Civilian caravan attacked in Ukraine, military says

Civilians, including women and children, have been killed in an attack on a caravan of refugees in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region, the Ukrainian military said Monday.

The civilians were trying to escape fighting between pro-Russian rebels and the Ukrainian military but were not in an established humanitarian safety corridor when they came under fire, a military representative said.

The civilians were being escorted by the Ukrainian military from the towns of Khryaschuvate and Novosvitlivka when they were attacked at 9:40 a.m. local time (2:40 a.m. ET), the Kiev-recognized Luhansk Regional Government said.

A government representative confirmed that there had been "heavy gunfire" in the area and that the victims had been unable to call for help as mobile phone towers were down.

Ukrainian Col. Andriy Lysenko told CNN that "terrorists" had attacked the caravan with guns from Russia.

Lysenko later told media that preliminary information indicated that the attack had been an ambush. The caravan was almost destroyed, and tens of people were killed, he said. Lysenko said that people had been registering to leave with the caravan for several days before the attack.

Ukraine's state information agency reported that Grad launchers and mortars had been fired at those trying to leave the war zone.

There had been 25 battles in the past 24 hours, with government forces regaining part of the city of Luhansk, Lysenko said. "Luhansk is almost fully encircled, and the operation to free it is going on right now," he said.

The rebels had used Uragan rocket launchers for the first time, Lysenko said.

Ukraine on Sunday reported gains against the rebels, saying the army had entered Donetsk and raised the Ukrainian flag in front of the district's police offices. Ukrainian forces also regained control of the strategic town of Yasynuvata in Donetsk in the southeastern part of the country, according to the official Twitter account of President Petro Poroshenko.

On Monday, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported that the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic had announced the death penalty would be introduced "for the gravest crimes."

Once the war ended, the group would step "on the path of humanization of the criminal law," RIA Novosti quoted a DPR minister as saying, after a meeting of its council Sunday.

Humanitarian agencies say thousands of people in the region don't have access to water, electricity and proper medical aid.

Ongoing fighting downed power lines and stopped Donetsk city's water treatment plant from working Sunday, the City Council said. The Donetsk City Council announced on its website that the water supply would be cut off starting at 9 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET). In a new statement Monday, it said the supply remained disrupted, with fighting hindering repairs.

Ukrainian officials acknowledged Sunday that a convoy of more than 260 Russian vehicles on the border is, in fact, carrying humanitarian aid, a statement on the Ukrainian Cabinet website said.

Ukraine received an inventory of the supplies Saturday, which was signed by the head of the regional International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation to Russia.

Ebola facility in Liberia attacked; patients flee

 Ebola patients fled during an attack at a health care facility in Monrovia, Liberia, on Saturday, Liberian National Police spokesman Sam Collins said.

All patients who ran away had Ebola, Collins said.

But some patients chose to stay at the facility. And by Monday, some who left had returned, he said.

Health workers were looking for the other patients.

No one was injured in the incident, Collins said. The assailants were using weapons but not wielding guns. They stole mattresses and equipment, Collins said.

"It was an attack from people afraid of Ebola," Collins told CNN. "Everybody is afraid."

Since an Ebola epidemic was declared in Guinea in March, the disease has spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. Ebola can be contracted by coming into contact with infected organs and body fluids such as blood, saliva, urine and other secretions.

In the deadly disease's current outbreak in those countries, 712 people have died from Ebola and 1,310 people are Liberia confirmed to be infected with the virus, the World Health Organization reports.

Tolbert Nyenswah, Liberia's assistant minister of health, told CNN that as of Friday, 154 people in the nation have died from Ebola. There are more cases in which patients are suspected to have the disease, but that information has not been confirmed, he said.

Last week, Liberia's government said that sample doses of ZMapp, an experimental drug used to treat two American health care workers in Atlanta, Georgia, would be sent to Liberia to treat doctors who have contracted the virus.

The drug arrived and was given to three doctors, Nyenswah told CNN. He said the Liberian government is in talks to try to get more.

The country had requested the drug, and the White House and U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it.

ZMapp has not been tested for public use. Earlier, the company that makes ZMapp said its supply was exhausted after fulfilling a request of a West African country which it did not, at the time, name.

Liberia has taken other measures to try to contain the virus.

In late July, it closed most of its borders and national campaigns have been launched to educate the public about how Ebola is spread and what to do if someone comes into contact with an infected person.

On Sunday, Cameroon's information minister told CNN that the country was closing its border with Nigeria over Ebola concerns.

Issa Tchiroma Bakari said that all flights to and from Nigeria into and out of Cameroon are suspended.

People in Cameroon and Nigeria cross borders daily for commercial and personal reasons.

Police put brakes on ride

About 100 security officers were deployed in the capital’s Meanchey district yesterday to stop a bicycle ride involving only about 30 environmentalists, some of whom were dressed as animals.

Before many of the young activists had arrived at the office of NGO Mother Nature, which organised the ride to raise awareness about a planned hydropower dam in Koh Kong province’s Areng Valley, police and district security guards had gathered on either side of the office gates.

When a truck carrying bikes for the activists arrived outside the Mother Nature office at about 2pm, police instructed the driver to take the bikes to the local police station, where they were impounded.

After activists gathered together on other bikes outside, a bizarre standoff with the security forces ensued, as activists dressed as animals posed for photos in front of the helmeted district security guards.

Heng Samnang, a youth member of Mother Nature, said the authorities had already banned the group from riding on Saturday and had issued warnings that they would be arrested if they continued to organise bike rides.

“The commune authorities surrounded the office yesterday as well. They said that they would arrest us if we kept trying to ride our bikes around town for the Areng Valley,” he said.

At about 4pm, after several attempts to negotiate with the security forces to stand down and allow the riders to pass, the activists retreated indoors, and the police began to disperse without incident.

The planned Stung Cheay Areng hydropower dam has come up against staunch opposition from residents of the valley, activists and experts.

Late last year, Chinese mega-firm Sinohydro took over from the previous contractor, China Guodian, to assess the area and determine whether it would push ahead with the construction of the dam.

Since mid-March, villagers in the Areng Valley and their supporters have blocked an access road in an attempt to stop Sinohydro bringing in machinery and workers.

In the five months the villagers have blocked the road, numerous attempts have been made by company representatives and officials to enter the valley.

“It’s just a show of force,” said Mother Nature founder Alex Gonzalez-Davidson, who spoke at length with the police during the stand-off yesterday to diffuse any potential tensions.

“Areng is recognised by UNESCO, so it belongs to all Cambodians and the people in this world. We cannot stop protesting until we win because the Chinese company, Sinohydro, plans to build the hydropower dam, which will affect the valley’s natural resources,” he explained. “There are at least 31 endangered species in the area and it’s the last strong forest in the country.”

The Areng Valley at the edge of the Cardamom Mountain range is home to endangered Siamese crocodiles and a large wild elephant population, as well as numerous other vulnerable species.

The Mother Nature event followed separate protests in the capital last week that were mostly free of the security presence that public demonstrations have attracted this year.

Hak Chanleang, Meanchey district deputy governor, said the authorities had blocked yesterday’s ride because the activists had not identified what route they planned to take or filled out the proper paperwork.

“If they want to protect the environment, we ask that they apply for permission from Phnom Penh Municipal Hall and I believe City Hall will allow them, but they have not asked for permission,” he said.

However, Mother Nature representatives said they informed City Hall of their plans in line with the requirements in the Law on Demonstrations.

City Hall spokesman Long Dimanche claimed the activists would be allowed to hold a protest in the future.

“We will allow them to hold demonstrations, but protocols should be followed because we need to prepare many things for them, such as security and public order. But the most important thing is that they did not follow the rules at all,” he said.

But Am Sam Ath, technical adviser for Licadho, said the activists did not have to apply for permission from the authorities under the demonstrations law.

“All they have to do is inform the authorities five days in advance,” he said.

Mu Sochua, an opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker, decried yesterday’s show of force by the authorities.

“I have nothing but regrets to see that the government continues to reject the right of the people to participate in development, especially in preserving the environment,” she said.

“All the factors of the militarisation of the police force … for the so-called protection of the people, it’s alarming and unacceptable. It’s going to lead to more violence and injustice for people who are only trying to express their rights.”

Third Kilo submarine to arrive in Vietnam in November

According to Interfax-AVN, Vietnamese sailors are practicing with the submarine at sea, which is the second training phase at sea. The first phase training took place from July 1 to 20 in the waters of Hogland Island.

“In the first phase, the submarine was in the water for 57 hours," Interfax-AVN said.

On August 20 the ship will return to the shipyard and will then return to sea 10 days later. It is expected to be delivered to Vietnam.

The fourth submarine in the contract to build six submarines for Vietnam is being tested at sea by the shipyard, while the fifth and the sixth ships are being built. The launch of the sixth ship is scheduled in September next year.

Besides building the submarines, Russia will help train Vietnamese sailors and provide equipment and technical supplies.

Varshavyanka (Kilo) submarines are the most advanced type in the contemporary world. The length of the vessel is 74 meters, and the width 10 meters. Their deepest submerging level is 300 meters, and they have an underwater speed of up to 37 km/h. The submarine can run automatically for 45 days and nights.

The Kilo submarines are equipped with the "Club" missile complex which is capable of projecting power at a distance of 300 km. The unique feature of this submarine is its extremely low noise. Western experts call Varshavyanka submarines the "black holes in the ocean."

Pro-government protesters hit back with huge Hong Kong rally

Just call it the anti-protest protest.

Tens of thousands of people marched through Hong Kong yesterday in support of China and to protest Occupy Central, a pro-democracy movement that says it will plan to stage a civil disobedience sit-in unless the Chinese government allows the Hong Kong public to nominate and vote for its next leader.

Robert Chow, the organizer of Sunday's march, said it represented Hong Kong's desire to work "peacefully" with the Chinese government in Beijing on political reform.

"We want universal suffrage, but not at any cost," he told CNN Monday.

The pro-government march followed the same route as Hong Kong's massive annual anti-government, pro-democracy rally on July 1, but the tenor was markedly different: Sunday's marchers were arranged into organized groups wearing matching t-shirts, some emblazoned with names of mainland Chinese organizations. Many waved Chinese flags.

Paid protester claim

Local media swirled with reports of marchers getting paid or bused in to attend the pro-government march. Onevideo (Cantonese) purportedly showed cash being handed out to marchers. Other images appeared to show marchers getting paid and enjoying free food in a dim-sum restaurant.

Chow said he took the bribery accusations "seriously" and would "investigate" but maintained that no laws were broken.

There were also conflicting reports on the size of the march. Chow said his group counted a "quarter million" marchers, but an estimate by University of Hong Kong statisticians put the number much lower, between 79,000 and 88,000.

By contrast, July's pro-democracy rally drew between 154,000 and 172,000, according to the university.

Pictures taken by reporters appeared to show a noticeably thinner crowd on Sunday than the crowd in July, but Chow said the difference was because "we were marching very, very fast."

Cambodia Defends Flag Burning Protest as ‘Freedom of Expression’

 
Cambodia on Friday defended a group of demonstrators who burned a flag of Vietnam in front of Hanoi’s embassy, saying the act was part of freedom of expression allowed in the country, rebuffing demands from the neighbor that they be punished.

Cambodian Ministry of Interior Spokesman Khieu Sopheak said that the flag burning during a protest by the Khmer Krom ethnic minority would not affect relations between the two countries.

The demonstrators were simply “expressing their opinions in a democratic country,” he told RFA’s Khmer Service.

“Protesters commonly burn flags around the world—it may be unethical, but as long as it is done during a lawful protest, it is acceptable,” he said.

Khieu Sopheak reminded Hanoi that protesters in Vietnam had frequently burned Chinese flags in demonstrations following Beijing’s deployment in May of an oil rig in disputed waters off Vietnam’s coast in the South China Sea.

Protests are extremely rare in Vietnam and are often brutally repressed by the authorities, as dissent is not tolerated in the one-party communist state.

Khieu Sopheak explained that the political systems of Cambodia and Vietnam are “different” and that Hanoi could not expect Phnom Penh to react the same way to protests by its citizens.

“Cambodia is different from Vietnam. Cambodia adheres to a form of liberal democracy with a multi-party system. Cambodia allows freedom of expression under the framework of the law,” he said.

“This incident does not represent or reflect the foreign policy of the Cambodian government and it does not affect Vietnamese-Cambodia relations. [The demonstrators] were simply expressing their opinions in a democratic country.”

Flag incident

On Aug. 12, some 600 Khmer Krom protesters gathered at the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh demanding an apology from Hanoi for a June statement made by an embassy official claiming that Khmer Kampuchea Krom provinces had long been under Vietnam’s control.

The embassy official, Trung Van Thong, had said that Khmer Kampuchea Krom, a region comprising much of present-day southern Vietnam, belonged to Vietnam even before it was officially ceded to it by France in 1949.

At one point during the demonstration, prominent monk and protester Seung Hai burned a Vietnamese flag, which was then stomped and spat upon, according to a report by the Cambodia Daily.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Hai Binh said in a statement on Wednesday that the act “ran counter to the fine traditional neighborliness between Vietnam and Cambodia and deliberately offended the feelings of the Vietnamese people,” according to a report by Vietnamese state media.

“Vietnam demands that Cambodia strictly try these extremists in accordance with the law and take effective measures to prevent similar actions from repeating in the future,” Binh said.

Khieu Sopheak on Friday called the protests over Thong’s statement warranted, adding that Vietnam had overreacted to the flag burning incident.

“The demand [of the protesters] was appropriate and [Le Hai Binh’s] comment [appears] to be his own personal point of view,” he told RFA.

“We respect the good relationship between the two friendly countries.”

Political capital

The demand for an apology from Vietnam over Thong’s statement has also been taken up by opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) leader Sam Rainsy.

“If the Vietnamese Embassy does not apologize, the Cambodian people should use their fingerprints to file a petition to oust [Thong] from his post and force him out of Cambodia,” Sam Rainsy said Friday.

Last week, Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed the hope that the CNRP would refrain from whipping up anti-Vietnam sentiment for political gain.

CNRP lawmakers had recently rejoined parliament after breaking a political deadlock with Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) following disputed elections in July last year.

The CNRP has accused Hun Sen of being a "puppet" of neighboring Vietnam. Many Cambodians are wary of Vietnam’s influence over their country’s affairs.

An estimated 1.7 million people, or one in four Cambodians, died in what came to be called the “Killing Fields” after the ultra-Communist Khmer Rouge took power in 1975. The regime was unseated when Vietnam invaded the country four years later.

Vietnam occupied the country for a decade before withdrawing its troops and signing the Paris Peace Agreement to restore sovereignty and stability to Cambodia.

History

France’s Cochinchina colony, which included the former provinces of Kampuchea Krom, was officially ceded to Vietnam in 1949, but had been under Vietnamese control since the mid-17th century.

One of the most important seaports of Kampuchea Krom, once called Prey Nokor, is now known as Ho Chi Minh City—the financial hub of Vietnam and one of the largest cities in Southeast Asia.

Since Hanoi took control, the Khmer Krom living in Vietnam—believed to number considerably more than one million and who are ethnically similar to most Cambodians—have increasingly faced social persecution and strict religious controls, according to U.S.-based Human Rights Watch.

On the other side of the border, the Khmer Krom who leave Vietnam for Cambodia remain one of the country’s “most disenfranchised groups,” Human Rights Watch said.

Risking it all for rosewood

At dawn on the Dangrek Mountain range, 62-year-old logger Suon Song* uses an empty beer can to boil water for his morning coffee. He’ll need it to stay alert during the illegal and dangerous work ahead, after the first of several sleepless nights in the densely forested terrain that forms a natural border between Cambodia and Thailand.

Each logger carries up 70kg of wood Heng Chivoan

Since Song and his two companions began felling trees in the forest in 2001, they have faced countless encounters with the black-clad Thai soldiers that patrol the area, many of which have featured gunfire. One has been shot and survived.
The three neighbours, originally from Prey Veng province and now living in Oddar Meanchey, are among what they estimate to be 1,000 Cambodians who risk their lives each year crossing the border in search of endangered Siamese rosewood and other luxury wood.
Last year, according to the Ministry of Interior, 69 Cambodians were shot dead while illegally crossing the Thai border. In March this year, 12 were said to have been killed in a single day.
“No one wants to risk their lives like this – if we could earn a living by any other means, we would,” says Song.
These two- or three-day trips, which the group makes together many times a month, begin with uncertainty. A Post Weekend reporter accompanied them for the first night of the trip, as they ventured out into the mountains.
Ahead of the journey, as Suon Sokunthea* packs her things (rice, rice pot, dried fish and other necessities) into a small bag, she doesn’t know whether she will be in Thailand or Cambodia that afternoon.
“It depends on the wood,” the thirtysomething mother says. “If we spot the trees in our territories, we will do it there, but if we find nothing, we will make up our minds to risk life and limb finding rosewood in Thailand.”
While many of the Oddar Meanchey villagers in this line of work collaborate with middlemen who work with soldiers on checkpoints along the border, she, Song and Suong Sothea*, another neighbour, work independently so as to save the money.
The officers, Sokunthea explains, buy the timber from the middlemen and allow the villagers safe passage, indicating where the best wood is to be found. But the group sets off without a clear destination.
“Crossing the border is our last choice, and our lives are at risk, but we do not want to come home empty-handed,” she explains. “We want to come back with some money, whether it is a lot or a little, because our children waiting at home need food to eat.”

A chainsaw is used to cut the wood Heng Chivoan

The foot of the mountain range lies about 5 kilometres from the village, and the group travels by road. Once there, Song stashes his motorbike in the undergrowth. The life of a logger is risky, he says – he has to be wary all the time.
It’s a four-hour trek through the forest to the summit, which is divided between Cambodia and Thailand and is home to most of the luxury wood. There are a handful of checkpoints, but mostly it’s unclear which part of the forest belongs to which country, meaning they never know when soldiers might appear.
To ensure their safety, the group sticks to hard and fast rules. While they carry chainsaws, trees are felled by hand when the group believes they are in Thai territory, to avoid attracting the attention of the soldiers.
The actual logging is only done under cover of darkness – daytime is reserved for finding the wood.
“We take turns to watch every direction when we are busy cutting… Whenever one of us sees something strange, we drop all our things and run for our lives,” says Song. “Sometimes we run away from our own shadows.”
Trudging through the forest, Song wishes the rains would come. That’s the safest time of day – when the Thai soldiers won’t come out to patrol.
“We never think about being cold,” he explains. “What we want is the quickest way to transport the wood back to Cambodia, so we can live for another day.”
Of the three in this party, fifty-something Sothea has come closest to being killed. Her leg bears the scars of a bullet wound.

One of the loggers collects water from inside the wood Heng Chivoan

In the past, Sokunthea has discovered the bodies of Cambodians shot by soldiers. Most of those who die are new to the trade, she says, and are not familiar enough with the terrain to know where is best to run away.
But, this time, the group makes a happier discovery among the undergrowth: an agarwood stump, and two tnong trees.
After rosewood, the tnong tree is the most lucrative find. These stumps are likely the handiwork of loggers working with Thai and Cambodian soldiers, the group believes.
It will take two days to dig them out: a laborious process.
Each villager can carry between 60kg to 70kg, which they can sell for $70 or $80 in the village.
But the return from the mountain will be fraught. Once they have hauled the wood to the foot, the group is usually confronted by soldiers, who demand bribes. If the loggers try to escape, the timber will be seized.
The loggers lose about 70 per cent of their potential earnings this way. If the wood is worth $100, the workers will take home about $30.
“We are faced with many difficulties, and sometimes we cannot eat rice for two days – but the bosses earn a lot of profit,” says Song.

Logger Suon Song sips water collected in a banana leaf Heng Chivoan

Touch Ra, deputy director of the Chaom-Sa Ngaom border checkpoint in Oddar Meanchey province, acknowledges that Cambodian soldiers facilitate and in some cases drive the illegal logging trade in the province.
Measures to stop people from crossing the border are not perfect, because the soldiers urge them to continue, he said.
“It is true that some soldiers have been involved in the crime, but I do not know which ones yet,” said Ra.
Once in the hands of the middlemen, the wood then makes its way to China, where the desire for faux antique furniture has left a “bloody trail of death, violence and corruption in its wake”, according to a May report by global NGO the Environmental Investigation Agency.
As a result, the Chinese government bears some responsibility for the loss of life that occurs in the procurement of wood, said Ouch Leng, director of the Cambodian Human Rights Task Force.
“The soldiers along the border receive the advantages from those villagers who risk their lives, so the responsibility for the shooting of Cambodian people who cross the border lies with the Chinese government, since China buys the luxury timber,” Leng said.

Loggers Suon Song and Suong Sothea light a campfire Heng Chivoan

In an order on the prevention and crackdown on logging dated February 22, 2013, Prime Minister Hun Sen said: “If there is a border crossing involved, the commander of the unit which is standing at that point has to be responsible to the government.”
Back at the summit of the mountains, it all seems unfair to the three loggers.
The villagers in their poverty-ridden district have limited employment alternatives, and even this dangerous job barely feeds their families, says Sothea.
“I have done this job for years and have saved nothing to show for it, only this scar from the Thai soldiers - but I am lucky that I didn’t die.”
*Names have been changed to protect identities.

More are charged over park protest

 
Two more opposition supporters have been summonsed to appear in court for questioning over their alleged involvement in a violent protest near Freedom Park, a move that threatens to further destabilise relations with the ruling party mere weeks after an agreement was reached to end a historic boycott of parliament.Thirty-five-year-old An Paktham, a member of the Cambodia National Rescue Party youth wing, and 51-year-old Pich Samnang, a tuk-tuk driver, have been charged with intentional violence and joining an insurrection against public civil servants.
According to summonses issued last week by Phnom Penh Municipal Court investigating judge Keo Mony, Paktham must appear in court on August 28 and Samnang on August 26. If they do not appear as scheduled, “we will issue the warrant of arrest”, Mony wrote.

During the July 15 protest, at which hundreds of CNRP supporters joined together to call for the government to reopen the then-heavily fortified Freedom Park, the crowd responded to the violent attempts of the notoriously aggressive Daun Penh security guards to disperse them with brutal mob beatings.Speaking to the Post, both Paktham and Samnang said they would appear in court, but rejected the charges.“Although it could ruin my life, I must go [defend myself] because I have never done anything bad to people, or even animals,” Samnang said. “If there is any evidence, please convict me. But if there is no clear evidence, I will probably sue Mr Keo Mony back.”
Samnang, who said he is not an official CNRP member, said that he carried a loudspeaker in his tuk-tuk to the protest.

“I am worried,” he said of his coming court date. If the courts were independent and neutral, he added, “I would not be worried.”Paktham also said he was not involved in any of the violence and was merely at the park as an observer, adding that rather than attacking the security guards, he tried to intervene to prevent the beatings.“When I appear [in court], I want to ask the judge who summonsed me what proof he had that I fought public civil servants,” Paktham said. “This issue is politically motivated because we are the youths of the [opposition],” he added.
Mony yesterday declined to comment on the case.The summonses bring the number of CNRP supporters and lawmakers called to court over the violence to 14.Three opposition party youth activists have yet to be granted bail.Last week, CNRP leader Sam Rainsy said continued arrests and a failure to drop the existing charges against party members would be taken as a sign that the Kingdom’s political crisis was still ongoing.

Focus should be on reducing prostitution's harm to society

Why do you think that Ha Noi's decision to introduce the measure to "out" people paying for sex will make prostitution a bigger issue for society?
At present, I'm conducting a survey on the sex trade in several different localities. Ultimately I want to use the findings to write a proposal with measures to reduce the negative impacts of prostitution on society, such as the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS.
Through my work, I can say that prostitution is ubiquitous in Viet Nam, be it in the cities or in remote rural areas.
Karaoke houses, rest-houses and hair salons have become venues for prostitutes to operate. Others have become more brazen, approaching people in the streets and asking if they want some "happy time" with attractive girls.
What are your thoughts on the measures introduced by the Ha Noi Anti-Social Vices Department to publicise the names of people paying for sex or force them to do community service activities, such as street sweeping?
Ha Noi and other cities have previously introduced strict measures to reduce the number of prostitutes, including sending them to rehabilitation centres to educate them and equip them with job skills so that they can become conscientious citizens after they're released.
But, we have realised that such measures don't work. When we have a problem, we should attempt to deal with it within itself. Trying to solve it by changing too many things will only create new problems. Now we want to list the names, ages and addresses of all the men caught in the act, so to speak, but I don't think it will work.
Men wanting to have sex outside their marriages still do it, but in a sneaky way. But more seriously, is that they are having unsafe sex and heightening the risk of spreading harmful diseases.
So far fines have failed to deter illegal prostitution. In your view, how can we solve this problem?
Paying for sex should not be considered as a decadent act as some people often think about it. When men live far away from their wives, paying for safe sex could be a way out for them. Or is the case for some single women, responding to nature's call - it is not a crime.
Looking at the issue from a human perspective, prostitution has helped to solve a sensitive social need. However, if we let prostitution take place in an uncontrolled environment, it will have serious consequences, including the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. We need to think about controlling prostitution in a rational way.
What are your suggestions to solve the problem?
Prostitution has become a very difficult and complicated issue to find an answer or control it.
In my opinion, we should tighten the granting of licenses to "sensitive" businesses, like hotels, restaurants, massage parlours and others. They should be located far away from residential areas and schools to help authorities to monitor their business and even intervene when necessary.
For the immediate future, if we cannot "eliminate" prostitution, we should come up with measures to reduce its negative impact on society.

Peace cannot be compromised or imposed: Deputy Defence Minister

Senior Lieutenant General Vinh made the statement in an interview granted to VNExpress on the sidelines of an international conference on multilateral diplomacy held recently in Hanoi. Following are excerpts from the interview.

 

Gen. Vinh, How does multilateral diplomacy impact on national defence and security?
This is the first time we have organised such a conference reviewing Vietnam’s engagement in regional and global cooperation structure. The participation of globally renowned politicians and scholars is testimony to the openness in Vietnam’s foreign policy. In other words, our policymaking is transparent.
On national defence, this multilateral forum is preventing conflicts and wars.
We have attended numerous international forums, let alone this forum in Hanoi. The fact is that our voice has been recognised internationally because Vietnam not only pays attention to its interest, but links them to the interests of other countries in the region and the rest of the world.
The recent tension in the East Sea is a case in point. Vietnam’s stance [of settling of territorial disputes through peaceful means and in accordance with international law] has received great support from the international community.
You have said ‘The world is totally in chaos if a self-localized nation self-imposes its will on common problems of the world’. In fact, chaos is erupting here and there. What is your opinion of this?
In a flat world, the interests of each country depend on the common development of the whole community. If a country imposes itself on other countries for its own best interests, it will eventually have to pay the price and sooner or later suffer defeat.
It is said that a big state wins over a smaller state, yet I think this development rule will not serve the big state well if the goal is to achieve sustainable peace. A country can use its power to coercively seize interests of another country, but it will forever face irresolvable serious consequences. Peace, stability and development cannot be achieved through coercion or imposition.
Looking back on Vietnam’s history, we won all the past wars waged by foreign aggression. We won not because we were more powerful than our enemies, but the world and our foes realised that they were unjust wars.
In multilateral relations, countries’ interests are different and even contradictory. What challenges is Vietnam confronted with in defending its sovereignty, especially at various multilateral forums where Vietnam has smaller voice?
In international relations, it is a normal occurrence that a contradiction may arise from countries in defending their interests. However, countries have many things in common that can be used to settle differences. Multilateral relations are to find out the common interests for cooperation and settle differences, playing by the rules.
At the Hanoi conference on multilateral diplomacy, the Prime Minister emphasized that Vietnam is shifting its position from ‘positive’ to ‘active’, contributing to building the rules. This is a common trend globally. General institutions will help countries avoid conflict and escalation.
In the face of challenges, we make public our proper behaviour, by raising the issue of not only our national sovereignty, but also the interests of other countries, notably security in the region and the world.
For example, if the East Sea is unilaterally controlled by a country, regional peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation is threatened, and this is the matter of not only Vietnam but the international community.
The biggest national defence lesson we have learnt is that a war ends in success only when it is a just or righteous war. The world should be fully aware of this lesson, so as to prevent a country taking any unilateral actions or using force against Vietnam.
Vietnam’s defence policy heightens peace and self-defence, but Vietnam will never accept peace through compromise and imposition.
Is a military cooperation agreement between countries of similar concern valuable to Vietnam given the current context?
In foreign relations in general and multilateral relations in particular, Vietnam does not target any country in defending its sovereignty. We need a consensus of all nations sharing common interests and affected if Vietnam's sovereignty is threatened.
Engaging in an alliance with a group of countries means we will restrict our interests in a local framework. The greatest strength of Vietnamese nation lies in the great national unity bloc, independence, self-reliance, and expanded relations under the motto of multilateralization and diversification of international relations.
Development must be based on trust, so how will Vietnam-China relations be improved following the recent setback?
Although there are a number of differences that need to be resolved in bilateral relations, Vietnam and China have huge interests to reconcile these differences. It is time to re-evaluate areas of bilateral relations.
China proposed putting aside disputes and developing together. We can accept this proposal only when both sides figure out where the dispute comes from, in accordance with international law, not carrying out unilateral actions, especially not using force or disguised force.
Strategic trust is developed from strategic interests. The more strategic interests, the more strategic trust grows. It is no easy task, but I believe both Vietnam and China are able to harmonise their interests for common development.

Americans charged in death of woman found in suitcase in Indonesia

 

Two Americans have been charged with murder in the death of a Chicago woman whose bloody body was found this week in a suitcase outside an Indonesian hotel, police in the Indonesian province of Bali said Friday.Heather Mack, 19, and Tommy Schaefer, 21, both of the Chicago area, have been charged with murder in the death of Mack's mother, Sheila von Weise Mack, said Col. Djoko Hari Utomo, Bali's chief of police.

Authorities say the badly beaten body of Sheila Mack, 61, was wrapped in a blood-stained bedsheet and placed in a large hard-sided suitcase. They say a young couple put the suitcase in the trunk of a taxi outside Indonesia's St. Regis Bali Resort on Tuesday and went back into the hotel, telling the cab driver that they would be back.After a lengthy wait, the cab driver noticed blood and contacted police. Authorities at the South Kuta station in Bali opened the case and found the body, police said.

Heather Mack and Schaefer were arrested after being found Wednesday morning at another hotel about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the St. Regis, police said.

Dockworkers find 35 'screaming' stowaways in a container

 

Dockworkers at a major London port discovered 35 people inside a shipping container Saturday morning.One of them, an adult male, was declared dead at the scene, according to Essex police Superintendent Trevor Roe.Several others -- including children -- were said to have "significant health problems," according to a police statement.

Daniel Gore of England Ambulance Service said the patients -- all of whom were conscious when they were found -- are being treated for dehydration and hypothermia at three London-area hospitals.

None of their conditions are believed to be life-threatening, he said.

What caused the one death was not yet known. A homicide investigation is under way, according to Roe.

'Screaming and Banging'

Workers at Tilbury Docks made the discovery after "screaming and banging was heard from inside the container," Roe said.The stowaways are from the Indian subcontinent, said Roe, but it was not immediately clear if that is where their maritime journey originated, or when it did.

What is known is that the container they were in arrived to Tilbury -- located on the River Thames about 30 miles east of London -- aboard a ship owned by P&O Ferries at 6 a.m. (1 a.m. ET) from the Belgian port city of Zeebrugge after a nearly nine-hour trip.

Company spokeswoman Natalie Hardy told CNN that P&O Ferries operates two such trips a day between London and Zeebrugge.

She said P&O Ferries does not inspect the contents of the containers it transports as a matter of company policy. Such checks, according to Hardy, are the responsibility of the UK Border Agency.

There were 50 containers on the ship, according to Roe. He said they would all be thoroughly searched.British authorities blasted the "criminal networks" engaged in human trafficking.

"Today's tragic incident at Tilbury is a reminder of the often devastating human consequences of illegal migration," Immigration and Security Minister James Brokenshire said in a statement. "This incident is now a criminal investigation. Border Force officers are fully engaged with Essex police and the Tilbury port authorities as the necessary steps are taken towards bringing those responsible to justice."

Embassy defends handling of maids

 
Cambodia's embassy in Malaysia yesterday denied pressuring domestic workers from the Kingdom into renewing their visas, after rights groups told the Post last week that the embassy exploited a legal loophole to keep maids in the country.The statement came as a Malaysian employers association, which has observed the drafting of a new agreement to send more maids to the country following the imposition of a ban in 2011, for the first time revealed details of the proposed agreement.
In a letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong, Cambodia’s Ambassador to Malaysia Arun Rasmey defended the embassy’s policy of renewing maids’ visas.

“If a maid decides to continue working with her employer, if the embassy was to delay issuing a visa to them and they cannot get a work permit from Malaysian immigration, they will become illegal immigrants and face many problems,” she wrote.Rasmey added that there have been cases in which visas were renewed after a maid suffered abuse because, in order for the embassy to file a complaint, the maid must stay in the country.But An Bunhak, president of local recruitment firm Top Manpower, said that while the embassy has conducted some vetting of maids whose employers try to renew their visas, there were no concrete guidelines and more than one way to circumvent the system.
“We know that the embassy, before they make extensions, needs to interview the maids first to see if they want to continue working, and to clarify their salary and so on,” he said, adding that there are no rules or strict controls.

“It’s not only the embassy in Kuala Lumpur that can make an extension. Employers can also send passports to Cambodia to make extensions at the Ministry of Interior, and at the embassies in Vietnam and Thailand. So if the employee doesn’t want to follow [the rules], they can escape it. That’s why we need clear guidelines, so other embassies and employers can’t make extensions.”
For a few women, such as Toch Nai, 24, who were able to return from Malaysia after suffering under abusive employers, the embassy in Kuala Lumpur did offer help.
“My boss beat me and made me work long hours. I got injured on my body and eyes, so I ran to the embassy and stayed there until they helped me come back,” she said. “I want to forget my time there. I cannot see properly, but I came back to start a new life.”
Others have been less fortunate. Soum Saroun, 53, lost touch with her daughter two years after she went to Malaysia in 2010.

“For two years, I’ve not had contact with my daughter,” Saroun said. “I’m so worried about her. I don’t want her money, I just want her back.”A moratorium was placed on sending domestic workers to Malaysia in 2011 amid mounting concerns over abuses, including rape and the withholding of salaries.In a bid to restart the program, a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been drafted and is awaiting approval after consultations between employers and the Malaysian and Cambodian governments.Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan, president of the Malaysian Association of Employment Agencies (PIKAP), told the Post yesterday that there were several points in the new draft that will help protect workers.

“I understand the MoU is finished now, or very close to finished. I understand we are only waiting for the green light from Cambodia,” he said. “Under the MoU, there will be proper training of at least 200 hours before they come to Malaysia. That’s the same as Indonesia. They must understand our culture and immigration procedure.”He added that some of the other requirements included the drafting of legally binding contracts that included the maid’s salary, the “responsibilities and rights” of both parties and a day’s leave per week. Employers, however, will be able to hold the passports of the maids in their employ, he added, “and that is OK, I think”.Dahalan is concerned that if the MoU is signed, it will include a minimum wage for the maids, whereas he believes that employers and agencies should be able to offer “market rates”.“We prefer that salaries are limited only by the market. It’s no problem; it should be a market rate. They shouldn’t fix the price,” he said.

VN rallies ’round the flag

 
The Vietnamese government has condemned the burning of its country’s flag by protesters outside the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh earlier this week, labelling it a “perverse” act and calling on the Cambodian government to take action.A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Hanoi said Vietnam strongly protested “illegal demonstrations” that saw hundreds of angry protesters from the Kampuchea Krom community gather outside the embassy on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
They have been demanding an apology from Vietnam after an embassy spokesman said in early June that the former Kampuchea Krom provinces in the Mekong Delta – still home to many ethnic Khmer, and a sensitive topic for many nationalists – belonged to Vietnam well before being ceded by colonial power France in 1949.

The flag was burned by a monk at the protests on Tuesday.“The acts by the Khmer Kampuchea Krom extremists are perverse, with the intention of seriously insulting the good traditional friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said in a statement on Wednesday that was released in Vietnamese on the ministry’s website.
“We request Cambodia strictly deal with the case in line with the law and adopt effective preventative measures so as to avoid similar action [in the future].”Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong could not be reached yesterday to confirm whether the government had received the message directly.

But Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said that the government did not support the burning of any nation’s flag and would “take appropriate action” after Vietnam’s statement, but could not confirm what such “action” would entail.“If we feel that the public order has been offended we are going to manage it,” he said.After clashes between protesters and security forces outside the embassy on July 9, Vietnam accused demonstrators of interfering in its internal affairs.
Embassy spokesman Trung Van Thong, who made the original comments, has been unreachable in recent days, but has repeatedly stated that he has “no interest” in apologising.
Thach Setha, executive director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community group, which led this week’s protests, said Vietnam’s statement represented the country “wanting to flex its muscles and show that it is the boss of Cambodia and can order Cambodia to do what it wants”.
Setha said that the protests would continue unless an apology was forthcoming.
“If Cambodia takes any action to ban its own people [from having] the right to protest, it means Cambodia is a puppet of Vietnam,” he said, before praising the authorities’ handling of the recent demonstrations.

Setha, who is also a senior opposition party official, said he did not condone the burning of flags, though he questioned why Vietnam was condemning it, given Chinese flags were recently burned in that country.Separately yesterday, Um Sam An, an opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker in Siem Reap province, said he planned to summon Foreign Minister Hor Namhong to parliament to answer questions on the issue.“I would ask Hor Namhong why he didn’t react to the Vietnamese spokesman in Cambodia … and I want him to invite the Vietnamese ambassador to Cambodia to answer some questions about why the Vietnamese government did not reply to [our] petition,” he said.

Vietnam’s official line on the flag burning was reported widely in the local media there, but online, netizens expressed differing reactions to the incident.On one forum, Vietnamese weighed in to back Cambodians’ right to public protest.“It looks like [Vietnam] is overreacting and its attitude is interfering in other countries’ internal affairs. [Cambodia] absolutely has the right to burn the flag. VN cannot ban people like Iraq, Iran, [North] Korea and so on,” one user posted.
But a Vietnamese nationalist Facebook page with almost 200,000 likes called “Patriot’s Journal” said that Khmer Krom activists were treading on Vietnamese sovereignty.
One comment referred to Khmer Krom as “Vietnam’s land raiders”.

Saigon-Vung Tau hydrofoils to resume operation

The hydrofoil was on fire in January.

Their operations were suspended by the city for seven months after a fire broke out on a hydrofoil on Saigon River.Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has directed relevant agencies to re-license hydrofoils on the HCM City-Vung Tau route which meet safety standards."The resumption will depend on repair work and registrations that help ensure that hydrofoils will ensure safe services," said Nguyen Van Thuan, head of the Safety Transportation Department, at a meeting in HCM City on Monday.Operators have been ordered to make all repairs and equip their hydrofoils with more fire-fighting devices. Thuan said the hydrofoils would resume service if they passed inspection.
These boats will have to be equipped with modern devices to control fires and explosions and have safety equipment for passengers, including anti-flammable clothes and anti-poison gas masks.
Mr. Tran Ky Hinh, Director of the Vietnam Register, said that the agency would carefully check hydrofoils before re-licensing.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong said the ministry’s inspectorate will conduct a number of unexpected inspections. If technical faults are found, hydrofoil operators will receive a warning for the first infringement, followed by a suspension for one month and one year for the second and third violations respectively.Bui Cong Trung, chairman of Vina Express, said the hydrofoil operator had paid over VND200 million (US$9,400) per month in salary for the company's staff, and VND200 million in docking, office and maintenance costs because of the prolonged service suspensions.Three companies provide hydrofoil services on the HCM City-Vung Tau route, including Vina Express, Greenlines and Petro Express, with more than 20 hydrofoils.
Tran Quoc Hieu, deputy director of PetroExpress, meanwhile said the company has spent over VND300 million a month on relevant costs over the past six months and its budget has almost run dry.

Most of the hydrofoils are old and were imported from Russia and Eastern Europe. Some boats have been used for over 20 years.In June, the Vietnam Register disciplined the six officers of the vehicle registration bureau No. 6 in HCM City for granting the operation certificates for hydrofoil Vina Express 01 even though the vessel had defects and then caught fire on the Saigon River in January.
The officials were also blamed for making mistakes during the registration of two other hydrofoils running on the HCM City - Vung Tau route.At noon on January 20, the Vina Express 01 hydrofoil departed the Bach Dang Wharf in HCM City to Vung Tau City, carrying 85 passengers, including 37 foreigners and seven crew members.

About 2km from the Phu My Bridge, sailors discovered fire from the hold. Passengers and the crew members jumped off the ship and were rescued in a timely fashion so there were no casualties.
After the incident, the city government suspended all hydrofoils operating on the Ho Chi Minh City - Vung Tau route from January 22 and established a joint working group to investigate the incident and check all hydrofoils.In late April, the Ministry of Transport asked the Prime Minister's approval for the suspension of hydrofoils in HCM City because these vessels were too old and did not meet safety standards. All of the hydrofoils that ran on the HCM City-Vung Tau route were not allowed to resume operation.

Fake monks in Mekong Delta

Fake monks demanding money is very common in the southwestern region. Below is a photo story about a group of fake monks in Can Tho City.

In a boarding house near the old bus station in Long Xuyen City, An Giang province, there is a group of people who shave their heads and wear clothes like Buddhist monks. In the morning, they take a bus to Can Tho City and then go to markets to beg for money. Two fake nuns are named Ha and Nam.   The two fake nuns and a fake monk in the market.  At noon, this fake monk enters a toilet to take slippers on.    He then takes a motorcycle taxi to National Highway 1A to catch a bus to An Giang. Along the way, he smokes cigarettes.   The fake monk buys rice to eat on the bus.   On the same bus are fake nuns Ha and Nam. They count money after a morning of begging for money.   Ha puts change in her bag.   A day later at another market, reporters discover Nam begging for money, without Ha. Nearby is another fake monk who collects a lot of money. According to Venerable Thich Binh Tam, Vice Chair of the Can Tho Buddhist Sangha, all monks and nuns must be allowed by the shangha to beg for food only. Those who beg for money are fake monks and nuns.

Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad stripped of gold for impromptu strip

 

It may have seemed like a good idea at the time but Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad's bizarre celebration in the home straight of the men's 3,000m steeeplechase at the European championships was to cost him dear.Approaching the final barrier, the Frenchman had the race and gold medal in the bag, having a enough time in hand to showboat by stripping off his running vest before putting it into his mouth and waving to the crowd.Fans in the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich jeered as he crossed the finishing line clear of his teammate Yoann Kowal in eight minutes 25.30 seconds -- his third straight victory in the event at the championships after 2010 and 2012.

The 29-year-old had the presence of mind to put his top back after the finish, but the damage was done.

He was initially shown a yellow card as a warning by an official, but an appeal by Spain on behalf of fourth placed athlete Angel Mullera led to his disqualification.His French team lodged a counter-protest but that was rejected, with Mekhissi-Benabbad disqualified under IAAF competition rules 143.1, 143.7.Mullera was promoted to the bronze as result of the ruling."I find that the protest lodged by the Spaniards is anti fair-play," Ghani Yalouzsa, the technical director of the French athletics federation, was quoted by AFP.But the double Olympic silver medalist is no stranger to controversy. After winning his 2012 Euro gold in Helsinki he was criticized for shoving a mascot who offered him a gift.The year before, Mekhissi-Benabbad was involved in a punch-up with French teammate Mehdi Baala at the 2011 Monaco Diamond League meeting, trading blows while they were still on the track and earning a five-month suspension from their federation.

A Thousand Protesters in Myanmar Demand Court Drop Charges on Farmers

Around 1,000 farmers demonstrated in Myanmar’s northern Sagaing region Wednesday demanding that the authorities drop charges against comrades who had held protests calling for the return of land confiscated by the previous military junta.

Farmers in Kantbalu township held posters and shouted slogans calling on the government to drop charges against more than 300 who had also protested in May against the land grab, including 60 who had been convicted of trespassing on the disputed property.

The junta had seized their land covering 3,500 acres (1,416 hectares) and handed it to sugar companies in the 1990s, according to the protesters. 

Protest leader Tin Tun Naing said they wanted the Sagaing Regional Court to overturn last month’s sentencing by a lower court of about 60 farmers to between three months and three years in prison for the May protest, in which they defiantly tilled land used by the sugar companies.

“We are protesting because farmers were detained and sentenced unfairly, as there is no rule of law for us,” he told RFA’s Myanmar Service.

Tin Tun Naing said that the group, which had obtained official permission to hold Wednesday’s gathering, “will continue our protest at the district and regional level.”

The Irrawaddy online journal quoted protester Aung Khaing, among those facing charges, as saying that the farmers had complained to the Kantbalu District Court about the sentencing of their comrades, but that their grievances went unheard.

“We just want justice, our lands back and the release of our friends,” he said.

The farmers had expected to gather thousands of people for Wednesday’s protest, which involved a march to the township government office, but heavy rains prevented many from attending, local reports said.

Roughly 240 other farmers are awaiting their verdicts in the trial over the May protest in coming weeks and many could face imprisonment, according to the Irrawaddy.

The Kantbalu farmers have been trying to reclaim their land for several years and have filed several complaints with authorities.

Land seizures by the army were widespread during the military junta rule stretching five decades until 2011.

After President Thein Sein’s quasi-civilian government took power following elections and began enacting democratic reforms, the Ministry of Defense announced it would return confiscated lands to farm communities across the country.

After the announcement, the Irrawaddy said, around 100 farmers in Kantbalu were told by local authorities that they would receive several acres of land each.

However, the companies which leased the land has reportedly refused to vacate their sugar plantations and only a few farmers received back some land, sparking the May protest.

Support for farmers

On Wednesday, Nyi Pu, a central committee member of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party, called on the authorities to return the land to the Kantbalu farmers.

“They are already poor and their lives are getting worse … [Before the current administration] they couldn’t do anything to get it back as they lacked laws to protect them under the former military government,” he told RFA.

Nyi Pu said that the farmers were now pushing for the land they had been promised would be returned to them and exercising their right to protest under the new freedoms afforded by Thein Sein’s administration.

“They were happy because they were told that their lands would be returned to them but, actually, [little land was returned] and more farmers were … charged. That’s why they are protesting,” he said.

“In my opinion, their lands should be returned to them as soon as possible.”

Su Su Nway, an activist championing the cause of the farmers, said that while the government and sugar companies said that they had given land back to the residents after the decree by the Ministry of Defense, “it was only about one-third of what was confiscated.”

“[Also], when the farmers reported the confiscation, the authorities never took action against the offenders,” she said.

“That’s why the farmers’ anger is growing—it is as if the government is creating instability in the country.”

Local law

Aung Thein Lin, a lawmaker for the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and a member of the parliamentary Farmland Investigation Commission—which was formed in 2012 to look into allegations of land grabbing—said disputes like the one in Kantbalu were caused by local authorities disregarding central laws.

“We have laws for these land problems and they could be resolved if the local level authorities approach them according to law,” he said.

“According to [the existing] land law, there is no right to lease these confiscated lands to others. If someone does it, it is breaking the law.”

Aung Thein Lin said that his commission had received thousands of complaints over land confiscation since it was formed two years ago and that the government had already resolved many of the cases.

“Some received compensation and others did not … We have to investigate each individual problem to decide whether the petitioner is right or not,” he said.

In December, the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) accused Myanmar's military of grabbing land and hiding the seizures under a false veneer of legality, saying the actions cast doubt on the country’s commitment to political reform after decades under military rule.

Activists also say Myanmar is facing a scourge of land seizures by the government, private companies, and the well-connected as the former pariah state opens up to global foreign investment.

Some of the disputes involve residents displaced from their homes, while many involve farmers kicked off their fields.