I don’t think there is much the ROK government could do about this if they wanted considering the award is from a private foundation:
Nguyen Dan Que
A prestigious human rights award that commemorates one of Korea’s defining democratic moments has angered an Asian government – because it honors one of its dissidents.
Late last month, Nguyen Dan Que, 74, a pro-democracy activist in Vietnam, was named this year’s recipient of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, along with Bersih, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations in Malaysia that fights for fair elections.
The committee responsible for naming the award winners declared on Thursday that the Vietnamese government has demanded a retraction and is pushing Korean authorities to “take all necessary actions” to ensure that the award be withdrawn. Hanoi threatened strained diplomatic relations if Seoul fails to follow through. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
It’s no secret that the United States has worried about the expansion of Chinese military power. The U.S., distracted by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has neglected Asia. The so-called “Asia Pivot” has been an attempt to correct that, broadening old alliances while forming new agreements with countries not traditionally American allies, but which share an interest in containing China.
Vietnam would probably like a full array of modern American weapons, but fiscal and geopolitical realities must temper expectations. American weapons are expensive — a single F-35 fighter bomber costs $100 million, and Vietnam’s entire defense budget is only $7 billion.
The United States will — at least for the foreseeable future — refuse requests to sell deadly weapons like bombs or missiles to Vietnam. If American weapons caused Chinese casualties, no matter who was at fault in the incident, the U.S. would be held responsible.
But Washington is providing Vietnam with non-lethal weapons that can document China’s territorial incursions, so they can be publicized and sent to international arbitration. The United States is in talks with Vietnam to provide refurbished surveillance aircraft. P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft were first introduced in the 1950s, and are currently being replaced in U.S. inventories by the newer P-8 Poseidon. The aircraft are equipped with sonar and radar, and are manned by a crew of 11. Although old, the aircraft are dependable aerial surveillance platforms capable of monitoring huge distances. [The Week]
You can read more at the link, but the US and Vietnam definitely have shared interests now in the South China Sea. The selling of non-lethal equipment I think is a smart move. If the Chinese continue to be aggressive in the SCS then the selling of lethal equipment to countries in the region can be used as a negotiation tactic to moderate Chinese behavior.
However, if I was the Vietnamese I would invest in a whole lot of anti-ship cruise missiles that are relatively cheap compared to buying expensive naval ships like the Chinese have. Just the threat that the Chinese Navy would face severe losses from these cruise missiles if conflict was to occur may be enough to moderate Chinese behavior. If the Vietnamese really want to send a message they could also invest in ballistic missiles that can threaten Chinese cities.
A model performs aboard a Vietjet Air flight heading to the southern Vietnamese resort city of Dalat from the eastern coastal city of Vinh on Dec. 26, 2013. (Photo courtesy of Vietjet Air)
UPDATE #2: I’m not the surprised but the vandalism of war memorials is widespread across the country. The communists and anarchists usually responsible for these crimes are marching on DC this weekend. There are a variety of groups that are going to counter-protest against them. If you are living in the area and support the troops this is a good way to show your support by standing up to these communist idiots that are a disgrace to our country.
UPDATE #1: The vandalism of war memorials has not only occurred in Washington, DC but in California as well:
Vandals have hit the Veterans War Memorial at Sacramento’s Capitol Park. Veterans say it is a recurring problem and now they’re fighting back.
He spent 3 years serving in Vietnam, and now Ken Nelson spends his days taking care of those who didn’t make it back.
“This is the second best memorial in the country,” Nelson says.
Nearly every day, Nelson protects the more than 5,200 names at the Vietnam War Memorial. But often, while polishing the bronze statues, he finds himself picking up what vandals left behind.
“People sleeping, use it for a toilet, total disrespect, it kind of hurt me,” he says.
Nelson says it’s been going on for some time. People litter, deface the statues, climb the flag pole, and just yesterday, sprayed graffiti. [CBS13 Sacramento]
Make sure you click to link and watch the video. I really respect those veterans that constantly clean and repair the memorial after it is defaced by the usual idiots. I hope the Sacramento community rallies around these veterans to protect the memorial.
The U.S. Park Police are investigating suspected vandalism at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Mall.
Volunteers and National Park Service rangers on Saturday discovered a “light, oily” substance on the memorial’s wall panels and the paving stones in front of it, Bill Line, a Park Service spokesman, said yesterday.
The substance, which has not been identified, was spread over an area of about 50 to 60 feet, mostly on the paving stones, Mr. Line said. [Natasha Altamirano, Washington Times]
It has not been confirmed yet who did this but I would not be surprised if the leftist protesters who vowed to deface the memorial before and were in D.C. again due to General Petraeus’ report to Congress did this. Here is a picture from this set of pictures of the damage to the wall:
As you can see the substance was corrosive and damaged the names on the wall. Michelle Malkin has video footage of the damage:
No matter what your opinion on the Iraq war is defacing the memorial is just disgraceful. It may be time for the government to install a video camera or a 24 hour guard on the memorial to protect the memorial and others that have been defaced in DC from the leftist scum. If proven to be done by the usual suspect leftists it just serves as another example that they do not support troops and they never did.
