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.
November 4, 2011 (Vietnamica) — The governments of Laos, Myanmar, China and Thailand have agreed to cooperate with each other in joint security operations to secure the 4,900 kilometer (~3050 miles) long Mekong River which extends from within China and towards the bottom of Cambodia. Last month, 13 Chinese sailors were murdered, some of them were found to have been shot in the back of the head with their hands tied behind their back.
November 1, 2011 (Vietnamica) – China and Laos have signed an agreement to jointly build another cross-border nature reserve to improve protection of the endangered Asian elephant. This second reserve will cover 20,000 hectares of forest in China and stretch across 35,000 hectares in Laos. The first 54,000-hectare reserve was founded in 2009. In light of this, the cross-border reserve area will expand to over 100,000 hectares.
