Conversations on Vietnam Development
LONDON (AP) — One of the men tortured in Sri Lanka said he was held for 21 days in a small dank room where he was raped 12 times, burned with cigarettes, beaten with iron rods and hung upside-down.
Another man described being abducted from home by five men, driven to a prison, and taken to a “torture room” equipped with ropes, iron rods, a bench and buckets of water. There were blood splatters on the wall. Tiếp tục đọc “Dozens of men describe rape, torture by Sri Lanka government”
VietNamNet Bridge – A series of projects worth a total 61 trillion VND (2.7 billion USD) will be built in the Van Don Special Administrative – Economic Unit, the northern province of Quang Ninh in 2018, according to Deputy Head of the management board of Quang Ninh economic zone Hoang Trung Kien.
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| A graphic image of the Sonasea Dragon Bay project (Photo: cafef.vn) |
Tiếp tục đọc “Tourism projects worth 2.7 billion USD launched in Quang Ninh”
The UN Security Council has called on Myanmar to rein in its military campaign in Rakhine state and allow hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya driven from their homes to return. Tiếp tục đọc “UN Security Council increases pressure on Myanmar to end violence against Rohingya”
‘Growth should be more inclusive’
By Son Luong / Tuoi Tre News
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| Denis Hew, Director at APEC Secretariat Policy Support Unit (L) and Alan Bollard, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, address a news conference in Da Nang, central Vietnam, November 7, 2017. Photo: Son Luong/Tuoi Tre News |
Editor’s note: Denis Hew, Director of the APEC Secretariat Policy Support Unit, spoke to Tuoi Tre News on the challenges to be addressed at the ongoing 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Week in the central city of Da Nang.
What are the topline points of the APEC summit most relevant to Vietnam? Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnam action agenda must focus on inclusion: APEC Secretariat”
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| Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc greets the attendees at the Vietnam Business Summit in the central city of Da Nang on November 7, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has underlined three key solutions for boosting Vietnam’s development during a business summit held in parallel with the ongoing 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) week.
The first Vietnam Business Summit (VBS) was organized in the central city of Da Nang on Tuesday with the attendance of Vietnamese government leaders and officials, representatives from prestigious international organizations, scholars and hundreds of business influencers from across the Asia-Pacific region. Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnam premier highlights solutions for development at APEC business summit”
Chuỗi bài Bão Damrey
Tuoitre News, By Reuters
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| People travel by boat past buildings flooded by Typhoon Damrey in the ancient UNESCO heritage town of Hoi An, Vietnam November 7, 2017. Photo: Reuters |
DANANG, Vietnam, Nov 8 — Vietnam’s deadliest storm this year, Typhoon Damrey, has killed 106 people, while dozens of dangerously full reservoirs release water as the southeast Asian nation prepares to host a regional summit.
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| Harvest Time by Oki Arisandi |
The winners of the photo contest were announced at the Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting by the APEC Secretariat’s Executive Director, Dr Alan Bollard, on Tuesday.
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| Sunset Life by Kiều Anh Dũng |
Kiều Anh Dũng of the Mekong Delta province of Bạc Liêu received the first prize for his work, Sunset Life. The second and third prize winners were Trương Vinh of HCM City for The Sea Flower and Trần Đình Thương of Bình Thuận Province’s Phan Thiết City for Building the Flower Industry, respectively. Tiếp tục đọc “VN grabs top prizes at APEC Photo Contest”
channelnewsasia
Questions are being asked about how, and whether, China can deliver the benefits of its multi-trillion-dollar initiative to connect a region with 62 per cent of the world’s population. Between The Lines debates the issue.
HONG KONG: In Myanmar, first a China-led dam project was suspended because of environmental and social problems. Then local protests about environmental damage have made the joint development of a copper mine a stop-start affair.
In Pakistan, there are internal differences over where the China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects should take place, with poorer provinces petitioning for more projects to be directed towards them instead of Punjab.
Such snags on the ground, among other things, are raising questions about how, and whether, Beijing can deliver on the grand vision of its Belt and Road initiative ushering in a new era of globalisation in Asia, Europe and Africa.
That was an issue debated in a recent Between the Lines episode looking at the implementation of China’s multi-trillion-dollar push to connect a region with 62 per cent of the world’s population. (Watch the episode here)
One thing is clear: Lessons have to be learnt. “The Chinese authorities as well as the business community have to go through a soul-searching process,” said commentator Professor Joseph Cheng, one of four discussants on the programme.
CULTIVATE PEOPLE, NOT JUST GOVERNMENTS
Their suggestions included taking care of local communities, doing good work, such as community projects to build good relations – and not only good public relations – as well as learning the local culture.
“Certainly, some Chinese corporations working in Myanmar were or have been perceived as looking down on the local people, not showing adequate respect for the local people,” said Prof Cheng. “It isn’t enough just to deal with the government.”
Other characteristics of Chinese investment and participation in infrastructure projects have also led to complaints.
“China has a lot of manpower, so when it takes part in projects, it not only brings along engineers, it also brings along skilful technicians, skilled labour and so on,” noted Prof Cheng.
So this means very little employment opportunities for local labour.
This contrasts with, say, the American viewpoint that bringing engineers to developing countries is costly, he added.
Some of the Chinese workers also start restaurants, small supermarkets and “even take over a segment, sometimes a very substantial segment, of the restaurant business and so on”. Tiếp tục đọc “One Belt, One Trap? A debate over who benefits from China’s new silk road”
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, in an apparent policy shift, said on Wednesday he planned to ask China to make clear its intentions in the disputed South China Sea during Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Vietnam.
MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, in an apparent policy shift, said on Wednesday he planned to ask China to make clear its intentions in the disputed South China Sea during Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Vietnam. Tiếp tục đọc “Philippines to ask China to clarify its intentions in disputed sea”
By Matthew Tostevin and Mai Nguyen
DANANG, Vietnam (Reuters) – Canada said on Wednesday it would not be rushed into a revived Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal as the 11 remaining members met in Vietnam to discuss the pact ditched by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Tiếp tục đọc “Canada says won’t be rushed on TPP trade deal at Asia-Pacific meeting”
A news conference planned for late Wednesday was canceled as the talks dragged on, and APEC officials said they would continue on Thursday. The ministers were due to endorse a draft of a statement their leaders in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum usually issue at the end of the annual summit. Tiếp tục đọc “Silence on Pacific Rim ministers’ talks ahead of APEC summit”
Tran Thanh Huong in Hoang Mai district in Hanoi, who has a son in primary school, always encourages the boy to spend more time to relax. She thinks that he spends too much time on studying and doing homework.
The mother has a PhD and had to study hard overseas to obtain the doctorate. However, she doesn’t think that her son needs to study too hard day and night. Spending many years overseas, she saw how foreign students study, Tiếp tục đọc “Should children be allowed to ‘grow up naturally’, or shaped in certain ways?”
VietNamNet Bridge – On the tourist routes of central Viet Nam, Hoi An ancient town offers a change of pace from the normal hustle and bustle of cities. The small town boasts mossy old churches, temples and wooden houses dotted along small lanes shadowed with green and flowery climbing vines.
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| Drifting: Riding a coracle is among the most popular activities. |
While many visitors stroll the ancient town, enjoy local cuisine and purchase souvenirs, they may miss out on seeing life in the traquil villages in the area, where locals plant vegetables and fish. Thanks to a crop of local tour companies, tourists may participate in homestays to join villagers in their work. Tiếp tục đọc “Tours offer glimpse of Hoi An countryside”
CVD 