USA Move

U.S. secretary of state meets Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi

English.news.cn   2013-12-16 22:38:43

HANOI, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong in Vietnam's capital Hanoi.
At the meeting with the Vietnamese prime minister, Kerry expressed his belief that the relationship between the United States and Vietnam will increasingly develop, especially in economy, trade and investment.
Kerry pledged to support Vietnam in solving consequences of war as well as coping with climate change.
The U.S. diplomat said the successful negotiation of the Trans- Pacific Partnership (TPP) will be a milestone in boosting U.S.- Vietnam ties.
The Vietnamese prime minister, for his part, affirmed Vietnam's willingness to closely work with the United States in TPP negotiation process for a balanced deal, reported the website of the Vietnamese government.
Dung asked the United States to support regional countries to protect the environment, cope with climate change and manage water resources toward sustainable development.
On the same day, Kerry met General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong. During the meeting, Kerry hailed Vietnam's support in searching for remains of Americans missing in the war in Vietnam, which ended in 1975, and pledged to continue efforts to promote relations between the United States and Vietnam.
The Vietnamese party chief asked the U.S. diplomat to further efforts in solving issues of unexploded ordnance and Agent Orange/ Dioxin in Vietnam.

Editor: Mu Xuequan HANOI, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Trade relations are perhaps the clearest example of how far the two nations have come in 18 years since normalization of relation, said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday. Addressing a press conference after holding talks with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, Kerry said since normalization of relations in 1995, Vietnam has become a modern nation and an important partner of the United States. After 18 years, the bilateral trade turnover between the United States and Vietnam increased more than 50 times, Kerry said. He added the United States is helping Vietnam to implement the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Once finalized, the TPP will raise labor standards, open market and create millions of new jobs. The United States is working closely with Vietnam and other partners in order to complete TPP negotiation as quickly as possible. The realizing of TPP is potential for partners and for Vietnam as a thriving economy, Kerry said. for his part, Minh said economic, trade and investment cooperation are among the top priorities in Vietnam-U.S. relations. Minh said the two countries have recorded a remarkable increase in bilateral trade turnover in 18 years of relation renormalization. The United States is now ranking seventh among foreign investors in Vietnam with over 10 billion U.S. dollars in investment capital. The two countries have great potential for bilateral trade cooperation, therefore it is needed to implement further measures to lift trade relations to a new height in the coming time, Minh added. During the talks, Kerry and Minh also discussed cooperation in education and tackling climate change issues among others. Kerry is paying an official visit to Vietnam from Saturday to Tuesday.

CNRP Strategy

Cambodia's opposition to protest daily to call for reelection

English.news.cn   2013-12-14 14:38:40

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) has announced that it will stage daily protest from Sunday to urge Prime Minister Hun Sen's government to hold a re-election following allegations of serious irregularities in the July election.
"The CNRP's Permanent Committee has just decided that we will organize demonstration everyday non-stop to demand a re-election to be held soon," CNRP's leader Sam Rainsy said in a video clip posted on his Facebook page on Friday night.
He said the decision would be announced at the capital's Freedom Park on Sunday, when the first of the demonstrations starts to push for a snap election.
"Please, compatriots, come to join the demonstrations with us," he said.
CNRP's lawmaker-elect Ho Vann said Saturday that the Sunday's rally would be attended by about 20,000 supporters.
"We will rally at the Freedom Park tomorrow, no marching on streets," he told Xinhua.
He said daily protests would be held on a small scale at the Freedom Park over the next week, but will be conducted on a large scale from Dec. 22 onwards.
"Now, we do not demand an independent probe into the disputed July election, but call for a re-election as soon as possible," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Kheng on Tuesday rejected the opposition's call for a re-election.
"I don't know what to do if they continue to reject the July election results," he told reporters.
"It is impossible to hold a snap election in Cambodia because there is no reason and to hold a re-election will take at least one or two years," he said
He said the ruling Cambodian People's Party's door remained open for further negotiations with the CNRP.
Political dispute between Hun Sen's ruling party and the longtime opposition leader Sam Rainsy's party has persisted since the July election results indicated that the ruling party won a majority of vote with 68 parliamentary seats and the opposition earned the remaining 55 seats.
The opposition has not accepted the outcome and boycotted parliament since then in order to call for an independent probe into the alleged irregularities during the poll, but the ruling party rejected the call, saying it was against the nation's constitution.
One of the protests in mid-September turned violent as protesters threw stones at police and the police retaliated with tear gas, smoke bombs and water cannon. As a result, a protester was shot dead and several got wounded.

Editor: Shen Qing

Cambodian opposition supporters protest in capital to call for reelection

English.news.cn   2013-12-15 18:02:12

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- An estimated 10,000 supporters of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) held a non- violent protest at the capital's Freedom Park on Sunday, urging the government to hold an early reelection following allegations of serious irregularities in the July polls.
Many protesters tied ribbons around their heads carrying slogans such as "My vote, my life", "Long live democracy!", and " No justice, no peace."
Addressing to the rally, CNRP leader Sam Rainsy said the protest was to push the government led by Prime Minister Hun Sen for a reelection within three months.
"If Prime Minister Hun Sen is brave enough and thinks that he has more popularity, he should allow a reelection, or step down," he said.
He said from now on the party would hold a protest every day at the Freedom Park to demand a snap election.
"If we gather at the Freedom Park to demand the reelection, but the government still ignores the demand, we will march on streets to demand Hun Sen to step down," he said.
Sam Rainsy hailed Thai caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for dissolving the lower house of parliament and calling for general elections in February.
CNRP Vice President Kem Sokha called on people throughout the country to come to Phnom Penh for non-violent daily protest.
After their speeches, the two leaders led thousands of protesters to march on streets in the capital.
National Military Police spokesman Kheng Tito said that security forces have been deployed along the street to ensure security and public order in the city.
"It is their rights to hold a peaceful protest, but if there is any violence happening, we have to take action to ensure public security," he told Xinhua.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has been on a week-long visit to Japan since Thursday.
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Kheng on Tuesday rejected the opposition's call for a reelection.
"I don't know what to do if they continue to reject the July election results," he told reporters. "It is impossible to hold a snap election in Cambodia because there is no reason and to hold a reelection will take at least one or two years."
He said the ruling Cambodian People's Party's door remained open for further negotiations with the CNRP.
Political row between Hun Sen's ruling party and longtime opposition leader Sam Rainsy's party has persisted since the July election results showed that the ruling party won a majority of vote with 68 parliamentary seats and the opposition earned the remaining 55 seats.
The opposition refused to accept the outcome and boycotted parliament since then in order to call for an independent probe into the alleged irregularities during the poll, but the ruling party rejected the call, saying it was against the nation's constitution.
One of the protests in mid-September turned violent as protesters threw stones at police and the police retaliated with tear gas, smoke bombs, and water cannons. As a result, a protester was shot dead and several got wounded.

Editor: Tang Danl

December 19 update

Cambodia’s main opposition party warned Wednesday that it would hold its “biggest protest ever” next month resulting in the closure of national highways and bringing traffic to a grinding halt in the capital if Prime Minister Hun Sen ignores demands to resolve election complaints.

The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) announced the plans as thousands of anti-government demonstrators joined party leaders for a motorcycle procession through Phnom Penh on their fourth consecutive day of protests calling for new elections over alleged fraud in July polls.

Hundreds have camped out in the city’s Freedom Park since Sunday, when the CNRP launched daily protests after the government ignored its push for an independent probe into voting irregularities in the July 28 elections

CNRP Acting Executive Committee Director Mao Monivann told RFA’s Khmer Service that the plan for early January will involve a massive protest blocking eight national highways, choking off access to the capital.

By shutting down transportation crucial to keeping the country’s economy afloat, the party aims to force the government to listen to demonstrators’ demands, he said.

“In early January, we will organize the biggest protest ever,” he told RFA’s Khmer Service.

“We will seize some main locations and seal off eight national routes. We will freeze traffic,” Mao Monivann said.

Government officials said that the plan was illegal, warning that CNRP leaders could face prosecution for leading such a protest.

“The Traffic Law states that anyone who blocks roads will be prosecuted,” Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak told RFA.

He warned that the plan could escalate the protests to the level of political turmoil seen in neighboring Thailand, where four died and dozens more were injured in clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters at the beginning of the month. 

From Bangkok

Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday morning announced that the House of Representatives will be dissolved and new elections organized.

Back to Phnom Penh ...

 From a news cable:

PHNOM PENH - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that the political problems in his country following July's general election that the opposition says was rigged are not serious.

"A solution to our problem here is only a matter of time. It's an old problem, not a new one," Hun Sen told Kyodo News, referring to similar problems experienced after each election since 1998.

Commenting on the parliamentary session boycott by the 55 elected parliamentarians from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, he said, "When the time is ripe they will come."

Meanwhile, the CNRP has announced it will organise antigovernment rallies on Dec 10 and 15 in the country's northern tourist hub of Siem Reap and in the capital Phnom Penh.

To date, the CNRP has organised several mass rallies in Phnom Penh, denouncing the election results and demanding a probe into election irregularities.

Hun Sen said the current political problems can be easily solved once the opposition's demands are reasonable, stressing that requests such as an equal number of parliamentary commission heads was out of the question.

CNRP lawmaker Nhem Ponharith said Tuesday that his party would organise mass rallies even before Dec 10 and continue to stage protests every Sunday in Phnom Penh.

CNRP leader Sam Rainsy and his deputy Kem Sokha have been calling on democratic countries not to recognise Hun Sen's government, with the prime minister calling their appeals for outside intervention ineffective, stressing that their actions have no effect whatsoever on his government.

The premier said he believes the cause for their continued boycott is due to the CNRP's internal problems including power sharing.

The CNRP is an electoral alliance between the Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party, and it remains unclear which faction will provide the first vice chair of the National Assembly.

Hun Sen said his ruling Cambodian People's Party is still open to holding dialogue with the opposition to find a solution.

In the election on July 28, the CPP won 68 seats in the 123-seat National Assembly, while the CNRP won 55 seats.

In the Eve of King

of Thailand Birthday, December 5,

Street tensions ease as police shift tactics

The political crisis that has shaken Thailand’s capital for more than a week eased suddenly Tuesday after the prime minister ordered police to stop battling anti-government protesters, a move timed to coincide with celebrations of the king’s birthday later this week.
In a sharp reversal in strategy after two days of escalating street fighting, riot police lowered their shields and walked away from fortified positions around Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s office at Government House.
Demonstrators waving the red, white and blue Thai flag then swarmed across the compound’s lawn, shouting, “Victory belongs to the people!” Yingluck was not there at the time.
The government move was widely seen as offering demonstrators a face-saving way out of a conflict that has left four people dead and more than 256 injured in the past three days. Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, however, vowed to keep up the struggle to topple Yingluck and keep her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, from returning to power.
— Associated Press

Demonstrations: More and More

In Bangkok, the situations worsen with more protests and confrontations with Police: Tears gas and water cannon were used. One dead and few dozens injured. PM Yingluck and protest leader Suthep persist in their position.

In Cambodia, CNRP planned for a mass demonstration in Siemreap on December 10, Human Rights Day, while a few MGOs planned to demonstrate in Phnom Penh.