Fund for Reconciliation and Development
December, 2003
Laos achieved a watershed on the Nam Theun II dam, while
Trade
In mid-December
At the meeting, Vice Minister for
Trade Luong Van Tu, who serves as chief negotiator with the WTO, presented
Vietnam’s latest offer: to reduce average tariffs by 4.5% to 22%, and to make
market access commitments in ten service sectors and ninety-two
sub-sectors. However, in the course of
negotiations, which
Vang Pao Statement: New Path or Cul-de-Sac?
General
Vang Pao, former leader of US funded Hmong troops in Laos during the Vietnam
War and a prominent hardliner in the Hmong-American community, issued a
“Doctrine on Laos and Southeast Asia” at a Laotian New Years gathering of
Hmong-American and Lao-American leaders in Minnesota. One element of his statement hinted at
support for Normal Trade Relations with
Sources in the Lao PDR government
minimized the significance of Vang Pao's statement, characterizing it as simply
the opinion of single American citizen without authority to impose conditions
on a process of reconciliation that was already well established. On the
other hand, anti-NTR lobbyist Philip Smith was described by the press as,
"expressing deep concern about the general's new direction".
The utility
of Vang Pao’s remarks to genuine reconciliation remains to be seen, but the
media has been quick to declare it a watershed in relations within the Hmong
community and between
Bilateral Relations
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Visits the
In
December, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan brought a sizeable
delegation of business leaders and government officials to the
Although trade and investment issues dominated the agenda,
Vietnamese sources also report that a range of issues were discussed, including
counter-terrorism and the need or continued cooperation on humanitarian issues
deriving from the Vietnam War. Included
in Hanoi’s counter-terrorism concerns are US-based extremists who have been
linked to terrorist attacks on the Vietnamese embassies in Thailand and the
Philippines.
Economic Development
EGAT Signs Nam Theun II Agreement
After
years of see-sawing, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT)
has signed an agreement to purchase hydroelectric power from Laos’ planned Nam
Thuen II dam on a tributary of the Mekong River. This agreement sets into place an
eighteen-month deadline for the consortium building the dam to secure financing
for the project, estimated at $1.2 billion.
It is widely assumed that funding will not be obtained without
guarantees from the World Bank, which is weighing a number of factors: resettlement of affected villagers, logging,
and the percentage of revenues from the dam to be allocated to
development. Under the current schedule,
the dam will begin operation in 2009. Estimates of projected revenue vary
widely – from $2 billion to $5 billion in the first 25 years – but the dam will
likely bring considerable revenue to an economy with revenue levels currently
at $275 million per year. The World Bank
guarantees notwithstanding, Laos is turning increasingly to neighboring
economies for infrastructure financing.
Vientiane has announced it will build five smaller dams with Vietnamese
help, and this month received a $20 million loan from Thailand to develop airports
and other infrastructure keyed to the 2004 ASEAN Summit, which Laos will
chair. Laos will also likely be a
recipient of loans from the newly-established Thai International Bank, which
the Thai government intends should promote development in Laos, Cambodia and
Myanmar.
Security Relations
Port Call for US Ship Moves US-Vietnamese Security
Relations Ahead
Following
on the landmark visit to the United States of Vietnamese Defense Minister Pham
Van Tra (see November’s Update), in mid-November the USS Vandergrift, a
guided missile frigate from the Seventh Fleet, became the first US warship to
dock in Vietnam since the war. The ship
sailed into Ho Chi Minh City for a four-day port call, and was received by Vice
Minister for Foreign Affairs Nguyen Duc Hung.
In the course of the visit, Vandergrift crew worked on community
projects. Although both the United
States and Vietnam have publicly declared the Tra visit and the port call to
have been prominent watersheds, the pace of further developments in the US-Vietnamese
security relations is likely to be slow.
Reports in Washington suggest that the Pentagon would like to strengthen
military ties with a number of Southeast Asian countries, but this issue is
more complicated with Vietnam than with traditional American allies in the
region.
Cambodia To Destroy Missiles
The
Cambodian government has announced that it will destroy its full stock of
surface-to-air missiles, to prevent their possible theft and use by terrorists
in the region. The announcement was made after Prime Minister Hun Sen met with
US Ambassador Charles Ray, although US sources report that the Cambodian
decision was “unilateral.”
The Cambodian Ministry of Defense indicated that it
presently has 233 A-72 surface-to-air missiles that were purchased from the
USSR in the 1980’s. Ambassador Ray said
that the US would provide weapons experts to Cambodia to help in dismantling
and destroying the missiles.
Human Rights and Political Development
UN Signals Khmer Rouge Tribunal May Be Imminent
A
United Nations team visited Cambodia in November to discuss technical aspects
of a tribunal for former Khmer Rouge leaders.
Karsten Herret, head of the mission, indicated that tribunal proceedings
could begin next year. However, the
present political deadlock could delay a planned start, since the National
Assembly has yet to approve Cambodia’s agreement with the UN on the
trials. In the meantime, UN Special
Rapporteur for Human Rights in Cambodia Peter Leupretcht has made his tenth
official mission to the country.
Although he cited the continuing parliamentary deadlock and issues with
Montagnard refugees as problematic, Leupretcht announced that he has seen
gradual improvement in Cambodia’s human rights situation in the course of his
observations there.
Tension on Religious Freedom in Vietnam Ratchets up in
Washington
On
November 19, the House passed Resolution 427, expressing dissatisfaction with
the protection of religious rights in Vietnam, with emphasis on the Unified
Buddhist Church of Vietnam. The
resolution, introduced by Representative Loretta Sanchez, recommends that
Vietnam be designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for religious freedom,
which carries sanctions. The resolution
was opposed by Congressman Lane Evans in a “Dear Colleague” letter. Evans wrote, “While Vietnam has narrow
restrictions on religious organizations, it is not the totalitarian, religious
oppressor as its opponents would like you to believe.” CPC designation of a country is made by the
Secretary of Stateand can be implemented at any time.
Proponents
of CPC for Vietnam are likely to view the 2003 State Department Report on
Religious Freedom, released on December 18, as supporting their position.
Although both Vietnam and Laos are highlighted in the report's Executive
Summary as presenting "totalitarian or authoritarian attempts to control
religious belief or practice," Laos is also cited for "significant
improvement in the area of religious freedom." In the latter country, the
report mentions evident government sincerity to promote reconciliation among
religious groups, and the efforts of senior members of the Politburo to provide
instruction to local officials on the need for tolerance of minority
religions. The report generally finds that Cambodia protects religious
freedom.
In his remarks to the press, US Ambassador-at-Large
for Religious Freedom John Hanford underscored the Department's criticism of
Vietnam, but also noted that several individuals the US government had
identified as being under detention -- "a significant
portion" -- had been recently released. Hanford also ventured that
additional individuals might be released when the government announces the Tet
amnesties in February. However, since the report covers the period from
July 2002 to June 2003, neither of these points is included in it. At the
press briefing, Hanford also remarked that Laos has moved away from the danger
of a CPC designation, but that Vietnam was "a little different story."
The full text of the report and the press briefing can be accessed at www.state.gov
Freedom House Ratings for Indochina: Low, And Staying
There
The
conservative NGO Freedom House has released its 2003 index, rating the world’s
countries on civil and political freedoms.
As they have been in past years, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam were rated
“Not Free,” the lowest of three designations, and their numerical ratings are
unchanged from the previous year. On a
scale of 1 to 7 (with 1 being highest), Cambodia received a “6” for political
rights and a “5” for civil rights, while both Vietnam and Laos were rated “7”
on political rights and “6” on civil rights.
The ratings are accompanied by brief narratives on each country which
borrow heavily and selectively from the annual State Department Human Rights Reports. The Cambodia report appears to be
particularly selective in its fact-gathering.
For example, the narrative reports that the United Nations terminated
negotiations with the Cambodian government on the Khmer Rouge tribunal in 2002,
but makes no mention after that of the renewed and ultimately successful
negotiations later in 2003.
Legacy Issues
Vietnam Releases Pioneer Landmine Survey
In
late November Vietnam announced the results of a landmark study on unexploded
landmines and ordnance in Quang Tri Province, one of the most heavily bombed
regions in the Vietnam War. Survey data
indicates that beween the end of the war in 1975 and 2002, as many as 2,540
people were killed by landmines and UXO in Quang Tri, with 4,243 injured. Nearly three-quarters of the victims were
under the age of 30, and were heavily concentrated among members of minority
groups, particularly those in remote areas.
Funding for the survey was provided by UNICEF and the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Fund. The data also offers the
first comprehensive look at the socio-economic impact of landmines and UXO on
local residents, showing that deaths and injuries were a particular burden on
poor families with limited opportunities for income generation. Download a copy
of the survey at http://www.vvmf.org/index.cfm?SectionID=300
International NGO Conference in Hanoi Considers War
Legacy Issues
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan and
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Van Bang headlined the International
Conference on Vietnam-INGO Cooperation
in Hanoi in November. The event brought
together more than 350 participants from the INGO community, international
multi-lateral organizations, agencies for development and cooperation,
representatives of foreign embassies in Hanoi, and nearly 250 participants from
ministries and government agencies, people’s organizations, other partner
organizations, research institutions, and representatives of 61
provinces/cities in Vietnam.
For a list of available speech texts, write info@ffrd.org
An address by FRD Executive
Director John McAuliff calling for greater attention by international non-governmental
organizations (INGOs) to war legacy issues and to education of the public and
policymakers can be read at http://www.ffrd.org/speeches/vnngospeech.htm
Unless we are able to find new funding, this will be the final issue of the Washington
Indochina Update compiled by Catharin Dalpino, former representative of the
Asia Foundation for Cambodia, Laos and Thailand and a Depurty Assistant
Secretary of State during the Clinton Administration.
We welcome suggestions of potential sources of
support from the foundation or business community to sustain Catharin’s
exceptional work.
To obtain a copy of FRD’s proposal for a
strengthened presence in Washington to actively address priority issues in US
relations with Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, contact jmcauliff@ffrd.org