Corruption Figures in Variety of Reports from International Media
Oct 20th, 2008 • Posted in: NewsAt issue: press freedom in Vietnam, protecting rural Chinese from corruption, oversight of aid projects in danger zones, and plans for a new school for graft-fighters
VARIOUS DATELINES
Corruption was the topic of a range of stories from Asia and Europe last week. Among them:
- Vietnam imprisoned a reporter for his coverage of state corruption, reports the Agence France-Presse. The reporter, Nguyen Viet Chien, uncovered information about a transport ministry unit where officials had used foreign aid money for gambling. The incident, according to the AFP, led to a series of arrests and prompted widespread global praise for Vietnam’s loosening of press restraints. But in May the climate of tolerance apparently eroded and Chien was charged with producing stories with errors and bias that damaged the image of party officials. Several other reporters and sources involved in the case were charged and received lesser sentences or were fired or reprimanded.
- The rights of Chinese farmers, who have been hit hard by corruption during the nation’s rapid building boom, are the focus of a new wave of reform, reports UPI. Local use reform, which gives farmers more control over their land and spells out more of their rights, jumped to the top of the Communist Party’s agenda following a series of sometimes-violent confrontations between farmers and local officials. UPI reports that officials have cheated farmers out of their land, and farmers on occasion have been the source of trouble when they bought up neighbors’ properties and attempted residential or industrial development, sometimes without the proper skills or knowledge to prevent pollution or other environmental problems.
- British aid projects in international danger zones are particularly vulnerable to corruption, according to a government report. The National Audit Office says that in many parts of the world it is difficult and dangerous to make site visits to track aid distribution, according to a report from the BBC. Aid agencies were urged to do a better job of managing security risks and tracking progress in dangerous areas.
- Interpol and the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime announced that they will jointly create an academy to teach government and police officials how to curb corruption, which the U.N. claims drains a trillion dollars a year from the global economy. The academy will open in 2009 near Vienna and will offer training in methods to preempt and root out graft and bribery, reports the Reuters news agency.
Sources: UPI, Oct. 17 — U.K. Press Association, Oct. 16 — BBC, Oct. 16 — Reuters, Oct. 16 — AFP, Oct. 15.
For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Oct. 16 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 29 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 15 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 8 — Related Newsline Commentary, Aug. 4.
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