A Myanmar soldier at the border area. (Source: AFP/Getty Images) Washington DC (VNA) - The US Treasury Department on August 17 announced to sanction four commanders and two military units of Myanmar, accusing them of being related to human rights abuse cases in the country. In a press release, the department said the targeted commanders were from Burmese military and Border Guard Police (BGP). Together with the 33rd Light Infantry Division (LID) and the 99th LID, the commanders were punished over the alleged involvement in ethnic cleansing in Rakhine State and "other widespread human rights abuses" in Kachin and Shan States. As a result of these actions, any property, or interest in property, of those designated within US jurisdiction is blocked. Additionally, US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with the blocked persons, including entities 50 percent or more owned by the designated persons. Last June, the European Union and Canada also imposed … [Read more...] about US sanctions Myanmar military personnel, units over human rights abuse
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Vietnam among brew-tiful coffee destinations around the world
Agoda, one of the world’s fastest growing online travel booking platforms, has offered a list of some of the top destinations around the world for tasting coffee, including Vietnam. Vietnamese drip coffee – Source: Pixabay Vietnam The world’s number 2 exporter of coffee and home to a vibrant coffee culture that touches virtually every street corner in the nation. Served through a ‘phin’, a local drip-contraption, Vietnamese drink their coffee in a slow ritual that begins with just watching it drip-drip-drip into a glass, often over ice and condensed milk, before it’s all mixed into the nation’s signature brew. If travelers are keen to try more than the ubiquitous cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee), they can try the Hanoi local special by mixing eggs into their coffee instead. Try Giang Coffee in the thick of the city’s Old Quarter. The area is home to hotels of all budgets, but to be right by one of the … [Read more...] about Vietnam among brew-tiful coffee destinations around the world
Expert urges for more flexible visa policy for Vietnam tourism takeoff
A friendly visa policy is among major reasons to help boost the Vietnamese tourism development, said Kenneth Atkinson, vice president of Tourism Advisory Board (TAB). He made the suggestion at the Vietnam Travel and Tourism Summit held in Hanoi Monday. Kenneth Atkinson, vice president of Tourism Advisory Board, at the Vietnam Travel and Tourism Summit In 2016, Vietnam lured up to 781,000 visitors from five Western European countries, up 19% on-year, which was mainly attributed to the country’s free-visa travel for these nations. The tourist increase helped to add up to USD150 million for the Vietnamese tourism industry’s revenues in the year, according to Atkinson. Earlier, Vietnam News Agency cited Hoang Nhan Chinh, head of the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board secretariat, as saying that Vietnam currently grants visa-waiver scheme for tourists from 26 countries. The figure is quite low compared to the visa-free travel for 57 nationalities to Thailand, 168 … [Read more...] about Expert urges for more flexible visa policy for Vietnam tourism takeoff
Vietnam, Japan expand naval cooperation
After the welcoming ceremony hosted by Vice Admiral Pham Hoai Nam, Chief of the Vietnam People’s Navy, the two sides had talks. At the talks, Vice Admiral Nam underlined that the sound traditional relations between Vietnam and Japan has paved the way for the two naval forces to strongly beef up their friendship as today. Both sides took this occasion to exchange a number of cooperation contents which had previously been signed. Vice Admiral Pham Hoai Nam, Commander of the Vietnam People’s Navy (R), presents a souvenir to Admiral Hiroshi Yamamura, Chief of Staff of the JMSDF. For his part, Admiral Hiroshi thanked the commander of the Vietnam People’s Navy for the warm reception. This is his first overseas visit and first visit to Vietnam in his capacity as the JMSDF Chief of Staff. He expressed his thanks to the Vietnam People’s Navy for creating favorable conditions for Japanese vessels and aircraft during their visits to Vietnam. On this … [Read more...] about Vietnam, Japan expand naval cooperation
ASEAN to take immediate steps to combat drought
The Building Resilience Drought Southeast Asia dialogue held in Can Tho city on December 10 (Photo: VNA) Can Tho (VNS/VNA) - ASEAN-member countries have vowed to take immediate action to resolve problems caused by worsening drought in Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, which is especially susceptible to global warming. Speaking at a meeting on December 10 in Can Tho, Intani Nur Kusuma, senior officer at the Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance Division of the ASEAN Secretariat, said that a declaration on drought would be adopted by leaders at the ASEAN Summit to be held in Vietnam in November next year. ASEAN has worked closely with relevant sectors to help the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management draft the declaration, she said, adding that drought-related activities need to be integrated into the future action plan of ASEAN. To mitigate the impact, drought risk assessment and early-warning services should be improved … [Read more...] about ASEAN to take immediate steps to combat drought