HomeInh-2014-09

Hong Kong's Vietnamese Ex-Pats Show Support for Protesters

30.09.2014 Trung Nguyen (VOA) - Some Vietnamese citizens living in Hong Kong have expressed support for local protesters who want China to give the former British colony a fully democratic vote for its next leader. Hang, who declined to give her last name for fear of repercussions for her family back in Vietnam, told VOA’s ...

Gefängnisstrafen für 15 nach Anti-China-Ausschreitungen in Vietnam

30.09.2014 (Tiroler Tageszeitung) -  Hanoi (APA/dpa) - Vier Monate nach den Ausschreitungen gegen chinesische Firmen in Vietnam hat ein Gericht 15 Menschen zu Gefängnisstrafen zwischen neun und 14 Monaten verurteilt. Die Verurteilten seien wegen Ruhestörung und Sachbeschädigung schuldig, sagte ein Sprecher des Gerichts ...

Undercover in Vietnam - CPJ Series

By Shawn W. Crispin/Southeast Asia Representative

Room for debate frees up but bloggers remain imprisoned

30.09.2014 (CPJ) - Incarcerated for the past six years in poor prison conditions, Nguyen Van Hai has suffered dearly for his critical views on China. First detained on trumped up tax evasion charges in 2008, and subsequently convicted in 2012 on anti-state charges for blogging, 62-year-old Hai is currently serving a 12-year jail term that his family fears could be a death sentence in view of his declining health. ... 

Exile is high price reporters pay for press freedom

29.09.2014 (CPJ) - On December 9, 2012, mainstream journalist and sometimes blogger Pham Doan Trang was arrested while reporting on an anti-China protest in Ho Chi Minh City. She was taken to a rehabilitation camp for commercial sex workers, where she was interrogated by a group of seven officials.  ... 

Reporters become martyrs for their paper's cause

26.09.2014 (CPJ) - In a church compound in the bustling heart of Ho Chi Minh City, journalists and editors upload the latest online edition of Redemptorist News in a secret backroom bureau. First established in 1935, the Catholic newspaper was shut down by the ruling Communist Party in 1975 after consolidating its control over the country's once divided northern and southern regions. Redemptorist News was resurrected and re-launched as an online multi-media platform in 2009 by a group of Catholic priests and activists.  ... 

Bloggers play risky game of cat-and-mouse to report

25.09.2014  (CPJ) - When Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh left her home in the central coastal city of Nha Trang to cover anti-China protests a 10-hour bus ride away in southern Ho Chi Minh City, the prominent blogger disguised her appearance to evade plainclothes officials stationed nearby to monitor her meetings and movements. On the road, Quynh disembarked 10km from her ticketed destination to avoid being detained by police she feared may be waiting for her at the bus station. ...

Adleraugen auf das Südchinesische Meer

30.09.2014 Manfred Rist, Singapur (NZZ) - Die Vereinigten Staaten verstärken ihre Überwachung des Südchinesischen Meeres. Washington kooperiert dazu mit den Philippinen, benutzt eine Basis in Malaysia und normalisiert die Kontakte mit Vietnam. ...

Penas de prisión para 15 detenidos durante las protestas antichina en Vietnam

30.09.2014 (Univision) - Bangkok (EFE).- Un tribunal vietnamita sentenció con penas de entre 9 y 14 meses de prisión a quince personas acusadas de "desorden público" durante los incidentes violentos del pasado mayo contra empresas china en el sur de Vietnam, en las que murieron al menos cuatro trabajadores chinos, publican hoy medios locales. ...

Japan eases visa rules for SE Asia

30.09.2014 (Bangkok Post) - Japan said Tuesday it has significantly relaxed its visa requirements for visitors from Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The measure is part of the government's drive to increase the number of foreign tourists to 20 million a year by 2020 after hitting the 10 million mark in 2013. ...

Can Vietnam’s Maritime Strategy Counter China?

29.09.2014 By Carl Thayer (The Diplomat) - Ever since Vietnam took delivery of two enhanced Kilo or Varshavyanka-class conventional submarines from Russia defense analysts have differed over how quickly Vietnam could absorb these weapons into its navy and create a credible deterrent force to China. ...

The Five Weapons Vietnam Needs Most to Take on a Rising China

29.09.2014 By Kyle Mizokami (RealClearDefense 2014) - Military and political disputes with China are nothing new to Vietnam.

China and Vietnam have a shared border and shared history that go back thousands of years. And relations haven’t always gone the smaller country’s way. ...

What to Expect If the US Lifts Its Vietnam Arms Embargo

29.09.2014 By Ankit Panda (The Diplomat) - Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in a panel discussion at the Asia Society with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who was in New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly. During the Q&A portion of the event, Min called for the United States to lift its embargo on lethal arms sales to Vietnam, describing the embargo as “abnormal.” ...

Vietnam Pardons 2 Elderly Activists Ahead of US Meeting

29.09.2014 Tra Mi (VOA) - Vietnam has granted early releases to two elderly political prisoners ahead of a visit to Washington this week by Hanoi's foreign minister. Tran Tu and Nguyen Tuan Nam, both in their 70s, were set free late last week after serving about two decades each in prison. ...

Bloguera activista vietnamita recibió condena de tres años por “obstruir el tráfico”

29.09.2014 Escrito por Mong Palatino, Traducido por Samantha SL (Global Voices Español) - El 25 de agosto, @hrw le exigió a Hanoi, en una declaración, la liberación de la disidente de Vietnam, Bui Thi Minh Hang y la de sus colegas.

La corte sentenció a Bui Thi MInh Hang, prominente bloguera activista vietnamita, a tres años de prisión por provocar “una seria obstrucción al tráfico”. Sus otros dos acompañantes, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh y Nguyen Van Minh, recibieron una setencia de dos y dos años y medio respectivamente. ...

Vietnam: la croissance s'accélère

29.09.2014 (Le Figaro) - Le Vietnam a enregistré lors des trois premiers trimestres de l'année sa croissance la plus rapide depuis trois ans, selon des chiffres publiés lundi, malgré des émeutes antichinoises qui menaçaient de faire peur aux investisseurs. ...

US, Philippines Launch Military Exercise Near Spratly Islands

29.09.2014 (VOA) - The Philippines and the United States have launched an annual military exercise in the South China Sea, near waters where China is engaged in bitter territorial disputes with its neighbors. Around 5,000 sailors and Marines from both countries began 11-days of maritime maneuvers on Monday. ...

Climate change affects Vietnam's rice bowl

29.09.2014 Christopher Johnson, Mekong Delta, Vietnam (DW) - Ever more farmers in Vietnam's Mekong Delta are facing tough decisions as a result of saltwater intrusion in their rice fields. But some argue it's just nature undoing human changes to the land. ...

Elfenbein statt Cashew-Nüsse

29.09.2014 (NZZ) - (dpa) In einer als Cashew-Nüsse deklarierten Ladung aus Afrika hat der Zoll in Vietnam knapp 60 Elefantenstosszähne entdeckt. ...

Opfer von "Land Grabbing" in Vietnam: sieben Bauer zu Gefängnisstrafen verurteilt

28.09.2014 (Forum Vietnam 21)  - Ein Volksgericht in Ha Dong, Nordvietnam hat in den vergangenen Wochen in drei Prozessen sieben Bauer aus Duong Noi, einem Dorf in der Nähe der Hauptstadt Hanoi zu Gefängnisstrafen verurteilt. Duong Noi ist vor allem für seine langjährigen Landstreitigkeiten mit den Behörden bekannt. Die Landaktivisten wurden im März und April verhaftet, nachdem sie versuchten die Polizei an der Landnahme zu hindern. Duong Noi ist ein Dorf im Bezirk Ha Dong, rund 14 Kilometer südwestlich von Hanoi. Vor Jahren begannen Landstreitigkeiten im Dorf, als die Bauern sich weigerten, ihre Äcker an die Nam Cuong Immobiliengruppe zum Bau eines Komplexes von Wohn-und Bürogebäuden, Hotels und Schulen abzutreten. Tausende Polizisten und Helfer in Zivil waren zur Landnahme am 25. April im Einsatz. Die Landraubopfer behaupteten, die Behörden hätten bezahlte Schläger eingesetzt um den Widerstandswillen der Bauern zu brechen. ...

FVPoC’s statement on the pardon to prisoners of conscience Nguyen Tuan Nam and Tran Tu

28.09.2014 (FVPoC) - Strongly we denounce the Vietnam police by the sense of hatred and contempt peacefully political prisoners, has implemented a regime of punitive prison: bodily harm to beat their will. Countless prisoners of conscience have been oppressed with full forms as solitary confinement, starvation, beating, no medical treatment or even poisoned gradually. ...

US Should Engage More Actively in South China Sea Issues

26.09.2014 By David Brown (Jakarta Globe) - When Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and US Secretary of State John Kerry meet in early October, China’s aggressive behavior in the waters of Southeast Asia will top their agenda. In the months leading up to the meeting, Washington’s foreign policy elite have been debating whether it is in America’s interest to get involved in the dispute. The strategic implications of letting China have its sway are too serious for the US to adopt a binary policy of going in all guns blazing or looking the other way. ...

Labor pact signed with Vietnam

26.09.2014 MD Rasooldeen (Arab News) - The Kingdom signed a five-year labor pact with Vietnam on Wednesday, which will see the Asian country send 400 domestic workers a month to Saudi Arabia... There are about 3,000 domestic aides out of 15,000 Vietnamese workers in the Kingdom. ...

From Cambodia to Vietnam: Back home after two decades of separation

26.09.2014 (ICRC) - A phone call to the ICRC Phnom Penh Office grabbed the attention of Arnaud Leclerc, head of protection team in Cambodia. The voice from the United Nations Office for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) told of a case that the ICRC might be able to help with.

The story concerned a 54-year-old Vietnamese man called Nguyen Van Tan. Mr Tan had been detained in Prey Sar prison for over ten years ...

US and Vietnam to Discuss Curbing China’s Sea Claims

26.09.2014 Written by David Brown (Asia Sentinel) - Blocking China’s salami-slicing tactics on the South China Sea require region-wide cooperation

When Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and US Secretary of State John Kerry meet in early October, China's aggressive behavior in the waters of Southeast Asia will top their agenda. ...

Hanoi-Berlin - Das Prinzip Fotokopie

Vertragsarbeiter ohne Vertrag: Tausende Vietnamesen verloren in Deutschland ihre Perspektive, als die Mauer fiel. Van Tuan Nguyen blieb bis heute.

25.09.2014 Von Julia Boek (ZeitOnline) - Ein langer Arbeitstag in der Glasfabrik liegt hinter Van Tuan Nguyen, als Günter Schabowski am Abend des 9. November 1989 im Fernsehen die neuen Reiseregelungen für DDR-Bürger verliest. Nguyen sitzt in Uhsmannsdorf bei Görlitz in einem Arbeiterwohnheim, seit gut einem Jahr ist der Vietnamese DDR-Vertragsarbeiter. Hier in Deutschland passiert gerade etwas Historisches, das ist ihm klar. ...

New rice helps Mekong farmers battle worsening floods, salt intrusion

25.09.2014 Author: Georgina Smith, CIAT (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Flooding in the lower Mekong Delta is becoming more intense, frequent and complex to control due to climate change, say researchers. The 17 million farmers living on the Delta in Vietnam’s southern-most tip - where 60 percent of the country’s rice is produced – need solutions. ...

Vietnam Growth Worst Since 1980s Seen on Credit Crunch: Economy

25.09.2014 By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen (Bloomberg) - Hanoi. Do Thi Hien points to about two dozen sewing machines lined up on one side of her apparel workshop near Hanoi’s Red River.

They have been gathering dust as she tried to get a loan to increase output for exports.

“I’ve knocked on the doors of four banks already this year and I still can’t get a loan,” Hien, 42, said. “They’re only prepared to lend at high interest rates.” ...

‘China has nothing to worry about’: Vietnam asks US to end arms embargo

25.09.2014 Associated Press in New York (South China Morning Post) - Vietnam said on Wednesday it wants to be able to buy weapons from the United States and that China should not be alarmed. As relations between the US and Vietnam warm, America is moving closer  ...

Untersee-Internet-Kabel beschädigt

25.09.2014 (der Farang) - THAILAND: Ein Schiffsanker hat vor der Küste Vietnams ein Untersee-Internet-Kabel beschädigt. Als Folge müssen sich Internetnutzer in Südostasien mit einer langsameren Geschwindigkeit abfinden.  ...

New Decree Prohibits Online Criticism of Lao Government Policies

24.09.2014 (RFA) - Laos has issued a new law prohibiting online criticism of the government and the ruling communist party, according to state media, setting out stiff penalties for netizens and Internet service providers who violate controls.

Last week, Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong signed Decree No. 327 into law “to monitor and prevent … information deemed threatening [to] society and national security,” according to the official Lao News Agency (KPL).

Reports have suggested that Laos may have received advice about how to control online media from its neighbor, Vietnam, which in September last year introduced Decree No. 72—a set of similar restrictions on Web usage which drew condemnation from global Internet firms.  ...

Geldstrafe für Elfenbeinschmuggel

24.09.2014 Von Matthias Gerhart (Frankfurter Neue Presse) - Über 32 Kilogramm zersägte Stoßzähne und einige Gramm Amphetamine versuchte ein 27-Jähriger nach Vietnam zu schmuggeln. Am Flughafen Frankfurt wurde er erwischt. Nun muss er sich vor Gericht verantworten.  ...

Thawing ties: US and Vietnam forging closer relations

24.09.2014 (DW) - Territorial disputes with China have contributed to a shift in Vietnam's foreign policy. Hanoi is hoping that closer ties with Washington and a boost to its defense forces will deter Beijing, says analyst Gregory Poling. Sino-Vietnamese ties have been tense ever since Beijing deployed a massive oil rig back in May in waters Vietnam claims as its exclusive economic zone.  ...

Ein Abendessen mit dem Bundestagsabgeordneten Dr. Philipp Lengsfeld

23.09.2014 Minh Tu Huynh (Blog Huỳnh Minh Tú) - Trotz der Zeitknappheit ließ es sich der Bundestagsabgeordnete Dr. Philipp Lengsfeld nicht nehmen, am 17.09.2014 an einem Abendessen teilzunehmen, um sich mit einer Gruppe von Exilvietnamesen, die sich über die verheerende Situation in ihrer Heimat Vietnam ernsthaft Sorge machen, Informationen und Gedanken über die Menschenrechtsverletzungen in Vietnam auszutauschen ...

Vietnamese Court Jails Seven Farmers for Protesting Land Grabs

23.09.2014 (RFA) - A Vietnamese court has ordered seven farmers jailed for up to 22 months on charges of disturbing public order after they resisted land grabs to make way for urban development projects in their village.

They were arrested in March and April in Duong Noi village, about 14 kilometers (8.6 miles) southwest of the capital Hanoi, for preventing police from enforcing the land seizures.  ...

Schlag gegen Produktfälscher in Asien

23.09.2014 (derStandard) - Lyon - Polizei beschlagnahmt Imitate im Wert von 39 Millionen Euro und nimmt über 660 Personen fest.

Bei einer internationalen Polizeirazzia gegen Produktfälscher sind mehr als 660 Verdächtige in zehn asiatischen Ländern festgenommen worden.  ...

Vietnam and China: Conflict over islands arouses Vietnamese patriotism

23.09.2014 By T.T. Nhu (San Jose Mercury News) - I lived in Hanoi from 2004 until 2009, down the street from the Chinese Embassy. Demonstrations were rare, if not forbidden by Vietnam's controlling government. That's why in December 2007, I was startled to see people gathered with banners outside the embassy protesting the disputed Paracel and Spratly Islands. The protests were quiet, somewhat half hearted. Security police were smoking, playing badminton, laughing and being generally inattentive. ...

Once Upon A Mulberry Field by C.L. Hoang30.05.2014 David Willson (vvabooks) - Nothing in the title of Once Upon A Mulberry Field by C.L. Hoang (Willow Stream, 392 pp., $15.95, paper) signals that this is a book dealing with the Vietnam War. Scrutiny of the cover reveals a tiny helicopter silhouetted against a setting sun. In the lower left hand corner, a woman with long black hair clad in a white dress faces away from us.  ...Asean must take leadership role at UN Climate Summit: greensSoutheast Asian nations among those hardest hit by global warming impacts

22.09.2014 Tim Kroenert, Manila (UCANews) - Environmental and human rights groups Monday called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to present a united front ahead of a global climate change summit. ...

Code of conduct urgently needed for South China Sea: Dung

22.09.2014 (The Nation) - Peace and stability in the South China Sea is in the interest of China and the 10-member Asean regional grouping, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has said. ...

'Last Days in Vietnam’ and memories of Charles Phan

22.09.2014 By Leah Garchik (SFGate) - On Friday, the night “Last Days in Vietnam” opens at the Opera Plaza Cinema, documentarian Rory Kennedy will be here to attend a reception in her honor. The movie is about South Vietnamese who had to flee their country when the North took over, at the end of the Vietnam War. The reception will be at the Slanted Door in the Ferry Building. The restaurant was the first in a considerable empire founded by Charles Phan, who was one of those South Vietnamese who fled. ...

Harsh light shines on Vietnam's prisons

22.09.2014 By Zachary Abuza (Asia Times) - The Vietnamese government's continued crackdown on dissent has put the legal system under new scrutiny. Dissidents and critical bloggers are routinely charged with vague national security laws and their cases fast tracked through courts resulting in criminal convictions and harsh prison sentences. At least eight dissidents, activists and bloggers have been detained in 2014; 36 are currently imprisoned by certain estimates. ...

Vietnam postpones first nuclear power plant construction

22.09.2014 EBR Staff Writer (Energy Business Review) - Vietnam has delayed construction work on its first nuclear power plant, which was initially planned at the end of 2014, Vietnam Industry and Trade Ministry Deputy Minister Cao Quoc Hung said. ...

WWF hace campaña para reducir la demanda de cuerno de rinoceronte en Vietnam

22.09.2014 (Publimetro) - Johannesburgo (EFE).- WWF Sudáfrica lanzó hoy una campaña dirigida a los varones vietnamitas en la que desmiente las propiedades saludables y afrodisíacas del cuerno de rinoceronte, con el fin de reducir la demanda de este producto en el país asiático y disminuir así la caza furtiva de la especie en Sudáfrica. ...

Film Review: ‘Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere’

21.09.2014 Guy Lodge Film Critic (Variety) - Vietnamese helmer Diep Hoang Nguyen's sly, sensual, politically probing debut is a knocked-up drama with a difference. A gauchely translated English title does little justice to the refined sensuality and sly strangeness of “Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere,” an immediately distinctive feature-length debut for Vietnamese femme helmer Diep Hoang Nguyen.  ...

Vietnam-EU free trade talks

21.09.2014 (New Europe) - The 9th round of negotiations on the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement (FTA) will take place in Vietnam’s central Da Nang city on September 22-26, local Saigon Times daily reported on September 16. ...

Free press crucial for continued development in Vietnam

21.09.2014 (The Korea Herald) - Press freedom is crucial for development, said Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Pham Huu Chi during a lecture organized by the Asia Society Korea Center at the ASEAN-Korea Center in Seoul on Tuesday.... An official at the embassy said that Vietnamese press freedom is misunderstood by Western critics. Journalists in Vietnam can criticize specific issues, corruption or local authorities, as long as they do not criticize Vietnam’s political system or the Communist Party, the official said. ...

South China Sea conflict a real threat to Indonesia

20.09.2014 Fadli (Jakarta Post) - Indonesia has been warned that the territorial conflict over the South China Sea is a real threat that will sooner or later impact this country. ...

Film Review: ‘Last Days in Vietnam’

20.09.2014 By Associated Press (Epoch Times) - There are many differences between America’s troubled exit from Iraq and its ramshackle retreat from Vietnam. But the U.S. flight from Saigon as seen in Rory Kennedy’s documentary “Last Days in Vietnam” has incredible, unmistakable resonance ...

Erinnerung an das Vietnam-Trauma wird wieder aktuell

20.09.2014 Frank Herrmann aus Washington (derStandard) - Eine Tochter Robert F. Kennedys hat fürs Kino die Flucht der Amerikaner aus Saigon dokumentiert. Der Film führt die Gefahr nicht zu Ende gedachter Militäroperationen vor Augen. ...

Saigon : des lieux de culte chrétiens et bouddhistes détruits pour créer « une zone urbaine aménagée »

20.09.2014 (Eglises d'Asie) - Dans le cadre d’un « plan d’aménagement et de développement » de Saigon (Hô Chi Minh-Ville), les autorités ont ordonné la destruction des lieux de culte de la zone de Thu Thiêm pour les remplacer par des centres commerciaux, des quartiers résidentiels et administratifs. Saigon, le gouvernement a planifié la démolition de deux églises catholiques et d’un temple bouddhiste, dans le cadre d’un « plan de développement urbain » de la partie sud de Saigon. Deux lieux de culte de l’Eglise mennonite et de l’Eglise évangélique du Vietnam ont déjà été détruits, ainsi que leurs terrains confisqués. ...

Police Brutality in Vietnam

20.09.2014 Written by Helen Clark (Asia Sentinel) - Just at an inconvenient time when Vietnam is seeking a pact with the United States for the supply of weapons, an inconvenient and exhaustive report on police brutality and “public insecurity” in Vietnam released by the New York-based Human Rights Watch has brought to light "extensive" abuses in the judiciary system. ...

Vietnamese Leader Urges Citizens To Emulate Ho Chi Minh's Teachings

20.09.2014 (Bernama) - PHU THO -- Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang urged the people to emulate the teachings of former president Ho Chi Minh to help nation building and maintain sovereignty, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. ...

Kruger rhinos' final chance

20.09.2014 By Paul Robinson (The Earth Times) - With the arrest of an Indian horn trader, rhinoceros conservationists make steps towards preventing the poaching of all the species. More significant is the loss of 2014 rhino from South Africa alone this year. Rhinose Foundation, from the republic, are among the most significant movers among those stopping the poaching. Red polypropylene horns , meant to attach to RSA car hoods, hardly seem to do them justice, as they also bring Vietnamese officials and celebrities to see the killing at first hand. ...

Trouble brews as Vietnam considers banning sidewalk beer sales

19.09.2014 By Edward Barbour-Lacey (Asian Correspondent) - In dispiriting news for many outdoor drinking enthusiasts, Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has admitted that it is mulling draft regulation that would outlaw the sidewalk sale of beer throughout Vietnam. ...

The US, Vietnam and Shifting Alliances in Asia

19.09.2014 Written by Khanh Vu Duc and Duvien Tran (Asia Sentinel) - It’s not only the US that should be worried about a Russia-China axis, but also Vietnam. The budding alliance between Russia and China may be redrawing old battles. The Soviet Union has long since collapsed, China has jettisoned much of its communist ideology, and the Soviet–Sino split has been relegated to another chapter of the Cold War. ...

'What's wrong with eating a cat?': Vietnamese man in Germany admits killing and barbecuing his neighbour's pet - but doesn't understand what's wrong with it

19.09.2014 By Annabel Grossman (MailOnline) - A Vietnamese man living in Germany has admitted killing and barbecuing his neighbour's cat - and was then bemused to find himself at the wrath of animal lovers. ...

South China Sea spat deflects attention from Vietnam’s real issues

18.09.2014 By Joe Buckley (Asian Correspondent) - Ask anyone, anywhere in the world, what the most important Vietnam-related issue has been over the past few months, and I bet that lots of them will say the South China Sea dispute. In May, China put an oil rig in disputed waters. Vietnam didn’t like that, so it all kicked off. Things seem to have calmed down a bit now, although recent reports suggest that tensions may well flare up again.  ...

Saigón, el gobierno amenaza con la demolición de las iglesias católicas y templos budistas

18.09.2014 (AsiaNews) - Ho Chi Minh City - Las autoridades vietnamitas tienen la intención de demoler un templo budista y dos iglesias cristianas, que están situados en una zona al sur de Ho Chi Minh City, para iniciar un plan de desarrollo urbano de importante valor económico.  ...

Saigon, government threatens to demolish Catholic churches and Buddhist temples

18.09.2014 (AsiaNews) Ho Chi Minh City - The Vietnamese authorities intend to demolish a Buddhist temple and two Christian churches, which are located in an area south of Ho Chi Minh City, to start an urban development plan of significant economic value. ...

Vietnam Rejects Police Brutality Report by Human Rights Group

18.09.2014 (VOA) - Vietnam has countered a human rights report that accuses the country of increasing cases of police brutality. Earlier this week, the New York-based group Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report citing dozens of cases in which ordinary Vietnamese have been tortured, injured or killed in police custody. ...

Vietnam imposes share-listing rule

18.09.2014 Writer: Bloomberg (Bangkok Post) - Vietnam has introduced a rule compelling state-owned companies to list shares more quickly following initial public offerings (IPO) in an attempt to accelerate a privatisation programme lagging behind schedule. ...

Neuer Bericht über Vietnam

17.09.2014 Josef Bordat (Blog jobo72) - Die Menschenrechtslage in Vietnam war hier schon mehrfach Thema. Es fällt schwer, in der Berichterstattung mit der Vielzahl an Menschenrechtsverletzungen Schritt zu halten. Von daher ist es gut, dass es Menschenrechtsorganisationen gibt, die gelegentlich die Lage zusammenfassend beschreiben, um so einen Überblick zu geben. Der gestern erschienene Bericht Public Insecurity. Deaths in Custody and Police Brutality in Vietnam von Human Rights Watch ist solch ein Überblickswerk. ...

US-Gruppe prangert "Sklaverei" in Malaysias Fabriken an

17.09.2014 (Deutschland today) - Kuala Lumpur (AFP) - In Malaysia muss fast ein Drittel der 350.000 Arbeiter in der Elektronikindustrie unter solch elenden Bedingungen schuften, das Arbeitsrechtler von moderner Sklaverei sprechen. Die US-Arbeitsrechteorganisation Verite veröffentlichte eine Untersuchung, wonach besonders ausländische Arbeiter aus armen Ländern der Region wie Bangladesch oder Myanmar in einer "Spirale der Zwangsarbeit" gefangen seien ...

Ties with Vietnam, not against China: Prez

17.09.2014 Shekhar Iyer (Deccan Herald) - President Pranab Mukherjee who is winding up his four-day visit to Vietnam to be on time to receive his Chinese counterpart on Thursday, said New Delhi’s dealings with Hanoi should not be seen from the “prism” of relationship with any third country. ...

Vietnam: Crece el número de muertos y lesionados bajo custodia policial

16.09.2014 (HRW) - Bangkok – Policías en distintas regiones de Vietnam cometen abusos contra personas que están bajo su custodia, en algunos casos con consecuencias letales, señaló Human Rights Watch en un informe presentado hoy. El gobierno vietnamita debería adoptar medidas inmediatas para poner fin a muertes dudosas ocurridas mientras las personas se encontraban a disposición de las autoridades, así como la tortura de detenidos por policías, indicó Human Rights Watch. ...

Vietnam : Décès de détenus et violences subies aux mains de la police

16.09.2014 (HRW) - Bangkok – À travers le Vietnam, des policiers maltraitent les personnes placées sous leur garde, entraînant la mort dans certains cas, a déclaré Human Rights Watch dans un rapport publié aujourd'hui. Le gouvernement vietnamien devrait prendre des mesures immédiates pour mettre fin aux morts suspectes en détention et à la torture de détenus par la police, selon Human Rights Watch. ...

Vietnam: Pervasive Deaths, Injuries in Police Custody

16.09.2014 (HRW) - Bangkok – Police throughout Vietnam abuse people in their custody, in some cases leading to death, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Vietnamese government should take immediate action to end suspicious deaths in custody and torture of detainees by police, Human Rights Watch said. ...

Vietnam: Tod und Verletzungen in Polizeigewahrsam weit verbreitet

16.09.2014 (HRW) - Bangkok – Die Polizei in Vietnam misshandelt Personen, die sie in Gewahrsam nimmt. In einigen Fällen werden die Opfer dabei getötet, so Human Rights Watch in einem heute veröffentlichten Bericht. Die vietnamesische Regierung soll unverzüglich handeln und den verdächtigen Todesfällen in Polizeigewahrsam ebenso wie der Folter von inhaftierten Personen durch Polizeibeamte ein Ende setzen. ...

US and Vietnam begin limited adoptions

16.09.2014 (DW) - American families will be allowed to resume limited adoptions of children from Vietnam, authorities have said. The move ends a six-year ban amid allegations of baby-selling and fraud. ...

Hunderte Drogenabhängige flohen vor Zwangsbehandlung in Vietnam

15.09.2014 (Tiroler Tageszeitung) - Das kommunistische Land, in dem es etwa 140.000 Drogenabhängige gibt, setzt auf Internierung.

Hanoi – In der vietnamesischen Großstadt Haiphong sind mehr als 400 Drogenabhängige aus einem Zentrum geflüchtet, in dem sie unter staatlicher Aufsicht interniert waren.  ...

Vietnam/centre de désintoxication: 400 évadés

15.09.2014 (Le Figaro) - Plus de 400 toxicomanes se sont évadés collectivement au Vietnam d'un centre de désintoxication où ils suivaient un traitement obligatoire de deux ans instauré dans le pays communiste, a appris l'AFP aujourd'hui auprès des autorités. ...

Brückenbau zwischen Ostdeutschland und Vietnam / Delegationsreise nach Hanoi und Ho-Chih-Minh City

15.09.2014 (boerse-online) - Berlin (ots) - Wirtschaftsstandort Ostdeutschland auf Reisen: Vertreter von zwölf ostdeutschen Unternehmen aus Thüringen, Berlin, Brandenburg und Sachsen reisen vom 15. - 19. September in Begleitung von Germany Trade & Invest, dem Bundeswirtschaftsministerium und der Wirtschaftsförderung Thüringen nach Vietnam, um neue Geschäftskontakte zu knüpfen und Aufträge für die heimische Wirtschaft hereinzuholen. ...

«Schnelleres Wachstum setzt weitere Liberalisierung voraus»

12.09.2014 Ernst Herb, Hanoi (Finanz und Wirtschaft) - Die Asiatische Entwicklungsbank prognostiziert für das laufende Jahr eine Expansion des Bruttoinlandproduktes von 5,4%. Damit entwickelt sich die Wirtschaft nach Meinung des renommierten Ökonomen Le Dang Doanh dennoch deutlich unter ihrem Potenzial.  ...

Chinas Machtanspruch - Der nächste Weltkrieg könnte in Asien beginnen

12.09.2014 Von Sophie Mühlmann (Die Welt) - Das Pulverfass, das unser Weltgefüge sprengen kann, liegt in Asien mitten im Meer. Winzige Inselchen könnten einen Flächenbrand entfachen. Ein Angriff Chinas auf Japan ist mehr als düstere Fantasie.  ...

Der ewige Hass

11.09.2014 Von Christoph Hein, Singapur (FAZ) - Chinesen und Japaner halten nichts voneinander. Die Mehrheit der Chinesen rechnet sogar mit einem Krieg. Die Vietnamesen hat noch keiner befragt. Am Donnerstag sorgt eine Umfrage in Asien für Aufsehen: Die Mehrheit der Chinesen hält es für möglich, dass ihr Land mit Japan in einen Krieg eintreten werde. Auch 29 Prozent der Japaner erwarten eine militärische Auseinandersetzung.  ...

Asia arms up to counter growing Chinese might

11.09.2014 By Jack Chang - Associated Press (The Washington Times) - BEIJING - Vietnam has nearly doubled its military spending, Japan is requesting its biggest-ever defense budget and the Philippines is rushing to piece together a viable navy. ...

Vietnam, Vatican Explore Prospects of Restoring Full Ties

10.09.2014 (RFA) - Officials from Vietnam and the Vatican began two-day talks Wednesday on prospects of restoring full diplomatic ties as a respected local bishop acknowledged that “conflicts” between the government and church have decreased. ...

Vietnam accuses China of beating fishermen

Beijing told to severely punish those involved and offer compensation after alleged incident near Paracel islands.

10.09.2014 (Al Jazeera) - Vietnam has accused Chinese authorities of beating several of its fishermen and demanded severe punishment for those involved in an incident that could increase tensions in a sea dispute between the communist neighbours. ...

Russia, Vietnam Take Steps Toward Free Trade Zone and Currency Settlements

06.09.2014 (RIA Novosti) - MOSCOW - The creation of a free trade zone between the states of the Eurasian Customs Union and Vietnam is on schedule with a contract expected in January 2015, in addition to national currency settlements, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov told reporters at a meeting of the Russian- Vietnamese intergovernmental commission on Saturday. ... 

Vietnam: Aufregung um Facebook-Postings aus dem Gefängnis

05.09.2014 (derStandard) - Vietnam: Aufregung um Facebook-Postings aus dem Gefängnis. Mit offenherzigen Facebook-Mitteilungen haben Häftlinge in Vietnam Empörung ausgelöst. ... 

Amnesty: Meinungsfreiheit muss auch im Internet gelten

02.09.2014 (Amnesty International) - 02. September 2014 - Anlässlich des heute beginnenden Internet Governance Forums (IGF) in Istanbul kritisiert Amnesty International die Doppelmoral des Gastgeberlandes Türkei. "Es ist eine bittere Ironie, dass die Türkei ein Treffen ausrichtet, bei dem die Meinungsfreiheit im Internet ein wichtiges Thema ist, und gleichzeitig Twitter-Nutzer vor Gericht stellt", sagt Sebastian Schweda, Amnesty-Experte für Menschenrechte in der digitalen Welt, der am IGF in Istanbul teilnimmt. ...

A conversation with Black Sea fishermen about a nuclear power plant in their backyard

02.09.2014 Michiko Yoshii (The Asahi Shimbun) - I had the opportunity to visit Istanbul and decided to check out the city of Sinop on the Black Sea coast. I heard of Sinop after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster when it was picked as the site for a nuclear power plant using technology exported from Japan. Vietnam also has a fishing village where there are plans to build a nuclear power plant with Japanese technology, but the situation there is somewhat different. ...

China testing southern waters for new world order

01.09.2014 Katsuji Nakazawa, Editor-in-chief of The Nikkei's Editorial Headquarters for China (Nikkei Asian Review) - BEIJING -- If you want an insight into Chinese foreign policy, just look at its maps. Since President Xi Jinping took office in 2012, state-owned bookshops have begun selling vertical oblong maps that look rather different from previous ones.  ...

Tensions Still Simmer Between Vietnam, China

01.09.2014 Marianne Brown (VOA) - HANOI— Last week Vietnam sent a senior official to China in a bid to ease simmering tensions caused by maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Beijing and Hanoi have tried to mend ties three months after a Chinese oil rig was deployed off the coast of Vietnam, setting off deadly riots and straining ties between the two neighbors. ...

German Broadcaster Is Urged to Speak for Press Freedom in China

01.09.2014 By Didi Kirsten Tatlow (The New York Times) - Su Yutong, a Chinese political exile in Germany who last month was fired from her job at Deutsche Welle, the German public broadcaster, has issued an open letter to the station’s director general calling on him to speak up for press freedom during a visit to China. ... 

Japan's 'democracy diplomacy' counterbalances China

01.09.2014 Daniel Twining (Nikkei Asian Review) - A quiet revolution is transforming Japanese diplomacy. For more than a decade, Tokyo has worked to diversify its democratic partnerships beyond the anchor of the U.S.-Japan alliance, forging closer relations with like-minded governments in the Indo-Pacific region and elsewhere. ... 

Former refugee Hieu Van Le sworn in as South Australia's governor during official ceremony

01.09.2014 (ABC) - Former Vietnam refugee Hieu Van Le has been sworn in as South Australia's new Governor at an official ceremony at the Adelaide Convention Centre.  ...