HomeInh-2015-3

10.06.2015 (Forum Vietnam 21)  - Die bekannte Bloggerin Ta Phong Tan ist seit dem 13. Mai im Hungerstreik, um gegen die Misshandlung von politischen Gefangenen und miserable Haftbedingung zu protestieren. Die Nachricht von Tans Hungerstreik erreichte die Öffentlichkeit als ihre Schwester Ta Minh Tu nach dem Haftbesuch mit Reportern und Menschenrechtsaktivisten sprach. ...Jailed Vietnamese blogger Ta Phong Tan on hunger strike over mistreatment09.06.2015 By Shawn W. Crispin / Senior Southeast Asia Representative (CPJ) - Incarcerated blogger Ta Phong Tan has been on hunger strike since May 13 to protest the mistreatment of political prisoners at the prison where she is being held in Vietnam's central Thanh Hoa province, according to news reports. It is believed to be the third time Tan has fasted in protest at poor prison conditions since she was detained in September 2011 for her critical reporting. ...

Vietnam : grève de la faim d’une blogueuse catholique emprisonnée

09.06.2015 (L'observatoire de la Christianophobie) - Ancien agent de police et journaliste indépendante depuis 2004, Maria Tạ Phong Tần, fut arrêtée en septembre 2011 puis condamnée le 4 octobre 2012 à dix ans de prison pour avoir sur son blogue Justice et Vérité (Công Lý và Sự Thật) mené des campagnes pour défendre l’intégrité territoriale de son pays – menacée par la Chine communiste en Mer de Chine –, les droits de l’homme et la démocratie au Vietnam.

Bien que les communications avec l’extérieur lui soient pratiquement impossibles, elle a eu l’autorisation de recevoir sa sœur le 3 juin dernier, laquelle a fait savoir que Maria avait entamé une grève de la faim depuis trois semaines pour protester contre les conditions de détentions et les mauvais traitements qu’elle et les autres détenus d’opinion subissent dans cette prison. ...

Vietnamese Police Detain Six Petitioners Seeking Justice in Land Disputes

09.06.2015 (RFA) - Police arrested six petitioners seeking justice in land rights disputes, and detained several others on Tuesday in Hanoi and Ben Tre province, according to a family member of one of the petitioners.

Four of 22 people protesting in front of the National Assembly building in Hanoi were hauled away after the group attempted to ask politicians for help resolving disputes over land ...

Activista católica vietnamita hace huelga de hambre para protestar contra los abuso en la cárcel

08.06.2015 (AsiaNews) - Hanói - La activista vietnamita católica María Ta Phong Tan, encarcelada por “propaganda anti-gubernamental” a través de su blog, inició desde hace al menos 3 semanas una huelga de hambre para protestar contra los abusos sufridos en la celda. ...

US Considers More Surveillance in South China Sea to Combat Chinese Belligerence

08.06.2015 by Frances Martel (Breitbart) - The United States is considering an increase in surveillance and patrol flights near the South China Sea, following increased construction activity in the disputed islands by China and the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia– all having claims in the region– sounding the alarm on the Chinese land grab. ...

Cambodian Activists Square Off With Vietnamese Soldiers in Border Row

08.06.2015 (RFA) - Around 200 activists from northeastern Cambodia’s Ratanakiri province led by opposition lawmakers confronted dozens of soldiers and villagers from Vietnam Monday in a standoff over the digging of irrigation ponds in a non-demarcated area along the border shared by the two nations. ...

TPP Will Help Workers In Vietnam Pursue Their Rights

08.06.2015 By Tom Malinowski (Politico) - Two months ago, workers at a shoe factory in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, went on strike to protest changes their government had made to the country’s social security law.

Many members of Congress are asking if it is right to include Vietnam in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, given Vietnam’s record on human rights. I understand their wariness. But having spent the past year urging Vietnam to release prisoners of conscience and reform its laws, I believe we now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance these goals. I approach this question with no illusions. Vietnam is still a one-party state, with laws that criminalize political dissent. ...

The only deterrent to China’s aggression: Taking a cue from Vietnam

07.06.2015 Carol Pagaduan-Araullo (BusinessWorld) - In recent months, China’s flurry of reclamation work and building of military installations on several of the islets and reefs in the disputed portions of the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea have set alarm bells ringing about China’s aggressive design to claim almost the entirety of the area as part of its national territory. The Philippines, being one of the parties to the disputes over maritime rights and territorial claims in the sea, is rightfully aggrieved. ...

G-7 statement ‘to cite maritime rule of law’

06.06.2015 (The Japan News/The Yomiuri Shimbun)  - The summit meeting of the Group of Seven countries to be held Sunday and Monday in Germany will express “concern” over unilateral maritime actions and state that the G-7 nations will commit to maintaining maritime order under international law, according to sources. ...

Taiwan coast guard launches new ships as South China Sea tensions rise

06.06.2015 By J.R. Wu (Reuters) - KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan - Taiwan's coast guard on Saturday commissioned its biggest ships for duty in the form of two 3,000-ton patrol vessels, as the island boosts defences amid concerns about China's growing footprint in the disputed South China Sea. ...

Vietnam's Newest Tourist Destination: The Spratlys

06.06.2015 By Franz-Stefan Gady (The Diplomat) - Vietnam has joined China and the Philippines in their attempt to use tourism as a means of legitimizing control of disputed regions in the South China Sea.

Today, Reuters reported that Vietnam will offer a special “sovereignty” cruise for a selected group of patriotic citizens – “the holiday of a lifetime,” according to the international news agency, which reviewed a recently published tourist brochure on the Saigon Tourist Corporation’s website. ...

Le projet de loi N° 4 sur les croyances et la religion aura-t-il une suite ?

06.06.2015, (Églises d'Asie) - Un grand silence a suivi la brusque explosion de critiques déclenchée par un projet de loi sur la religion et les croyances, appelé projet N° 4, sans que l’on ait jamais eu vent des projets précédents. Les responsables religieux, catholiques et autres, ont fait connaître leur opinion, entièrement négative, sans prendre de précautions et, quelquefois, avec une pointe d’ironie. ...

China blasts Vietnam cruise in disputed waters

05.06.2015 (ABS-CBN) - Reuters - BEIJING - China said on Friday that Vietnam's offer to its citizens of a cruise to disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) islands "violates" Chinese sovereignty.

The comment came after Vietnam said it would offer scores of patriotic citizens the holiday of a lifetime with a cruise to some of Asia's most hotly contested islands. ...

Las tropas japonesas podrán usar las bases navales y aéreas de Filipinas

05.06.2015 (Univision) - Tokio (EFE).- El presidente filipino, Benigno Aquino, dijo hoy que Manila y Tokio comenzarán a negociar un acuerdo por el cual las tropas niponas podrán emplear las bases de su país para repostar y recibir apoyo logístico, en un momento marcado por la pujanza de Pekín en el Mar del Sur de China. ...

Vietnam sends message to China with bid to buy fighter jets and drones

05.06.2015 Oliver Holmes and agencies (The Guardian) - Vietnam is seeking to upgrade its air defences by acquiring western fighter jets and drones, a move which would further militarise a dispute with Beijing over territorial claims in the South China Sea. Hanoi is speaking to European and US contractors to buy jets, patrol planes and unarmed drones, Reuters reported on Friday. ...

“Patriotic” cruises and joint airbases, as anti-Beijing alliance strengthens in the South China Sea

05.06.2015 Manila (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Vietnamese government has launched a special "cruise for true patriots" taking in some of the disputed islands in the South China Sea. Without doubt, this decision will stir up the already troubled waters in the area putting further tensions on relations with Beijing. ...

Nun rüstet auch Vietnam gegen China auf - mit amerikanischer Hilfe

05.06.2015 (Focus) - Vietnam rüstet offenbar weiter gegen China auf. Nach einem Bericht der Nachrichtenagentur "Reuters" befindet sich der Küstenstaat bereits in Gesprächen mit europäischen sowie amerikanischen Herstellern, um neue Kampfflugzeuge zu kaufen. Auch Seeaufklärer und unbewaffnete Drohnen sollen angeschafft werden. ...

Crucero "para patriotas" y bases aéreas conjuntas, se fortalece la alianza anti-Beijing en el Mar del Sur de China

05.06.2015 Manila (AsiaNews / Agencias) - El gobierno vietnamita ha puesto en marcha un "crucero para los verdaderos patriotas" especial, que prevé la circunnavegación de algunas de las islas en disputa en el Mar del Sur de China. Una decisión que ayuda a calentar las aguas ya con problemas en la zona y diseñada para apretar aún más las relaciones con Beijing. ...

Menschenrechtsbeauftragter Christoph Strässer zu Besuch in Vietnam vom 03.-09. Juni

04.06.2015 (Deutsche Botschaft Hanoi) - Der Beauftragte für Menschenrechtspolitik und Humanitäre Hilfe Christoph Strässer ist gestern (03.06.) nach Hanoi  gereist. Er wird sich bis zum 09. Juni in Vietnam aufhalten und sich über die Lage der Menschenrechte informieren. Auf dem Programm stehen neben offiziellen Gesprächen in der Hauptstadt mit Ministerien und dem Parlament verschiedene Treffen mit der Zivilgesellschaft.

Die Efta-Staaten forcieren die Gespräche mit Vietnam

04.06.2015 von Yvonne Helble (NZZ) - Bereits die zwölfte Verhandlungsrunde ist zwischen den Efta-Staaten (Schweiz, Norwegen, Island sowie Liechtenstein) und Vietnam vergangene Woche über die Bühne gegangen. Der Prozess läuft schon seit drei Jahren und hätte bereits Ende 2014 einen Abschluss finden sollen; für Oktober ist nun eine weitere Gesprächsrunde vorgesehen.

Vietnam will Kreuzfahrten zu Spratly-Inseln anbieten

03.06.2015 (WAZ) - Hanoi. Weiterhin streiten Vietnam, China, die Philippinen und Taiwan um die umstrittenen Spratly-Inseln. Nun plant Vietnam Kreuzfahrten auf die Inseln. Im Territorialstreit mit China um Inseln im Südchinesischen Meer will Vietnam nach Medienberichten jetzt Touristen mobilisieren. Die Behörden hätten Reiseveranstalter aufgefordert, noch im Juni Kreuzfahrten zu den umstrittenen Spratly-Inseln anzubieten, zu "vernünftigen Preisen", ...

Philippine leader likens China to Nazi Germany

03.06.2015 (AFP) Philippine President Benigno Aquino drew a parallel Wednesday between present day China and Nazi Germany during a speech in Japan, hinting the world cannot continue to appease Beijing as it claims ever-more territory in the South China Sea.

"I'm an amateur student of history and I'm reminded of... how Germany was testing the waters and what the response was by various other European powers," he said referring to the Nazis' territorial conquests in the months before the outbreak of World War II.

"They tested the waters and they were ready to back down if for instance in that aspect, France said (to back down). "But unfortunately, up to the annexation of the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia, the annexation of the entire country of Czechoslovakia, nobody said stop. "If somebody said stop to (Adolf) Hitler at that point in time, or to Germany at that time, would we have avoided World War II." ...

Umstrittene Inseln: Vietnam will Kreuzfahrten zu Spratly-Inseln anbieten

03.06.2015 (Spiegel Online) - Im Streit mit China um Inseln im Südchinesischen Meer will Vietnam nach Medienberichten jetzt Touristen mobilisieren. Die Behörden hätten Reiseveranstalter aufgefordert, noch im Juni Kreuzfahrten zu den umstrittenen, weit verstreuten Spratly-Inseln anzubieten ...

Bishop of Kontum calls for patience and dialogue to stem attacks on religious freedom

03.06.2015, by Paul N. Hung (AsiaNews) - Ho Chi Minh City - "In our life, difficulties are a constant daily, everywhere and at all times. There are difficulties that affect individuals, families and the community as a whole. [...] But when you face a number of problems, you need to show patience, become promoters of dialogue with the authorities. It is the only way to really solve most issues”, says Msgr. Michael Hoàng Duc Oanh, bishop of Kontum, in Kontum province, Vietnam’s Central Highlands ...

Cambodia refuses asylum to Montagnard refugees from Vietnam

03.06.2015 Lindsay Murdoch (The Sydney Morning Herald) - Phnom Penh: Cambodia is refusing protection for almost 100 Montagnard asylum seekers fleeing persecution in Vietnam as four refugees travel from Nauru to the impoverished nation under a controversial $55.5 million agreement with Australia. ...

Vietnam takes delivery of two Russian-design missile corvettes as maritime tensions mount

03.06.2015 (The Japan Times) - HANOI – Vietnam took delivery of two new missile boats on Tuesday made locally and modeled on Russian vessels, the latest move by its military to strengthen maritime defenses as tensions simmer over sovereignty in the South China Sea. ...

Le président philippin compare à nouveau la Chine à l'Allemagne nazie

03.06.2015 (Le Monde) - « Etudiant amateur d’histoire », le président philippin, Benigno Aquino, n’est pas avare de comparaisons avec l’Allemagne nazie quand il s’agit d’évoquer la Chine. « Si quelqu’un avait dit stop à Hitler, ou à l’Allemagne, on aurait évité la seconde guerre mondiale », a argué M. Aquino — mercredi 3 juin au Japon, où il effectue une visite d’Etat — dans une allusion aux visées maritimes de Pékin dans la région. ...

Vietnam Airlines first A350 XWB takes to the sky

02.06.2015 (Airbus) - The first A350 XWB for Vietnam Airlines has completed its first flight in Toulouse yesterday bearing the airline’s distinctive blue and gold lotus livery. ...

Vietnamese Activist ‘Savagely’ Beaten by Plainclothes Officers

02.06.2015 (RFA) - Plainclothes police officers in Vietnam “savagely” beat civil society activist Pham Thanh Nghien Tuesday after a prominent blogger and her two colleagues tried to meet with her to discuss a nationwide campaign to free the country’s political prisoners. ...

Kampf um Einflusssphären

02.06.2015 Christoph Ricking (DW) - China schafft mit Baumaßnahmen im Südchinesischen Meer Fakten. Aber die USA signalisieren, dass sie sich aus der Region nicht zurückdrängen lassen wollen. Ein Kampf um Einflusssphären, dessen Ende nicht abzusehen ist. ...

Menschenrechtslage in Vietnam auch ein Thema

02.06.2015 (Liechtensteiner Vaterland) - Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt. Die Schweiz hat nach 40 Jahren Abwesenheit wieder ein Generalkonsulat in der südvietnamesischen Metropole Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt, dem früheren Saigon. Bundesrat Didier Burkhalter eröffnete die diplomatische Vertretung. ...

Vertiefte Handelsbeziehungen mit Vietnam: Bundesrat Didier Burkhalter eröffnet neues Generalkonsulat in Ho Chi Minh City

02.06.2015 (Eidgenössisches Departement für auswärtige Angelegenheiten) - Bern - Wirtschaftliche Aspekte im bilateralen Verhältnis standen im Mittelpunkt des Aufenthalts von Bundesrat Didier Burkhalter heute in Vietnam: In Ho Chi Minh City eröffnete er das Schweizer Generalkonsulat, zu dessen Aufgaben auch die Unterstützung von Schweizer Firmen in Vietnam gehört. ...

Renforcement des relations commerciales avec le Vietnam: le conseiller fédéral Didier Burkhalter inaugure le nouveau consulat général à Hô-Chi-Minh-Ville

02.06.2015 (Département fédéral des affaires étrangères) - Berne - Les aspects économiques des relations bilatérales ont occupé aujourd’hui une large place, dans le cadre du séjour du conseiller fédéral Didier Burkhalter au Vietnam. En effet, il a inauguré à Hô-Chi-Minh-Ville le consulat général de Suisse, qui aura notamment pour mission de soutenir les entreprises suisses au Vietnam. ...

China accused of harassing Vietnamese rescue ship, fishermen

02.06.2015 (dpa) Hanoi - Chinese vessels harassed two Vietnamese vessels in separate incidents in the South China Sea, hindering the rescue of man who suffered a heart attack and attacking a fishing boat with a water cannon, local media reported Tuesday. ...

Vietnam beklagt neue Zwischenfälle mit der chinesischen Marine

02.06.2015 (Nordbayerischer Kurier) - Hanoi. Im Inselstreit im Südchinesischen Meer kritisiert Vietnam das aggressive Auftreten des chinesischen Militärs. Die chinesische Marine habe versucht, ein vietnamesisches Rettungsschiff aufzuhalten, dass einem Fischer nach einem Herzinfarkt helfen wollte ...

China must immediately stop land reclamation in South China Sea

02.06.2015 (The Asahi Shimbun) - At a security summit held in Singapore, Chinese Adm. Sun Jianguo stated on May 31 that Beijing has military objectives in mind.

The admiral, who is deputy chief of staff of the People’s Liberation Army, told the annual meeting known as the Shangri-La Dialogue that the undertaking is partly aimed at meeting the country's “necessary defense needs.” ...

Landaufschüttungen: China weist Kritik zurück

02.06.2015 (BILD) - Singapur – China hat Kritik an seinen Landaufschüttungen im Südchinesischen Meer zurückgewiesen und die umstrittene Maßnahme als Umweltschutz deklariert. ...

The Next Step Toward Possible Conflict in the South China Sea

01.06.2015 Mark Thompson (Time) - When discussing the growing conflict over China’s dredging new islands to extend its sovereignty 1,000 miles into the resource-rich South China Sea, one phrase frequently pops up from U.S. military officers past and present. “China,” they say, “doesn’t do off-ramps well.” ...

Hacker War Erupts Over South China Sea Conflict

01.06.2015 By Joshua Philipp (Epoch Times) - While other nations have begun challenging the Chinese Communist Party’s claims to territory in the South China Sea, another conflict is brewing over the region—this one between hackers. The hacker collective Anonymous started a new operation recently to oppose the Chinese regime’s land-grab in the South China Sea. ...

US signs defence trade agreement with Vietnam

01.06.2015 Jon Grevatt, Bangkok (IHS Jane's 360) - Vietnam and the United States have signed a defence agreement, with the intention of opening a new era of defence trade and joint defence production. ...

Vietnam: Don't tie US weapons sales to human rights issues

01.06.2015 By Lolita C. Baldor (AP) -  HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Questions about human rights violations by the Vietnamese government should have no bearing on whether the U.S. should fully remove its ban on lethal weapons' sales to Hanoi, Vietnam's defense minister said Monday after meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter. ...

El secretario de Defensa de EEUU impulsa la cooperación bilateral con Vietnam

01.06.2015 (Ultimahora) - Bangkok (EFE)- El secretario de Defensa de Estados Unidos, Ashton Carter, firmó hoy con Vietnam en Hanoi un memorando que guiará la cooperación bilateral en materia defensiva en el futuro, lo que supone un impulso a dicha relación. ...

Warum die Welt besorgt auf den Pazifik schaut

01.06.2015 (SZ) - In rasendem Tempo bebaut China im Süchinesischen Meer Inseln und Riffe aus, die auch von Nachbarländern beansprucht werden.

Beim Shangri-La-Dialog, der größten Sicherheitskonferenz Asiens, fragen sich nun alle: Was will China? ...

Le chef du Pentagone au Vietnam, promet une aide à Hanoï

01.06.2015 (Zaman France) Le secrétaire américain à la Défense Ashton Carter, au Vietnam dans le cadre d'une tournée dans la région Asie-Pacifique, a promis dimanche d'allouer à ce pays 18 millions de dollars pour l'aider à se doter de navires de patrouille américains ...

Muskelspiele im Südchinesischen Meer - USA und China streiten

31.05.2015 (Focus) - China setzt seine Militäraktivitäten im Südchinesischen Meer fort. Die USA fordern einen sofortigen Baustopp. Pekings Muskelspiele im Südchinesischen Meer führen die Supermächte China und die USA auf Konfrontationskurs. ...

China will Riffe schützen, keine Landebahnen bauen

31.05.2015 (FAZ) - China hat sich für seine massiven Landaufschüttungen im Südchinesischen Meer gerechtfertigt. Die Aktivitäten dienten dem Schutz der Riffe und der Verbesserung der Lebensbedingungen der Menschen. Amerika hatte Peking vorgeworfen, eine Landebahn für Militärmaschinen zu bauen. ...

Unbehagen über Pekings maritime Expansion

31.05.2015 von Manfred Rist, Singapur (NZZ) - Chinas Aufschüttung von Inseln im südchinesischen Meer beunruhigt die USA und die Anrainerstaaten. Pekings maritimen Ambitionen steht aber keine regionale Sicherheitsarchitektur gegenüber. ...

Morenés aboga por el "derecho internacional" para saldar las disputas territoriales

31.05.2015 (Yahoo Noticias) - Bangkok (EFE).- El ministro español de Defensa, Pedro Morenés, abogó hoy en Singapur, en declaraciones a Efe, por el "respeto al derecho internacional" para solventar las disputas territoriales. ...

'Halt reclamation in S. China Sea'

31.05.2015 Jermyn Chow, The Straits Times (asiaone) - The United States, Japan and Australia called on China and others to clarify their claims in the South China Sea and halt all land reclamation, hours after the US asserted its dominance in Asia with stepped-up strategic ties with major countries in the region and pledging more than half a billion dollars to help build up their maritime capabilities. ...

No oil hunt in South China Sea without nod: Beijing to Delhi

31.05.2015, Sachin Parashar, TNN (The Times of India) - NEW DELHI/ BEIJING: As India seeks to further its economic and defence engagement with Vietnam, China has warned New Delhi that it can't explore oil and gas blocks in South China Sea without seeking Beijing's approval. India's ONGC Videsh Ltd is involved in oil and gas exploration in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of Vietnam. ...

Submarines: China Objects To Getting Klubbed

31.05.2015 (Strategy Page) - China is making angru noises to the UN, Vietnam and Russia about the little publicized Russian sale of Klub submarine launched cruise missiles to Vietnam. China wasn’t happy about Russia selling Vietnam six Kilo class diesel electric submarines in 2009. ...

China’s mobile weapons reports dubbed ‘bad sign’

31.05.2015 (The Gulf Today) - SINGAPORE: Vietnam’s deputy defence minister said on Saturday that reports China had placed mobile artillery weapons on a reclaimed island in the disputed South China Sea were, if true, a very worrying development. ...

Try not to blink

30.05.2015 (The Economist) - As China asserts itself as a naval and air power, and as America responds, the risks of confrontation are growing. AMERICAN officials are losing patience with China. On May 22nd the vice-president, Joe Biden, was blunt. He warned naval-college graduates of “new fault lines” emerging between the great powers.

USA drängen China zu Zurückhaltung im südchinesischen Meer

30.05.2015 (Handelsblatt) afp dpa - Singapur - Die USA haben China erneut zu Zurückhaltung im Territorialstreit im Südchinesischen Meer ermahnt. US-Verteidigungsminister Ashton Carter sagte am Samstag bei einer Sicherheitskonferenz in Singapur, Pekings Vorgehen sei unvereinbar mit internationalen Normen. ...

Mer de Chine : Washington appelle Pékin à calmer ses ambitions territoriales

30.05.2015 (Le Monde) - Les Etats-Unis ont assuré samedi qu'ils continueraient à envoyer des navires et avions militaires dans les zones disputées de mer de Chine méridionale et appelé à l'arrêt immédiat des opérations d'aménagement de Pékin dans ces eaux. ...

War Clouds Over South China Sea As U.S. Declares Right To Waters And U.S. Warship Arrives At Subic

30.05.2015 Donald Kirk (Forbes) - The drumbeat of war on distant horizons is reverberating through Southeast Asia with increasingly strong declarations of U.S. determination to stop the Chinese from expanding their writ over the South China Sea, notably islands claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. ...

Vietnam Needs Independent Farmers’ Associations: Social Commentators

29.05.2015 (RFA) - Vietnamese farmers must form independent associations to protect their rights and provide advice for selling their products, rather than be overseen by the Communist government-controlled organizations, according to social commentators. Le Phu Khai, a retired journalist who works in the Mekong Delta — a major rice-production area — said the members of official farmers’ organizations are Communist Party members who do not have the best interests of agricultural laborers at heart. ...

World Bank to help Vietnam’s economic hub with greener transport

29.05.2015 (World Bank) - WASHINGTON, D.C., May 29, 2015 — The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a loan of US$124 million to improve the performance and efficiency of public transport in a high-priority corridor in Ho Chi Minh City.

“To ensure continued strong economic performance and achieve Vietnam’s goal of successfully transitioning to middle-income status, the national government is seeking to address infrastructure constraints as one of its key strategic direction,” said Arturo Ardila-Gomez, the World Bank’s Project Team Leader. ...

South China Sea dispute: What you need to know

28.05.2015 (Sydney Morning Herald) - China is building artificial islands and manoeuvring assets in the South China Sea despite many countries claiming parts of the territory. But why and how is it doing so? Here are the answers. ...

Eine Seidenstraße im Meer

27.05.2015, von Petra Kolonko, Peking (FAZ) - China baut im Südchinesischen Meer Militärbasen. Weit weg von zu Hause, könnte man denken. Aber jeder zweite Tanker fährt durch das Gebiet. Die Begründung der Chinesen für die Landnahme scheint dabei weit hergeholt. ...

Inselstreit: China baut Leuchttürme auf Riffen - Philippinen alarmiert

27.05.2015 (Spiegel Online) - Peking setzt zwei Leuchttürme auf zwei Riffe im Südchinesischen Meer - und sorgt damit auf den Philippinen für Irritationen. Dort fürchtet man im Inseldisput neue militärische Strukturen. ...

Vietnams Kampf gegen den Hunger

27.05.2015 Rodion Ebbighausen (DW) - Vor wenigen Jahren grassierte der Hunger in Vietnam. Heute hat das Land das UN-Millenniumsziel - Bekämpfung von Hunger und extremer Armut - erreicht. Eine noch nicht ganz abgeschlossene Erfolgsgeschichte. ...

China zieht rote Linie für einen Krieg mit den USA

27.05.2015 Florian Rötzer (Telepolis) - In einem Weißbuch für militärische Strategie schaltet China von Verteidigung auf "aktive Verteidigung" um und spricht von "Neo-Interventionsimus". ...

Human rights blogger is freed and promises renewed battle

27.05.2015 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi -  The Vietnamese Authorities yesterday released a prominent blogger and activist, previously sentenced to two years in prison for "abusing democratic freedoms" with the aim of  "targeting state interests".  He is the 51 year old Truong Duy Nhat, indicted in March 2014 on the basis of Article 258 of the Criminal Code, an offense that can cost up to seven years in prison. In recent years the communist government in Hanoi has used this law - written in a generic way and used to strike critical voices - to imprison dozens of activists, bloggers, personalities who fight for human rights and religious freedom in the Asian country. ...

Lo liberan y promete nuevas batallas el blogger vietnamita pro derechos humanos

27.05.2015 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - La autoridades vietnamitas han liberado ayer a un blogger y activista de primer plano, condenado en precedencia a 2 años de cárcel por “abuso de las libertades democráticas”, finalizado a “atacar intereses del Estado”. Se trata del Truong Duy Nhat , de 51 años, incriminado en marzo de 2014 en base al art. 258 del Código penal, un reato que puede costar hasta 7 años de prisión. En los últimos años el gobierno comunista de Hanói aprovechó de esta norma-escrita en modo genérico y usada para atacar a los que critican al gobierno- para encarcelar a decenas de activistas, blogger, personalidades que se baten por los derechos humanos y la libertad religiosa en el país asiático. ...

Popular Vietnamese Blogger Released From Jail After Two Years

26.05.2015 (RFA) - A prominent Vietnamese blogger and rights campaigner serving a two-year prison sentence for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state” was released on Tuesday, according to the blogger. ...

Japan beteiligt sich an amerikanisch-australischen Militärübungen

26.05.2015 (derStandard) - Sydney - Japan beteiligt sich erstmals an einer großen gemeinsamen amerikanisch-australischen Truppenübung. Damit solle die militärische Zusammenarbeit der drei Länder verbessert werden, sagte Verteidigungsminister Gen Makatani der Nachrichtenagentur Reuters. ...

China Outlines More Assertive Military Policy

26.05.2015 (VOA) - China said Tuesday it will continue expanding its military strength further from its borders, including in disputed areas at sea, but insisted it does not want a confrontation with any of its neighbors. ...

Taiwan Offers South China Sea Peace Plan to Avert ‘Major Conflict’

26.05.2015 By J.R. Wu (Jakarta Globe) - Taipei. Taiwan proposed a peace initiative on Tuesday to resolve territorial disputes in the South China Sea that it says will reduce tensions that have put Beijing at odds with its neighbors and the United States. ...

Taiwán lanza "iniciativa de paz" para conflictos en Mar de China Meridional

26.05.2015 (Univision) - Taipei (EFE).- El presidente taiwanés, Ma Ying-jeou, presentó hoy una iniciativa de paz de cinco puntos para el conflicto en el Mar de China Meridional, ante la reciente escalada de tensiones en la zona, en el que aboga por la negociación pacífica y la explotación conjunta de los recursos. ...

Southeast Asia Maritime Build-Up Accelerates, Raising Risks in Disputed Seas

26.05.2015 By Siva Govindasamy (Jakarta Globe) - Singapore. Southeast Asian nations are prioritizing spending on their navies and coastguards amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, but as their capabilities grow, so does the risk that any confrontation in the contested waterway will be harder to contain. Annual defense spending in Southeast Asia is projected to reach $52 billion by 2020, from an expected $42 billion this year, according to IHS Janes Defense Weekly. ...

Vietnam’s May coffee exports fall to 100,000 tonnes

26.05.2015 (Business Recorder) - HANOI: Vietnam, the world's top robusta coffee producer, will export an estimated 100,000 tonnes (1.67 million bags) of the commodity this month, down 27.3 percent from a year ago ...

Fact, Fiction and the South China Sea

25.05.2015 By Bill Hayton (Asia Sentinel) - In just a few weeks, international judges will begin to consider the legality of China’s “U-shaped line” claim in the South China Sea. The venue will be the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and the court’s first step – during deliberations in July – will be to consider whether it should even consider the case. ...

Violence Against Viet Protesters Extends to the Streets

25.05.2015 (Asia Sentinel) - Western governments look only at those jailed. There is considerable intimidation outside.

Despite warnings that the country’s stance on civil rights could harm its international standing in connection with a major trade pact, Vietnam’s security forces continue to attack dissidents, staging 31 physical attacks in 2014 and another 17 this year, according to a dissident group based in Hanoi. ...

Beijing bans fishing in the South China Sea, a step Hanoi calls arrogant and illegitimate

25.05.2015 by Nguyen Hung (AsiaNews) - Ho Chi Minh City – The Vietnamese government has firmly rejected China’s recent fishing ban in South China Sea.

The ban came into effect on 16 May and will last until August, running 12 degrees north parallel to the border of the waters of China’s Guangdong Province with Fujian Province. ...

Beijing is bulldozing sand into the eyes of the world

25.05.2015 Mark Thompson (Time) - When it comes to international relations, there are many ways to change the situation on the ground. But the Chinese are trying a new one far off their coast: they are creating new ground. It’s part of Beijing’s plan to extend its claim to 90% of the South China Sea ...

Beijing prohíbe la pesca en el Mar del Sur de China. Hanói: arrogancia ilegítima

25.05.2015 de Nguyen Hung (AsiaNews) - Ho Chi Minh City – El gobierno vietnamita rechaza firmemente la prohibición de la pesca en el Mar del Sur de China decidido en los últimos días por Beijing. La prohibición - que comenzó el 16 de mayo y se extenderá hasta agosto - alrededor de la parte marítima de la 12 paralela a las regiones chinas de Guangdong y Fujian, incluyen por lo tanto todo el Golfo del Norte de Vietnam y el archipiélago de Paracel y Spratly, islas en disputa por Vietnam, Taiwán, Filipinas, Brunei y Malasia. ...

INSIGHT: 40 years after Fall of Saigon, national reconciliation remains distant

25.05.2015 By Naoji Shibata (The Asahi Shimbun) - HO CHI MINH CITY--Scenes of the Vietnam War remain vivid in the memories of a 54-year-old professor, who teaches at a private university in this southern megalopolis. The professor, who has blogged about things that the government may not want to hear, told me, near the end of our interview, that she wanted to remain anonymous. She said she didn’t want any trouble to come to her family or her workplace. ...

Medvedev Approves Free Trade Zone Deal Between EEU, Vietnam

25.05.2015 (Sputnik) - MOSCOW  – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved a free trade zone agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and Vietnam, the cabinet announced in a Monday statement. The agreement is expected to be inked on Friday in Moscow. ...

JOINT STATEMENT CALLING FOR THE RELEASE OF VIETNAMESE PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE, TRAN HUYNH DUY THUC

24.05.2015 - On 24 May 2009, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Vietnamese ICT entrepreneur and blogger, was arrested under the initial charge of “promoting anti-government propaganda” under Article 88 of the Vietnamese Penal Code for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. On 20 January 2010, in a one-day trial, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc and his three co-defendants – Le Cong Dinh, Nguyen Tien Trung and Le Thang Long – were prosecuted at the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City for “conducting activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration” under Article 79 of the Penal Code. Thuc was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment followed by 5 years of house arrest, while Dinh, Trung and Long, were sentenced to 5 years, 7 years and 5 years’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of house arrest, respectively... Today, 24 May 2015, marks Thuc’s 6th year of imprisonment. Until now, Thuc remains in prison while his three co-defendants have been released early. As such, we would like to call on the Vietnamese government to abide by their international and domestic obligations by ensuring that Thuc is immediately released. ...

U.S. to continue patrols in South China Sea; China says U.S. actions 'dangerous'

23.05.2015 (The Asahi Shimbun) - BEIJING/WASHINGTON--China said on May 22 it was "strongly dissatisfied" after a U.S. spy plane flew over part of the South China Sea this week near where China is building artificial islands, and called on the United States to stop such action or risk causing an accident. ...

3,000 children enslaved in Britain after being trafficked from Vietnam

23.05.2015 Annie Kelly and Mei-Ling McNamara (The Guardian) - Like many Vietnamese children, Hien was brought to Britain for a life of modern slavery. He ended up in prison on cannabis offences. Hien’s story is not unique. He is one of an estimated 3,000 Vietnamese children in forced labour in the UK, used for financial gain by criminal gangs running cannabis factories, nail bars, garment factories, brothels and private homes. ...

China Ignores an Important SEA Conference

22.05.2015 By Khanh Vu Duc and Duvien Tran (Asia Sentinel) - One of the most important conferences in Southeast Asia — the Shangri-La Dialogue — will take place at the end of May in Singapore without what should be its most important participant – China. Representatives of 15 nations plus the European Union will be there.  China won’t be. ...

UN chief urges peaceful solution of South China Sea dispute

22.05.2015 (AP) - HANOI, Vietnam -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Friday for a peaceful solution to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where China's increased assertiveness has alarmed its smaller neighbors. Ban told reporters in Hanoi that he and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang discussed regional security concerns, including the territorial tensions. ...

Climate change blamed for severe drought hitting Vietnam's coffee crops

22.05.2015 Mark Scialla (The Guardian) - Exports drop 40% as world’s second-biggest coffee exporter suffers rising temperatures and drought, combined with effects of deforestation, land degradation and depleted water resources caused by decades of growth. ...

Vietnam: Visiting UN Secretary-General must press government on human rights

21.05.2015 (FIDH) - Paris: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon must press the Vietnamese government to address serious human rights violations during his upcoming visit to the country, FIDH and its member organization Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) said today. Ban Ki-moon will visit Vietnam from 22-23 May at the invitation of President Truong Tan Sang. ...

Cam Ranh Bay: Vietnam's ace in the hole against China

21.05.2015 Atsushi Tomiyama, Nikkei staff writer (Nikkei Asian Review) - HANOI -- Vietnam is David to China's Goliath when it comes to strategic competition. China's economy is 54 times larger and its navy is 10 times bigger. But as far as territorial disputes in the South China Sea are concerned, Vietnam has an ace up its sleeve: Cam Ranh Bay. ...

Trans-Pacific Partnership won't improve workers' rights in Asia, critics warn

21.05.2015 Steven Greenhouse in New York (The Guardian) - Congressional Democrats and labor unions have in recent days vigorously attacked one of President Obama’s main arguments for the proposed Pacific trade deal – that it will increase worker protections in Vietnam and several other Asian countries. ...

Chinese Navy to US Surveillance Plane: ‘Leave Immediately!’

20.05.2015 By Matthew Robertson (Epoch Times) - The United States has followed up on its commitment to challenge Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea, recently flying a surveillance plane over newly constructed islands there and receiving warnings by the Chinese navy to evacuate the area. ...

Warnung an US-Flugzeug: "Hier spricht die chinesische Marine: Verschwinden Sie!"

20.05.2015 (Spiegel Online) - China baut seinen Einfluss auf See aus und schüttet ganze Inseln auf. Wie streng die überwacht werden, belegt ein Zwischenfall: Eine US-Militärmaschine wurde per Funk unmissverständlich vor einer Annäherung gewarnt....

The dangers of applying security legislation in South China Sea

20.05.2015 (The Asahi Shimbun) - Tensions are escalating in the South China Sea. China’s large-scale land reclamation project is progressing rapidly on the disputed Spratly Islands, and a 3,000-meter-class airstrip has begun to take shape. ...

With Push For Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S. Undermines Public Interest Policies Of Partner Nations

20.05.2015 de Truong Anh (AsiaNews) - Hue - Nuevo ataque de parte de las autoridades comunistas contra la propiedad de la Iglesia vietnamita, desde hace tiempo en el centro de una campaña de confiscación y expropiaciones forzadas. En el centro de la controversia el monasterio de Thien An, fundado el 10 de junio de 1940 por los misioneros franceses, en la diócesis de Hue, en el centro de Vietnam. ...

With Push For Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S. Undermines Public Interest Policies Of Partner Nations

20.05.2015 By Cole Stangle (International Business Times) - The country of Vietnam wants to make baby formula more affordable for its citizens. American trade negotiators think that’s a bad idea. A new law in Peru, not yet finalized, that would mandate warning statements on prepackaged foods with excessive amounts of sugar, sodium and saturated fats; similar laws in Vietnam and in Mexico, ...

Agrarrohstoffe: Schätzungen für die diesjährigen Kaffeeernten in Brasilien und Vietnam klaffen weiterhin auseinander

20.05.2015 (Rohstoffecheck) - Frankfurt - Die Schätzungen für die angelaufene brasilianische Kaffeeernte 2015/16 gehen weiter stark auseinander: Verschiedene Beobachter platzieren ihre Prognosen im Bereich von 49 bis knapp 52 Mio. Sack, so die Analysten von Commerzbank Corporates & Markets. ...

Hue priests and faithful defend Thien An monastery targeted by communist authorities

20.05.2015 By Truong Anh (AsiaNews) - Hue - Another attack of the communist authorities against a property of the Vietnamese Church, long at the center of a campaign of requisitions and forced evictions. This time round the local administration has set its sights onae monastery of Thien An, founded 10 June 1940 by French missionaries in the diocese of Hue, in central Vietnam. ...

Vietnam says China putting up large buildings on Spratly reefs

20.05.2015 By Manabu Sasaki (The Asahi Shimbun) - HANOI--China is erecting multistory structures on two reefs in the disputed Spratly Islands to bolster its claim in the South China Sea, Vietnamese newspapers reported May 19. "China illegally constructing nine-story building in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly Islands)," ran a headline in the online version of Vietnam's state-run daily Tuoi Tre. ...

Why I Can't Live Without Fish Sauce: Author Kim Thy on the Tastes of Vietnam

20.05.2015 Brigid Delaney (Guardian) - Kim Thúy’s second novel, Mãn, is an immigrant story with food at the heart of it. She discusses food and writing with Guardian Australia. She is appearing at the Sydney writers festival talking about food and writing. ...

Chinas Landgrabbing im Südchinesischen Meer

19.05.2015 Von Felix Lee (Zeit Online) - Normalerweise entstehen neue Inseln, wenn Unterwasservulkane große Mengen Magma aus den Tiefen der Erde schleudern und das Gestein über der Meeresoberfläche hart wird. Was sich aber derzeit im Südchinesischen Meer abspielt, hat mit vulkanischen Aktivitäten nichts zu tun. Vielmehr sind es Dutzende mit Baggern beladene Frachter aus China, die seit Monaten Tonnen von Sand und Schutt auf Korallenriffe kippen, den Schutt mit Beton befestigen und damit neue Inseln schaffen. ...

Vietnam opposes Chinese fishing ban in disputed South China Sea

19.05.2015 (Sydney Morning Herald) - Hanoi: Vietnam said it resolutely opposes a temporary Chinese ban on fishing in the Gulf of Tonkin, the latest in a series of sovereignty disputes in and around the South China Sea. ...

Philippines: Encouraging The Americans To Play Rough With China

19.05.2015 (StrategyPage) - The Philippines and Vietnam are encouraging the United States to follow through with plans to have American aircraft and warships regularly challenge parts of the South China Sea that China claims to control. ...

Chinese Military Said to Be Massing Near the Vietnam Border (+Photos)

18.05.2015 (Epoch Times) - Troops, tanks, trucks, artillery, and armored personnel carriers of China’s military were seen heading to the Vietnamese border on May 16 and 17, according to photographs taken by by residents near the border. Chinese netizens have been posting photographs of the large movement of the People’s Liberation Army, many of them showing Chinese troops in full combat gear heading to the local train station in Chongzuo, along with military vehicles. ...

Authorities Detain Vietnamese Blogger in Hanoi Airport

18.05.2015 (RFA) - Authorities in Vietnam briefly detained a prominent blogger shortly after his return to the capital Hanoi from Singapore, where he had attended a workshop on the use of a new mobile tool to promote citizen journalism, his daughter said Monday. ...

Tensions rising in South China Sea

18.05.2015 (The Japan Times) - Tensions are rising again as China steps up its land reclamation and construction projects in disputed parts of the South China Sea. Such moves in areas where disputes over islands and reefs exist among China, Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries threaten to escalate into situations that are hard to control. ...

Chemnitzer Online-Reisevermittler hadert mit Korruption in Vietnam

18.05.2015 (Freie Presse) - Ein Chemnitzer ist in Vietnam um seine Firmenanteile betrogen worden. Wirtschaftsminister Gabriel hat sich deshalb eingeschaltet. Doch die Behörden schauen weiter weg. ...

The sacrifice and gratitude of Vietnam’s refugees

18.05.2015 By Thuy Vu (The Seattle Times) - In the annals of the Vietnamese migration history, May 19th, 1975, is remembered as the day the first Vietnamese refugee families began arriving in the state of Washington under a humanitarian project initiated by former Gov. Dan Evans. ...

Mischief, un récif philippin grignoté par les Chinois

17.05.2015 (Le Monde) - Dans la mer de Chine méridionale, la Chine, la Malaisie, les Philippines, Taïwan et le Vietnam se livrent une lutte de terrain pour occuper îles et atolls stratégiques.

Situé dans l’archipel des ­Spratleys, dans la zone économique exclusive des Philippines, le récif de Mischief est occupé par les Chinois depuis le milieu des années 1990, ...

China spielt Spannungen mit den USA herunter

17.05.2015 (Deutschland Today) - Peking (AFP) - Der chinesische Staatspräsident Xi Jinping hat Spannungen zwischen China und den USA angesichts umstrittener chinesischer Gebietsansprüche heruntergespielt. Bei einem Treffen mit US-Außenminister John Kerry sagte Xi nach Berichten der Staatsmedien, der pazifische Ozean sei "groß genug" für beide Weltmächte. ...

Asiatischer Inselstreit - Amerika besorgt über chinesische Landgewinnung

17.05.2015 (FAZ) - China will sich im Südchinesischen Meer umstrittene Atolle einverleiben. Der amerikanische Außenminister drückte deshalb bei einem Besuch in Peking die Sorge des Landes über die Sicherheit in der Region aus. ...

Das Südchinesische Meer als Zankapfel

16.05.2015 Matthias Müller, Peking (NZZ) - Die Gebietsansprüche Chinas im Südchinesischen Meer rufen nicht nur die asiatischen Nachbarn, sondern auch die USA auf den Plan. Bei einem Staatsbesuch von US-Aussenminister John Kerry in Peking treten die Differenzen zutage. Gemäss dem Seerechtsübereinkommen der Vereinten Nationen (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) gelten die von den Chinesen geschaffenen künstlichen Errichtungen und Anlagen nicht als Inseln. In diesem Fall beläuft sich das Hoheitsgewässer nicht auf 12 Seemeilen. ...

Naval chase around Spratlys heightens tensions between China, U.S

16.05.2015 By Taketsugu Sato (The Asahi Shimbun) - WASHINGTON--Chinese vessels repeatedly chased a U.S. naval combat ship on patrol near the disputed Spratly Islands, raising concerns over a possible contingency in the South China Sea, U.S. officials said. ...

EE.UU., "preocupado" por acciones chinas en el Mar de China Meridional

16.05.2015 (BBC) - El Secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, John Kerry, expresó su preocupación por el ritmo y el alcance de las reclamaciones territoriales de China en las disputadas islas del Mar de China Meridional. Kerry compareció en conferencia de prensa junto con el ministro de Exteriores chino, Wang. ...

Vietnam - Lost generations

16.05.2015 (The Economist) - The Communist Party back-pedals on pension reform. Foreign firms love Vietnam for its cheap electricity and docile workers. On the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s economic hub, hundreds of drab factories hum with quiet efficiency. Uniformed employees file by impassive security guards; shoes, garments and widgets leave by the truckload for nearby ports. ...

8.580 Euro für Kinderhilfe Bethlehem

15.05.2015 (Bistum Aachen ) - Aachen, (iba) – Einen Scheck über 8.580 Euro hat Nguyen-Van-Ri, Vorstandsvorsitzender der Vinzenz-von-Paul-Gemeinschaft, gemeinsam mit Johannes von der Vorst, Pfarrer in Ruhestand aus der Gemeinde Heilig Geist in Mönchengladbach, an Bischof Dr. Heinrich Mussinghoff übergeben.

Die Spende ist bestimmt für die Kinderklinik in Bethlehem. ...

U.S. urges Vietnam to release some prisoners in coming weeks

15.05.2015 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - WASHINGTON  (Reuters) - The United States wants Vietnam to release some "prisoners of conscience" in the coming weeks as the U.S. Congress weighs its approach to a Pacific Rim trade treaty, a senior U.S. rights official said on Friday. ...

Vietnamese Anti-China Activist Freed After Year-Long Jail Term

15.05.2015 (RFA) - Well-known anti-China activist and government critic Le Thi Phuong Anh was released from a prison in Vietnam on Friday after serving a 12-month sentence for anti-state activity, she said, calling her experience in jail “the most horrible year of my life.” ...

Vietnam Faces Uphill Battle to Harness Renewable Energy

15.05.2015 Lien Hoang (VOA) - HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM— With sunshine throughout the year and exposure to ocean winds, Vietnam would seem like an obvious candidate for renewable energy projects. Yet it has just three big wind farms and no significant solar investment, putting it far behind neighboring Indonesia, Thailand and others in Asia. ...

Vietnam Under Pressure to Reform State-Owned Enterprises (Video report)

15.05.2015 (Bloomberg) - Vietnam’s state-owned enterprises were once its biggest employers, the largest revenue earners, the main growth drivers. Now their dominance in the economy is being debated. ...

Rage Against the State: Discontent Grows in Vietnam

15.05.2015 by Uyen Nguyen (Bloomberg) - Vietnam’s state-owned enterprises were once its biggest employers, the largest revenue earners, the main growth drivers. Now, in criticism rarely seen since Ho Chi Minh’s Communists unified the nation 40 years ago, their dominance in the economy is being debated. ...

Vietnam Sees Increased Incidences Of Malaria

15.05.2015 (Bernama) -- HANOI - Malaria hospitalisations are on the rise in Vietnam, particularly in the south, revealed the General Department of Preventative Medicine under the Ministry of Health on Thursday, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported....

Hanoi-based Activists Hold Demonstration Against Vietcombank Illegal Keeping Money of Prominent Dissident

14.05.2015 By Vu Quoc Ngu (VRNs) -  Dozens of Hanoi-based activists on May 12 held a demonstration to protest the Joint Stock Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, or Vietcombank (VCB), which illegally refuses to pay Dr. Nguyen Thanh Giang, a well-known political dissident in the capital city, local media reported.

Physic expert Giang, who is famous for his online articles advocating multi-party democracy, has complained that the Thanh Xuan district branch of Vietcombank has refused to allow him to withdraw money from his account in the bank. ...

The Human Cost of the TPP in Vietnam

14.05.2015 By Khanh Vu Duc and Duvien Tran (Asia Sentinel) - There are concerns that the west will not be able to force Vietnam to moderate its human rights policy.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, the proposed omnibus trade pact that covers 12 nations on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, is not without critics, and, to be sure, there have been many. In the United States, the TPP has been subject to accusations of unnecessary secrecy and a danger to American jobs. There is, in fact, no guarantee that any new labor standards included in the TPP can be enforced in Vietnam ...

Problems remain for Taiwanese business in Vietnam

14.05.2015 By Joseph Yeh (The China Post) - TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Many Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam have not received proper compensation one year after suffering damage from a series of anti-Chinese protests in the Southeast Asian country, Taiwan's top envoy to the country said. ...

U.S. says Beijing will have runway on disputed reefs within three years

14.05.2015 By Atsushi Okudera (The Asahi Shimbun) - WASHINGTON--China is on course to complete a runway on disputed reefs in the South China Sea in a few years as part of efforts to bolster its control over local waters, according to senior administration officials here. On May 13, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear told a Senate hearing that China will finish construction of the airstrip between 2017 and 2018. ...

China confirma que vigiló a un buque militar de EEUU en aguas disputadas

14.05.2015 (El Confidencial) - Pekín (EFE).- El Gobierno chino confirmó hoy que realizó labores de seguimiento de un buque de la Armada de EEUU que entró recientemente en aguas del Mar de China Meridional, disputadas por Pekín y otras naciones vecinas, aunque aseguró que está en su derecho a ello y advirtió de que esas tareas de vigilancia seguirán. ...

Statement from "For a Green Hanoi" group on the attack against Nguyen Chi Tuyen

13.05.2015 (Dân Làm Báo) - At 7:30 a.m. May 11, 2015, Nguyen Chi Tuyen (Facebooker Anh Chi), a member of "For a Green Hanoi," was suddenly attacked by five masked men on Ngoc Thuy Street, Long Bien district, Hanoi, after taking his child to school. ...

Will the 2016 congress be the moment of change in Vietnamese politics?

13.05.2015 Author: Alexander L. Vuving, APCSS (East Asia Forum) - In 2016, Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party (CPV) will convene its 12th congress to select new leaders for itself and the country it rules. With new leaders will come new policies, but those who hope for the second coming of reform (doi moi lan 2) will likely be frustrated. Any changes will be insufficient to turn Vietnam into a new Asian tiger. ...

Nouvelles tensions en perspective autour de l’archipel des Spratleys

13.05.2015 (Le Monde) - Le Pentagone envisage l’envoi de navires et d’avions pour « assurer la liberté de navigation » autour d’îlots actuellement construits par la Chine dans l’archipel des Spratleys, en mer de Chine du Sud, a déclaré mardi un responsable américain. L’archipel de mer de Chine méridionale est revendiqué par six pays : le sultanat de Brunei, la Chine, la Malaisie, les Philippines, Taïwan et le Vietnam. ...

Vietnamese editor faces anti-state charges for reporting on corruption

13.05.2015 (CPJ) - Bangkok - Authorities in Vietnam today levied anti-state charges against a former news editor who published reports on official corruption, according to news reports. The accusations mark a trend of legal harassment against journalists who probe sensitive corruption issues in Vietnam, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. "We call on Vietnam to drop these spurious charges and allow for the media to play a checking and balancing role without fear of reprisal," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. " ...

Vietnamese editor charged for publishing graft reports

13.05.2015 (news24) - Hanoi - A Vietnamese magazine editor was charged with crimes against the state for publishing articles accusing senior officials of corruption, reports said on Wednesday. ...

Journalist in Vietnam nach Aufdeckung von Korruption angeklagt

13.05.2015 (derStandard) - Hanoi - Ein Journalist hat in Vietnam über korrupte hohe Beamte geschrieben und ist deshalb Medienberichten zufolge wegen Verbrechen gegen den Staat angeklagt worden. ...

#CollateralFreedom: RSF desbloquea otros dos sitios web

13.05.2015 (RSF) - El 12 de marzo pasado, con ocasión del Día Mundial contra la censura en línea, Reporteros sin Fronteras (RSF) emprendió la operación Collateral Freedom y desbloqueó sitios web censurados en 11 países. Ahora, nuestra organización permite que de nuevo se pueda acceder a otros dos sitios: el de la Asociación de Periodistas Independientes de Vietnam, Vietnam Thoi Bao, bloqueado en Vietnam, y el de Crónicas de Turkmenistán, bloqueado en Turkmenistán. ...

#CollateralFreedom: RSF unblocks two more websites

12.05.2015 (RWB) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is unblocking two more websites as part of Collateral Freedom, the operation it launched on 12 March, World Press Freedom Day, when it unblocked sites censored in 11 countries. Today it is unblocking the website of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam, Vietnam Thoi Bao, which is blocked in Vietnam, and Chronicles of Turkmenistan, blocked in Turkmenistan. ...

RSF débloque deux nouveaux sites

12.05.2015 (RSF) - Le 12 mars dernier, à l’occasion de la journée mondiale contre la censure en ligne, Reporters sans frontières (RSF) a lancé l’opération Collateral Freedom et débloqué des sites censurés dans 11 pays. L’organisation rend accessible aujourd’hui deux nouveaux sites : l’association des journalistes vietnamiens indépendants, Vietnam Thoi Bao, bloqué au Vietnam, et Chroniques du Turkménistan, bloqué au Turkménistan. ...

Social Activist Beaten as US Rights Envoy Visits Vietnam

12.05.2015 Colin Nguyen (VOA) - A Vietnamese dissident says he was attacked by a group of unidentified men allegedly linked to the authorities. Anh Chi told VOA’s Vietnamese Service he was hit Monday with a metal pipe without provocation near his home in Hanoi. ...

1 Year Later: Reflections on China's Oil Rig 'Sovereignty-Making' in the South China Sea

12.05.2015 By Ankit Panda (The Diplomat) - One year ago, China’s state-owned China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) moved an exploratory oil rig, Haiyang Shiyou 981 (HD-981), worth an estimated $1 billion, into waters within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone. The incident sparked a major bilateral crisis between the two countries—both of whom claim the disputed Paracel Islands. ...

Reality-Show nach Panne eingestellt: TV-Sender muss Strafe zahlen

12.05.2015 (Tiroler Tageszeitung) - Hanoi, Peking – Ausgerechnet im Territorium des ungeliebten Nachbarn China war die vietnamesische Hauptstadt Hanoi auf einer Landkarte in einer Realityshow im Fernsehen eingezeichnet. ...

Vietnam’s 40 Years of Peace and Dubious Prosperity

11.05.2015 By Helen Clark (Asia Sentinel) - In the mid-2000s Vietnam had one of the highest growth rates in the region and our relentless cliché was “booming.”  not war-torn. By 2010 that boom was beginning to quieten. Systemic corruption, lumbering state-owned enterprises and inefficiency were catching up. ...

Inselstreit: Philippinen legen sich mit China an

11.05.2015 (Spiegel-Online) - Neue Runde im Streit über die Machtansprüche im Südchinesischen Meer: Der philippinische General Gregorio Pio Catapang stattete dem zu den Spratly-Inseln gehörenden Eiland Thitu einen Besuch ab, die von der Regierung in Manila, aber auch von China beansprucht wird. ...

Thugs Attack Vietnamese Anti-China Activist on Hanoi Street

11.05.2015 (RFA) - An activist in Vietnam who has spoken out extensively against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea was brutally beaten by thugs in the capital Hanoi on Monday, in the latest attack against public campaigners in the one-party communist nation, where dissent is not tolerated. ...

U.S. rights envoy says Vietnam still lagging, cites trade pact risk

11.05.2015 By Martin Petty (Yahoo News) -  HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam is showing progress on human rights but must signal stronger commitment to win over hesitant U.S. legislators who could complicate the country's accession to a lucrative Pacific trade pact, a top American official said on Monday. ...

Prisoner of Conscience Freed From Vietnamese Jail

11.05.2015 (RFA) - Vietnamese authorities have terminated the jail term of prisoner of conscience who was arrested in November 2011 for helping other injustice petitioners and sentenced for ‘propagating against the state” in the one-party communist country. ...

Provokanter Besuch von Philippiniens Militärchef

11.05.2015 (NZZ) - (dpa) Mit einem provokanten Besuch auf einer umstrittenen Insel im Südchinesischen Meer hat der Militärchef der Philippinen die Machtansprüche seiner Regierung unterstrichen. ...

El jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas de Filipinas visita isla disputada con China

11.05.2015 (Univision) - Islas Spratly (Mar de China Meridional) - (EFE).- El jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas filipinas, Gregorio Catapang, visitó hoy la isla de Thitu, en el archipiélago de las Spratly, una zona del mar de China Meridional en la que se han vivido fuertes tensiones recientemente, puesto que tanto Filipinas como China se la disputan. ...

China schafft im Inselstreit Tatsachen

09.05.2015 (DW) - Wo kostbare Rohstoffe lagern, lassen Gebietsansprüche nicht auf sich warten - Konflikt ist programmiert. So auch im Südchinesischen Meer, wo der Inselstreit mit China sich zuspitzt. China schafft im Territorialstreit um mehrere Inseln im Südchinesischen Meer Tatsachen ...

Vietnam Human Rights Network Released its Report on Human Rights in Vietnam 2014

09.05.2015 (VNHRN) - Little Saigon - Today the Vietnam Human Rights Network (VNHRN) published its annual Report on Human Rights in Vietnam 2014 during a press conference with the participation of representatives from major Vietnamese media outlet agencies and grass root community organizations in the area. As in previous years, the 2014 report is the result of a collaborative work between VNHRN and a number of human rights activists in Vietnam. ...

Südchinesisches Meer: China richtet sich auf den Spratly-Inseln häuslich ein

09.05.2015 (Spiegel Online) - Mehr Land, mehr Macht: China baut die Infrastruktur auf den Riffen der Spratly-Inseln im Südchinesischen Meer immer weiter aus. Um neues Land zu schaffen, lässt Peking Sand aus der Tiefe ausbaggern und anhäufen. Offenbar entstehen auf dem neu erschaffenen Gebiet Landebahnen für Flugzeuge und Kaianlagen für Schiffe. ...

Why Google and other tech giants are creating tools for political dissidents

08.05.2015 (The Guardian) - After taking fire for caving to repressive regimes on data privacy, can the tech industry rehabilitate its reputation? How and why did a company that has taken fire for its alleged partnerships in government surveillance end up creating tech used by dissident groups concerned with free speech? ...

Why the World Is Wary of China’s ‘Great Wall of Sand’ in Disputed Sea

08.05.2015 By Clive Schofield (Jakarta Globe) - The leaders of Southeast Asian nations recently took the extraordinary step of warning China that its island-building activities in the contested South China Sea “may undermine peace, security and stability” in the region.

That’s strong language from the usually reticent 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), and shows just how high tempers are flaring over what has been called China’s “great wall of sand” in a strategically important area. ...

EE.UU. cree que China levanta bases militares en islas en disputa

08.05.2015 (Univision) - Washington, 8 may (EFE).- El Pentágono consideró hoy en la presentación anual de su informe sobre el Ejército chino que el gigante asiático está acelerando la construcción de instalaciones en islas en disputa del Mar de China Meridional para utilizarlas de bases de operaciones militares. ...

Will the TPP really protect workers?

08.05.2015 By Richard Trumka (The Washington Post) - The Trans-Pacific Partnership being negotiated between the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations has been characterized as the most progressive trade agreement in our history, with the strongest labor and environment provisions ever. But what is the benchmark? ...

Vietnam Reclaiming Land In Disputed South China Sea, Satellite Images Show

08.05.2015 By Aditya Tejas (IBTimes) - Newly released satellite imagery shows that Vietnam has been engaged in significant land reclamation projects at two sites in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, a U.S. research group said Thursday. The photographs, which were obtained by Reuters from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), show land expansions in the Vietnam-controlled Sand Cay and West London Reef, both of which are part of the Spratly Islands. ...

Triumph und Trauma des Vietnamkrieges

07.05.2015 (nzz) - Der Vietnamkrieg, der vor vierzig Jahren zu Ende ging, weckt heute kaum noch Emotionen. Aus dem Lande selber hört man dazu sehr wenig. Ein Gespräch mit dem Schriftsteller Nguyen Huy Thiep. ...

Cambodia Says Asean Should Stay Out of South China Sea Fracas

07.05.2015, By Prak Chan Thul (Jakarta Globe) - Phnom Penh. Cambodia threw its support on Thursday behind China’s position on settling South China Sea disputes, arguing that territorial conflicts should be tackled between claimants and not involve the regional Asean grouping. ...

Vietnam Devalues Dong for 2nd Time This Year on Trade Deficit

07.05.2015 By Ho Binh Minh (Jakarta Globe) - Hanoi. Vietnam devalued the dong currency for the second time this year on Thursday to support exports and curb import demand which has left it with a trade deficit. ...

Umstrittene Landgewinnung - China verteidigt Besiedlung von Atollen

06.05.2015, von Petra Kolonko, Peking (FAZ) - Unweit der Küsten Malaysias und der Philippinen schüttet China gewaltige künstliche Inseln auf – was die Nachbarn in Asien und den Westen zunehmend alarmiert. Nun beschwichtigt Peking: Die neuen Stützpunkte seien für ganz andere Zwecke als militärische gedacht. ...

Reverse Logistics entsorgt Altgeräte für Apple und HP in Vietnam

06.05.2015 (EUWID) - Das erste Rücknahmeprogramm für Elektro- und Elektronikaltgeräte in Vietnam wird von der deutschen Reverse Logistics Group (RLG) betrieben. Im Auftrag der Hersteller Apple und Hewlett Packard (HP) soll die Sammlung und Behandlung von Altgeräten in dem südostasiatischen Land sichergestellt werden. ...

Expert Slams Mega Airport Proposal For Vietnam’s Commercial Capital

06.05.2015 (RFA) - Lawmakers in Vietnam should not approve the construction of a massive new airport outside of the country’s commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City based on flaws in its current design, according to an expert reviewing the project ahead of a legislative session scheduled for the end of the month. ...

Vietnamese man offers reward for finding missing sister

06.05.2015 Writer: Trinai Jansrichol (Bangkok Post) - A Vietnamese man is offering a cash reward of 500,000 baht for information leading to the discovery of his missing sister, taken by pirates who attacked a vessel carrying asylum seekers to Nakhon Si Thammarat 34 years ago ...

Vietnam, South Korea Ink New Pact

06.05.2015 By Prashanth Parameswaran (The Diplomat) - On May 5, South Korea and Vietnam signed a bilateral free trade agreement. The FTA, which was officially inked by the country’s trade ministers in a ceremony held in Hanoi, puts the finishing touches on a pact which the two sides have been negotiating for years and is a further boost to their strategic partnership. ...

Forty years on, national reconciliation eludes Vietnam

05.05.2015 Author: Toan Le, Monash University (East Asia Forum) - When the Vietnam War ended there were those who genuinely hoped that a national unity government could be formed for the people who stayed.

The new Vietnamese government also took actions that harmed national reconciliation. ...

2015 U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue

05.05.2015 (U.S. State Department) - The 19th session of the U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue will be held on May 7 in Hanoi, Vietnam. U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius and Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski will lead the U.S. delegation. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for International Organizations Vu Anh Quang will lead the Vietnamese delegation. ...

Justice and Peace: migrants, priority for the Vietnamese Church

05.05.2015 (AsiaNews/EDA) - Hanoi– Internal and external migration are increasingly important in Vietnam. In view of this, the bishops addressed the issue at a round table in their first annual meeting held in mid-April in Saigon.

Vietnam’s Catholic Church is looking for "answers" to the increasing challenges. ...

La dramatique situation des travailleurs vietnamiens à l’étranger

04.05.2015 (Églises d'Asie) - La récente assemblée des évêques du Vietnam qui s’est tenue au centre pastoral de l’archevêché de Saigon du 13 au 15 avril 2015, a débattu, le premier jour, d’un très important sujet de société. En effet, Mgr Joseph Nguyên Chi Linh, responsable de la Commission épiscopale des migrants, a exposé aux membres de l’assemblée le complexe et difficile problème posé par les divers déplacements de population à l’intérieur comme vers l’extérieur du pays. ...

PEN-Autoren tagen zu Verfolgungs-Themen

04.05.2015 (Mittelhessen) - Magdeburg (dpa) - Der eingeschränkten Meinungsfreiheit in Vietnam und dem armenischen Massaker vor 100 Jahren widmet sich die deutsche Schriftstellervereinigung PEN bei ihrer Jahrestagung in Magdeburg (7. bis 10. Mai). ...

Hanoi consults bishops on a new law on faiths that violates religious freedom

04.05.2015 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - The government’s unusual initiative, for a bishop, feeds a suspicion of an attempt to “appear democratic”. The new laws violate "the right to freedom of religion", go against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, show that the purpose of government is "to profoundly interfere with religious affairs", continuing policies that encourage corruption and allows abuse by local authorities. ...

Vietnam: „Damit es demokratisch aussieht“

04.05.2015 (Radio Vatikan) - Das Regime fragt die katholische Kirche nach ihrer Meinung zum neuen Religionsgesetz – und bekommt prompt harsche Kritik zu hören. Die Regierung führe die Befragung doch nur durch, „damit es demokratisch aussieht“, äußert ein katholischer Bischof nach Angaben der Nachrichtenagentur asianews. ...

Welttag für freie Presse - Das sind die schlimmsten Feinde der Freiheit

02.05.2015 Von Antje Schippmann (BILD) - Das Recht auf freie Meinungsäußerung, die Freiheit der Meinung und der Presse wurden 1948 als grundlegende Menschenrechte festgelegt. Doch weltweit steht es sehr schlecht um sie. Am „Internationalen Tag der Pressefreiheit“ (Sonntag, 3. Mai) wird weltweit derjenigen Journalisten und Blogger gedacht, die Verfolgung, Haft und Lebensgefahr in Kauf nehmen, weil sie für etwas kämpfen, was für uns selbstverständlich geworden ist. Die schlimmsten zehn sind Laos, Somalia, Iran, Sudan, Vietnam, China, Syrien, Turkmenistan, Nordkorea und Eritrea. ...

Obama Praises Work of 3 Immigrant Journalists

02.05.2015 (VOA) - President Barack Obama met with three immigrant journalists at the White House Friday to praise them for their work ahead of World Press Freedom Day, May 3. In attendance: Dieu Cay (his pen name) a blogger from Vietnam recently released from prison; ...

Journey to freedom for Kim Tran included pirates, rough seas and a new home

02.05.2015 (CBCNews) - Before Kim Tran owned hotels throughout northwestern B.C., he spent two years at sea with 51 other people — including his 16-month-old son — on a boat he had built himself to escape His home country of Vietnam. Tran left Vietnam in 1978 after the fall of Saigon. "Vietnam fell under communism, so at that time we lost all our freedom and we lost all our human rights," he said. ...

Vietnam today, 40 years after the fall of Saigon

01.05.2015 By Lee Nguyen (AsiaNews) - Ho Chi Minh City – Forty years after the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, the Communist Party marked its anniversary yesterday by the largest ever military parade in the South to commemorate the day when their troops from the North captured the city and ended the Vietnam war and the America’s military involvement in a devastating conflict that left more than 3 million Vietnamese of both sides and roughly 60,000 American soldiers dead, with rifts remain deep and unresolved. The government nowadays has numerous sophisticated restrictions, deterrents, and prohibitions jeopardizing the Church. ...

Vietnam’s democratisation movement

01.05.2015 Author: Benedict J. Tria Kerkvliet, ANU (East Asia Forum) - Since the mid 1990s, public criticism of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) government has expanded to involve thousands of citizens across the country. From this ferment of criticism numerous individuals, networks and organisations have emerged that oppose the present regime — which many call authoritarian or dictatorial — and advocate democracy. Today this democratisation movement is a significant feature of the country’s political scene. ...

El Vietnam de hoy a 40 años de la caída de Saigón

01.05.2015 de Lee Nguyen (AsiaNews) - A 40 años de la caída de Saigón, el 30 de abril de 1975, el Partido comunista celebró aquella fecha con el más grande desfile militar jamás visto en el Sur, para marcar en la memoria el día en el cual las tropas del Norte conquistaron la ciudad y concluido la guerra, haciendo terminar la presencia militar americana. El devastador conflicto dejó 3 millones de vietnamitas muertos en ambos frentes y unos 60 mil soldados americanos. Mientras que muchos problemas permanecen irresueltos. El Estado, aún hoy, no aprecia los derechos y la contribución de los católicos. ...

Barack Obama dénonce les attaques contre la liberté de la presse

01.05.2015 (L'Express) - Washington - Le président Barack Obama a dénoncé vendredi les attaques contre la liberté de la presse à travers le monde, recevant trois journalistes originaires de pays qui "limitent sévèrement" cette composante "cruciale" de la démocratie: l'Ethiopie, le Vietnam et la Russie.

"Dans trop d'endroits à travers le monde, la presse libre est attaquée par des gouvernements qui veulent cacher la vérité ou qui n'ont pas confiance dans les citoyens pour décider par eux-mêmes", a déclaré M. Obama en présence du blogueur vietnamien Dieu Cay, de la journaliste russe Fatima Tlisova et de la journaliste éthiopienne Lily Mengesha. ...

Bootsflüchtlinge Sie kamen, um zu bleiben

01.05.2015, von Joana Inês Marta und Tilman Spreckelsen (FAZ) - Vor vierzig Jahren endete der Vietnam-Krieg. Damals nahm Deutschland Tausende Boatpeople auf. Wie geht es ihnen heute? Und was können wir aus der Geschichte lernen?  Als am vergangenen Wochenende gemeldet wurde, dass bei einem Schiffsunglück schätzungsweise siebenhundert Flüchtlinge vor der libyschen Küste ertrunken sind, ging es plötzlich schnell. Schon am Montag legte die Europäische Kommission einen Plan vor, der die Rettung Schiffbrüchiger erleichtern soll, aber auch die Einreise über das Mittelmeer erschweren. Die Entwicklung erinnert an die Zeit Ende der siebziger Jahre nach dem Ende des Vietnam-Kriegs. Auch damals gingen dramatische Bilder von sogenannten Boatpeople um die Welt. ...

Vietnam: Los líderes del Partido Comunista debaten sobre los medios sociales

01.05.2015 Escrito por David Brown, traducido por Romix (Global Voices) - Los líderes del Partido Comunista de Vietnam buscan respuestas sobre si Facebook es una seria amenaza a su control del poder o si es una nueva oportunidad para comunicarse con  los 90 millones de ciudadanos del país. Puesto que el partido comienza un año muy político, con un congreso del partido posiblemente trascendental en el horizonte, el fenómeno de Facebook ha pasado a ocupar un lugar importante dentro de su agenda política. ...

Vietnam conmemora el 40 aniversario del fin de la guerra con duras críticas a EEUU

01.05.2015 (Milenio) - La guerra de Vietnam provocó la muerte de millones de vietnamitas, muchos de ellos civiles víctimas de los bombardeos, y de 58.000 militares de EEUU. ...