Who are the Rohingya Muslims?

Al Jazeera

Why are the more than one million Rohingya in Myanmar considered the ‘world’s most persecuted minority’?

Newly arrived Rohingya refugees sit inside a shelter at the Kutupalang refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]

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Who are the Rohingya?

The Rohingya are often described as “the world’s most persecuted minority”.

They are an ethnic Muslim group who have lived for centuries in the majority Buddhist Myanmar. Currently, there are about 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims who live in the Southeast Asian country.

The Rohingya speak Rohingya or Ruaingga, a dialect that is distinct to others spoken in Rakhine State and throughout Myanmar. They are not considered one of the country’s 135 official ethnic groups and have been denied citizenship in Myanmar since 1982, which has effectively rendered them stateless. Tiếp tục đọc “Who are the Rohingya Muslims?”

Escaping the clutches of sex trafficking in Thailand

Al Jazeera 30 July 2017

An Uzbek woman who was trafficked to Thailand and forced to sell sex shares the story of her escape.

Sex trafficking victim in Thailand: ‘She caught me. I didn’t know what to do. She took my passport and I had to go back to work.’ [Paula Bronstein/Getty Images]

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It’s nearly 10pm and Umida* is cooking dinner – a simple meal of rice and meat for the 11 members of her household who have been stuck inside the house all day due to Uzbekistan’s intense summer heat.

Since emerging as an independent nation in 1991, after nearly 200 years of Russian and then Soviet rule, Uzbekistan has slowly seen some economic progress. But poverty and unemployment remain high and many Uzbeks travel abroad for work. This leaves the men, women and children vulnerable to forced labour and sex trafficking. Tiếp tục đọc “Escaping the clutches of sex trafficking in Thailand”

China demands Indonesia rescind decision to rename part of South China Sea

 channenewsasia

 
Indonesia’s Deputy Minister for Maritime Affairs Arif Havas Oegroseno points at the location of North Natuna Sea on a new map of Indonesia during talks with reporters in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 14, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta

JAKARTA: China has demanded that Indonesia rescind a decision to rename its maritime area in the southwest part of South China Sea to North Natuna Sea.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry sent an official note to the Indonesian embassy in Beijing expressing its opposition to Jakarta’s Jul 14 move, when it unveiled a new official map of the national archipelago that revealed its renaming of the area. Tiếp tục đọc “China demands Indonesia rescind decision to rename part of South China Sea”

Donald Trump’s policies worry Muslims at Hajj

Al Jazeera

Pilgrims say people are irritated, angry, and worried about US president’s policies targeting Muslims.

Hajj is a five-day ritual retracing the journey the Prophet Mohammad took 14 centuries ago [Reuters]

American, Canadian and British pilgrims in Mecca this week for the annual Hajj say they are worried about the policies of US President Donald Trump targeting Muslims.

“People are irritated, angry, sombre, a little bit worried,” said Yasir Qadhi, an Islamic scholar who travelled from Tennessee for his fourteenth pilgrimage. Tiếp tục đọc “Donald Trump’s policies worry Muslims at Hajj”

Kem Sokha detained during Cambodia police raid

Al Jazeera

Government cites ‘secret conspiracy’ for nighttime arrest of main opposition leader Kem Sokha.

Cambodia National Rescue Party leader Kem Sokha casts his vote during June elections [Samrang Pring/Reuters]

Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha was arrested in Phnom Penh early on Sunday and the government of veteran Prime Minister Hun Sen said he was accused of treason.

The government said in a statement it had a video clip and other evidence that pointed to “secret plans of conspiracy between Kem Sokha, others and foreigners to harm the Kingdom of Cambodia”. Tiếp tục đọc “Kem Sokha detained during Cambodia police raid”

Luu Bao craft village of steamed rice pancakes and griddle-cakes

Last update 09:00 | 30/08/2017

 The Luu Bao craft village of steamed rice pancakes and griddle-cakes was founded in the late 15th century. Its traditional craft has been preserved through generations.

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Luu Bao steamed rice pancakes and griddle-cakes are highly favored in and around Hue City for their good flavor, low price, and reliable food hygiene. Tiếp tục đọc “Luu Bao craft village of steamed rice pancakes and griddle-cakes”

Education Ministry’s decision on suspending online competitions stirs controversy

 vietnamnet

Last update 08:10 | 01/09/2017
Education Ministry’s decision on suspending online competitions stirs controversy
VietNamNet Bridge – Many people have supported the Ministry of Education & Training’s (MOET) decision to temporarily stop Math and English competitions because they think the competition puts pressure on teachers and students, while others believe it would be unreasonable to remove them.vietnam economy, business news, vn news, vietnamnet bridge, english news, Vietnam news, news Vietnam, vietnamnet news, vn news, Vietnam net news, Vietnam latest news, Vietnam breaking news, IMO, Do Duc Thai, MOET
Explaining MOET’s decision, deputy director of Secondary Education Department Nguyen Xuan Thanh said there are numerous competitions for students and many of them overlap.Many students attend competitions just because they offer them privileges on entrance exams to secondary and high schools. At some schools, the scores students get from competitions are used as an assessment of students’ and teachers’ capability. This all causes an overload for students and teachers, and badly affects the education results.

Many students attend competitions just because they offer them privileges on entrance exams to secondary and high schools. At some schools, the scores students get from competitions are used as an assessment of students’ and teachers’ capability.

Tiếp tục đọc “Education Ministry’s decision on suspending online competitions stirs controversy”

Sugar mills await policies to produce electricity from bagasse

Last update 08:13 | 01/09/2017

VietNamNet Bridge – The amount of bagasse, a sugarcane byproduct, that Vietnamese throw away every year could be used to generate billions of kwh of electricity.

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Bagasse can be a source of environmentally friendly renewable energy. Brazil, the Philippines and Thailand all take full advantage of sugarcane by-products – bagasse – to generate electricity. And so can Vietnam. Tiếp tục đọc “Sugar mills await policies to produce electricity from bagasse”

New energy sources: households can generate solar power

Last update 08:23 | 31/08/2017
VietNamNet Bridge – More and more households plan to install solar panels on their roofs to generate electricity. Once EVN completes its policy on electricity purchase, households will be able to join the electric power market.vietnam economy, business news, vn news, vietnamnet bridge, english news, Vietnam news, news Vietnam, vietnamnet news, vn news, Vietnam net news, Vietnam latest news, Vietnam breaking news, solar energy, EVN, electricity price

Research shows that HCM City has an abundant source of energy from sunlight, with high radiation, about 1,581 kWh/m2/year on average. The highest radiation level of 6.3 kWh/m2/day can be obtained in February and the lowest of 3.3 KWh/m2/day in July. There are 100-300 sunny hours every month.

HCM City residents not only can use sunlight to heat water, but can also generate electricity with solar panels installed on their roofs. Tiếp tục đọc “New energy sources: households can generate solar power”

Hungry wild elephants hurt domestic ones

Last update 16:40 | 31/08/2017

Shrinking and degrading wild elephant habitats in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak have led to a shortage of food and more conflicts between wild and domestic animals, according to Director of the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Centre Huynh Trung Luan.

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Degrading wild elephant habitats in Dak Lak province have led to a shortage of food and more conflicts between wild and domestic animals.

The locality has witnessed five conflicts between wild and domestic elephants since March. The wild animals, in group of six to seven, have reportedly been approaching forest ranger stations and residential areas to search for food and attack domestic ones. They hurt seven animals of the centre and killed another in Krong Na commune, Buon Don district. Tiếp tục đọc “Hungry wild elephants hurt domestic ones”

Conference spotlights recovery of central marine ecology

Last update 19:21 | 31/08/2017

A conference took place in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue on August 31 to discuss the protection and resilience of the marine ecosystem in the waters in the four central regions that suffered from mass fish deaths last year.

Conference spotlights recovery of central marine ecology, Vietnam environment, climate change in Vietnam, Vietnam weather, Vietnam climate, pollution in Vietnam, environmental news, sci-tech news, vietnamnet bridge, english news, Vietnam news, news Vietna

Mass fish deaths, caused by wastewater discharged by Taiwan’s Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh steel company, were first reported in Ha Tinh on April 6, 2016. The incident also occurred in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue.

As a result, more than 200 kilometres of coastline were polluted, devastating the marine environment and local economies of those provinces, which largely rely on fishing and tourism. Tiếp tục đọc “Conference spotlights recovery of central marine ecology”

Will HCM City build dykes similar to those used in the Netherlands?

Last update 08:10 | 31/08/2017

VietNamNet Bridge – With increased land subsidence, HCM City needs to build dykes like the ones used in the Netherlands to prevent tides and floods, experts have urged.

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HCM City Mayor Nguyen Thien Nhan said MONRE has surveyed the soil and terrain conditions at 17 points in HCMC. The monitoring shows continued subsidence at all points. Subsidence of up to 30 cm in the last 10 years has been found in two places.

“If the soil sinks by 1 cm per annum and the sea water level rises by 0.5 cm per annum, or 1.5 cm in total, the difference between the earth surface and sea water level would be up to 45 cm. If so, the problem will be very serious,” Nhan said. Tiếp tục đọc “Will HCM City build dykes similar to those used in the Netherlands?”

Experts divided on recognizing bitcoins, VN central bank says no

Last update 16:00 | 01/09/2017
VietNamNet Bridge – Hundreds of thousands of retail points in Japan are accepting payments in bitcoin for both online and on-the-spot transactions. vietnam economy, business news, vn news, vietnamnet bridge, english news, Vietnam news, news Vietnam, vietnamnet news, vn news, Vietnam net news, Vietnam latest news, Vietnam breaking news, bitcoin, SBV, Ministry of Justice

The Vietnamese government has approved a plan for a legal framework to manage and deal with electronic money, virtual assets and currencies. This has raised hopes that bitcoin and other virtual currencies would be accepted for legal payment in Vietnam.

Vo Minh Hoang, a gamer in HCMC, said bitcoin is being used by gamers all over the world. There are games that allow people to play and receive bitcoins, while other games allow users to buy game products with bitcoins. Tiếp tục đọc “Experts divided on recognizing bitcoins, VN central bank says no”