Elderly tell the US to stop interfering



HANOI (July 24, 2003)— Viet Nam’s lawyers and elderly citizens have issued statements coming down heavily on proposed US legislation that links aid to Viet Nam with human rights.

The Lawyers Association, "strongly" rejected the amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorisation Act, said it seriously breaches the basic principles of international law and brazenly interferes in Viet Nam’s internal affairs.

Foreign lawyers permitted to operate in Viet Nam

Thu, 07/24/2003 - 17:41


(07/24/2003 -- 12:34GMT+7)

Ha Noi, July 24 (VNA) - Foreign lawyers' organisations and foreign lawyers are now allowed to operate in Viet Nam under a decree signed on Tuesday by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.

This decree stipulates that the Vietnamese Government will ensure non-discrimination among foreign lawyers' organisations and foreign lawyers practising in Viet Nam and will protect their ownership of their investment capital and other legal interests.

DOC's tax decision on Vietnamese fish fillets slammed


(07/22/2003 -- 21:08GMT+7)

Ha Noi, July 22 (VNA) - The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has ignored proper information on Viet Nam's "tra" and "basa" catfish rearing and export, aiming to levy an absurdly high import tax on Vietnamese "tra" and "basa" fish fillets, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Phan Thuy Thanh said on Tuesday as she commented on DOC's July 18 decision to raise the import tax on Vietnamese frozen "tra" and "basa" catfish fillets.

Vietnam to tap around 30m tonnes of crude

Tue, 07/22/2003 - 17:51

Nhandan.org.vn, July 22, 2003

Vietnam's oil and gas industry plans to extract between 30-32 million tonnes of crude equivalent and between 12-19 billion cubic metres of gas by 2010, meeting 60-70% of domestic demand for oil and gas products.

Officials forecast the demand for oil and gas products to jump from 12 million tonnes in 2005 to 17 million tonnes in 2010 and 26 million tonnes by 2020.

Seafood exporters association protests DoC’s unfair ruling

Nhandan.org.vn, July 22, 2003

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers on July 21condemned a decision issued by the US Department of Commerce (DoC) to again raise tariffs on imports of tra and basa fillets from Vietnam, saying it goes counter to the spirit of free trade.

"The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) is particularly irked by the July 18 DoC decision to even raise its tariffs higher compared with the previous decision on June 18," VASEP said in a statement.

Vietnam Buddhist Sangha develops together with nation

Tue, 07/22/2003 - 17:48

Nhandan.org.vn, July 22, 2003

Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu, vice permanent president of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), has confirmed that VBS has always joined the nation in every step of development. The most venerable condemned the liking human rights conditions on non-humanitarian aid to Vietnam, considering it a brazen interference into Vietnam's internal affairs, ignoring the international law.

The Great Catfish War

The New York Times, July 22, 2003

For Tran Vu Long, who lives atop his floating catfish trap on the Mekong River near the border with Cambodia, the recent biannual harvest day was not the joyous payday it usually is. Mr. Long, a 35-year-old Vietnamese catfish farmer, sold his flapping fish — 40 tons' worth, all painstakingly weighed and carried in bamboo buckets onto the trading company's launch — at a loss of some $2,000, a small fortune here.

Statement by Vietnam-US Association



The Vietnam-US Association issued a statement on July 16, protesting the approval of the US House of Representatives regarding some additional provisions of the Bill HR 1950 submitted by the Department of State. The statement is as follows:

Statement by VN's Foreign Ministry Spokesman on Smith Amendment

Thu, 07/17/2003 - 10:29

STATEMENT BY THE SPOKESMAN OF THE VIETNAMESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

On 15 July 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives approved several amendments to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of the 2004 – 2005 fiscal year, including one concerning Vietnam which imposes human rights conditions on and links them to non-humanitarian assistance to Vietnam.

Statement by VN's Foreign Ministry Spokesman on Smith Amendment

STATEMENT BY THE SPOKESMAN OF THE VIETNAMESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

On 15 July 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives approved several amendments to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of the 2004 – 2005 fiscal year, including one concerning Vietnam which imposes human rights conditions on and links them to non-humanitarian assistance to Vietnam.

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