It looks like a zoo, but it's closed to the public. The facility breeds tigers, but has never supplied a conservation program with any animals nor sold any to zoos.

Conservationists allege that Vietnam's 11 registered tiger farms, including this one, are fronts for a thriving illegal market in tiger parts, highly prized for purported _ if unproven _ medicinal qualities.

Nonsense, says manager Luong Thien Dan. He says the farm in southern Binh Duong province was created simply because its management has??a "soft spot" for the big cats, and that it's funded privately by a beer company.

"At first we just kept them as pets, but when they started to breed, we got excited and wanted to expand their population," Dan said during a tour of the farm, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Ho Chi Minh City.

The illegal wildlife trade is worth an estimated $8 billion to $10 billion per year in Southeast Asia alone and includes tigers, rhinos and other lesser-known animals.

The conservationists say the loosely regulated farms are used to "launder" illegally caught wild tigers, which they say are mixed in with stocks of legitimately bred animals, and that??products from their carcasses are later sold on the black market.

The conservation group WWF this week ranked Vietnam as the worst country for wildlife crime in its first such survey of how well 23 countries in Asia and Africa protect rhinos, tigers and elephants.?? The Switzerland-based group focused its report released Monday on countries where the threatened animals live in the wild or are traded or consumed. Vietnam's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment on the WWF report.

However, the government has commented on the tiger farms, saying in a 2009 report that they are aimed at breeding tigers for "future reintroduction programs." No captive tiger has been successfully introduced to a wild population anywhere in the world.

Some proponents of wildlife farms argue that they can ease the pressure on wild populations by lessening the demand for poached animals.

But in Asia, such farms are largely unregulated and create "an avenue for trade in something that you shouldn't be trading in," said Vincent Nijman, a wildlife trade expert at Oxford Brookes University in England. Vietnam is now being accused of becoming a key driver of an illegal trade that spans continents. Advocacy groups say the government's support for captive wildlife facilities _ especially tiger farms _ suggests that although it professes wildlife conservation, it actually is helping to drive threatened animals toward extinction.

China, which the Washington-based Brookings Institution calls the "world's largest market for illegal trade in wildlife," finished the second worst in WWF's ranking, but received praise for recent efforts to police the illegal trade in ivory and tiger products. In 2010, Chinese authorities required the country's two largest tiger farms to place microchips in live tigers and keep track of the carcasses of animals that die.

In neighboring Vietnam, however, the prime minister's decision in 2007 to legalize tiger breeding farms on a pilot basis has "undermined" the government's wildlife enforcement efforts, the WWF wildlife crime report said.

It added that captive tigers now appear to be a "substantial proportion" of the world's illegal tiger trade. Tiger bone paste _ which some Vietnamese say is an effective pain killer _ can fetch a few hundred dollars per ounce ($1,000 per 100 grams) on the black market.

The 35-page WWF report comes on the heels of a controversy in May, when international environmental officials and wildlife advocates learned that Vietnam's agriculture ministry had proposed allowing parts of tigers that die in captivity to be made into traditional medicine on a pilot basis.

An official at the ministry, Do Quang Tung, denied critics' charges that the proposal was designed to effectively legalize trade in tiger products, and an official at Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's office told the AP earlier this month that Dung had rejected the proposal.

The global population of wild tigers has dropped precipitously over the last century, from about 100,000 to fewer than 3,500. According to the wildlife advocacy group TRAFFIC, at least 200 tiger carcasses were seized from the illegal trade worldwide last year. Vietnam is one of 13 countries with wild tigers, but they number less than 50 in Vietnamese territory, according to government figures.

Wildlife advocates say Vietnam's tiger farms have high mortality rates and cannot possibly sustain their reported populations without sourcing smuggled tigers, which they say often enter the country via its mountainous border with Laos _ a country ranked the third worst offender on WWF's wildlife crime report.

According to Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 49 of the 112 tigers living on the 11 registered tiger farms were born in captivity.

Tiger farm manager Luong Thien Dan said tigers at his farm typically die after fighting or when mothers neglect to breastfeed cubs, and that all dead tigers are cremated under supervision from local authorities.

He told the AP that he couldn't recall how his farm acquired its first cubs, nor how many tigers have died since the farm opened.

Dan says the farm covers expenses _ raw meat runs about 150 to 200 million dong ($7,200 to $9,600) per month _ with profits that his cousin, Ngo Duy Tan, earns as a beer keg manufacturer.?? The rusty tiger cages sit on Pacific Beer Company's 7,000 square meter (75,000 square foot) property, across a parking lot from silver brewing tanks and a giant pile of malt.

Farm management hopes to open an ecotourism park to showcase its tigers, but Dan said the farm's future is uncertain because it has only a temporary permit from the prime minister. Dan said he would welcome a government move to legalize the selling of tiger parts for use in traditional medicine.

Close tiger farms now!!!!

während der Universellen Periodischen Überprüfung im Mai 2009 gab die Bundesregierung folgende wichtige Empfehlungen ab, um die Menschenrechtslage in Vietnam zu verbessern:

- Verstärkung der Zusammenarbeit mit den Menschenrechtsmechanismen der Vereinten Nationen;

- Genehmigung vom Besuch der UNO-Sonderberichterstatter für Religions- und Glaubensfreiheit in Vietnam;

- Anschaffung einer nationalen Menschenrechtsinstitution in Übereinstimmung mit den Pariser Grundsätzen;

- Abschaffung aller erforderlichen Maßnahmen, die zur Einschränkung der Meinungs- und der Versammlungsfreiheit führen.

Die Menschenrechtslage in Vietnam hat sich leider nach der obigen Überprüfung des Menschenrechtsrates dramatisch verschlimmert. Mindestens 30 Vietnamesen, die sich für die Menschenrechte und die Gerechtigkeit in Vietnam einsetzten, wurden festgenommen und zu hohen Haftstrafen verurteilt (Internationale bekannte Namen sind z.B. Dr. Cu Huy Ha Vu, der Anwalt Le Cong Dinh, der Schriftsteller Nguyễn Xuân Nghĩa, der Uni-Dozent Pham Minh Hoang, der Arbeitervertreter Đoàn Huy Chương, der Informatiker Nguyen Tiến Trung). Die Polizisten handeln brutaler und ohne jegliche Schuldgefühle.

Die Vertreibung der 380 buddhistischen Mönche aus ihrem Kloster Bat-Nha sowie grausame Unterdrückungen der Katholiken der Gemeinden Thai-Ha, Dong-Chiem und Con-Dau sind eines vieler Beispiele für das grausame Handeln der vietnamesischen Polizei.

Kháng thư này nhằm phản đối hành động vi phạm nhân quyền của chinh quyền Việt nam và đồng thời yêu cầu trả tự do ngay tức khắc cho nhà thơ Bùi Chát.

Danh sách các tổ chức bảo trợ kháng thư:
tạp chí Tiền vệ -- tạp chí Da màu

trong cuộc kiểm tra định kỳ về tình trạng nhân quyền tại Việt Nam trước Hội Đồng Nhân Quyền Liên Hiệp Quốc vào tháng Năm 2009 chính phủ liên bang Đức đã khuyến nghị Việt Nam những điểm chính sau đây:

• Tăng cường hợp tác với các cơ chế về quyền con người của Liên Hiệp Quốc
• Mời và cho phép đặc báo viên về tự do tôn giáo của Liên Hợp Quốc tới Việt Nam
• Thành lập viện nhân quyền quốc gia theo nguyên tắc Paris
• Xóa bỏ tất cả các biện pháp làm giới hạn các quyền tự do ngôn luận và tự do hội họp.

Rất tiếc, tình trạng nhân quyền tại Việt Nam tồi tệ hơn sau cuộc kiểm tra nêu trên của Hội đồng Nhân quyền. Ít nhất 30 công dân Việt Nam hoạt động cho nhân quyền và công lý đã bị bắt và bị kết án tù nặng nề (những người thường được báo chí quốc tế nhắc nhở tới nhiều như Tiến sĩ Cù Huy Hà Vũ, luật sư Lê Công Định, nhà văn Nguyễn Xuân Nghĩa, giảng viên đại học Phạm Minh Hoàng, Đoàn Huy Chương, nhà điện toán Nguyễn Tiến Trung). Cảnh sát hành động tàn bạo hơn và không có ý thức tội lỗi, họ đã trục xuất bằng vũ lực 380 tu sĩ Phật giáo ra khỏi tu viện Bát Nhã, áp bức tàn bạo người Công giáo tại các giáo xứ Thái Hà, Đồng-Chiêm và Con-Dầu là một trong nhiều thí dụ về các hành động bạo tàn của lực lượng công an Việt Nam.

But there's one thing, Tokio Hotel doesn’t know that they also have another strong fan base right here in Vietnam. Tokio Hotel fanclub in Vietnam is just as good as those in other countries that the band has arrived. But it seems that they don't have the name “Vietnam” in their tour map.

As such, we – Tokio Hotel Vietnamese fans – would like to have Tokio Hotel performances and shows right here in Vietnam. We would love to go to their concerts, meet them and give them our presents and show them our love, show them that they’re not only famous in Europe and American, but also they’re loved in Vietnam.In short, Tokio Hotel Vietnamese fans would like Tokio Hotel themselves to come to Vietnam and perform here, as they’ve been doing so to other countries’ fans. Be side that, by the fact that a famous German rock band comes to Vietnam, we believe that the relationship between Vietnam and Germany will be reinforced and long lasting.

In der universellen periodischen Staatenüberprüfung (UPR) des UN- Menschenrechtsrates am 8. Mai 2009 wurde Vietnam vorgeschlagen, einige Gesetze zu ändern, darunter wurde auch der Artikel 88 des Strafgesetzbuches genannt, da diese Gesetze nicht nur gegen die allgemeine Erklärung der Menschenrechte und gegen den Internationalen Pakt über bürgerliche und politische Rechte, sondern auch gegen die Verfassung der Sozialistischen Republik Vietnam verstoßen.

Pfarrer Nguyen Van Ly hatte im 2009 drei Schlaganfälle erlitten. Der letzte Anfall fand am 14. November 2009 statt. Ihm war dabei so unwohl, dass die Gefängniswächter den Pfarrer ins Polizei-Krankenhaus 198 in Hanoi brachten. Dort befand er sich in einem verschlossenen Raum, in dem er vom Wachdienst der Geheimpolizei den ganzen Tag überwacht wurde. Obwohl sich sein Gesundheitszustand noch nicht deutlich verbessert hatte, hat die Polizei ihn nach fast einem Monat wieder ins Gefängnis Ba Sao zurückgebracht, wieder in Einzelhaft. Am 1. Februar 2010 besuchte ihn seine Schwester, Frau Nguyen Thi Hieu. Sie hat über ihn wie folgt berichtet: "Pfarrer Ly kann wegen seiner gelähmten Hand nicht mehr schreiben. Gehen geht schwer, da er die Krücken und eine Begleitperson zum Stützen benötigt. Pfarrer Ly nimmt keine Medikamente vom Gefängnis an, sondern ausschließlich nur die von den Familienangehörigen gebrachten Medikamente. Er sagte, dass er nicht wie das letzte Mal wieder ins Krankenhaus eingeliefert werden will, falls ein neuer Schlaganfall wieder auftreten wird. Er wünscht, dass wir ihn öfter besuchen.".

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Human Rights Council on May 8, 2009 in Geneva proposed Vietnam to amend certain laws, one of them is the Article 88 of the Penal Code. Because these laws violate not only against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but also against the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Father Nguyen Van Ly had in 2009 three strokes. The 3rd was on November 14, 2009. He was so bad that the prison guards brought him to police's Hospital in Hanoi. There, he was in a locked room with the secret police guard duty day and night. Although his illness is still not much better, the police brought him back to prison Ba Sao on december 11, 2009, of course, in solitary confinement. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hieu, sister of Father Ly visited him on 1 February 2010. She reported: "Father Ly can not write any more because of the paralyzed hand. Walking is difficult because he needs crutches and accompanying person for supporting. Father Ly takes no medications from the prison, but exclusively drugs brought by the Family members. He said that he will not again be admitted to the hospital like last time when a new stroke will occur again. He wants that we visit him more often.".

Trong cuộc khảo sát định kỳ phổ quát của Hội đồng Nhân quyền Liên Hiệp Quốc (UPR) vào ngày 08.05.2009 Việt Nam được đề nghị sửa đổi nhiều điều luật, trong đó có điều 88 bộ luật hình sự. Vì các điều luật này không những vi phạm Tuyên Ngôn Quốc Tế Nhân Quyền, vi phạm Công Ước Quốc Tế các Quyền Dân Sự và Chính Trị mà còn vi phạm ngay chính Hiến Pháp của nước CHXHCN Việt Nam.

Linh mục Nguyễn văn Lý đã phải chịu 3 cơn tai biến mạch máu não trong năm 2009. Cơn tai biến thứ ba xảy ra vào tháng 11 năm 2009 làm linh mục Lý hôn mê, tê liệt nửa người và công an trại giam đã đưa Ngài vào bịnh viện công an 198 tại Hà Nội để chữa trị. Tại đây linh mục Lý vẫn bị giam biệt lập với công an canh gác ngày đêm không cho ai ra vào. Sau gần một tháng chữa bịnh, tuy chưa được thuyên giảm nhưng công an đã bắt đưa Ngài về lại trại giam Ba Sao. Ngày 1.2.2010 vừa qua, chị của LM Lý, bà Nguyễn thị Hiểu đi thăm ông và đã cho biết như sau: “Lần này đến thấy Linh Mục Lý không thể viết được vì tay bị liệt, chân đi khó khăn phải chống nạng, và phải có người dìu đi. Linh mục Lý không uống thuốc do trại tù cho mà chỉ uống thuốc gia đình gửi vào. Ông cũng nói là nếu bị ngã bệnh nữa sẽ không đi cấp cứu như lần trước. Ông mong gia đình đến thăm nhiều hơn nữa.”.