Over the past few weeks, Vietnamese courts have convicted several dissidents of subversion, sentencing them to prison terms of up to 16 years. This latest government crackdown has many human rights groups worried there’s more to come.

For more insight on what’s happening, Daljit Dhaliwal speaks with Elaine Pearson, deputy director of the Asia Division at Human Rights Watch.

Pearson explains the significance of the convictions in light of the country’s political realities.

Our signature stories delve into issues around the world — from the long-term effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam and gang violence in Mexico to discrimination against whites in South Africa and Afghan immigrants in Iran.

Here are the 15 Signature stories most popular with viewers in 2009:

	MOROCCO Moroccan single moms cope with hostility, shame	Young Muslim women who become pregnant out of wedlock face intense pressures. They are often shunned and scorned. Hoda Osman, Rebecca Haggerty, Megan Thompson and Reda Fakhar report on how mothers are coping.
	HAITI Dirt poor Haitians eat cookies made of mud	The cookie recipe — dirt, butter and salt — has been passed down through the generations, despite a lack of nutritional value. Benno Schmidt and Ara Ayer report on how these dirt cookies are managing to keep Haiti’s poor alive.
	JORDAN Oprah brings taboo topics to Middle East	The Middle East’s MBC-4 began airing “The Oprah Winfrey Show” more than four years ago, and the program now reaches about 6 million viewers in the Arab world each day. Kristen Gillespie reports from Jordan on the ”Oprah effect.”
	VIETNAM Agent Orange devastates generations of Vietnamese	During the Vietnam War, the U.S. dropped millions of gallons of Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant. Generations of Vietnamese civilians have suffered the consequences. Mark Litke and Ara Ayer report on the devastating effects the toxin has left behind.
	MEXICO Gangsters spill blood and spread fear in Tijuana, Mexico	Over the last year, more than 6,000 people have been murdered in Mexico’s drug wars, more than 700 of them in Tijuana alone. John Larson, Bryan Myers, Megan Thompson and Ivette Feliciano report from Tijuana.
	SOUTH AFRICA Poor white South Africans blame reverse discrimination	To some extent, the economic playing field has been leveled since the end of apartheid 15 years ago. Martin Seemungal reports on South Africa’s white community, where poverty has doubled since 1994.
	JAMAICA One island, two Jamaicas and a ‘whole heap’ of difference	A public debate erupted when graphic Dancehall music lyrics and images were banned from Jamaican radio and TV. Lisa Biagiotti, Micah Fink and Gabrielle Weiss report on how the ban highlights the divide that dates back centuries.
	ISRAEL Israeli company builds infrastructure for world’s electric cars	One Israeli company is designing an entire system to service electric cars with battery charging stations. Many other countries are expressing great interest. Michael Greenspan, Yuval Lion and Ara Ayer report from Israel.
	LIBERIA Liberia, “America’s stepchild,” searches for own identity	Liberia was settled by freed American slaves, and now, as Lynn Sherr and producer Megan Thompson report, the nation is trying to re-shape its identity. Liberia, a small country in West Africa, has longstanding ties to the U.S.
	LATVIA Empty stores, offices tell tale of Latvia’s economic fall	Until the global recession, Latvia was experiencing rapid economic growth. During the past year, it has tumbled down, with unemployment around 14.5 percent. Daljit Dhaliwal, Sally Garner and Ara Ayer report on the scope of Latvia’s fall.
	IRAN Afghan immigrants find refuge in oil-rich Iran	Though the West has branded Iran a nuclear outlaw and supporter of terrorism, Iran is a model of stability compared to its neighbors. Three million Afghan immigrants in Iran are low-skilled laborers. Richard O’Regan reports from Tehran.
	DENMARK Taxes curb Danish oil use, promote energy independence	In Denmark, a Ford Focus costs $51,000 — $34,000 of which is in taxes. John Larson explains how taxing energy and subsidizing alternative technologies have reduced the country’s dependency on oil and created thousands of jobs.
	INDIA India’s “untouchables” trudge through sewers	While India has largely transformed into a modernized economy, the country remains strongly tied to the traditions of the caste system, which often governs the jobs that people hold. Martin Himel reports on India’s lowest class of laborers.
	TURKEY Rising Islamist movements challenge secularism in Turkey	Secular critics are branding Turkey’s growing conservative groups as fundamentalist. Gizem Yarbil and Bryan Myers report on how traditional religion and modern democracy are trying to coexist.
	PHILIPPINES Journalists risk their lives reporting in the Philippines	Today in the Philippines, journalism is robust. But more than 70 journalists have been murdered since 1986. Mark Litke and Ara Ayer report on the risks that many reporters face doing their jobs — from Manila to rural areas.

The Committee to Protect Journalists — in a report out on Tuesday — says 17 editors, reporters, photographers, columnists and a publisher have been killed since 2000. In only one case have the killers been convicted. The CPJ says critical media coverage is effectively silencing discussion on sensitive subjects like corruption and human rights abuses.

Joel Simon, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, joins Daljit Dhaliwal to discuss how the murders have impacted Russian journalism and the rise of online journalism in places like Cuba and Vietnam.

While in the field, correspondent Mark Litke interviewed Michael W. Michalak, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam. Amb. Michalak outlines some of the key challenges facing the country and describes how Vietnam has been able to manage its economic and social development.

Ara recounts his expedition in our In the Newsroom Blog: Scenes from “Roman Holiday” in Vietnam.

Vietnamese weather the flooding in Hanoi.

Producer Ara Ayer reported on Worldfocus’ signature series on Vietnam’s economy, perception of Americans and legacies of war. Two stories show the devastating effects of Agent Orange and unexploded munitions, which still maim and kill Vietnamese to this day. Though some of the topics were difficult to cover, Ara explains why Vietnam represents so much more than a bygone war.

When I compare my reporting experience in Vietnam to other countries, a scene from the movie “Roman Holiday” comes to mind. I digress, but when the protagonist played by Audrey Hepburn is asked to name her favorite city, she hesitates then proudly proclaims, “Rome!” I have no such hesitation. Vietnam by far is the country I want to return to and report from again.

Vietnam isn’t the prettiest, most welcoming or modern country. But it wins your respect and, if you are fortunate enough to spend some time there, your heart. Some go for “the war,” the architectural and cultural remnants of its French colonial past or the kitsch of communism. I’d return for the people –- the real geography of any nation.

Proud, defiant, traditional yet progressive: The Vietnamese are a force. From city streets to hamlet huts, everyone seems busy at work or at play. It isn’t an X-box video game culture engaged in “Second Life” pursuits or reality programming.

Vietnam is about family, tradition, hard work and a grace of daily living that challenges and rewards. Some countries are blessed with great resources: Oil, minerals, agriculture. Vietnam has some of these — but I contend its real riches lay in the “can-do,” “never-say-die” attitude of its citizens. This undaunted quality was very much on display during the Hanoi floods this past November.

Downtown Hanoi’s flood waters reminded me of the seasonal deluge I used to cover as a beginning T.V. reporter in Missouri. Vietnamese trudged through chest-deep water, commuted on makeshift rafts and sandbagged the foyers of their homes. Much like hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Hanoi’s infrastructure failed. The government response could not keep pace with the rising water, and dozens died.

Where the government failed, fellow Vietnamese citizens came to the rescue. Neighbor saved neighbor. My admiration for the Vietnamese grew as I watched one act of kindness after another. Maybe it’s just human nature to want to help your fellow man – yet I found that sensibility fully expressed in deeds among the Vietnamese.

- Ara Ayer

Decades later, civilians still suffer the consequences. Dioxin still lurks in Vietnam’s soil, causing deformities which are passed on from generation to generation.

Worldfocus correspondent Mark Litke and producer Ara Ayer travel to Vietnam and witness the devastating effects the toxin has left behind.

For more information on efforts to aid the victims of Agent Orange, visit the Vietnam Friendship Village.

At least 38,000 people have been killed by leftover explosives since the Vietnam War ended in 1975.

Worldfocus special correspondent Mark Litke and producer Ara Ayer venture into the fields of Quang Tri to explore a deadly legacy of war.

Below, read commentary from bloggers and information from organizations working to safely clear Vietnamese lands.

Watch a slideshow about the situation in Quang Tri, “Responding to the Tet Offensive Legacy,” from the humanitarian Mines Advisory Group (MAG), which works to clear unexploded ordnance (UXO).

The organization also writes about a young Vietnamese man who is working with them to dispose of UXOs after his brother was injured by an explosive.

American blogger “Mike Richards” visits the demilitarized zone in Vietnam, where his cousin was killed during the war. He describes running across mortars and parts of a rocket launcher.

Blogger “seetch” ventures to Vietnam’s Cu Chi Tunnels, writing that the Vietnamese are moving on but also educating children about the war through the use of historic sites like the tunnels.

An American blogger living in Laos – which faced heavy U.S. bombing during the war as America tried to cut off Vietnamese supply routes — writes that clearance efforts are not moving fast enough.

Following a 2001 agreement with the U.S., trade between the countries has grown from $1.5 billion to $10 billion each year, and Vietnam has drawn many of the biggest U.S. firms.

But Vietnam also faces enormous challenges, with insufficient roads and infrastructure as well as significant inflation.

Worldfocus special correspondent Mark Litke and producer Ara Ayer travel to Vietnam, where an American Ford plant bustles outside of Hanoi.

In the years since, Vietnam has undergone radical changes, as have attitudes among many of its 86 million people toward the United States. In part one of a four-part series, Worldfocus special correspondent Mark Litke and producer Ara Ayer examine how the Vietnamese see the United States all these years later.

The Mekong River, the 7th-longest river in Asia, flows through Vietnam.

On Wednesday, Vietnamese government authorities fined the Taiwanese-owned condiment company Vedan $7.7 million dollars for polluting a river in the southern part of Vietnam after an investigation uncovered over a dozen tanks discharging waste. The investigation raised concerns about environmental regulation.

To Kim Lien is a Program Manager for The Asia Foundation in Hanoi and writes for the In Asia blog. Lien discusses Vietnam’s economic boom and subsequent pollution of Vietnam’s rivers because of lax environmental law enforcement.

In Vietnam: A Race to Save the Dying Rivers

Over the past few weeks, Vietnam’s dying rivers have been the subject of intense media and public outcry. Reports indicate that Vedan, a Taiwanese company, which produces monosodium glutamate, has inflicted significant environmental damage for over a decade to the Thi Vai River. The Thi Vai River’s destruction has severe consequences. Many Vietnamese are dependent on aquacultural production; their livelihoods along the river have been destroyed. Ships can no longer anchor at Go Dau port in Dong Nai province because of pollution damage — and the port is losing revenue.  The river is also the source of drinking water for many, which seriously affects public health.

The Thi Vai River, 76 kilometers long, winds from Nhon Tho Village of Dong Nai’s Long Thanh Province, to Tan Thanh District of Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province and the Can Gio District of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) before pouring into the Eastern Sea. Given its geography and area of approximately 300 square kilometers, the Thi Vai River has become a receptacle for discharged waste water from HCMC, Bien Hoa Town, and Dong Nai Province. According to the Vietnam Environmental Protection Agency (VEPA), the river receives daily some 34,000 cubic meters of untreated wastewater discharged from nearly 200 companies operating along the basin.  While Vedan was not the only company discharging waste water into the Thi Vai River, the scale of the pollution by Vedan — aided by the company’s systematic effort to elude Vietnam’s environmental regulations — was enormous, which is why media attention is so focused on it. Yet the Vedan example raises questions about how dozens of other companies are also polluting the rest of Vietnams major waterways, such as the To Lich, Nhue Day, Sai Gon, and Dong Nai rivers, and what can be done to salvage them — and prevent future damage.

Vietnam has enjoyed over a decade of strong economic growth, but a legacy of simultaneous environmental neglect is becoming glaringly evident. The government and the people of Vietnam both clearly want sustainable development, but the current approach and existing institutions are proving problematic. What is referred to as the “three pillar approach” to development — economic, environmental and social development — permeates most government documents, reports, and policies, but is rendered meaningless in practice. The required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in investment projects, for example, is overwhelmed by economic considerations. As a result, land use permits for specific locations are frequently issued to investors before an initial environmental examination or full-scale EIA has been conducted.  As Vietnam’s economy grows at a breakneck pace, many Vietnamese are worried about the potential trade-off between economic development and the environment.  While the government proclaims attention to both, the first priority is the economy. Now, environmental pollution is threatening to undercut economic gains. Negative effects on human health, water and soil are causing losses in agricultural and aquacultural production among other revenue sources.  Environmentalists and citizens alike are extremely concerned.

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