VFA: Rice Exports Down 9.72 Pct Against 2011February 23, 2012 (Vietnamica) — According to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), the country would export 6.5 million tons of rice this year, down 9.72 percent against 2011. The domestic rice market would undergo a tough year of 2012 due to domestic costly large stockpiles, price competition, and reduced global rice trading (VNS, Feb. 15).
February 21, 2012 (Vietnamica) — The military-backed civilian government lifted restrictions on political campaigning (AP) for the country’s upcoming by-elections after complaints by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy.
February 8, 2012 (Vietnamica) U.S. CIA Director David H. Petraeus (NYT) indicated that he could visit Myanmar this year, in another sign of the United States’ willingness to acknowledge recent democratic reforms by Myanmar’s military-backed civilian government.
February 7, 2012 (Vietnamica) — The United States partially waived sanctions against Myanmar’s military-backed government, paving the way for the country to receive technical assistance from international financial institutions (BBC). The move came as opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi began campaigning for a parliamentary by-election.
Mekong Delta Farmers Reap Bumper Third Crop; World Prices LowerDecember 14, 2011 (Vietnamica) — The Southern Cultivation Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) released that autumn-winter rice planted area in 2011 reached 671,763 ha, about 160,228ha higher than the same season last year in Mekong River Delta of Vietnam.
December 12, 2011 (Vietnamica) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) unveiled that 179 journalists were jailed worldwide in 2011. CPJ provided some statistics as follows.
