Peninsular+Southeast+Asia

For full story, click [|here.] For more about the Southeast Asian Games, visit the [|official website.] Vientiane, Laos has been chosen to host the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games this December. The SEA Games includes 11 countries in Southeast Asia-Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Philipines, and Timor-Leste. However, Laos is going through major economic strains trying to fund the Games. The chart below shows to which countries Laos owes money, and how much. But some of these sponsorships come with a price. Vietnam, who built the Athletes Village, got about 25,000 acres of land in Laos to plant rubber trees. China, who built the Stadium complex, got 1,600 hectares of land on the outskirts of Vientiane, dubbed with the name "Chinese City" by locals. Also, to help reduce its deficit, the Laotian government plans to increase taxes on alcohol and cigarettes. Instead of air-conditioning in the Athletes Village dormitories, they are being given fans. **Countries That Laos has Borrowed Money From ** || China || Stadium Complex || $100 Million ||  ||   || Thailand || Kick-Boxing Stadiums || $2 Million ||  ||   || Brunei || Sports Complex || $1.7 Million ||  || || Vietnam || Athletes Village |||||| $19 Million and $4 Million outright grant || Japan |||| Games-Related Project ||  ||   || South Korea |||| <span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Games-Related Project ||  ||   ||
 * Laos Stumbles on Path to Sporting Glory**
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Typhoon leaves 31 dead in Vietnam For full story, [|click here.]**​**

Typhoon Ketsana has hit Vietnam, close to its fourth-largest city, Danang. It has caused floods and landslides, and all flights to Danang have been suspended. Also, all schools in the surrounding areas have been shut and 170,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in coastal areas. Many have been trapped on roads because of the major floods. Around 31 have been killed in Vietnam (many more have been killed in the Philippines), and relief workers say it is mainly because of landslides or buildings collapsing on people. The typhoon is projected to move (more weakly) into Laos and Cambodia.

For a video recap of what is happening in Vietnam, go to [].

The countries included in Peninsular Southeast Asia are: Laos Myanmar/Burma Malaysia Thailand Vietnam Cambodia
 * Populations **

In comparison to the other countries in this region, Vietnam has the most people.
 * = **Country** ||= **Population** ||
 * = Vietnam ||= 86,967,524 ||
 * = Cambodia ||= 14,464,293 ||
 * = Thailand ||= 65,905,410 ||
 * = Malaysia ||= 25,715,819 ||
 * = Myanmar/Burma ||= 48,137,741 ||
 * = Laos ||= 6,834,942 ||

For more information on this region or the specific countries, see the [|CIA World Factbook]

From BBC World News. For full story [|click here]. ** ​ ** Analysis By: Kaitie Jowers
 * New law closes Vietnam think tank **

In Vietnam, a new government decree has restricted the "right to conduct research on the ruling Communist Party," called Decision 97. The only independent think tank in Vietnam, the [|Institute of Development Studies](IDS), has disbanded because of the new law. This organization frequently questioned the ruling government, their policies, etc. and was very influential in Vietnam. The IDS consisted of a mere 16 people; however, these 16 were among the most prominent and smart Vietnamese and most were in the ruling Communist party. The IDS president and founding member, Nguyen Quang A, has said that though the decision was very difficult to make (to disband), each one of the members will continue their research independently. He continues to say that he hopes that this independent research will cause more critical opinions, and also that each member will be able to find ways to speak up.

I personally think that the government passed this decree because it was too afraid to deal with and hear the arguments from the IDS. The Vietnamese government probably felt threatened by this think tank and is refusing to listen to the research and make the necessary changes to help Vietnam become a better, more developed country. While the research and opinions from the IDS may be harsh, I think that, especially since most of its members are part of the ruling government, it could be extremely helpful and insightful.

[|Wall Street Journal] [|Forbes] [|Associated Press]
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IDS president and founding member, Nguyen Quang A.