Vietnam

Typhoon Ketsana roared into central Vietnam on Tuesday, killing at least 23 people as it brought flooding and winds of up to 90 mph, disaster officials reported.

Ketsana, which left more than 200 dead across the northern Philippines as a weaker tropical storm, forced some 200,000 Vietnamese locals to evacuate from its path.

“It's very windy and trees have already blown down," reported Le Van Duong, World Vision's Relief and Disaster Mitigation Coordinator, from the city of Danang, which is predicted to be the eye of the storm. more >>

A U.S. government commission has condemned the arrest of a prominent Vietnamese religious freedom lawyer who has served on the defense of many high profile human rights cases.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan federal body, describes arrested lawyer Le Cong Dinh as a “peaceful human rights defender” and says he is among a growing number of rights activists who are challenging laws that are inconsistent with the Vietnamese constitution and human rights treaties that the government has signed.

“The arrest of Le Cong Dinh demonstrates a disturbing but familiar pattern,” said Michael Cromartie, USCIRF vice chair, who recently led a USCIRF delegation to Vietnam. “Peaceful advocates for religious freedom and related human rights are intimidated, harassed, and jailed. Le Cong Dinh’s arrest demonstrates that no human rights, including the freedom of religion, are secure in Vietnam.” more >>