Báo chí nước ngoài viết về Vietnam

Vụ 2 nhà báo bị bắt,
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gWB8rZgccilNtC-9f2tMub3J_XQw
Vietnam punishes journalists over coverage of anti-corruption case
6 hours ago
HANOI (AFP) ?" The Vietnamese government said Saturday that four journalists had been stripped of their accre***ation because they wrote and e***ed false information on an anti-corruption case and had defended colleagues arrested for their coverage of the case.
They journalists "directly wrote articles... e***ed and approved, without checking sources, news and articles with seriously untrue information concerning the PMU18 case," said a statement on the government''s official website.
Public outrage was sparked in 2005 when the media unveiled a corruption case in the transport ministry''s PMU18 infrastructure unit, where officials allegedly embezzled funds and used money to bet on football.
The scandal led to the resignation of Vietnam''s transport minister.
In May this year, journalists Nguyen Van Hai and Nguyen Viet Chien, who were particularly active in covering the case, were arrested over accusations of "power abuse" and "false information", sparking a media outcry.
Newspaper Thanh Nien immediately wrote that "honest journalists must be freed" while Tuoi Tre said its reporter was "paying the price for his news on... a matter which is not yet over but which unravels in a very strange manner."
However, the papers ended their protest two days later after receiving a warning from the government, sources said.
But earlier this month, four leading journalists at the two newspapers were stripped of their press cards by the government but given no concrete reason why.
But on Saturday, the government explained the four had "instigated objections against legal protection agencies for investigating and arresting journalists Nguyen Viet Chien and Nguyen Van Hai" in several articles.
International human rights groups and observers have condemned Hanoi for the arrests, saying they are a serious violation of press freedom.
American ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak on Wednesday raised his concerns, saying: "We think this has a negative effect on other journalists who want to report whatever story they can find."
"We hope that as soon as possible the government will publish a full explanation of exactly what were the charges they found out and what were the results of their ultimate investigation."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/world/asia/24viet.html?pagewanted=1
Inflation Delivers a Blow to Vietnam?Ts Spirits
bài khá dài về lạm phát ở Việt Nam ảnh hưởng đến đời sống và sinh hoạt hàng ngày, việc thờ cúng, hương vàng. Bài này lên mục Business của NewYork Times và IHT
Được vnbui sửa chữa / chuyển vào 21:22 ngày 24/08/2008

sao ko post hẳn ra hả bác. anyway, very good job. Keep going

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iJfs45Bv9j3d52MJL6HAlsCeDjYQD92RF9S00
AP đưa tin về vụ giáo xứ Thái Hà
Vietnamese Catholics complain of police violence
12 hours ago
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) ?" Police used stun guns and beat parishioners protesting the arrest of fellow church members who have demanded the return of land they say was taken by Vietnam''''''''s communist government in the early 1960s, a Catholic priest said Thursday.
About 300 people gathered in front of the police station to pray for the release of those arrested. Some five hours after the crowd arrived, several hundred police officers used force to break up the crowd, witnesses said.
"We came to pray peacefully," said Nguyen Thi Phuc, a church member who had blood on her face and shirt. "Why did they have to beat us?"
State-run television did not mention the confrontation. Vietnamese officials could not be reached for comment on Thursday night.
Earlier in the day, police had arrested two church members, accusing them of knocking down a fence that surrounds land parishioners want returned to the church, according to state-owned television.
Nguyen Van Khai, a priest at the Thai Ha church in Hanoi, said four church members were arrested.
The parishioners have been holding round-the-clock prayer vigils for nearly two weeks over the land issue. On Aug. 15, the day the vigils began, church members knocked down a section of a fence surrounding the property and placed several statues of the Virgin Mary inside.
Police arrested seven demonstrators, and several people suffered minor injuries during the confrontation, said Khai, whose congregation totals several thousand.
"We will continue to pray peacefully, demanding that the government give us justice," Khai said, vowing that the church members would continue their vigil Friday.
Although religious freedom has been growing in Vietnam recently, the state closely monitors religious organizations and only recognizes a half-dozen officially sanctioned faiths, including Catholicism.
Catholicism is Vietnam''''''''s second-largest faith ?" after Buddhism ?" with more than 6 million adherents.
In the years after Vietnam''''''''s communist government took power in 1954, many church properties and other private lands were taken over by the government.
Although demonstrations of any kind are rare in Vietnam, church members have been asserting themselves more boldly in recent months.
Earlier this year, Catholic leaders organized prayer vigils at a parcel of land near Hanoi''''''''s main cathedral, demanding the return of that site, which once housed the Vatican''''''''s embassy in Vietnam.
AFP cũng đưa tin:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hLVcCIxncCRfGBs5hAUwDl2QyTVQ
Được vnbui sửa chữa / chuyển vào 14:53 ngày 29/08/2008

Báo chí phương Tây tiếp tục đưa tin về vụ Thái Hà
bài của BBC (do phóng viên BBC Vietnamese viết )
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7593251.stm
Prayers and protests in Vietnam
By Nga Pham
BBC News, Hanoi
Vụ Giáo Xứ Thái Hà cũng đã lên Thời Báo Phố Wall: Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122046531607695963.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Vietnam''s Religious Repression
FROM TODAY''S WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIA
September 4, 2008
Later this month, the U.S. State Department is due to release its annual report on international religious freedom. Recent events in Vietnam suggest the chapter for that country will not, or at least should not, be positive.
Cuối tháng này, bộ ngoại giao Mỹ dự kiến sẽ đưa bản báo cáo hàng năm về tự do tôn giáo trên thế giới. Những sự kiện tôn giáo gần đây ở Việt nam ít nhiều ảnh hưởng đến báo cáo về Việtnam.
For the last two weeks, several hundred Catholics from Hanoi''s Thai Ha parish have been protesting for the return of parish property first seized by the Communists in the 1960s. The parish needs to build a new church to accommodate its swelling membership, Father Vu Khoi Phung told us by telephone. Several parishoners reportedly have been beaten by police while participating in peaceful prayer vigils. This is part of a developing pattern of protests, and then state suppression, by Catholics seeking return of long-ago-expropriated church lands.
Catholics are not the only believers who face problems with the Communist Party state. Last week, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom -- an independent commission within the White House -- released its latest report on Vietnam. The commission documents a range of abuses, from attacks against the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam to bans on indigenous Vietnamese religions such as Hoa Hao and Cao Dai. In some provinces, local officials bar Protestant children from high schools, citing old communist laws excluding children of religious families from school. Believers of many kinds are still sometimes forced to publicly renounce their faith, even though Hanoi had promised to end this practice.
Given this pattern of behavior, the State Department may want to put Vietnam back on its list of "Countries of Particular Concern" for violations of religious freedom. When the U.S. first put Vietnam on the list in 2004, it had an immediate effect. Hanoi was so embarrassed that it released many religious "prisoners of concern" and said it would allow more sects to register as official organizations. As a reward, Vietnam was removed from the list just before President Bush traveled to Hanoi for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2006. Since then, State has argued that repression in Vietnam is mainly secular and that believers are jailed for political activism rather than for their religious beliefs.
Vì những hành vi này bộ ngoại giao Mỹ có thể đưa Việtnam trở lại danh sách các nước đáng quan tâm về vi phạm tự do tôn giáo (CPC). Lần đầu tiên Mỹ đưa Vietnam vào danh sách này là năm 2004 đã có những tác động ngay tức thì. Hà Nội lúng túng thả các tù nhân liên quan đến tôn giáo và tuyên bố rằng sẽ công nhận nhiều giáo phái. Việtnam đã đc đưa ra khỏi danh sách như 1 món quà ngay trước khi Bush sang Hanoi dự APEC vào năm 2006 Kể từ đó bộ nước này lập luận những người bị đàn áp vì lý do vi phạm pháp luật bình thường, và những người bị vào tù là do các hoạt động chính trị hơn là liên quan đến tốn giáo.
Hanoi has made some progress on religious freedom, especially in reaching a deal with the Vatican under which the Catholic Church secured greater freedom to appoint bishops and priests. But such advances are now stalling. Recent events -- both the treatment of religious land protesters and the cases documented by the commission -- suggest there''s still good reason to be "particularly concerned" about religious freedom in Vietnam.
Hà nội đã có những tiến bộ về tự do tôn giáo, đặc biệt là đạt đc mối bang giao với Vatincan theo đó các nhà thờ Công Giáo sẽ được tự do hơn trong việc bổ nhiệm linh mục và giám mục. Nhưng những những việc này nay đang bị cản trở.

Việc cấp phép cho HSBC và Standard Chartered mở ngân hàng 100% vốn nc ngoài vừa rồi, được nhiều báo nc ngoài để ý. Nó như là một dấu mốc mới của việc mở cửa của Vietnam.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122141400912733323.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Opening Vietnam
FROM TODAY''S WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIA
September 15, 2008
Good economic stories are in short supply these days, but they are out there. Look to Vietnam, where the government has just given the go-ahead for a significant liberalization of its banking sector.
Two foreign banks, HSBC and Standard Chartered, received permission last week to incorporate locally as 100% foreign-owned enterprises. The move lifts restrictions on the banks'' ability to open branches, limits that have effectively prevented them from marketing aggressively to local clients. It''s also consistent with the agreement Vietnam inked with the World Trade Organization ahead of its accession in early 2007.
That''s good news all around. Greater competition should encourage state-run banks to improve their risk controls, products and customer service. Eventually, that dynamic will strengthen the country''s financial system against external shocks. For the foreign banks, Vietnam offers a new and growing market to tap at a time when the global economy is slowing.
Last week''s announcement is one in a series of recent liberalization moves. Since it joined the WTO, Hanoi has cracked open its insurance market to foreign companies. It has also been cutting away at its tariffs on goods such as textiles. That''s in contrast to China, which negotiated generous exceptions to free trade in some services when it joined the WTO and still strictly limits foreign investment in stock broking and other areas.
( nó đánh giá ta mở cửa hơn Tàu)
This isn''t to say that Vietnam is a fully open economy, or that it will be anytime soon. It''s too early to say whether other foreign banks will receive similar permission to incorporate locally. But at least for now, Hanoi has taken a solid step forward. Foreign investors and local banking customers will be the big winners.

He he vote ủng hộ bác vnbui, chả hỉu sao đọc báo bác đăng kỉu nè thấy thik hơn là đọc ở báo của bọn nó. Phát huy bác nhá!
Nhờ bác mà những người như e mở mang ra nhìu. Thanh xờ

Cùng 1 nguồn từ AP, nhiều hãng truyền thông đăng tải:
Vụ phóng viên AP Ben Stocking bị công an đánh chảy máu đầu, khâu 4 mũi tại khu vực Tòa Khâm Sứ 42 Nhà Chung:
( có hình )
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gFaTmVF3wvSPYOpCO8AJauwPyMiwD93AP9K00
International Herald Tribune
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/21/asia/AS-Vietnam-Reporter-Detained.php
Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7814589
Foxnews
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Sep20/0,4670,ASVietnamReporterDetained,00.html
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/20/AR2008092000606.html
Vụ chính quyền cảnh cáo ************* Ngô Quang Kiệt
cùng nguồn từ AP ( Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jQVjwqiv1eWVsGsnLajOkLkZNAGAD93BSLJ80
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/22/AR2008092200384.html?hpid=sec-religion
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7817521
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/22/asia/AS-Vietnam-Catholic-Land-Dispute.php
Hanoi: Church must end vigils or face legal action/size=4]
HANOI, Vietnam: Communist authorities in Hanoi have threatened to take legal action against the city''s archbishop unless he immediately disbands illegal prayer vigils to demand the return of former church lands, state media reported Monday.
The government campaign against Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet escalated over the weekend, with state television calling into question his patriotism in an apparent attempt to turn public opinion against him.
State-controlled newspapers on Monday quoted a letter to Kiet from Hanoi Mayor Nguyen The Thao, accusing the cleric of instigating unrest.
"Stop your illegal acts immediately or you will be dealt with according to the law," Thao was quoted as writing. "You have a responsibility to persuade priests and parishioners to abide by the law."
Prayer is only allowed at church under Vietnamese law. The reports did not specify what form the legal action might take.
Catholics have been holding sporadic prayer vigils this year to demand the return of two plots of land once owned by the church but seized decades ago by communist authorities. One is near Thai Ha Church, not far from the center of Hanoi, while the other is the site of the former Vatican Embassy, next to St. Joseph''s Cathedral, the city''s biggest church.
Later Monday, Hanoi officials warned four Thai Ha priests that they could also face legal action if they do not stop prayer vigils a that site, state-run television reported
The Catholic land disputes are among many land issues that arose after Vietnam''s communist government took power in 1954. The government seized many properties from private landowners, including the Catholic Church, to redistribute to those who fought in the communist revolution.
The vigils have put great pressure on Hanoi officials, who are eager to project an image of religious tolerance but determined to maintain political control.
On Friday, the city began bulldozing the grounds of the former Vatican Embassy to clear the land for a public park and library.
Over the weekend, the crowds near the site grew as hundred of Catholics attended weekend masses at St. Joseph''s. They were closely watched by riot police and other security officers.
City officials say the land belongs to Hanoi and will not be returned to the church. Church officials say they have old documents proving the land belongs to them.
During a weekend discussion of the dispute, city officials repeated an offer to give the church three parcels of land elsewhere in the city. But church leaders declined, saying the former Vatican land is sacred to Catholics.
State media called the archbishop''s patriotism into question when he made a clumsy statement during the meeting that was later broadcast on television.
Talking about the need to strengthen Vietnam''s economy, Kiet said Vietnamese who travel abroad "feel ashamed" when they show their passports.
Vietnamese television described Kiet''s remark as "serious insult to the nation and all patriotic Vietnamese," but Catholics said his remarks had been taken out of context.
The city announced last week that it would use the St. Joseph''s site for a library and park. Catholics have long said they believed the city planned to sell the valuable land to private developers. Monday''s report on state TV said city officials also plan to transform the 20,000 square-yard (17,000-square-meter) Thai Ha site into a public park.
Religion is a sensitive subject in Vietnam, where the government closely monitors religious organizations.
Catholicism ?" with about 6 million adherents ?" is the country''s second largest faith after Buddhism.

Không bít cái này có lạc đề không, nhưng khá hay.
The Honorable John D. Negroponte
Deputy Secretary of State
Press Conference - Hanoi, Vietnam

September 12, 2008

Deputy Secretary Negroponte: I want to thank you for joining me today as part of my trip visiting both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Reflective of the close partnership between the United States and Vietnam I have a full schedule of meetings covering a broad range of issues. In Hanoi I had the privilege of meeting with the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Khiem, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Nhan and many others. During these meetings we focused on areas in which we can strengthen our relationship. The United States aims to deepen our economic and commercial ties, to expand our diplomatic cooperation, encourage reform, and broaden our cooperation to enhance regional peace and security. Our Joint Advisory Committee on Agent Orange and Dioxin is also meeting here in Hanoi this week. Its work is another example of successful cooperation that is producing positive results.

Education is a high priority for us. In the coming weeks members of the Education Task Force will meet to discuss how we might strengthen our work together in this area. This task force will examine ways in which we can increase the number of Vietnamese students in the United States and Americans studying in Vietnam and what can be done to increase exchanges between United States and Vietnamese universities. We also want to link American companies and Vietnamese universities to help graduates acquire the skills that they need to find good jobs in the new and growing Vietnamese economy.

In Ho Chi Minh City, where I am going next, in ad***ion to meetings with government officials I will meet with local business leaders to learn first-hand about Vietnam''s economic growth. The United States is one of Vietnam''s largest investors, but increased transparency,dedication to tackling corruption and a commitment to combating inflation and maintaining stability will facilitate even more investment.

Throughout my trip I have underscored the importance the United States places on a candid and productive human rights dialogue. Enhancements in governance, the rule of law and the protection of human rights will forge an even deeper United States-Vietnam relationship and should contribute to Vietnam''s own goal of greater integration with the international community.

In conclusion, I would like to say that my brief visit to Hanoi has confirmed my optimism about the prospects for United States-Vietnam relations in the years ahead. Now I''d be pleased to answer a few questions.

Question: Hi, I''m Ben Stocking from the Associated Press. You mentioned the work of the Joint Committee looking into the Agent Orange issue. Some Vietnamese have expressed a little bit of disappointment about the amount of money that the U.S. has devoted to this issue. They''re pleased that the Congress set aside $3 million, but there seems to be agreement that the cost of cleaning up dioxin is going to cost a lot more than that. So I guess my question is do you think the United States should or might consider setting aside more money for the cleanup of dioxin here?

Deputy Secretary Negroponte: First, by way of a general response to your question let me say that I think that while it is important that we focus on the future of the relationship between our two countries, and that is the area of activity that takes up most of our energies, we also must deal with the legacy issues from the war. Those are issues I''m pleased to say we are working on cooperatively with the government of Vietnam, whether it has to do with Agent Orange or POWs and MIAs, or with the removal of mines, for example, that were laid during the war. I think we have a positive and a constructive dialogue and positive and constructive activities in all of these areas.

You asked about the specific amounts of money and whether they are adequate for this problem. Our approach has been, in our discussions with the government of Vietnam, to first of all have important exchanges between the experts on this subject, and that''s what''s been happening this week here in Hanoi, so that there is an adequate exchange of information.

There are remediation measures that are being taken, and I think the focus there is to try and find the areas of priority. So, for example, one of the priority areas is around Danang. There are several other places that have also been identified for priority action.

In ad***ion to remediation measures I would also mention that we have provided resources for treating disabled Vietnamese people regardless of cause over a long period of time now. We have spent some tens of millions of dollars to help assist disabled Vietnamese, regardless of what it was that caused their disablement.

Question: I''m from People''s Army Newspaper. The Vietnamese and several U.S. companies have cooperation contract in the South China Sea we call the East Sea here. But there has been abuse of the territorial sea water, often by China. So when such things happen, what legal grounds does the U.S. Department of State use to make statements about those cases?

Deputy Secretary Negroponte: My answer to that question would be as follows. First of all, the question of maritime jurisdiction between countries, especially when there are disagreements, is something that ultimately must be settled by those countries themselves in accordance with the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention. We ourselves don''t take a position on the merits of these particular disputes, but we do believe they should be dealt with peacefully and without resort to any type of coercion. We do believe the companies that you refer to, the American companies you refer to have the right to engage in the activities in which they are engaged.

Question: I am from Agence France Presse. You talked about the human rights dialogue. Could you tell us, did you raise any specific case on behalf of the U.S., and if so, which ones?

Deputy Secretary Negroponte: The answer to your question is, first of all, yes, we did discuss human rights issues in several of my conversations including, in particular, my meeting with the Foreign Minister as well as with representatives of civic society with whom I met yesterday evening. But I did not get into any particular specific cases. As I said in my opening statement, this is an issue that we believe is important. The degree that the human rights situation in Vietnam is dealt with adequately and effectively, we think will be to the benefit of Vietnam''s standing in the international community and it will also, of course, in our view be to the benefit of the Vietnamese people.

Question: I''m from Vietnam Television. My question is, yesterday you had a meeting with Vice Prime Minister Nguyen at the Ministry of Education and Training. What do you think about education cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S., and can you be more specific on the educational cooperation between our two countries?

Deputy Secretary Negroponte: We had a very good meeting. This is one of the areas of cooperation between the United States and Vietnam that I think is particularly exciting. The Education Minister spoke about the desire of Vietnam to graduate 20,000 more PhD students over the next 12 years -- 10,000 with PhDs from abroad, from other countries, and 10,000 trained in Vietnam itself. So one area that we talked about was ways in which we could increase the number of Vietnamese students going to the United States to help fulfill the goals of this program. That I think is something we will want to pursue upon my return to the United States.

Another area that we spoke about were the plans of the Ministry to have universities established here in Vietnam that use the curriculum of foreign universities. He mentioned the example of a German university that''s being established in Ho Chi Minh City at the moment. He expressed a strong interest in United States universities engaging in the same kind of cooperation with Vietnam. One last area I might mention since you asked for specific examples, was the desire on the part of the government, and I''m sure that others share it, of trying to improve the quantity and the quality of English language training in this country.

Question: I''m from Prensa Latina. Given the human rights situation and the importance of progress here, what are the [inaudible] now [inaudible] at a time of war, and Agent Orange and all those things. [Inaudible] nothing about Vietnam [inaudible]. And now we are talking the same [inaudible].

Deputy Secretary Negroponte: I''m sure if you asked most Vietnamese they would tell you the situation today is substantially changed and substantially improved over what it was in the 1960s. Just to cite one example, this is an economy here that has consistently grown at a rate of seven or eight percent a year for a decade or so and is considered one of the real miracles of economic development. It has lifted the Vietnamese out of poverty, giving them more space and opportunity to develop their personal lives. So that would be my first observation in response to your question.

While personal opportunities for development and personal space have increased significantly, there are still issues, as you mentioned and as I have also mentioned, particularly in the area of political rights. Our views on that subject are well known. It''s an area where we don''t necessarily see matters eye to eye with Vietnamese authorities, but I think we are appreciative of the fact that this is a subject that is on the bilateral agenda between us. We''ve actually had a human rights dialogue with our Assistant Secretary for Human Rights visiting here recently to hold in-depth discussions with the Government of Vietnam. So this will be, I expect, an issue that will continue to be one of discussion between our two governments, but it will be in the context of an expanding and improving and friendly relationship between our two countries.

Question: I would like to ask you what did you discuss with the Vietnamese government about corruption? And the second question is, I like your Saigon accent -- [Laughter]. What feeling do you have when you return to Vietnam after 35 years?

Deputy Secretary Negroponte: On the first question, one of the subjects that has been a constant issue of discussion between our embassy and the government of Vietnam has been the rule of law, questions related to corruption, and how strengthening the rule of law, in our view, will enable the Vietnamese economy to prosper and develop and the Vietnamese people to prosper and develop even more. So we think it''s in the self interest of the government and people of Vietnam to tackle the matter of corruption and improve the rule of law.

As for my Saigon accent, I''m very happy to be back after 35 years. I sometimes ask myself why I took so long to come back. I''m very optimistic about the future of our relationship. I certainly look forward to visiting Ho Chi Minh City, which I will be doing after this press conference. We''re leaving for Ho Chi Minh City and I will spend about two days there, so that will be an opportunity for me to see how much things have changed in Ho Chi Minh City. But perhaps what fills me with the greatest optimism is the fact that our two countries fought a bitter war. It was a bitter and difficult war for both sides. And yet I find that on both sides there seems to be a tremendous amount of goodwill, to want to develop the relationship in a positive way in the future. I think that is almost a universal feeling. That''s certainly the way I feel about the relationship.

So as I mentioned, we have to now go and catch an airplane. I thank you very much for this opportunity to meet with you this morning. Thank you.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7646410.stm

Vụ múa Khỏa Thân của FPT mặc kiểu Borat lên BBC nè
A video clip posted on the internet showed the two youths dancing and wrestling each other to the tune of a famous revolutionary song.
Chết thật, hóa ra bật nhạc Cách Mạng, rồi Nhảy và Vật Khỏa Thân