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November 17, 2006
Bush Arrives in Vietnam for APEC Meeting
A street vendor walks past a welcoming poster for US business delegation to Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings hung up on the main gate of Hanoi's General Tourism Company Office in Hanoi. US President George W. Bush will not be able to deliver on his pledge to restore normal trade ties with Vietnam
An elderly woman rides past a banner welcoming US President George W.Bush to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Hanoi. The US House of Representatives rejected a bill aimed at normalizing trade relations with Vietnam despite calls by Bush's administration to pass it ahead of his visit to Vietnam (AFP/Saeed Khan)
Vietnam is hosting the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, its largest ever international event.
The communist host nation, which has enjoyed East Asia's fastest economic growth after China and is due to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) next month, hopes the meeting will symbolise its arrival on the world stage.
Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung promised the country is open for business, speaking after the world's largest chip maker Intel said Friday it would pour one billion dollars into a plant it is building in Ho Chi Minh City.
Trade negotiators from around the world were set late Thursday to approve the terms of Vietnam's admission to the World Trade Organization, but the biggest winners from its entry are likely to be European and Asian companies, not American ones.
Now let me also show you this ( notge the date of each, one is this year one is last year).................
American Soldiers Again Serving in Vietnam
November 5, 2006: After over 30 years, U.S. Army troops are returning to Vietnam. These training specialists will help to upgrade the combat capabilities of the Vietnamese forces. Because American troops are now the most combat experienced in the world, they are much in demand as trainers. Vietnam, on the other hand, has not seen combat since 1979, when there was a brief border war with China. There, the combat experienced Vietnamese beat up on the Chinese, who had not been in large scale combat (there had been some border skirmishes with Russia and India) since the 1950s.
The Vietnam live in fear of another Chinese invasion. Not because relations with China are currently frosty, they aren't, but because China and Vietnam have been feuding for about a thousand years. Vietnam was originally founded by Chinese fleeing the rule of the Chinese empire. Over the centuries, Chinese troops have occasionally entered Vietnam, trying to bring the area under Chinese rule. That potential, at least for many Vietnamese, remains, and thus the desire to have some American military trainers visit, and impart whatever combat wisdom they might have. The Chinese, as always, have the numerical advantage, so the Vietnamese want to gain a qualitative edge.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vu Khoan (CQ)
U.S. military specialists headed to Vietnam
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
June 23, 2005
U.S. military specialists will return to Vietnam to train its soldiers 30 years after the end of the Vietnam War, this time offering medical, technical and language support under an agreement struck with the Pentagon during Prime Minister Phan Van Khai's visit to Washington.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan told editors and reporters at a breakfast interview yesterday at The Washington Times that under the International Military Education and Training (IMET) agreement.
Mr. Khoan emphatically denied that any live American prisoners of war remain in Vietnam. Several U.S. POW/MIA groups disagree. The lobby group Rolling Thunder Inc. said the last sighting of a live American POW in Vietnam occurred in the late 1990s.
"There are "absolutely no" POWs living in Vietnam, the deputy prime minister said.
Defense spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Greg Hicks said that details of the IMET working-level proposal still had to be worked out.
"Both sides see this as another step in the development of normal bilateral military relations," he said, adding that the agreement "will open the door to more exchanges and opportunities of mutual value."
"It could include a more robust military-to-military relationship," said Cmdr. Hicks. He declined to give further details. But the deputy prime minister said there was no desire to talk about establishing U.S. bases in Vietnam.
Mr. Khoan laughed at the idea that there were any American POWs left alive in Vietnam.
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam
November 10th. 2006
....Communist Vietnam has imprisoned 3 U.S. Citizens now visiting there for "Terrorism." A Terrorist is defined by Communist Vietnam as anyone who wants a Regime Change there. The last time Communist Vietnam recently did this it was forced to release its jailed U.S. Citizen. through hard public and political pressure from America. They had been jailed without charges for more than a year, prompting Washington to pressure Hanoi to move forward swiftly and fairly.
The three Americans were convicted by a Vietnamese court on terrorism charges Friday after being accused of trying to take over radio airwaves and call for an uprising against the communist government.
President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plan to visit Vietnam next week for the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Both countries had been eager to resolve the case before Vietnam's biggest-ever international event begins.
The defendants faced punishments ranging from 12 years in prison to execution, but prosecutors sought lesser terms, saying the defendants had repented and had no previous criminal records.
It is highly unusual for Vietnam to give a lenient sentence for national security crimes, especially in such a high-profile case. But the quick resolution to the diplomatically sensitive trial could end a distraction from APEC and Vietnam's entrance into the World Trade Organization, which was approved this week.
All on trial were accused of plotting to smuggle radio equipment into Vietnam to broadcast a call for a revolution to topple the government.
An indictment said the scheme was hatched by the Government of Free Vietnam, a California-based organization that the Vietnamese government considers a terrorist group.
It is one of many anti-communist groups founded by Vietnamese refugees in the United States. Many of its leaders are soldiers of the former South Vietnamese Army who fled Vietnam after the war ended in 1975.
Wild Thing's comment......
So now what ......in 40 years we are going to ally with Osama Bin Laden??!!?? Of course we all know Kerry was in Vietnam not serving but self-serving, and he was on the wrong side....he sure as hell was not on our side....he never has been.
Allying with all these shady banana republics just to contain China may come to bite us back in the rear.
It would be nice for the families of the unaccounted for American POW's & MIA's from the Viet Nam war if Bush would demand an accounting from the Vietnamese Commies.
OK now about our American soldiers serving in Vietnam. Vietnam is a communist country. I can't even type what I think here I am so ticked off about this. Going by the dates, apparently first we sent specialists to Vietnam in 2005, now we are sending troops according to the article dated 2006.
This POS piece of flesh by the name of Vu Khoan is a liar. I know so what else is knew about Communist's. I hate him and there is no other way to say it.
I don't like this and I don't understand, not even a little. I would have nothing to do with Vietnam until they return every POW and answer the questions that they keep telling lies about. We shouldn't help the piss ants or build them up even if they've unilaterally surrendered.
My POW page at my website.
Posted by Wild Thing at November 17, 2006 12:55 AM
Comments
I have a mixed bag of feelings on this. Two American presidents who avoided Vietnam service in the 60's have now been on peace/trade missions. Ironic!
Vietnam could be used by America as an antagonist against Chinese moves, maybe.
Some Vietnam vets who have gone back to Vietnam lately say the Vietnamese, young and older, showed no animosity. Indeed, the Vietnamese showed an exuberance for all things American. Maybe the final holdouts of communism will be overwhelmed by Capitalism as the old guard dies off and the computer generation takes over.
As to the POW/MIA issue. I retain my broken heart over these guys. I hope the incoming generation of younger Vietnamese leaders(non-commies) will answer the final questions.
I hope I am not mistakenly optimistic about our future with Vietnam. I surely understand how other vets and their suppporters could disagree with me.
Posted by: TomR at November 17, 2006 12:24 PM
You have echoed my sentiments exactly in far less colorful vernacular. If only the nation knew the terrible things these Communists have done and continue to do. Their atrocities are as outrageous as those perpetrated by the Islamo-Fascists, never forget that they were facilitated by China and Russia, nor that John F. Kerry and Jane Fonda aided them, as did some who are still in office. We have forgotten what they did at Hue in 1968 as only one example, and George W. Bush never got to witness any of these atrocities. Dare I say RINO?
Never forgive, never forget. I won't!!!
Posted by: Jack at November 17, 2006 12:37 PM
I'm with both Tom and Jack, and I can't explain it. I never hated the Vietnamese in the same way I hate Islamists, even though the behavior of Charlie's cadre was horrific. You don't forget.
I couldn't go back there, because Cu Chi, Tay Ninh, The Woods and the rest are tourist traps dedicated to vilifying those of who fought there.Even though time passes, memories are long.
Rumsfeld long ago decided that our future enemies and friends are no longer in Europe, but along the Pacific litoral and Rim. That explains the initiatives to Vietnam.
Posted by: Rhod at November 17, 2006 01:54 PM
To Tom, if you are referring to Bush as one of the presidents who did not serve, that is patently false, he did serve and honorably and Bush never claimed otherwise. As opposed to Kerry and Clinton, that is not the argument here.
I spent time at Khe Sanh and Dong ha and for the life of me I can not forgive the Sons of Bitches. I have no desire to return and see how it has changed. When I left we were winning, I don't know what happened... But yes I do Kerry and Clinton happened and the rest of those liars, backstabbers, and draft dodgers who would prefer that their own country lose a war.
I want to know why Vietnam is so important to our trade relationship with the rest of the world. None as far as I can see.
I am with Wild-thing I don't believe that they don't still have POWs and know the where abouts of a lot of MIAs.
Posted by: Mark at November 17, 2006 03:45 PM
Tom, yes, I have heard that as well from some Nam Vets that have gone back. There will always be people in all these countries even in Iran that hate their government and how it is.
I am just so sick of the lies about our POW's and the fact that we have not been hard as nails in attitude, word and deed about this and getting them back or else.
I still dream of there one day being a politician that makes the POW issue top priority in his campagin and follows through. It would not be popular with people like Kerry and McCain etc. but it sure would be with me.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 17, 2006 06:31 PM
Jack, I used to write to all my representatives over and over again of why don't you care to them. The letters I got back broke my heart how they would tell me it was something that was not a priority for the USA. It broke my heart.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 17, 2006 06:33 PM
Rhod, even as a non Veteran I could never go back, never. If I did it would be to cause trouble big time and demand return of our POW's.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 17, 2006 06:34 PM
Mark, you all did win. You all won the war.
The ones who preached from the rooftops we lost were the politicians and the left. It was the run by inept politicians who had no grasp of military strategies and no moral will to win. They were led by "top brass" who were concerned mainly with furthering their own
careers.
And the war was reported by a self serving Media who penned stories filled with inaccuracies, deliberate omissions, biased presentations and blatant distorted interpretations because they were more interested in a story than the truth.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 17, 2006 06:46 PM
Chrissie, you pretty much know my feelings on this one.
I guess that it is bound to happen sooner or later as we have a history of re-establishing relations and trade with almost all our former enemies. People in this Country and that Country want to get rich off each other.
My personal feelings are, I don’t like it! I cannot forget and struggle with forgiving. I still wear the POW bracelet of a man from my Squad that is still missing.
I am upset with the fact that we have “teachers” there teaching about combat. Lets call them what they are “Advisors”. Vietnam is a communist country and we have military advisors there teaching them combat techniques. Didn’t we do this before! That is just great! Re-establish the trade relations but keep the Military out.
Although as I have said before, in my opinion, we could always send John Kerry to be an Advisor, that way we would know that the troops he advises will not stay on the line for more than 3 months when it comes time to fight. Sorry I get so upset about this. We just never learn.
Posted by: John 5 at November 17, 2006 08:02 PM
John 5, well said and no need to be sorry about anything. I don't like it either.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 17, 2006 11:44 PM
