapid rate in the last decade, a hacker allegedly masterminded the theft of up to 200 million personal records in the U.S. and Europe ...

Currency woes fuel rising Bitcoin use in Vietnam

07.08.2014 By Edward Barbour-Lacey (Asian Correspondent) - On the heels of Vietnam’s first online Bitcoin trading floor going live last month, the virtual currency is being accepted by more and more merchants in the country. Distrust over the value of the Vietnamese dong is further fueling this growth. ...

China to build lighthouses on five isles in defiance of U.S. call

07.08.2014 (Yahoo News) - BEIJING (Reuters) - China plans to build lighthouses on five islands in the South China Sea, state media reported on Thursday, in defiance of calls from the United States and the Philippines for a freeze on such activity to ease tension over rival claims.

At least two of the islands upon which China said it will put up lighthouses appear to be in waters also claimed by Vietnam. ...

Vietnam's rural 'love market'

07.08.2014 Writer: AFP (Bangkok Post) - SAPA (VIETNAM) - Dating is never easy but finding the perfect partner when you live in a tiny, remote village in the Vietnamese mountains is almost impossible. The solution? A love market. ...

Trouver l'amour malgré les touristes dans les montagnes isolées du Vietnam

07.08.2014 (Huffington Post Quebec) - Trouver l'âme soeur n'est jamais une sinécure, et encore moins dans un petit village isolé. Mais les habitants des montagnes vietnamiennes ont trouvé une solution: le marché des amoureux, tradition qui toutefois s'estompe face aux touristes et au monde moderne. ...

Ho Chi Minhs Erben drängen in Putins Eurasische Wirtschaftsunion

06.08.2014 Von Hans-Joachim Hoppe (Eurasisches Magazin) - Vietnam hofft, bis Ende des Jahres ein Freihandelsabkommen mit der Eurasischen Wirtschaftsunion unterzeichnen zu können. Die Verhandlungen seien „in vollem Gange“, erklärte der vietnamesische Botschafter in Moskau, Fam Suan Shon, vor kurzem. Mit Vietnam erhielte Russland in Konkurrenz zu China eine wichtige Basis zur Ausdehnung seines Handels und seines politischen Einflusses auf Südostasien. 

As China row smolders, Vietnam rethinks its business plans

06.08.2014 By Nguyen Phuong Linh (Reuters) - A train from Vietnam's border with China pulls up at a station in Hanoi as dawn breaks, ready to unload goods for trade at what was for years the capital's most bustling wholesale market.

The freight load is smaller than it used to be, as is the crowd of traders awaiting its arrival. Chinese goods, they say, are increasingly unpopular among their customers now the two countries are locked in a bitter diplomatic row. ...

From Vietnam to Afghanistan: A General Makes History

06.08.2014 By Mark Silva (Bloomberg News) - Viet Xuan Luong, the U.S. Army’s newest general, was nine years old when his family fled Vietnam in 1975 — the year the U.S. also withdrew. Today, the combat-tested Luong pinned his first star in a ceremony at Fort Hood, Texas — the first Vietnamese-born general in the U.S. military. ...

Tokyo warns that Beijing's provocations can start a war

05.08.2014 (AsiaNews) - Tokyo - China's "dangerous" attitude and its attempts to undermine international law in the East China Sea " may cause unintended consequences" in the region, this according to Japan's white paper on defence. ...

Tokio advierte: Las provocaciones de Beijing pueden iniciar una guerra

05.08.2014 (AsiaNews) - Tokio - La actitud "peligrosa" de China y sus intentos de derrocar al derecho internacional en el Mar Oriental de China "podría conducir a consecuencias imprevistas" en la región por parte del Japón. Del mismo modo, "la continua provocación de Corea del Norte" y sus actitudes "irracionales" no deben subestimarse.. Esto fue escrito por el gobierno japonés, liderado por conservador Shinzo Abe, en el anual "Libro Blanco" de la Defensa del Sol Naciente. ...

Letter from Vietnam: relatively speaking

05.08.2014 Connla Stokes (The Guardian) - On the anniversary of the death of my Hanoi-born wife’s auntie in Ho Chi Minh City, two distant branches of a family tree come together to put the Vietnamese language’s strict conventions regarding pronouns through its paces. ...

Auf Tuchfühlung: So wird Mode in Vietnam produziert

04.08.2014 (Brigitte) - Gestern China, heute Bangladesch, morgen Myanmar. Mode wird oft dort produziert, wo Arbeit billig und Sozialstandards fragwürdig sind. Hemdenhersteller van Laack zeigt in Vietnam, dass es auch anders geht. ...

Vietnam's 'online army'

04.08.2014 (BBC) - A string of Vietnamese activists have had their Facebook accounts suspended, and claim to have been targeted by an 'online army' sponsored by the government. When David Nguyen - a human rights lawyer - tried to log in to the site, he found his account had been blocked. He was faced with a message from Facebook which said he was suspected of posting fraudulent personal information. He wasn't the only one. ...

Vietnam, China and the Oil Rig Crisis: Who Blinked?

Did Vietnam buckle under Chinese pressure or did China blink?

04.08.2014 By Carl Thayer (The Diplomat) - China’s unexpected announcement on July 15 that it was withdrawing its mega oil drilling platform from Vietnamese waters early has resulted in a debate among academic specialists about the reasons why. ...

China: We Can Build Whatever We Want On The South China Sea Islands

04.08.2014 Ben Blanchard, Reuters (Business Insider) - BEIJING (Reuters) - China can build whatever it wants on its islands in the South China Sea, a senior Chinese official said on Monday, rejecting proposals ahead of a key regional meeting to freeze any activity that may raise tensions in disputed waters there. ...

UN expert: Vietnam 'failing to respect' freedom of belief

04.08.2014 Srinivas Mazumdaru (DW) - UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt, was recently on a 10-day visit to the country which he says was interrupted by surveillance as well as harassment and intimidation of interlocutors. In a DW interview, the independent expert says that while the Vietnamese government has cautiously expanded the space for freedom of religion or belief, those communities that fail to comply with regulations face enormous difficulties when trying to at least establish some minimal forms of community life. ...

Vietnam’s rice farmers turning to more lucrative crops

04.08.2014 (New Europe) - Farmers in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta are reaping the rewards of replacing their low-yield rice fields with high-value soybean and waxy corn ...

Australia’s Sticky Plastic Money Trail

01.08.2014 (Asia Sentinel) - Reserve Bank of Australia subsidiary allegedly paid bribes in at least 21 countries. As Asia Sentinel reported on July 30, the case is also resonating in Malaysia, where the names of the current prime minister, Najib Razak, and his two predecessors, Abdullah Badawi and Mahathir Mohammad, are listed in the court order. In a third country, Vietnam, the names of top Communist Party figures are also listed. ...

Australia’s Sticky Plastic Money Trail

01.08.2014 (Asia Sentinel) - Reserve Bank of Australia subsidiary allegedly paid bribes in at least 21 countries. As Asia Sentinel reported on July 30, the case is also resonating in Malaysia, where the names of the current prime minister, Najib Razak, and his two predecessors, Abdullah Badawi and Mahathir Mohammad, are listed in the court order. In a third country, Vietnam, the names of top Communist Party figures are also listed. (See: Australia ‘Gags’ a Massive Banknote Scandal). ...

Tokio oferta a Hanoi seis buques de guerra, en clave anti-china

01.08.2014 (AsiaNews) Hanoi - El gobierno japonés suministrará a Vietnam 6 buques de guerra, el equipo necesario para ponerlos en el mar y proporcionará a sus marineros la formación necesaria. ...

Engaging Vietnam on Human Rights

01.08.2014 By Helen Clark (The Diplomat) - Australia and the US have very different approaches to engaging with Vietnam on its human rights record. When human rights in Vietnam are discussed in the international community it is invariably the nation’s track record on freedom of speech, or lack thereof, which takes precedence. The communist nation is regularly excoriated for its human rights track record, by which critics usually mean the locking up of bloggers, ...

Herr Ho hat Berlin geteilt

Die zerbrochene vietnamesische Community in der Hauptstadt

01.08.2014 Von Johannes Nichelmann (Deutschlandradio Kultur) - Nordvietnam, Südvietnam - der alte Konflikt schwelt in Berlin weiter. Thuy Luong fällt es schwer, das zu ertragen. Sie war neun Jahre alt, als sie nach Deutschland kam. Ihre Eltern erzählen, dass sie keine Zeit hatten, sich um die eigene Integration zu kümmern. ...

Vietnam to Arm Fishery Surveillance Ships After Standoff With China

01.08.2014 Tra Mi (VOA) - Vietnam says all ships under the management of its Fisheries Surveillance Force will be equipped with weapons following a tense standoff with China over a disputed oil rig. ...

Die Geschäfte der australischen Gelddrucker

01.08.2014 Von Willi Germund (Frankfurter Rundschau) - Dank Wikileaks erfährt die Welt von einem thrillerverdächtigen Schmiergeldskandal in Asien. Es geht um Millionen. 17 hochgestellte Persönlichkeiten in Australien, Vietnam, Malaysia und Indonesien sollen kräftig kassiert haben. Leute wie Vietnams amtierender Präsident Truong Tan San, Malaysias Regierungschef Najib Razak sowie sein indonesischer Amtskollege Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono und dessen Vorgängerin Megawati Sukarnoputri. ...

Wikileaks Reveals Super Injunction Blocking Reporting On Massive Australian Corruption Case Involving Leaders Of Malaysia, Indonesia & Vietnam

30.07.2014 (Techdirt) - Wikileaks has now revealed what appears to be a super injunction against reporting on a massive corruption case in Australia, involving the leaders of Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, along with people at Australia's central bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia: The suppression order lists 17 individuals, including "any current or former Prime Minister of Malaysia", “Truong Tan San, currently President of Vietnam", ...

China starts live-fire drills in East China Sea

01.08.2014 Esther Teo (AsiaOne) - BEIJING - China began new military live-fire drills in the East China Sea yesterday as reports surfaced that it has established a military command centre for the area amid rising tensions with neighbouring Japan over a territorial dispute.

The five-day exercise in China's south-eastern coast, which will end on Saturday, means the People's Liberation Army is now conducting drills in four seas at the same time - a situation rarely seen, analysts say. ...

Vietnam is set to gain most from a cutback on sourcing from China

01.08.2014 (Knitting Industry) - Rising costs in China have been forcing an increasing number of Western apparel brands and retailers to cut back on sourcing in China and have more of their apparel manufactured elsewhere, according to a new report from the global business information company Textiles Intelligence – World textile and apparel trade and production trends: South-East Asia, June 2014. ...

Japanische Patrouillenboote für Hanoi

01.08.2014 (DW) - Japan überlässt Vietnam sechs gebrauchte Patroiullenboote. Das könnte für Ärger mit China sorgen. Beide Länder liegen mit Peking im Streit um Gebiete im ost- und südchinesischen Meer. Die sechs Patrouillenboote im Wert von umgerechnet 3,6 Millionen Euro seien eine Spende zur Verbesserung der maritimen Sicherheit, sagte der japanische Außenminister Fumio Kishada während eines Besuchs in der vietnamesischen Hauptstadt Hanoi. ...

Japan provides Vietnam with 6 vessels

01.08.2014 (Associated Press) - HANOI, Vietnam -- Japan says it will provide Vietnam six vessels as part of a grant aid package that will boost Hanoi's maritime security patrol capacity at a time the country is locked in a territorial standoff with China in the South China Sea. ...