BANGKOK — Last week, just over fifteen years after the US and Vietnam normalised relations marred by decades-old war, the naval destroyer USS John S. McCain docked in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang to mark the anniversary. The ship is named after the grandfather of 2008 US presidential candidate John McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam. Commanding officer Jeffrey Kim said that “over the last 15 years, we’ve established trust, a mutual respect, and I know that, in the coming years, our friendship and relationship will continue to become better.”According to a Vietnamese scholar who requested anonymity, the tighter relations are seen as a good thing inside the country. “Vietnamese view the US rather positive as the war is becoming history in the memory of a new generation,” he commented in an email.
Category: Business & Economics
US dips into Mekong politics – Asia Times
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/LH14Ae01.html BANGKOK – China’s dam building on the upper reaches of the Mekong river is raising hackles with downstream...
Two Reminders From Indonesia – ISN
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Current-Affairs/Security-Watch/Detail/?lng=en&id=120027 While Indonesia has made notable strides in the twelve years since the fall of the Suharto dictatorship, radical...
Mekong Dams Could Destabilize Region – The Irrawaddy
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19214&Submit=Submit BANGKOK––Uncoordinated decision-making and unilateral initiatives not only threaten the Mekong River area environment and livelihoods, but could affect...
Free Trade, Disputed Waters – The Irrawaddy
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19175 China and Asean have put in place a free trade agreement and a US $10 billion investment fund,...
Despite bullish talk, challenges ahead for Thai economy – The Irrawaddy
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19147 Despite political upheaval, Thailand’s economy is likely to grow by 6-7% in 2010, though slowdown in demands elsewhere...
New US Law Could Force PTTEP Disclosure – The Irrawaddy
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19110 As Thailand’s national petroleum and exploration company PTTEP inks a new deal to acquire gas from the M9...
Thailand buys sugar for the first time in 30 years – Financial Times
By Tim Johnston and Simon Roughneen in Bangkok and Jack Farchy and Jun Merrett in London http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/508e30b2-8e60-11df-964e-00144feab49a.html At Big...
Thai group thinks big in China – Financial Times
http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2010/07/12/thai-group-thinks-big-in-china/ Just as Jeffrey Immelt, the General Electric chief executive, and other foreign businessmen are complaining about the difficulties...
EU Sanctions on Tay Za’s Son Upheld – The Irrawaddy
http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=18909 In a May 19 court judgment that went almost unnoticed, Pye Phyo Tay Za, the son of junta-linked...