Asia News Weekly - Vietnam authorized weapons use in the South China Sea and other regional news

Vietnam has authorized weapons use in the South China Sea. RAND Corporation’s Scott Harold joins me to discuss if Hanoi has what it takes to go up against China.  What are the human rights issues facing Malaysia? Human Rights Watch’s Phil Robertson explains. Plus bloggers in Bangladesh continue to fear death and more this week.

Vietnam issues orders to fire on encroaching ships

Last year China moved the Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig into Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). China supported this action with a massive fleet of over 100 vessels. Vietnam tried to repel the platform by sending its coast guard, but to no avail. Chinese vessels bumped and ground, forcing them back. If Vietnamese fishing vessels made the mistake of challenging, the results were sometimes catastrophic.

Now, Vietnam looks to avoid a similar situation and has authorized its coast guard to use weapons to chase away foreign vessels entering the country’s waters illegally. This new order is set to take effective October 20th.

To dive into the ramifications, Scott Harold, deputy director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy discusses joins the podcast to clarify how the policy relates to UNCLOS, the South China Sea Code of Conduct, and if Vietnam has what it takes to follow through.

As rights abuses mount, is Malaysia truly Asia?

As someone who has traveled extensively around Southeast Asia, if someone asks me about Malaysia, the first thing that comes to mind are the giant silver twin spires that are the Patronas Towers -- then I dive into fond memories of sitting on a plastic stool getting my fill of Penang's famous street food. But for many, Malaysia is a controversial location rife with human rights abuses.

This week, Asia News weekly host Steve Miller spoke with Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch's deputy director for Asia. Robertson discussed the challenges facing Malaysia and where it might be headed.

Bangladesh bloggers fear for their lives

Bangladesh is undergoing a crisis of free speech. This year, four secular bloggers have been brutally murdered. First they took place at night, then in broad daylight, and the latest in a blogger’s home. Now, the blogging community says it feels directly threatened by Bangladesh’s Prime Minister who said that bloggers in the country would not be allowed to “hurt” the religious sentiments of others.

China says US can be cyber defense ally, but can they?

China's top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi dropped this little gem last week, “China and the United States actually can make cyber security a point of cooperation between our two countries. We hope China, the United States and other countries could work together to work out the rules for cyber security in the international arena in the spirit of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.” So what can we make of Yang’s remarks?

The Asia Brief

In the special Friday edition of The Asia Brief, Miller updates listeners on the dengue fever crisis in Taiwan. Plus how violent criminals who once terrorized Mumbai have been brought to justice, how Japanese lawmakers exchanged blows over collective self- defense, and a very strange place to hide a stolen diamond.

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