AEM Retreat closes in Laos

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The 17th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) Retreat was wrapped up in Vientiane on February 27 after two days of sitting for discussions on regional economic integration.

Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang.

The meeting aimed to work out cooperation plan for the whole year and some strategic orientations on economic integration for the bloc in coming years.

The officials agreed the positive results in the implementation of the roadmap for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) with 83.2 percent of the workload completed in 2008-2009. Vietnam was one of the three best performing members with a completion rate of 94.2 percent.

However, the officials shared the view that ASEAN is facing challenges due to a lack of legal regulations for many regional integration commitments and lower than expected harmonisation of policies among ASEAN members. Especially, in the 2010-2011 period of the 104 measures to be completed in the AEC roadmap, 60 percent of them have been left to be done in 2011.

The ministers paid special attention to boosting exchange with the business community to create favourable conditions to maximise the benefits of AEC.

They pledged to allocate necessary resources for achieving the equal development goal through two major activities. A programme will be designed to help Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia to narrow the development gap with other ASEAN members in farm produce, investment, transport, trade facilitation and capacity in implementing FTAs commitments.

At the same time, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will receive assistance to raise competitive capacity, thus strengthening their participation in regional integration.

Regarding the relationship with dialogue partners, the officials agreed that changes in regional linkage, especially the establishment of new economic centres, have had multi-faceted impacts on ASEAN’s position. In this context, ASEAN needs to work harder to implement internal regional integration targets, strengthen its central role in relations with partners and prepare plans to steer ASEAN towards higher levels of integration in coming years.

The meeting also agreed on many measures to continue boosting cooperation with partners, including China, India, Japan, the EU and Russia.

The Vietnamese delegation made active contributions to discussions at the meeting.

The meeting’s results will be reported to the 18^th ASEAN Summit to be held in Indonesia in May.

VOVNews/VNA

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Laos: Food denied to 65 Laotian farmers to force them to renounce Christianity

Government officials seized the homes and land of 18 families, herded into a temporary camp without food. Neighbours are prevented from giving them food. For the Communist regime, they must abjure their faith in Christ. Pro-human rights activist calls on the government to uphold the constitution.

By Asia News |  Monday, February 28, 2011

Vientiane – Laotian authorities have driven 65 Christian farmers from their village because they refused to abjure their faith. Herded into a temporary camp, they risk starvation because local officials have destroyed their crops and have prevented food from reaching the group. Local sources say the government plans to starve them “until the give up their Christian faith.”

Eighteen farming families are currently being held at a camp outside Katin village, Ta-Oi District, in the southern province of Salavan. The Christians were driven out in two separate incidents last year. First, a group of 11 were forced out in January 2010, and then another seven were removed in December.

Christian sources in Laos, cited by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), said that village officials are refusing to allow the Christians to enter the village to farm their land. An area that had been farmed around the camp has been destroyed. They also instructed local families in surrounding villages not to help or provide food to the group. Locals believe these measures are an attempt to starve the Christian families into giving up their Christian faith.

Despite appeals by the international community, the situation does not appear to be improving. In fact, one man has already died after being driven from his village.

CSW’s National Director Stuart Windsor said, “CSW calls upon the Lao government to adhere to the constitutional protection afforded to all its citizens by allowing the Katin villagers to return to their homes.”

Most people in Communist-ruled Laos are Buddhist (67 per cent). Out of a population of some six million, 0.7 per cent is Catholic.

Source: Asia News

Tightening Vietnam-Laos relations

english.vovnews.vn

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(VOV) – Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong’s visit to Vietnam demonstrates the special relationship between the two Parties, States and peoples, said State President Nguyen Minh Triet.

At a reception for Mr Thongsing on March 1, President Triet expressed his delight at the positive development of bilateral relations and effective cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

He praised the tremendous achievements recorded by the Lao people during the process of national construction and development and said he believed there would be  still greater achievements in building Laos into a country of peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity.

Mr Triet asked leaders from the two countries to continue their close cooperation to boost socio-economic development and safeguard independence in their respective nations.

President Triet wished the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party the best of good luck in successfully organising its 9^th congress and 7^th National Assembly election.

Laos PM Thongsing said his visit aimed to further strengthen the friendship and close relations between the two Parties, States and peoples, for which late President Ho Chi Minh and late President Kaysone Phomvihane laid the foundations and the two countries have fostered.

Mr Thongsing expressed his belief that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Vietnamese people will successfully implement the resolutions adopted at the 9^th National Party Congress and achieve the goal of a prosperous people living in a strong nation with democratic, just and civilised society.

The Lao PM briefed President Triet on Laos’ preparations for its 9^th Party Congress and seventh National Assembly election as well as the outcome of his talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Mr Thongsing stressed the Party, State and People of Laos will do their best to nurture and promote the friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Related:

• New Lao PM visits Viet Nam Viet Nam News
• Party leader welcomes Lao Prime Minister’s visit VietNamNet

US Freezes Record $30 Billion in Libyan Assets

Cached:  http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/US-Freezes-Record-30-Billion-in-Libyan-Assets-117116813.html

 

 

The United States has frozen $30 billion in assets controlled by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and his family, in what the Obama administration says is the single largest seizure of foreign funds in American history.

A senior Treasury Department official (David Cohen) said Monday the several U.S. financial institutions have cut off access to funds belonging to both the Libyan government and the Gadhafi family. The shutdowns are part of U.S. President Barack Obama’s attempt to punish the Libyan leader for his government’s violent crackdown on anti-government protesters over the last 10 days.

Treasury officials say some of the assets frozen since Friday belong to Libya’s central bank and its oil-heavy sovereign wealth fund, the Libyan Investment Authority. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. determined both are directly controlled by Mr. Gadhafi.

American officials say they believe Libya’s central bank has more than $100 billion in foreign currency reserves worldwide, while the sovereign wealth fund holds more than $70 billion.

The U.S. moves have been closely coordinated with European financial institutions.

The European Union voted Monday to impose its own sanctions against the Gadhafi family and more than 20 other senior Libyan officials. Germany went further, proposing a 60-day economic embargo to prevent Mr. Gadhafi from using oil and other revenues to repress his people.

The EU action is significant because Europe has more leverage over Libya than the U.S. Eighty-five percent of Libyan oil goes to Europe, and Mr. Gadhafi and his family are thought to have significant assets in Britain, Switzerland and Italy. Switzerland and Britain already fhave rozen Libyan funds in response to a United Nations Security Council resolution against Libya.

There are different interpretations about whether the U.N. and EU curbs should extend to Libya’s sovereign wealth fund or be limited to Mr. Gadhafi and his family. For the ban to apply to the Libyan Investment Authority, it would have to be proven that the fund exists to personally benefit Mr. Gadhafi and his associates.

The authority has heavily invested in Europe over the last five years. It has assets in some of Britain’s largest companies and sizeable stakes in Italian banks, defense contractors and a well-known soccer club, Juventus.