VN news (May 2-3)

[Dam Son <son@fermi.phys.washington.edu>]

May 03: Vietnam denies report on N. Korea refusal of Hanoi rice offer
May 03: US-Back to Hanoi: Former POW prepares to bridge `river of pain' as 
        Vietnam 
May 03: Embezzlement of 45,000 dollars punishable by death in Vietnam
May 03: Vietnam And Thailand To Operate Joint Sea Patrol - Report 
May 02: UN: Vietnamese Remain in Hong Kong
May 02: Rep. Bob Starks questions logic of Vietnam Trade Program 
May 02: Vietnam congratulates Britain's Labour Party on poll victory 
May 02: Hong Kong legislators urge Britain to take stranded Vietnamese 
May 02: Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori to visit Vietnam 
May 02: Vietnam-Storms Cyclone kills 7 in central Vietnam


Vietnam denies report on N. Korea refusal of Hanoi rice offer

HANOI (AFP) - Vietnam Saturday denied foreign press reports that
Pyongyang had turned down an offer of 2,000 tonnes of rice from
Vietnam in the hope of receiving more as "completely groundless".

In a response to media queries for confirmation of reports that
Pyongyang had refused 2,000 tonnes of rice offered by Hanoi during a
visit by North Korean Deputy Prime Minister Kong Chin-Tae in early
April, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry said those "reports by some
foreign press" were "completely groundless".

According to those reports, the secretive regime of North Korea had
requested 30,000 tonnes of rice on credit, but the terms were
complicated due to an old rice debt.

Vietnam instead offered 2,000 tonnes of free rice, which Pyongyang
reportedly turned down.
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US-Back to Hanoi: Former POW prepares to bridge `river of
pain' as Vietnam 

MARIANNA (AP) -- Former Congressman Pete Peterson is letting go of 6
1/2 years of torture and isolation he underwent in the notorious
``Hanoi Hilton'' prison in Vietnam as he prepares to take on another
mission for the United States.

Three decades later, he is about to tackle some unfinished business in
a lavish, official home not far from the former prison as the first
U.S. ambassador to Vietnam in 20 years.

``One of my objectives is to bridge what I have called a river of pain
that runs between our countries,'' the 62-year-old former fighter
pilot said as he packed for Saturday's long flight.

If someone with his harsh history can make that leap, Peterson said,
maybe others can move from hostility to a healing that is largely
unknown in Vietnam's history.

``I hope I can do that by my own example, and allow Vietnam to enter
the community of nations in a peaceful way,'' he said. ``That would be
unprecedented. They have always been at war.''

Some would be thinking about retirement at his age and after what he's
been through.

There was his long imprisonment, a 26-year Air Force career, small
business success, three terms in Congress before foregoing re-election
last fall. There was the death of his wife, Carlotta, and a
17-year-old son, Doug.

The trim, quiet-spoken man is widely popular in his rural northern
Florida district. Well-wishers are quick to greet him as he talks
business with partner Phil Rotolo at their CRT Computers store in a
100-year-old restored house in Marianna.

Peterson was an Air Force captain when his bomber was shot down Sept.
10, 1966. He still grimaces when he recalls the relentless beatings,
torture and interrogation that followed.

He survived on little more than cabbage soup and rice with a toughness
from a hardscrabble upbringing in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. He was
the ninth of 10 children getting by on his father's income as a
mechanic and later as proprietor of a country store.

And during his solitary days of imprisonment, he fought back with
hate.

``I hated everything for six-and-one-half years. It was part of my
resistance,'' he said. ``Every day was a day of combat, and also a day
of survival.''

When he was finally released in March 1973, Peterson said he knew he
had to look forward: ``Because if I held in my heart and mind all of
that hate, then I would have essentially been frozen in time.''

His 39-year-old son, Mike Peterson, said of the imprisonment: ``When
he got home, that was something that wasn't dwelled on. He marches
on.''

Even Bill Grant, ousted from the House of Representatives by Peterson
in 1990, is an admirer.

``It takes extraordinary character to overcome what those men went
through,'' Grant said. ``To forgive and move on is a wonderful mark of
character.''

Members of Congress felt much the same way. Even those who questioned
normalizing relations with Vietnam backed President Bill Clinton's
nominee in a Senate confirmation vote, impressed by his desire to get
people to say ``Vietnam'' without always adding ``war.''

Among his priorities are accounting for nearly 1,600 still missing
U.S. servicemen, promoting trade, stemming drug trafficking and
boosting humanitarian aid to a nation oppressed by poverty, burgeoning
population, primitive hospitals and near epidemic AIDS.

``Why would I leave beautiful, tranquil north Florida for Hanoi,
Vietnam?'' Peterson asked. ``Well, Vietnam isn't not beautiful. In
fact it is quite beautiful. It's certainly not tranquil, however. It's
very busy. I just think I have something to contribute.''
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Embezzlement of 45,000 dollars punishable by death in Vietnam

HANOI (AFP) - Vietnam's National Assembly has passed an amendment to
the country's penal code making embezzlement of funds over 45,000
dollars punishable by death, press reports said Saturday.

But assembly deputies who voted on the amendment Friday agreed the
penalty could be merely life imprisonment under certain circumstances,
the army daily Quan Doi Nhan Dan said.

Ten people have been sentenced to death in Vietnam since 1992 after
being convicted of large-scale corruption.

The assembly also decided that criminal cases could be pursued for
embezzlement involving more than 450 dollars and bribery cases
involving more than 45 dollars.

The tougher punishments come as official corruption cases have reached
alarming levels and cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars
each year.

Other amendments decided by the assembly include the death penalty for
sex offenses against children under seven years.

Deputies however were unable to reach agreement on wording for
stricter laws against drugs.
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Vietnam And Thailand To Operate Joint Sea Patrol - Report 

Hanoi (DJ) -- Vietnam and Thailand have agreed to establish a joint
naval patrol to help prevent clashes over disputed fishing waters,
state-run media reported Saturday.

The joint navy unit will establish patrols in an area of about 6,500
nautical miles in the Gulf of Thailand, where Hanoi and Thailand both
claim sovereignty.

The joint operation is planned to begin by October, the official
Vietnam News Agency reported.

The agreement was reached at the end of a meeting between officials
from the two sides held recently in Bangkok, the report said.

Naval officials from Hanoi and Bangkok will meet in September to
discuss the logistics of the joint patrols after a detailed plan is
approved by both governments, the news report said.

Disputes over the fishing waters have led to violent clashes in the
past.

Last year, a half-hour gun battle erupted between Vietnamese and Thai
naval boats. Three Vietnamese were killed and about 60 Thai fishermen
were arrested by Vietnamese authorities.

Overfishing in traditional areas of Thailand has forced fishermen to
seek more fish stocks further offshore, often into disputed waters.
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UN: Vietnamese Remain in Hong Kong 

HONG KONG (AP) -- A top United Nations official said Friday he does
not expect all Vietnamese asylum-seekers in this British colony to be
resettled before the Chinese takeover in July.

``I hope that the vast majority will have left the territory by the
1st of July, but I cannot assure you that we will be down to zero,''
said Sergio Vieira de Mello, assistant high commissioner for refugees.

Of the 4,000 Vietnamese asylum-seekers remaining in Hong Kong camps,
1,300 are classified as refugees, he said. Another 2,700 are
considered economic migrants and do not qualify for resettlement, the
Hong Kong government says.

Most will depart, he said, but ``unless a miracle can be produced by
June 30, we are likely to be left with a few hundred individuals in
Hong Kong,'' he said.

But he said that was something Hong Kong's future government, and
Beijing, should not worry about.

China has demanded repeatedly that all the Vietnamese in Hong Kong's
camps should be resettled before the British pullout.

Vieiro de Mello said he would seek China's ``understanding and
cooperation to enable us to find a humane solution for the remaining
cases.''

``And I'm pretty confident, given China's record, they their response
will be positive,'' he added.

Since the end of the Vietnam war in 1975, nearly 2.4 million
Indochinese had been resettled or repatriated, he said, leaving only
5,500 refugees awaiting to be resettled.

Of these, 1,500 are in Thailand, and the rest in Hong Kong, he said.

Vieira de Mello said the handover of Hong Kong has added a sense of
urgency to finding a refuge to the Vietnamese, and he said he wanted
``to bring the saga of the Vietnamese asylum seekers to ... what I
believe is a dignified conclusion.''
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Rep. Bob Starks questions logic of Vietnam Trade Program 

Orlando Sentinel

Rep. Bob Starks launched a one-man political assault Thursday on a
budget provision setting aside $270,000 to foster trade with Vietnam.

Starks, a decorated U.S. Navy pilot during the Vietnam War, said the
measure insults veterans' families.

"We should not be appropriating $270,000 to this country under the
name of economic development when the blood of those who died is not
even cold," said Starks, R-Casselberry.

Starks insisted the measure was slipped into the budget by the state
Senate at the request of Gov. Lawton Chiles' office.

He also said taxpayer money should not go to a communist nation that
has been slow in providing assistance to recover the bodies of U.S.
military personnel killed or declared missing in action.

But Rep. Willie Logan, D-Opa-Locka, downplayed such criticism, saying
the $270,000 would go to a Florida State University program that works
with the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam.

The money, which was agreed to by House negotiators, is designed to
encourage trade between Florida and Vietnam, Logan said.

Logan also criticized Starks for injecting state politics into an
international effort. He noted that former North Florida Congressman
Pete Peterson leaves today to become ambassador to Vietnam.
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Vietnam congratulates Britain's Labour Party on poll victory

HANOI (AFP) - Vietnamese leaders will send congratulatory messages to
British prime minister-designate Tony Blair, a foreign ministry
spokesman said Friday.

"The recent results reflect the hopes of British voters. We are
convinced that relations between Vietnam and Great Britain have
developed well and will continue," the spokesman said.

Responding to a question about Vietnamese boat-people in Hong Kong,
which reverts from British to Chinese rule on July 1, the spokesman
said: "We have cooperated well with the British government and the
Hong Kong administration, as well as the UNHCR. We believe that
cooperation will continue."
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Hong Kong legislators urge Britain to take stranded
Vietnamese 

HONG KONG (AFP) - Hong Kong legislators Friday urged Britain to take
the lead and admit around 2,000 Vietnamese asylum seekers expected to
be stranded here when the territory reverts to Chinese rule on July 1.

James To, chairman of the Legislative Council's security panel, made
the call after being briefed by assistant UN High Commissioner for
Refugees Sergio Vieira de Mello on the situation of Vietnamese
refugees and non-refugees in Hong Kong.

Vieira de Mello, on a two-day visit to the territory, told the
Legislative Council, Hong Kong's mini-parliament, that some 1,000
Vietnamese refugees and 500 non-refugees, deemed economic migrants,
would still be languishing in Hong Kong after the handover of the
British colony.

"Britain must accept all the refugees and boatpeople at the time of
the changeover," said To.

"The United Kingdom must fulfill the responsibility by gradually
agreeing in advance to take some refugees in order to let the other
countries know that they can also help on this point and have
cooperation among other countries."

According to the UNHCR, there are currently 4,000 Vietnamese in Hong
Kong camps, with 1,300 bona fide refugees to be resettled in third
countries and 2,700 awaiting return home by the end of June.

However, some 300 of these are ethnic Chinese, regarded as
non-nationals by Hanoi and not accepted anywhere.

Vieira de Mello said he had urged Hanoi to reconsider these 300 cases,
without avail.

"I have just visited Vietnam. I have been given assurances those who
have not yet been cleared will be cleared in the coming days," he
added.

"With the exception of the non-nationals, I am convinced that all the
others will return to their country of origin in the coming weeks...
But I cannot assure you that will be down to zero."

He added that the UNHCR still hoped to persuade the Vietnamese
government.

"It is our hope that some of them will, in the end, be recognised as
Vietnamese citizens and will be able to return home".

The legislators, led by To, are expected to discuss the issue with
representatives of British Trade Commission here Tuesday. The
commission will become Britain's consulate here after the handover.

Hong Kong has stepped up forced repatriation of Vietnamese boatpeople
in a move to clear the asylum seekers from the territory before it
returns to Chinese rule.

At the height of the boatpeople crisis in the early 1990s there were
more than 60,000 people in Hong Kong camps.

China has told Hong Kong to clear the detention camps before the
handover.
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Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori to visit Vietnam 

HANOI (AFP) - Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori will pay an official
visit to Vietnam on May 23 and 24 at the invitation of Vietnamese
counterpart Le Duc Anh, sources said Friday.

A large delegation, including ministers and business leaders, is to
accompany him on the visit, expected to focus on strengthening
economic and trade ties.

The visit is to go ahead despite criticism in the Vietnamese communist
party organ, Nhan Dan, of last week's lightning operation at the
Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima to rescue 72 hostages held by
leftist guerrillas.

Nhan Dan described the raid as "an act of brutal and regrettable
violence," adding, "violence cannot help Mr Fujimori solve his
country's problems, such as social inequality, poverty and
unemployment."

Peru's ambassador to Vietnam, Oscar Maurtua de Romana, who is based in
Bangkok, told AFP the expressions "brutal" and "regrettable" were not
"acceptable" as they "did not correspond to reality."
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Vietnam-Storms Cyclone kills 7 in central Vietnam

HANOI (AP) -- A cyclone that swept inland from the South China Sea
killed seven people and destroyed dozens of homes in the central
Vietnamese province of Nghe An, official media reported Saturday.

Rice and corn crops were heavily damaged by strong winds accompanying
the storm, the English-language Vietnam News reported. The cyclone
battered the coastal province last week, causing more than dlrs
180,000 in damage to the predominantly rural area. News of the storm
was only made public Saturday in Vietnam's state-controlled media.

A bolt of lightening from a separate electrical storm in Ha Tinh
province, just south of Nghe An, left two children dead, the newspaper
said.

Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet has been struggling to cope with widespread
damage from numerous storms since last year. Rice production is
expected to suffer and development funds have been reallocated for
emergency relief purposes.
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