Jun 20, 2012
FBI gets a broader role in coordinating domestic intelligence activities
FBI gets a broader role in coordinating domestic intelligence activities:
The FBI has been given an expanded role in coordinating the domestic intelligence-gathering activities of the CIA and other agencies under a plan enacted this year by Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr., officials said.
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The FBI has been given an expanded role in coordinating the domestic intelligence-gathering activities of the CIA and other agencies under a plan enacted this year by Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr., officials said.
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The eight states where Latinos could sink the GOP
The eight states where Latinos could sink the GOP:
Republicans’ emerging problem with Latino voters looks even worse when you factor in the electoral college.
A look at Latino population trends in swing and key red states shows just how ominous the GOP’s future could be if it doesn’t do something about its current struggles with Latino voters.
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Republicans’ emerging problem with Latino voters looks even worse when you factor in the electoral college.
A look at Latino population trends in swing and key red states shows just how ominous the GOP’s future could be if it doesn’t do something about its current struggles with Latino voters.
Read full article >>
Fast and Furious scandal: Obama invokes executive privilege; House panel moves forward with Holder contempt vote
Fast and Furious scandal: Obama invokes executive privilege; House panel moves forward with Holder contempt vote:
President Obama asserted executive privilege over documents related to the “Fast and Furious” operation Wednesday as a House panel moved to hold Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt for failing to cooperate with a related congressional inquiry.
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President Obama asserted executive privilege over documents related to the “Fast and Furious” operation Wednesday as a House panel moved to hold Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt for failing to cooperate with a related congressional inquiry.
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Antonis Samaras takes over as Greek prime minister
Antonis Samaras takes over as Greek prime minister:
ATHENS – Conservative leader Antonis Samaras was sworn in as Greece’s prime minister Wednesday at the head of a coalition government that will have to reconcile the demands of the country’s international lenders with the growing frustration of its recession-wracked citizens.
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ATHENS – Conservative leader Antonis Samaras was sworn in as Greece’s prime minister Wednesday at the head of a coalition government that will have to reconcile the demands of the country’s international lenders with the growing frustration of its recession-wracked citizens.
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Federal Reserve renews program to spur growth amid concerns about economy
Federal Reserve renews program to spur growth amid concerns about economy:
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday renewed a program designed to provide a push to economic growth amid a warning that hiring is slowing.
The Fed said it would extend “Operation Twist,” a program that seeks to reduce long-term interest rates, through the end of the year. The decision was a sign that the Fed is not pulling back from its years-long campaign to support the U.S. economy.
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The Federal Reserve on Wednesday renewed a program designed to provide a push to economic growth amid a warning that hiring is slowing.
The Fed said it would extend “Operation Twist,” a program that seeks to reduce long-term interest rates, through the end of the year. The decision was a sign that the Fed is not pulling back from its years-long campaign to support the U.S. economy.
Read full article >>
Jun 19, 2012
Greece 'on verge of' coalition deal
Greece 'on verge of' coalition deal: Socialist leader promises "wholehearted support" as he says parties in talks aim to form a coalition by Wednesday.
UNHCR starts flying in aid for 50,000 Sudanese refugees in Upper Nile
UNHCR starts flying in aid for 50,000 Sudanese refugees in Upper Nile: The aid being flown in includes kitchen sets, blankets, soap, plastic sheets, sleeping mats, jerry cans, mosquito nets and drilling equipment for wells.
RIO+20: Slum-dweller power
RIO+20: Slum-dweller power:
 | RIO DE JANEIRO, 19 June 2012 (IRIN) - Seven years after the Zimbabwean government tried to wipe out informal urban settlements in a campaign known as Operation Murambatsvina ("getting rid of the filth"), the scales have tipped in favour of the homeless, who are helping the capital city, Harare, develop a protocol to upgrade their living spaces. |
THAILAND: How to move floodwater through Bangkok
THAILAND: How to move floodwater through Bangkok:
 | BANGKOK, 19 June 2012 (IRIN) - As flood season revisits Thailand, experts and policymakers look to 2011, which brought the worst floods in half a century, to glean lessons about how they might safely move floodwater through Bangkok, the Thai capital, should they need to. |
RIO+20: "Backsliding" on women's rights
RIO+20: "Backsliding" on women's rights:
 | RIO DE JANEIRO, 19 June 2012 (IRIN) - Population growth and women's right to choose when to have children could become hot issues again. Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former prime minister of Norway, has warned against “backsliding” in the draft outcome document being negotiated at the Rio+20 conference, which opens on 20 June. The new text might not recognize the advances made in ensuring that women have reproductive rights alongside other major multilateral agreements on development and the environment. |
ISRAEL: New law targets migrant care workers
ISRAEL: New law targets migrant care workers:
 | TEL AVIV, 19 June 2012 (IRIN) - It took Sherima Cramer two years to earn enough money to pay back the debts she incurred when she decided to leave her native Sri Lanka for better job opportunities in Israel. |
Opposition Slams Border Agreement
Opposition Slams Border Agreement:
A leading Cambodian opposition party Monday strongly condemned plans by the leaders of Vietnam and Cambodia to finalize the demarcation of their shared border, which would result in each side exchanging swaths of land.
Cambodian Border Commission Chairman Var Kimhong announced Monday that Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung will inaugurate the last of 314 border posts on June 24 between Cambodia’s Kampot and Vietnam’s Kien Giang provinces, both of which lie on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand.
Var Kimhong said finalizing the border is important because it will also allow the two countries to proceed with defining their coastal territories.
“Border post 314 is very important in defining the sea border,” he said.
“Now that we have agreed on the [location of the] 314th border post, we can start to demarcate the sea border at any time.”
Var Kimhong added that Cambodia and Vietnam have been using information from French colonial era maps, the Cambodian constitution, and Cambodian King Norodom’s dealings with Vietnam in 1873 to define their borders. Norodom ruled as king from 1860 to 1904.
Var Kimhong said that as part of the deal, Vietnam had agreed to allow Cambodia to reincorporate Along Chhrey and Thlok Trach villages as part of Kompong Cham province’s Ponhea Leu district—the original home of Cambodian National Assembly President Heng Samrin.
In return, he said, Vietnam will be permitted to claim part of Cambodia, although he did not specify which part of the country.
Opposition concerns
Opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) spokesman Yim Sovann said his group would never accept any deal between Cambodia and Vietnam regarding the demarcation of the shared border.
“The opposition party opposes any demarcation that affects Cambodian territory,” he said.
The SRP said it would also refuse to recognize a recent move by the national assembly, or Cambodian parliament, to ratify an additional treaty concerning Cambodian and Vietnamese border pacts.
SRP leader Sam Rainsy currently lives in exile in France and is facing a two-year jail sentence for uprooting markers at the border with Vietnam in 2009, if he returns.
Sam Rainsy said earlier this month that he plans to meet with Vietnamese officials to convince them to pressure Cambodia to allow him to enter the country, but Hun Sen responded by saying that he is not a Vietnamese puppet and telling Sam Rainsy he would face his punishment if he returned to Cambodia.
Joint demarcation
The inauguration of the 314th border post will mark the second time Cambodia and Vietnam have cooperated to demarcate their shared border. In June 2006, the two countries installed the 171st border post between Cambodia’s Svay Rieng and Vietnam’s Tay Ninh provinces.
Cambodia and Vietnam share 2,570 kilometers (1,600 miles) of land and sea border and have completed 280 of 314 planned border posts, or about 90 percent of the project. Cambodia’s Rattanakiri and Mondukiri provinces have yet to be demarcated.
The Cambodian government has spent about U.S. $16 million to build the concrete border posts, excluding the cost required to transport them and demarcate the border.
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.
Reported by Sok Serey and Seng Sereyroth for RFA’s Khmer service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
A leading Cambodian opposition party Monday strongly condemned plans by the leaders of Vietnam and Cambodia to finalize the demarcation of their shared border, which would result in each side exchanging swaths of land.
Cambodian Border Commission Chairman Var Kimhong announced Monday that Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung will inaugurate the last of 314 border posts on June 24 between Cambodia’s Kampot and Vietnam’s Kien Giang provinces, both of which lie on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand.
Var Kimhong said finalizing the border is important because it will also allow the two countries to proceed with defining their coastal territories.
“Border post 314 is very important in defining the sea border,” he said.
“Now that we have agreed on the [location of the] 314th border post, we can start to demarcate the sea border at any time.”
Var Kimhong added that Cambodia and Vietnam have been using information from French colonial era maps, the Cambodian constitution, and Cambodian King Norodom’s dealings with Vietnam in 1873 to define their borders. Norodom ruled as king from 1860 to 1904.
Var Kimhong said that as part of the deal, Vietnam had agreed to allow Cambodia to reincorporate Along Chhrey and Thlok Trach villages as part of Kompong Cham province’s Ponhea Leu district—the original home of Cambodian National Assembly President Heng Samrin.
In return, he said, Vietnam will be permitted to claim part of Cambodia, although he did not specify which part of the country.
Opposition concerns
Opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) spokesman Yim Sovann said his group would never accept any deal between Cambodia and Vietnam regarding the demarcation of the shared border.
“The opposition party opposes any demarcation that affects Cambodian territory,” he said.
The SRP said it would also refuse to recognize a recent move by the national assembly, or Cambodian parliament, to ratify an additional treaty concerning Cambodian and Vietnamese border pacts.
SRP leader Sam Rainsy currently lives in exile in France and is facing a two-year jail sentence for uprooting markers at the border with Vietnam in 2009, if he returns.
Sam Rainsy said earlier this month that he plans to meet with Vietnamese officials to convince them to pressure Cambodia to allow him to enter the country, but Hun Sen responded by saying that he is not a Vietnamese puppet and telling Sam Rainsy he would face his punishment if he returned to Cambodia.
Border post 171 was demarcated in 2006 between Cambodia’s Svay Rieng and Vietnam’s Tay Ninh provinces.
The inauguration of the 314th border post will mark the second time Cambodia and Vietnam have cooperated to demarcate their shared border. In June 2006, the two countries installed the 171st border post between Cambodia’s Svay Rieng and Vietnam’s Tay Ninh provinces.
Cambodia and Vietnam share 2,570 kilometers (1,600 miles) of land and sea border and have completed 280 of 314 planned border posts, or about 90 percent of the project. Cambodia’s Rattanakiri and Mondukiri provinces have yet to be demarcated.
The Cambodian government has spent about U.S. $16 million to build the concrete border posts, excluding the cost required to transport them and demarcate the border.
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.
Reported by Sok Serey and Seng Sereyroth for RFA’s Khmer service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Evicted Farmers Threaten Self-Immolation
Evicted Farmers Threaten Self-Immolation:
Around 100 farmers held a second day of protests in front of a municipal building in the Vietnamese capital Tuesday, threatening to self-immolate if officials do not return land they say they were forcibly evicted from three years ago.
The farmers, from Ha Dong district on the outskirts of Hanoi, gathered around the Vietnam Communist Party’s Petitions Office near Mai Xuan Thuong Park, wearing shirts resembling the Vietnamese flag with anti-corruption slogans printed on them.
“We have brought our lunch to the site while we continue to demand the return of our land,” said one protester who spoke to RFA’s Vietnamese service on condition of anonymity.
The Hanoi city government requisitioned the farmers’ land, in Duong Noi village’s La Duong commune, in 2009 to develop two new townships, as well as a hospital and school. Since then, only 350 of 4,000 households have resisted eviction by authorities.
“We are willing to risk our lives to keep our land, even if it means self-immolating in protest,” the farmer said.
Security forces looked on as the farmers protested, but did not arrest anyone.
Capital clash
The protest follows clashes which broke out last week between villagers and a group of men hired to clear their land for the controversial EcoPark satellite city, also on the periphery of Hanoi, leaving several villagers injured and others vowing to protect their homes should demolition crews return.
The site in Hung Yen province’s Van Giang district has been the scene of a number of confrontations over the past several years since local authorities granted the developer 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of land used by the villagers.
The villagers say the land allocation was made without fair negotiations and have refused to leave.
All land in Vietnam belongs to the state, with people having only the right to use it. Land expropriation has been linked to several high-profile incidents of unrest in recent years.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called in February for a revamp to the country’s land management policies and vowed to punish corrupt local officials involved in illegal land grabs.
Dung also warned officials to ensure that evictions and land seizures are carried out "in strict accordance with the law."
Reported by RFA’s Vietnamese service. Translated by An Nguyen. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Around 100 farmers held a second day of protests in front of a municipal building in the Vietnamese capital Tuesday, threatening to self-immolate if officials do not return land they say they were forcibly evicted from three years ago.
The farmers, from Ha Dong district on the outskirts of Hanoi, gathered around the Vietnam Communist Party’s Petitions Office near Mai Xuan Thuong Park, wearing shirts resembling the Vietnamese flag with anti-corruption slogans printed on them.
“We have brought our lunch to the site while we continue to demand the return of our land,” said one protester who spoke to RFA’s Vietnamese service on condition of anonymity.
The Hanoi city government requisitioned the farmers’ land, in Duong Noi village’s La Duong commune, in 2009 to develop two new townships, as well as a hospital and school. Since then, only 350 of 4,000 households have resisted eviction by authorities.
“We are willing to risk our lives to keep our land, even if it means self-immolating in protest,” the farmer said.
Security forces looked on as the farmers protested, but did not arrest anyone.
Capital clash
The protest follows clashes which broke out last week between villagers and a group of men hired to clear their land for the controversial EcoPark satellite city, also on the periphery of Hanoi, leaving several villagers injured and others vowing to protect their homes should demolition crews return.
The site in Hung Yen province’s Van Giang district has been the scene of a number of confrontations over the past several years since local authorities granted the developer 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of land used by the villagers.
The villagers say the land allocation was made without fair negotiations and have refused to leave.
All land in Vietnam belongs to the state, with people having only the right to use it. Land expropriation has been linked to several high-profile incidents of unrest in recent years.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called in February for a revamp to the country’s land management policies and vowed to punish corrupt local officials involved in illegal land grabs.
Dung also warned officials to ensure that evictions and land seizures are carried out "in strict accordance with the law."
Reported by RFA’s Vietnamese service. Translated by An Nguyen. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Uyghur Jailed Over Religious Materials
Uyghur Jailed Over Religious Materials:
Authorities in the city of Hotan in the ethnically troubled Xinjiang region have handed a 10-year jail term to an Uyghur man convicted of selling "illegal religious materials" ahead of a sensitive anniversary.
The sentence was passed on Sunday by the Hotan Municipal People's Court on Hebibullah Ibrahim, the People's Daily online news site reported.
Charges of "selling illegal religious materials" usually attract no more than a fine.
An exile group said the sentence was a sign of oppressive policies toward Uyghurs, who form a distinct, mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking ethnic group in northwestern China's Xinjiang.
"It is unacceptable that the Chinese government should be handing out such judgements," said Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress.
"The authorities are using so-called legal processes to step up their systematic oppression of Uyghurs."
Hebibullah Ibrahim's sentence comes after courts in three counties in neighboring Kashgar prefecture handed out jail terms to nine Uyghurs on May 31 over their participation in “illegal” religious activities.
In the heaviest of the sentences, the Shule County Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Sidik Kurban to 15 years in jail and five years’ deprivation of political rights, saying he had overseen the operation of illegal, home-based religious schools throughout the region.
Others were given jail terms of seven years for "disturbing social order" on the grounds they had engaged in underground religious activity.
Anniversary
Dilxat Raxit said the severity of the sentence on Ibrahim was likely linked to the forthcoming anniversary of June 26, 2009 attacks on Uyghur workers by their Han Chinese colleagues at a toy factory in the southern city of Shaoguan and subsequent violence in Xinjiang known as the "July 5 Incident."
Days after the attacks in Shaoguan, what began as a peaceful, student-led demonstration by Uyghurs in the Xinjiang regional capital of Urumqi in protest against the attacks escalated into full-scale ethnic rioting on July 5 that left at least 197 people dead, according to official figures.
Beijing blamed exile Uyghur dissident Rebiya Kadeer for inciting the violence, but Kadeer and the World Uyghur Congress have repeatedly said that Chinese police opened fire on unarmed Uyghur protesters.
"They are handing out heavy sentences to Uyghurs around these sensitive anniversaries, so as to frighten Uyghurs and prevent any further protests in the region against Chinese rule," Dilxat Raxit said.
A Han Chinese Urumqi resident surnamed Wang said that he had come to understand something about Islam from living with his Uyghur neighbors.
"It doesn't matter whether it's Islam or Buddhism; it's all about doing good, with the exception of a few extremists," Wang said. "The media in China talks about extremists, but I'm not so sure."
"Right now the scariest thing about China is that people don't believe in anything," he said.
House searches
In the run-up to the July 5 anniversary in Urumqi, the authorities have launched a series of house-to-house investigations, aimed at uncovering any overseas links among the city's residents, a resident surnamed Zhang said in an interview on Monday.
"They are investigating all of the Uyghur families' links with overseas," he said. "Every block in the residential complex has a notice up announcing the probe into overseas links."
Chinese authorities, wary of instability and the threat to the ruling Communist Party's grip on power, often link Uyghurs in Xinjiang to violent separatist groups, including the Al-Qaeda terror network.
In October, Xinjiang courts sentenced four Uyghurs to death for violence in Kashgar and Hotan in July 2011 which left 32 people dead.
Uyghurs say they are subjected to political control and persecution for seeking meaningful autonomy in their homeland and are denied economic opportunities stemming from Beijing's rapid development of the troubled region.
Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Authorities in the city of Hotan in the ethnically troubled Xinjiang region have handed a 10-year jail term to an Uyghur man convicted of selling "illegal religious materials" ahead of a sensitive anniversary.
The sentence was passed on Sunday by the Hotan Municipal People's Court on Hebibullah Ibrahim, the People's Daily online news site reported.
Charges of "selling illegal religious materials" usually attract no more than a fine.
An exile group said the sentence was a sign of oppressive policies toward Uyghurs, who form a distinct, mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking ethnic group in northwestern China's Xinjiang.
"It is unacceptable that the Chinese government should be handing out such judgements," said Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress.
"The authorities are using so-called legal processes to step up their systematic oppression of Uyghurs."
Hebibullah Ibrahim's sentence comes after courts in three counties in neighboring Kashgar prefecture handed out jail terms to nine Uyghurs on May 31 over their participation in “illegal” religious activities.
In the heaviest of the sentences, the Shule County Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Sidik Kurban to 15 years in jail and five years’ deprivation of political rights, saying he had overseen the operation of illegal, home-based religious schools throughout the region.
Others were given jail terms of seven years for "disturbing social order" on the grounds they had engaged in underground religious activity.
Anniversary
Dilxat Raxit said the severity of the sentence on Ibrahim was likely linked to the forthcoming anniversary of June 26, 2009 attacks on Uyghur workers by their Han Chinese colleagues at a toy factory in the southern city of Shaoguan and subsequent violence in Xinjiang known as the "July 5 Incident."
Days after the attacks in Shaoguan, what began as a peaceful, student-led demonstration by Uyghurs in the Xinjiang regional capital of Urumqi in protest against the attacks escalated into full-scale ethnic rioting on July 5 that left at least 197 people dead, according to official figures.
Beijing blamed exile Uyghur dissident Rebiya Kadeer for inciting the violence, but Kadeer and the World Uyghur Congress have repeatedly said that Chinese police opened fire on unarmed Uyghur protesters.
"They are handing out heavy sentences to Uyghurs around these sensitive anniversaries, so as to frighten Uyghurs and prevent any further protests in the region against Chinese rule," Dilxat Raxit said.
A Han Chinese Urumqi resident surnamed Wang said that he had come to understand something about Islam from living with his Uyghur neighbors.
"It doesn't matter whether it's Islam or Buddhism; it's all about doing good, with the exception of a few extremists," Wang said. "The media in China talks about extremists, but I'm not so sure."
"Right now the scariest thing about China is that people don't believe in anything," he said.
House searches
In the run-up to the July 5 anniversary in Urumqi, the authorities have launched a series of house-to-house investigations, aimed at uncovering any overseas links among the city's residents, a resident surnamed Zhang said in an interview on Monday.
"They are investigating all of the Uyghur families' links with overseas," he said. "Every block in the residential complex has a notice up announcing the probe into overseas links."
Chinese authorities, wary of instability and the threat to the ruling Communist Party's grip on power, often link Uyghurs in Xinjiang to violent separatist groups, including the Al-Qaeda terror network.
In October, Xinjiang courts sentenced four Uyghurs to death for violence in Kashgar and Hotan in July 2011 which left 32 people dead.
Uyghurs say they are subjected to political control and persecution for seeking meaningful autonomy in their homeland and are denied economic opportunities stemming from Beijing's rapid development of the troubled region.
Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Police Beat Buddhist Monk
Police Beat Buddhist Monk:
Vietnamese police have beaten a monk who is a member of an outlawed Buddhist association after pulling him over for not wearing a helmet, an overseas rights group said Tuesday.
Thich Quang Thanh, a member of the unsanctioned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), was beaten June 10 by traffic police in southern Vietnam’s Dong Nai province, the Paris-based Vietnam Committee on Human Rights said in a statement.
After he was pulled over while riding a motorbike on Highway 51, Thich Quang Thanh apologized and prepared to pay a fine for not wearing a helmet, but police threw the motorbike in their truck and punched him in the face, the rights group said.
After calling for backup, a group of policemen pinned him to the ground, beat him with a truncheon and trampled on him, stopping him from calling for help, the group said. They also stopped passers-by who tried to interfere, it said.
Police took him in for questioning Phuoc Thai village where he was held for questioning, releasing him several hours later.
Photos Thich Quang Thanh took of his body shortly after the beating showed bruises and scars.
The unregistered UBCV, with followers around Vietnam, has clashed with officials since its founding in the 1960s. Its leader, Thich Quang Do, lives under house arrest in Saigon.
Religious activity is closely monitored in the one-party Vietnamese state, where religious groups must operate under government-controlled management boards.
The only recognized Buddhist church in the country is the Buddhist Church of Vietnam, an organization run by the Fatherland Front, a peripheral organization of the ruling Communist Party.
In May, senior UBCV monks in Vietnam said they faced increasing threats and pressure from police in three central provinces to ban celebrations of the anniversary of the Buddha’s birth.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a congressional watchdog, has said the Vietnamese government severely restricts and penalizes independent religious practice and represses individuals and groups viewed as challenging its authority.
Reported by Rachel Vandenbrink.
Vietnamese police have beaten a monk who is a member of an outlawed Buddhist association after pulling him over for not wearing a helmet, an overseas rights group said Tuesday.
Thich Quang Thanh, a member of the unsanctioned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), was beaten June 10 by traffic police in southern Vietnam’s Dong Nai province, the Paris-based Vietnam Committee on Human Rights said in a statement.
After he was pulled over while riding a motorbike on Highway 51, Thich Quang Thanh apologized and prepared to pay a fine for not wearing a helmet, but police threw the motorbike in their truck and punched him in the face, the rights group said.
After calling for backup, a group of policemen pinned him to the ground, beat him with a truncheon and trampled on him, stopping him from calling for help, the group said. They also stopped passers-by who tried to interfere, it said.
Police took him in for questioning Phuoc Thai village where he was held for questioning, releasing him several hours later.
Thich Quang Thanh shortly after being beaten by police on June 10, 2012. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Committe on Human Rights.
The unregistered UBCV, with followers around Vietnam, has clashed with officials since its founding in the 1960s. Its leader, Thich Quang Do, lives under house arrest in Saigon.
Religious activity is closely monitored in the one-party Vietnamese state, where religious groups must operate under government-controlled management boards.
The only recognized Buddhist church in the country is the Buddhist Church of Vietnam, an organization run by the Fatherland Front, a peripheral organization of the ruling Communist Party.
In May, senior UBCV monks in Vietnam said they faced increasing threats and pressure from police in three central provinces to ban celebrations of the anniversary of the Buddha’s birth.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a congressional watchdog, has said the Vietnamese government severely restricts and penalizes independent religious practice and represses individuals and groups viewed as challenging its authority.
Reported by Rachel Vandenbrink.
Resettled Laotians Have Power Supply
Resettled Laotians Have Power Supply:
All the villagers who were resettled to make way for Nam Theun 2, Laos’s largest hydroelectric dam, have received electricity supply, the World bank said Monday, rejecting a report that some of those villagers did not receive power.
"[E]very resettlement village on the Nakai plateau, and every household in those villages, has an electricity connection and improved water supply, as part of a comprehensive compensation package to people affected by inundation of the reservoir," World Bank spokeswoman Meriem Gray said in a statement from Laos.
She was commenting on a RFA report dated June 14, which has since been retracted, that some of the 6,300 people in 15 villages resettled since 2005 to make room for the dam had no electricity supply.
The 1,070-megawatt Nam Theun 2 dam on a tributary of the Mekong River in Khammouane province has been producing electricity since March 2010. The dam diverts water from the Nam Theun River to the Xe Bang Fai River.
The U.S. $1.25 billion project, financed by international institutions including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, was launched as 6,300 people living in the assigned reservoir area on the Nakai Plateau were resettled.
"The project’s commitment to resettled communities extends beyond compensating them for the move, and includes helping villagers to develop significantly better livelihoods and living standards than they had before the project," Gray said.
She said that there was a small number of families who "voluntarily chose not to relocate to the resettlement villages but rather to receive cash compensation and to choose by themselves where they would relocate."
"These families were provided significant cash compensation."
Gray explained that Nam Theun 2 does not exacerbate any natural floods in the Xe Bang Fai downstream area as it ceases power production when the river reaches a certain predefined level.
In August last year, it ceased power generation for several weeks when the level was reached.
Poverty reduction
Nam Theun 2 will generate around U.S. $2 billion in government revenues for poverty reduction and environmental protection through the sale of electricity to Thailand and into the Lao grid, the bank said.
But International Rivers, an environmental group, said more than 110,000 people who depend on the Xe Bang Fai and Nam Theun rivers for their livelihoods have been directly affected by the project, due to destruction of fisheries, the flooding of riverbank gardens, and water quality problems.
It claimed that people on the Nakai Plateau still have no source of sustainable livelihood, threatening their food security.
A key selling point of the project was the funds it would provide for protection of the globally significant Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area, the largest protected area in Laos and one of the most important areas for biodiversity in Southeast Asia.
Yet, according to International Rivers, the reservoir has opened up an access to the area, exacerbating logging and poaching and threatening its ecological integrity.
But the World Bank said the Nam Theun 2 project has put in place a comprehensive downstream program that benefits more people than are affected by the dam and that food security has "significantly improved" for resettled people on the plateau compared to life before the project.
The Nam Theun 2 is also providing more than U.S. $1 million per year for the full 25-year concession period to improve the management and protection of the Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area, which includes the dam watershed. "This makes it the largest and best financed protected area in the country," it said.
As of the beginning of this year, Laos had 14 operational hydropower dams, 10 under construction, and 56 proposed or in planning stages, according to an online government report.
Among these is the controversial Xayaburi dam, which would be the first on the mainstream Lower Mekong. Green groups say the dam could have a major impact on the regional environment and threaten Southeast Asia’s food security.
Reported by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Rachel Vandenbrink.
All the villagers who were resettled to make way for Nam Theun 2, Laos’s largest hydroelectric dam, have received electricity supply, the World bank said Monday, rejecting a report that some of those villagers did not receive power.
"[E]very resettlement village on the Nakai plateau, and every household in those villages, has an electricity connection and improved water supply, as part of a comprehensive compensation package to people affected by inundation of the reservoir," World Bank spokeswoman Meriem Gray said in a statement from Laos.
She was commenting on a RFA report dated June 14, which has since been retracted, that some of the 6,300 people in 15 villages resettled since 2005 to make room for the dam had no electricity supply.
The 1,070-megawatt Nam Theun 2 dam on a tributary of the Mekong River in Khammouane province has been producing electricity since March 2010. The dam diverts water from the Nam Theun River to the Xe Bang Fai River.
The U.S. $1.25 billion project, financed by international institutions including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, was launched as 6,300 people living in the assigned reservoir area on the Nakai Plateau were resettled.
"The project’s commitment to resettled communities extends beyond compensating them for the move, and includes helping villagers to develop significantly better livelihoods and living standards than they had before the project," Gray said.
She said that there was a small number of families who "voluntarily chose not to relocate to the resettlement villages but rather to receive cash compensation and to choose by themselves where they would relocate."
"These families were provided significant cash compensation."
Gray explained that Nam Theun 2 does not exacerbate any natural floods in the Xe Bang Fai downstream area as it ceases power production when the river reaches a certain predefined level.
In August last year, it ceased power generation for several weeks when the level was reached.
Poverty reduction
Nam Theun 2 will generate around U.S. $2 billion in government revenues for poverty reduction and environmental protection through the sale of electricity to Thailand and into the Lao grid, the bank said.
But International Rivers, an environmental group, said more than 110,000 people who depend on the Xe Bang Fai and Nam Theun rivers for their livelihoods have been directly affected by the project, due to destruction of fisheries, the flooding of riverbank gardens, and water quality problems.
It claimed that people on the Nakai Plateau still have no source of sustainable livelihood, threatening their food security.
A key selling point of the project was the funds it would provide for protection of the globally significant Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area, the largest protected area in Laos and one of the most important areas for biodiversity in Southeast Asia.
Yet, according to International Rivers, the reservoir has opened up an access to the area, exacerbating logging and poaching and threatening its ecological integrity.
But the World Bank said the Nam Theun 2 project has put in place a comprehensive downstream program that benefits more people than are affected by the dam and that food security has "significantly improved" for resettled people on the plateau compared to life before the project.
The Nam Theun 2 is also providing more than U.S. $1 million per year for the full 25-year concession period to improve the management and protection of the Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area, which includes the dam watershed. "This makes it the largest and best financed protected area in the country," it said.
As of the beginning of this year, Laos had 14 operational hydropower dams, 10 under construction, and 56 proposed or in planning stages, according to an online government report.
Among these is the controversial Xayaburi dam, which would be the first on the mainstream Lower Mekong. Green groups say the dam could have a major impact on the regional environment and threaten Southeast Asia’s food security.
Reported by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Rachel Vandenbrink.
Facebook to Bolster Payments Business
Facebook to Bolster Payments Business: Facebook is seeking to strengthen the nonadvertising side of its business by enabling users to make payments on the social site in local currency.
Egyptians Rally Against Military
Egyptians Rally Against Military: Egypt's Islamist and liberal forces, wary about the results of the weekend's presidential election, cast aside their ideological differences to protest the ruling military's moves to extend its grip on power.
How Asia Will Fare if Europe Cracks
How Asia Will Fare if Europe Cracks: Greek elections may have assuaged fears of a European financial contagion spreading to Asia, at least for the moment. But as troubles brew in Spain, where borrowing costs shot up again Tuesday, and as Greece faces more painful cuts to meet bailout targets by September, many wonder who in Asia is most exposed should Europe's economy and financial system finally crack.
Immigration Upended: American Children Struggle to Adjust in Mexico
Immigration Upended: American Children Struggle to Adjust in Mexico: The English-speaking children of Mexicans returning because of deportations, tougher state laws and unemployment struggle to adjust, often going to schools that are not equipped to integrate them.
Many American Workers Are Underemployed and Underpaid
Many American Workers Are Underemployed and Underpaid: Americans fortunate enough to have a job are often overqualified and find that wages and benefits are down, leaving many unable to meet their expenses.
West Bank Mosque Is Set Ablaze and Vandalized
West Bank Mosque Is Set Ablaze and Vandalized: A West Bank mosque was burned and vandalized early on Tuesday, with graffiti warning in Hebrew of a “war” over the impending evacuation of the Jewish settlement of Ulpana.
Syria-Bound Russian Ship Is Turned Back
Syria-Bound Russian Ship Is Turned Back: The British foreign secretary, William Hague, told Parliament that the ship, carrying refurbished Russian-made attack helicopters, was apparently headed back to Russia.
Iran and Six Powers Agree to Extend Nuclear Talks
Iran and Six Powers Agree to Extend Nuclear Talks: A second day of talks between Iran and six world powers began Tuesday, as negotiators sought to head off the danger of military confrontation over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Mitt Romney receives newfound enthusiasm from Republicans
Mitt Romney receives newfound enthusiasm from Republicans:
NEWARK, Ohio — Mitt Romney is still awkward sometimes, a bit robotic and stilted at the lectern. But a turnabout seems to be happening: Voters say they are seeing him through a new prism.
“He’s not stiff. He’s letting his own human nature through, talking like you and I are talking now, not guarded and watching what he’d say,” Marge Sowa, 69, said of the Republican presidential candidate after sizing him up at a pancake breakfast in Brunswick, Ohio, during his tour of potential battleground states. “He showed personality — oh, big time. He was one of the guys.”
Read full article >>
NEWARK, Ohio — Mitt Romney is still awkward sometimes, a bit robotic and stilted at the lectern. But a turnabout seems to be happening: Voters say they are seeing him through a new prism.
“He’s not stiff. He’s letting his own human nature through, talking like you and I are talking now, not guarded and watching what he’d say,” Marge Sowa, 69, said of the Republican presidential candidate after sizing him up at a pancake breakfast in Brunswick, Ohio, during his tour of potential battleground states. “He showed personality — oh, big time. He was one of the guys.”
Read full article >>
Asians outnumber Hispanics among new immigrants to U.S.
Asians outnumber Hispanics among new immigrants to U.S.:
Immigration from Latin America has dropped so precipitously that Asians now outnumber Hispanics among new arrivals in the United States, a new study shows.
The switchover has been in place since at least 2009, according to the Pew Research Center, and is primarily the result of plunging immigration from Mexico, the birthplace of more U.S. immigrants than any other country. This year, Pew said more Mexicans may be leaving the United States than arriving for the first time since the Great Depression, due to weakness in the U.S. job market, a rise in deportation and a decline in Mexico’s birthrate.
Read full article >>
Immigration from Latin America has dropped so precipitously that Asians now outnumber Hispanics among new arrivals in the United States, a new study shows.
The switchover has been in place since at least 2009, according to the Pew Research Center, and is primarily the result of plunging immigration from Mexico, the birthplace of more U.S. immigrants than any other country. This year, Pew said more Mexicans may be leaving the United States than arriving for the first time since the Great Depression, due to weakness in the U.S. job market, a rise in deportation and a decline in Mexico’s birthrate.
Read full article >>
Pakistani premier Gilani ousted from office by top court
Pakistani premier Gilani ousted from office by top court:
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A decision by Pakistan’s Supreme Court to dismiss Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for contempt on Tuesday threw the country’s political system into turmoil, creating fresh uncertainty about who will lead a nation that is central to U.S. efforts to end the war in Afghanistan.
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A decision by Pakistan’s Supreme Court to dismiss Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for contempt on Tuesday threw the country’s political system into turmoil, creating fresh uncertainty about who will lead a nation that is central to U.S. efforts to end the war in Afghanistan.
Read full article >>
Muslim Brotherhood calls for protests in Egypt
Muslim Brotherhood calls for protests in Egypt:
CAIRO — The Muslim Brotherhood maneuvered Tuesday to cement its victory claim in Egypt’s historic presidential election as it called on demonstrators to take to the streets to protest a military decree that weakens the role of the presidency.
Read full article >>
CAIRO — The Muslim Brotherhood maneuvered Tuesday to cement its victory claim in Egypt’s historic presidential election as it called on demonstrators to take to the streets to protest a military decree that weakens the role of the presidency.
Read full article >>
Jun 18, 2012
Global Trends Report: 800,000 new refugees in 2011, highest this century
Global Trends Report: 800,000 new refugees in 2011, highest this century: Over 10 years, growing numbers affected by displacement. Some 7 million refugees of concern to UNHCR have been in exile for at least five years.
UGANDA: Lack of funding stalls ex-combatants' reintegration
UGANDA: Lack of funding stalls ex-combatants' reintegration:
 | KAMPALA/GULU, 18 June 2012 (IRIN) - A Ugandan government programme to reintegrate more than 26,000 former armed rebels has stalled as a result of poor funding, leaving thousands of ex-combatants with few means of earning a living |
BANGLADESH: Dhaka’s shrinking wetlands raise disaster risks
BANGLADESH: Dhaka’s shrinking wetlands raise disaster risks:
 | DHAKA, 18 June 2012 (IRIN) - Rapid urbanization and the demise of wetlands around Dhaka, the mushrooming capital of Bangladesh, has made the city more vulnerable to flooding and other natural disasters. |
Crackdown on African Immigrants Tugs at Israel’s Soul
Crackdown on African Immigrants Tugs at Israel’s Soul: Since 2005, about 60,000 sub-Saharan Africans have slipped into Israel, and tensions caused by their presence have prompted a tough new policy to stem the influx.
News Analysis: Obama Re-Election Complicated by World Events
News Analysis: Obama Re-Election Complicated by World Events: As President Obama left Sunday for a summit in Mexico, a daunting array of overseas issues underscored the challenges for an incumbent trying to manage global affairs while arguing a case for re-election.
Military Commander in Yemen is Assassinated
Military Commander in Yemen is Assassinated: An important commander in Yemen was killed Monday in the southern port city of Aden days after the government announced a major military victory over Al Qaeda militants.
Taliban Block Polio Vaccinations in Pakistan
Taliban Block Polio Vaccinations in Pakistan: The ban, in the North Waziristan region, came days before 161,000 children were to be vaccinated and was linked to fears the campaign would be a cover for American espionage.
Russian Warships Said to Be Going to Naval Base in Syria
Russian Warships Said to Be Going to Naval Base in Syria: A Russian news agency said on Monday that two naval vessels with marines on board are ready to head for Syria to protect Russian citizens and a naval base there.
Saudi Arabia Appoints Prince Salman as Crown Prince
Saudi Arabia Appoints Prince Salman as Crown Prince: Saudi Arabia’s Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud was officially named crown prince on Monday, and will keep his job as defense minister.
Asian Currents - June 2012 (Issue #84)
The June 2012 issue of "Asian Currents" from the Asian Studies Association of Australia is now available from the ASAA web site at http://www.asaa.asn.au/
In this issue
- Easy pickings: the plight of asylum seekers in Indonesia (Antje Missbach)
- China’s new ‘enemies of state’ (Roderic Broadhurst and Brigitte Bouhours)
- Afghanistan’s education ‘miracle’ (Attaullah Wahidyar)
- What did Kim Jong-Il want? (Leonid Petrov)
- Pirates or hawks. Who hijacked the Chinese fishing boats (Leonid Petrov)
- Language education in the Asian Century. Why language learning? (Yuko Kinoshita)
- New Australian mindset needed in dealing with Asia (Purnendra Jain)
- Myth or reality? Thailand’s threat to Cambodia (Kimly Nghoun)
- Malaysia’s next general election shaping up to be a battle of the coalitions(Greg Lopez)
- Through the eyes of children—Japan’s 3.11 disaster (Evon Fung)
- Books on Asia
- Registrations still open for ASAA conference
Syria’s Assad has embraced pariah status
Syria’s Assad has embraced pariah status:
More than a decade before the Arab Spring, there was the Damascus Spring.
In the first months after Bashar al-Assad took over Syria in 2000, a wave of free expression broke out after he sent signals that were interpreted to mean that he planned to relax his father’s autocratic control. Dissidents formed 70 dialogue clubs, met openly and published two critical opinion magazines.
Read full article >>
More than a decade before the Arab Spring, there was the Damascus Spring.
In the first months after Bashar al-Assad took over Syria in 2000, a wave of free expression broke out after he sent signals that were interpreted to mean that he planned to relax his father’s autocratic control. Dissidents formed 70 dialogue clubs, met openly and published two critical opinion magazines.
Read full article >>
Egypt’s military issues decree giving vast powers to armed forces, but few to president
Egypt’s military issues decree giving vast powers to armed forces, but few to president:
CAIRO — Egypt’s military leaders issued a constitutional decree Sunday that gave the armed forces sweeping powers and degraded the presidency to a subservient role, as the Muslim Brotherhood declared that its candidate had won the country’s presidential runoff election.
Read full article >>
CAIRO — Egypt’s military leaders issued a constitutional decree Sunday that gave the armed forces sweeping powers and degraded the presidency to a subservient role, as the Muslim Brotherhood declared that its candidate had won the country’s presidential runoff election.
Read full article >>
In France, Hollande’s Socialist Party secures parliamentary majority in elections
In France, Hollande’s Socialist Party secures parliamentary majority in elections:
PARIS — President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party coasted to a comfortable parliamentary majority in France’s legislative elections Sunday, appearing to guarantee passage of his proposals designed to reinvigorate the economy and help the poor more easily weather Europe’s stubborn debt crisis.
Read full article >>
PARIS — President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party coasted to a comfortable parliamentary majority in France’s legislative elections Sunday, appearing to guarantee passage of his proposals designed to reinvigorate the economy and help the poor more easily weather Europe’s stubborn debt crisis.
Read full article >>
Winner of Greek elections moves to form government that will embrace bailout
Winner of Greek elections moves to form government that will embrace bailout:
ATHENS – The winner of the Greek elections moved on Monday to build a governing coalition for this fractured state, as rising Spanish interest rates offered a stark reminder that the worst may still not be over for the euro zone.
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ATHENS – The winner of the Greek elections moved on Monday to build a governing coalition for this fractured state, as rising Spanish interest rates offered a stark reminder that the worst may still not be over for the euro zone.
Read full article >>
Egypt’s presidential candidates declare victory, but military generals assert vast power
Egypt’s presidential candidates declare victory, but military generals assert vast power:
CAIRO — Both Egyptian presidential candidates claimed victory Monday, even though ballots were still being tallied and the extent of the victor’s power remained unclear after a bold assertion of control by Egypt’s military generals.
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CAIRO — Both Egyptian presidential candidates claimed victory Monday, even though ballots were still being tallied and the extent of the victor’s power remained unclear after a bold assertion of control by Egypt’s military generals.
Read full article >>
Latinos: Obama’s big electoral treasure trove
Latinos: Obama’s big electoral treasure trove:
President Obama’s announcement Friday that he would stop the deportation of some 800,000 young illegal immigrants who were brought to this country by their parents isn’t likely to increase his share of the Latino vote much.
Read full article >>
President Obama’s announcement Friday that he would stop the deportation of some 800,000 young illegal immigrants who were brought to this country by their parents isn’t likely to increase his share of the Latino vote much.
Read full article >>
Jun 13, 2012
Tibet closed to foreigners, but tourism is booming
Tibet closed to foreigners, but tourism is booming:
TIBET is seeing a boom in Chinese visitors, meaning that the government’s latest ban on foreigners following self-immolation protests against Beijing’s rule has barely dented the region’s tourism industry.
Security guards keep watch over Buddhist pilgrims as they walk on the Barkhor, the circular route around the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, China. Pic: AP.
TIBET is seeing a boom in Chinese visitors, meaning that the government’s latest ban on foreigners following self-immolation protests against Beijing’s rule has barely dented the region’s tourism industry.
Security guards keep watch over Buddhist pilgrims as they walk on the Barkhor, the circular route around the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, China. Pic: AP.
The Chinese government typically closes Tibet to foreigners during periods of unrest, and tourism of any kind plummeted after riots against ethnic Chinese in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, in 2008. But domestic tourists are still allowed, and the government has wooed them in recent years with deep price cuts, direct flights and more train services.
Hotels catering to Chinese tourists in Lhasa are doing brisk business. With its pristine, yak-grazed grasslands and snowcapped mountains, the Tibetan plateau provides a stunning getaway for many urban-dwellers.
“I was attracted by the natural environment here. The blue sky, clean air and water make me feel like I am really enjoying life here,” said Feng Junyuan, 26, a freelance editor from the southern Chinese megacity of Guangzhou who was reached by phone at a hostel in Lhasa.
(ALSO ON TWA: In pictures: Tibet – Images from the roof of the world)
Staff from restaurants around the Potala Palace, once home to the long-exiled Dalai Lama, say their tables have been filling up with Chinese tourists, chatting and snapping photos during their feasts.
“The pace of life is slow and the people are pure and it is totally different from what we see in big cities like Beijing and Guangzhou,” Feng said, adding that he visited several monasteries during his trip. “Some days, I can spend three hours just sitting quietly on the corner of a street here.”
A Tibet tourism policy targeting domestic travelers who are less likely to sympathize with anti-Beijing sentiment reflects China’s desire to both develop the region economically in hopes of winning over its ethnic Tibetan population and keep a lid on embarrassing reports of unrest.
The most recent ban on foreigners came after a wave of self-immolation protests reached the Tibetan capital late last month, although the government has not publicly acknowledged the restrictions.
“I suppose that they don’t want any presence in the case of protests or more self-immolations,” said Andrew Fischer, a China expert at the Institute of Social Studies at the Hague in the Netherlands. “They’re going back to old-school, old-style control over foreigners to control information. I suppose they don’t feel the same threat from the Chinese public.”
State media has said international travelers are continuing to visit Tibet each day while the Tibet Tourism Bureau says foreign tourists are still welcome.
However, tour companies and hotel operators in Lhasa said Chinese authorities imposed a ban on travel permits for foreign tourists starting this month.
“We were told by company management not to receive foreign tourists since June 1, no matter whether they are coming individually or in groups,” said a man surnamed Liu who works at the China International Travel Service in Lhasa.
Though the foreign tourists are missed by some businesses — especially high-end ones — they now amount to a tiny portion of the overall visits, given the surge of Chinese tourists.
Foreigners accounted for just 30,000 of the 1.45 million visitors to Tibet in the first five months of this year — or around 2 percent of all tourists, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the Tibet Tourism Bureau.
“I don’t think that small, very marginal loss (from foreign tourists) would be of any importance to them in the larger strategic picture of what they’re trying to do,” Fischer said.
The past year’s wave of more than three dozen self-immolation protests against Chinese rule did not erupt inside heavily policed Tibet itself, but in ethnic Tibetan parts of other provinces in China. It finally reached Lhasa in late May when two men set themselves on fire in the popular Barkhor market.
Photos later posted online showed a Western-looking foreigner watching one of the men in a cloud of smoke as others extinguished the flames. The latest foreigner ban started days later.
Such bans are usually delivered orally to tourism industry leaders, apparently to avoid issuing documents that could embarrass officials eager to project a sense of calm and control.
Foreign tourists trying to book Tibet trips over the border from Nepal have been denied permits since May 28, according to travel agent Pradip Pandit in the Nepalese capital, Katmandu.
The Chinese government sees tourism as a key way of bringing money into the chronically poor region. A signature project inaugurated in 2006 — a $4.2 billion high-speed rail project that zips over mountain passes — can whisk travelers from Beijing or Shanghai to Lhasa in about two days.
But after violent riots in 2008 in which Tibetans attacked Chinese migrants and shops, torching parts of Lhasa’s commercial district, the government sealed off the region. Overall tourism that year fell by nearly half, while the number of foreign tourists fell by 80 percent. To try to draw the crowds back, authorities halved prices for tours, hotel rooms and entry tickets for the Potala.
Last year, the number of Chinese tourists jumped 27 percent to 8.4 million while that of foreign tourists grew 19 percent to 270,800, raking in 9.7 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) in tourism revenues, official statistics show.
The foreigner ban is hurting Tibet’s handful of luxury hotels, including Lhasa’s Jardin Secret Hotel where rooms go for up to $335 a night. “Our occupancy rate is relatively low at the moment because we don’t have many domestic guests,” said a staffer who gave only his surname, Xu.
But many establishments are thriving. All but a fifth of the 80 rooms at the three-star Tibet Mansion in Lhasa are occupied, said an employee surnamed Liu. The hotel’s guests are mostly domestic travelers.
Hotels catering to Chinese tourists in Lhasa are doing brisk business. With its pristine, yak-grazed grasslands and snowcapped mountains, the Tibetan plateau provides a stunning getaway for many urban-dwellers.
“I was attracted by the natural environment here. The blue sky, clean air and water make me feel like I am really enjoying life here,” said Feng Junyuan, 26, a freelance editor from the southern Chinese megacity of Guangzhou who was reached by phone at a hostel in Lhasa.
(ALSO ON TWA: In pictures: Tibet – Images from the roof of the world)
Staff from restaurants around the Potala Palace, once home to the long-exiled Dalai Lama, say their tables have been filling up with Chinese tourists, chatting and snapping photos during their feasts.
“The pace of life is slow and the people are pure and it is totally different from what we see in big cities like Beijing and Guangzhou,” Feng said, adding that he visited several monasteries during his trip. “Some days, I can spend three hours just sitting quietly on the corner of a street here.”
A Tibet tourism policy targeting domestic travelers who are less likely to sympathize with anti-Beijing sentiment reflects China’s desire to both develop the region economically in hopes of winning over its ethnic Tibetan population and keep a lid on embarrassing reports of unrest.
The most recent ban on foreigners came after a wave of self-immolation protests reached the Tibetan capital late last month, although the government has not publicly acknowledged the restrictions.
“I suppose that they don’t want any presence in the case of protests or more self-immolations,” said Andrew Fischer, a China expert at the Institute of Social Studies at the Hague in the Netherlands. “They’re going back to old-school, old-style control over foreigners to control information. I suppose they don’t feel the same threat from the Chinese public.”
State media has said international travelers are continuing to visit Tibet each day while the Tibet Tourism Bureau says foreign tourists are still welcome.
However, tour companies and hotel operators in Lhasa said Chinese authorities imposed a ban on travel permits for foreign tourists starting this month.
“We were told by company management not to receive foreign tourists since June 1, no matter whether they are coming individually or in groups,” said a man surnamed Liu who works at the China International Travel Service in Lhasa.
Though the foreign tourists are missed by some businesses — especially high-end ones — they now amount to a tiny portion of the overall visits, given the surge of Chinese tourists.
Foreigners accounted for just 30,000 of the 1.45 million visitors to Tibet in the first five months of this year — or around 2 percent of all tourists, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the Tibet Tourism Bureau.
“I don’t think that small, very marginal loss (from foreign tourists) would be of any importance to them in the larger strategic picture of what they’re trying to do,” Fischer said.
The past year’s wave of more than three dozen self-immolation protests against Chinese rule did not erupt inside heavily policed Tibet itself, but in ethnic Tibetan parts of other provinces in China. It finally reached Lhasa in late May when two men set themselves on fire in the popular Barkhor market.
Photos later posted online showed a Western-looking foreigner watching one of the men in a cloud of smoke as others extinguished the flames. The latest foreigner ban started days later.
Such bans are usually delivered orally to tourism industry leaders, apparently to avoid issuing documents that could embarrass officials eager to project a sense of calm and control.
Foreign tourists trying to book Tibet trips over the border from Nepal have been denied permits since May 28, according to travel agent Pradip Pandit in the Nepalese capital, Katmandu.
The Chinese government sees tourism as a key way of bringing money into the chronically poor region. A signature project inaugurated in 2006 — a $4.2 billion high-speed rail project that zips over mountain passes — can whisk travelers from Beijing or Shanghai to Lhasa in about two days.
But after violent riots in 2008 in which Tibetans attacked Chinese migrants and shops, torching parts of Lhasa’s commercial district, the government sealed off the region. Overall tourism that year fell by nearly half, while the number of foreign tourists fell by 80 percent. To try to draw the crowds back, authorities halved prices for tours, hotel rooms and entry tickets for the Potala.
Last year, the number of Chinese tourists jumped 27 percent to 8.4 million while that of foreign tourists grew 19 percent to 270,800, raking in 9.7 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) in tourism revenues, official statistics show.
The foreigner ban is hurting Tibet’s handful of luxury hotels, including Lhasa’s Jardin Secret Hotel where rooms go for up to $335 a night. “Our occupancy rate is relatively low at the moment because we don’t have many domestic guests,” said a staffer who gave only his surname, Xu.
But many establishments are thriving. All but a fifth of the 80 rooms at the three-star Tibet Mansion in Lhasa are occupied, said an employee surnamed Liu. The hotel’s guests are mostly domestic travelers.
For Obama and Romney, Nonstop Fund-Raising
For Obama and Romney, Nonstop Fund-Raising: With the competitive realities of the deregulated campaign finance system, President Obama and Mitt Romney need to devote much of their time to raising money to fuel their campaigns.
Israeli Watchdog Criticizes Government Over Gaza Flotilla Raid
Israeli Watchdog Criticizes Government Over Gaza Flotilla Raid: A government watchdog issued a report Wednesday harshly criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of a raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish ship in 2010, which left nine activists dead.
Putin’s Return Brings Rapid Chill to U.S.-Russia Ties
Putin’s Return Brings Rapid Chill to U.S.-Russia Ties: An impasse over Syria and fractious domestic politics in both countries have underscored the limits of President Obama’s ability to “reset” ties between the nations.
Clinton accuses Russia of selling attack helicopters to Syria
Clinton accuses Russia of selling attack helicopters to Syria:
The Obama administration on Tuesday accused Russia of planning to supply new attack helicopters to Syria, a move that U.S. officials warned would dramatically escalate the crisis and belie Moscow’s claim that it is not supporting President Bashar al-Assad’s violent crackdown on dissent.
Read full article >>
The Obama administration on Tuesday accused Russia of planning to supply new attack helicopters to Syria, a move that U.S. officials warned would dramatically escalate the crisis and belie Moscow’s claim that it is not supporting President Bashar al-Assad’s violent crackdown on dissent.
Read full article >>
Obama campaign’s rough patch concerns some Democrats
Obama campaign’s rough patch concerns some Democrats:
Is it time for Democrats to panic?
That’s what a growing number of party loyalists are wondering, amid a rough couple of weeks in which President Obama and his political operation have been buffeted by bad economic news, their own gaffes and signs that the presumed Republican nominee is gaining strength.
Read full article >>
Is it time for Democrats to panic?
That’s what a growing number of party loyalists are wondering, amid a rough couple of weeks in which President Obama and his political operation have been buffeted by bad economic news, their own gaffes and signs that the presumed Republican nominee is gaining strength.
Read full article >>
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