Spotlighting rights in Vietnam
Vietnam's government may not escape close scrutiny of
its human-rights record, even though two congressional
committees have cleared a bilateral trade pact between
Washington and Hanoi for a vote in the United States
House of Representatives and the Senate. Several
congressmen, headed by Republican Representative
Christopher Smith of New Jersey, are circulating draft
legislation that calls for the establishment of a
human-rights commission including members of
Congress and representatives of the executive branch.
The draft bill targets Hanoi for its imprisonment of
religious leaders and intellectuals as well as
hill-tribespeople who were arrested after
demonstrations in Vietnam's Central Highlands in
February. The commission would prepare an annual
report on the human-rights situation in Vietnam and the
U.S. president would be called on to impose sanctions
such as suspending American assistance and opposing
multilateral loans to Hanoi unless the commission
certifies that "certain human-rights benchmarks are
met," according to a copy of the draft. The bill also
proposes additional state funding to help Radio Free
Asia overcome jamming by the Vietnamese
government. Democrat Senator John Kerry is
proposing alternative legislation to facilitate monitoring
of human rights in Vietnam, but it offers Hanoi
incentives to address problems rather than impose
sanctions.
The Far Eastern Economic Review - August 2, 2001.
Burma, Vietnam Eye Teak-for-Oil Deal
Vietnam's furniture makers, no longer able to rely on
Cambodia for raw materials, may have found a new
source of hardwood--Burma. During initial discussions
in July between Vietnamese and Burmese officials on a
possible barter trade agreement, it was suggested that
Rangoon pay for its oil imports from Hanoi with
valuable teak, say Western environmentalists, citing
Vietnamese press reports. It is uncertain when the
barter deal with Vietnam will go into effect or if it will
have a significant impact on Burma's desperate oil
shortage. Burma produces some oil, but not enough to
meet domestic needs. The country's military
government decided a month ago to ration daily
purchases of petrol on the official market to eight litres
a day per registered vehicle owner. This, in turn, has
caused the blackmarket price of petrol and diesel to
rise by 300% while prices of basic commodities, which
have to be transported from the countryside, have risen
in urban areas. The price of rice has almost doubled
since late June, Rangoon residents say. The Cambodian
government has responded to international pressure by
taking measures to curtail logging, and timber exports to
Vietnam have fallen as a result.
The Far Eastern Economic Review - August 2, 2001.
Police Target Vietnam Nightspots
Foreign residents of Ho Chi Minh City are growing
tetchy in the wake of a series of Vietnamese police
raids on popular nightspots such as Vasco's and The
Underground. Police aim to enforce a new midnight
curfew on bars and discos in order to curb traffic in
Ecstasy and other drugs, but the revellers are resentful.
"It's been getting quite heavy-handed," says one
expatriate lawyer, citing recent incidents where police
confiscated CDs and videotaped patrons. Club owners
are concerned about a drop-off in clientele, but don't
think that patrons have much to worry about.
"Videotaping is just for intimidation, not for
prosecution," soothes one club owner. Huynh Van Hoi,
deputy chief investigator of the Ho Chi Minh City
information and culture department, confirms that the
crackdown will continue, since it "helps to reduce drug
use and stop the bad habits of disco dancers." But
some community health workers believe that drug users
have simply migrated outside to public parks and
markets. "In reality, the situation has become more and
more dangerous," says one health worker.
The Far Eastern Economic Review - August 2, 2001.
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