President Barack Obama: Resolve South China Sea disputes peacefully

US Prez prods Vietnam on human rights

US President Barack Obama chided Vietnam on political freedoms on Tuesday after critics of the communist-run government were prevented from meeting him in Hanoi, a discordant note on a trip otherwise steeped in words of amity between the former foes. Tens of thousands turned out to welcome Mr Obama on the second leg of his visit.

Many in the crowd that lined the streets chanted “Obama, Obama”, some held handwritten signs reading “Obama, we love you”, and one woman held a boy dressed in a Captain America costume, complete with shield.

Underlining the importance of the growing economic ties between the countries, Mr Obama held an open forum with young entrepreneurs and laid out the benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact between 12 Pacific Rim countries.

In a speech before leaving Hanoi, Mr Obama dwelt on the importance of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where China has been turning remote outcrops into islands with runways and harbours.

“Big nations should not bully small ones. Disputes should be resolved peacefully,” he said, without naming China, which claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea.

But the high point of his visit came on Monday, with an announcement that Washington is scrapping its embargo on the sale of lethal arms to Vietnam. That clears the biggest hurdle remaining between the two countries drawn together by concern over China’s military build-up.

Critics said that by removing the ban, a vestige of the Vietnam War, Washington had put concerns about Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea first and given up a critical lever to press Hanoi for improvements in human rights.

One prominent intellectual, Mr Nguyen Quang A, said that about 10 policemen had come to his house at 6:30 am and put him in a car that was driven out of the capital until Mr Obama was about to leave.

An outspoken lawyer, Mr Ha Huy Son, said he was also stopped from joining a meeting Mr Obama held with six other civil society leaders. Human Rights Watch said a journalist who was also invited had been arrested on Monday.

Mr Quang A, a former IT entrepreneur, was one of more than 100 Vietnamese who tried to run as independents for last weekend’s election to the parliament, which is tightly controlled by the Communist Party. Almost all failed to get on the ballot.