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* Student is family's fourth valedictorian
The Sun Herald, 22/5/98

ST. MARTIN - When Liet Le graduates from St. Martin High School tonight, he
keeps alive a family tradition.

Liet, 18, will be the fourth child in his family to graduate as valedictorian
and go on to Tulane University in New Orleans to pursue a degree in medicine.

Tonight's graduation ceremony at St. Martin is one of many being held across
the Coast this weekend.

Liet's success surprises almost no one. Liet, like his older brothers and
sisters, grew up in a home where education came second only to family, and
studying was a ritual that claimed three or four hours a night.

"What drives me is that I realize the importance of education," Liet said.
"My dad constantly reminds me because when he was in Vietnam, he wanted to go
to school, but because of family circumstances and the turmoil in Vietnam he
wasn't able to go."

Charity Le, Liet's dad, had to work instead of go to school to help support
his family.

He and his wife, Susan Huynh, moved their family by boat to the United States
in 1979 to escape communism. Liet was born in 1980, the couple's seventh
child and the only one born in America.

The family arrived on the Coast from California in 1986, and Liet started
first grade at St. Martin.

"I just tell them, 'Study hard,'" said Charity Le, whose native language is
Vietnamese. "Even when we think them tired, just study, just do homework.
Every day, no see TV too much, just study."

Charity Le, who was in the Vietnamese Air Force and was injured in Vietnam,
so valued education for his children that he moved to a quiet neighborhood in
St. Martin to avoid distractions.

Six of the couple's seven children graduated from St. Martin High School. The
oldest, Jeannie, graduated in California. She and Steve Le, the couple's
second child, both work in business. A third child, Tuan, died two years ago.

The next three - Khanh, Kristen and Kenny - were St. Martin High School
valedictorians in 1992, 1995 and 1997. They are all at Tulane University on
full tuition scholarships.

Kenny is in his first year studying biological chemistry. Kristen is a third-
year undergraduate student in biology, and Khanh is a second-year student in
medical school.

Liet said his brother Khanh has most influenced him.

"I was in sixth grade when Khanh graduated valedictorian," Liet said. "It was
a big shock for me - a Vietnamese becoming a valedictorian in an American
school."

It was then that Liet decided to make it his goal to become valedictorian. He
spends hours each night reading and thinking, he said, and puts most of his
energy into math and science.

He wants to become a family physician and ultimately spend time working in
Vietnam, either caring for the ill or training doctors.

"I just want to do my part to help Vietnam," he said. "A lot of people didn't
have the opportunity that I have."

In his valedictory tonight - part of which will be delivered in Vietnamese
for his grandparents - Liet will tell classmates that work is "the source of
all advancements and the only means of support for a community," and that
every job is important to a community's success.

When he accepts his diploma tonight, his own work ethic and success will mean
to Charity Le and Susan Huynh that they have done their jobs well.

"I have finished," Charity Le said Thursday. "I have done it for my life, for
my kids."

* Sidetracks: The art of emotion - Tien Huynh is refining a visual language
The Sacramento Bee, 22/5/98

In the painting, a child holds an alphabet block. It represents "how
everything was before -- innocent and simple," says Tien Huynh, the artist
who created the painting. Underneath the child is a large, distorted face of
a screaming youth experiencing the frustration of being a teenager and a
student.

It's Tien's second painting, "Yesterday," one of three she has done in the
past year and a half for her school art classes.

"I appreciate art more than just to look at it," says Tien. "I like to draw
it also."

Profile
Who: Tien Huynh

Age: 16

School: Encina High

Family: father, Khang; mother, Chaunguyen, manicurist; brother, Minh, 24;
sisters Hang, 23, Huong, 20, and Hanh, 12

Activities: art, volleyball, track, cross country; student body president;
Honors Club and International Club; National Team Leadership Program; Scholar
Athlete; elected vice president of next year's senior class

Tien began to test her artistic abilities in ceramics. That's when Encina
High art teacher Mike Stevens noticed her special talents and suggested she
take an art class. That was 18 months ago. Now Tien is in the advanced art
class.

"In visual language, Tien is able to separate everything around her and
incorporate ideas and thoughts about who she is and where she's coming from,"
says Stevens.

The first tool Tien used was a pencil for sketches and shading, but after two
months she advanced to brushes and bright colors. Tien likes to use red
because it's a symbol of happiness in the Vietnamese culture and is used for
weddings, she says.

"I base my paintings on family values, school experience and my culture and
background," says Tien.

She started her first painting during her second semester of her sophomore
year. The painting is of a Buddhist god, Quan Cong, who is said to bring
luck. Tien says her family has shrines to these gods, and so she wanted a
painting that she could create for her own shrine.

Her latest painting, "Shoot," is a self-portrait from her baby years in South
Vietnam. Her parents did not have a camera to take pictures of their
children. But on a visit to Saigon, the family had a picture of the kids
taken. Tien says she chose to do the self portrait based on that photo
because it's the family's only picture of her as a baby.

"It is important to be aware of where you come from, especially at Tien's
age," says Stevens. "She doesn't just copy a photo, she colors what her
feelings are."

Tien says family is No. 1 on her list of priorities, followed by school. Her
family values and culture influence her paintings.

"My parents have gone through so much," says Tien. "Seeing how hard they work
and how unselfish they act, I try not to take them for granted."

Tien enjoys art, but she doesn't think she'll pursue it as a full-time job.
Instead, she plans to take art as an elective in college, and major in
business or perhaps education. She would like to teach art someday, but for
now it's a hobby she really loves.

"Tien is academically and creatively involved," says Stevens. "It's hard to
find a student who works equally on both levels as Tien does. It makes it
easier to drive to school when you have students like her."

* Lesbian marriage broken up by Hanoi
SCMP, 23/5/98

DEUTSCHE PRESSE-AGENTUR in Hanoi
Government officials have broken up the country's first known lesbian
marriage and extracted a promise from the lovers they will never live
together.

Twenty officials from various Communist Party groups met the couple for three
hours at their home in the Mekong Delta town of Vinh Long.

They were acting on instructions of the Justice Ministry in Hanoi "to put an
end to the marriage", the Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

"They would have had no trouble with their relationship if they had not
chosen to have a public wedding," a member of the provincial justice
department said.

Hundreds of people turned out for the early March wedding, while disapproving
officials remained on the sidelines unable to stop the celebration because
Vietnam's marriage law does not mention same-sex unions.

The issue was raised at the most recent session of the National Assembly
during debate on amendments to the law.

It is unclear what kind of persuasion was used to get the women's agreement
or what punishment they could face if they change their minds, but they
signed a document promising not to live together, the justice official said.

There were many other homosexual women living together in the province but
Hong Kim Huong, 30, and Cao Tien Duyen, 23, were the only ones who were
married publicly, he said.

He said the wedding was an unwelcome challenge to traditional sensibilities
and public morality but added: "As long as they don't wed publicly they are
left in peace."

* El Nino Crisis
Hope for final end to drought

SCMP, 23/5/98

Recent rains have eased Vietnam's worst drought in a century, but power cuts
continue as water levels drop further at reservoirs feeding crucial
hydroelectric plants, a senior agriculture ministry official said yesterday.

Rainfall has ranged from 10 to 30 mm this month over the parched central
highlands and the southern Mekong Delta.

However, the Hoa Binh power plant, which supplies nearly a third of Vietnam's
electricity, is operating at only 40 per cent capacity.

* Last batch of Vietnamese to go home

SCMP, 23/5/98

The last detention centre is set to be closed next week after the final batch
of Vietnamese boat people is repatriated.

Sources said yesterday the High Island Detention Centre in Sai Kung would be
closed next Friday after many of its 300 inmates were sent to Vietnam on
Wednesday as part of the Orderly Repatriation Programme. Any remaining
detainees would be held at the detention facility in Victoria Prison,
Central, to be flown out later.

Security officials refused to confirm the closure, but said the detention
centre, the scene of riots and hunger strikes, would be kept.

"We will have to mothball the site to cater for any unexpected influx of new
arrivals," a Security Bureau spokesman said.

A progressive closure of detention centres began in September 1996 when the
boat people were all transferred from Tai A Chau.

The Kai Tak transit centre ceased operating in March last year and Whitehead
Detention Centre near Ma On Shan closed last June.

Proposals have been made to convert the 45-hectare High Island site into a
residential, recreation and conservation area.

The migrant population reached a peak in October 1991, with more than 64,300
Vietnamese in 14 camps. Since 1975, more than 200,000 arrived in Hong Kong.

* Peasants' Protest in Nam Dinh

From: Free Vietnam Alliance <lmv...@BEST.COM>

Years of tension between peasants and local authorities in Nam Dinh province
has shown its first sign of eruption in the early morning of Friday, May 08,
1998 when more than 500 peasants surrounded the Office of the Province
People's Committee (provincial administrative authorities) at 4 Mac Thi
Buoi Street to protest the heavy and arbitrary taxation and related
corruption by the officials.

Nam Dinh, the cradle of one of the most successful dynasties - the Tran's -
in Vietnamese history, is on the southwest side of Thai Binh province, where
organized protests by thousands of peasants last year and the government
subsequent suppression remain a reference point in the foreign press and a
topic of internal political training for the Vietnamese Communist Party
cadres. Nam Dinh has a long tradition of quality fabrics making and is the
home of Vietnam's largest textile factories. The bankruptcy and the
following trials of the corruptive managers of the Nam Dinh Textile Plant
last year have deeply affected the province's economy.

According to the eyewitness' account, the majority of the protesters on May
08 came from the greater area of My Phu ward, My Loc district on the south
side of the Hong river. For years, farmers in this area have resented the
heavy central-government taxes and the arbitrarily-issued auxiliary taxes
and fees by local authorities. These burdens are particularly pressing when
the 1997 average income of each peasant family is 100,000 dong (about US $8)
per month. The auxiliary taxes and fees were collected nominally to build
more public "electric generators, roads, schools, and train stations". These
projects, however, were rarely finished or even started while the army of
"Dreams-riding officials" multiplies. (Dream is the brand name of a Honda
motorcycle model considered an item of high luxury in this area). In the last
several years, after each round of peasants' collective petition and
Provincial People's Committee's promise to investigate, both the types and
the amounts of auxiliary taxes, once again, increased.

News of the tension in Nam Dinh has reached the top leadership of the
Vietnamese Communist Party. In April 1998, the Party sent its former
Secretary General Do Muoi to both Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh provinces to check
on the situation.

According to the latest information, the protest has now spread to the
surrounding districts of Y Yen, Vu Ban, Nam Truc, and Bui Chu.

May 22, 1998
The Free Vietnam Alliance

* Editor chargeed with abusing democratic rights

From: Stephen R Denney <sde...@UCLINK.BERKELEY.EDU>

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Thursday - May 21, 1998

Vietnamese editor faces charges of abusing democratic rights

Hanoi (dpa) - A Vietnamese newspaper editor who was arrested last October on
suspicion of revealing state secrets is now expected to be prosecuted on the
lesser charges of ``abusing democratic rights to encroach upon the interests
of the State,'' officials confirmed Thursday.

Ngueyn Hoang Linh, 46, editor of Doanh Nghiep (Enterprise), was arrested
October 8 after a series of articles that exposed alleged high-level
corruption at the customs department.

The expected change in charges means a significant reduction in the possible
punishment Linh will face in a trial that is still unscheduled.

Under state secret statutes Linh could have faced up to 15 years in prison but
under the new charges Linh could face ``non-custodial reform'' of up to six
months, or imprisonment up to three years.

Linh has been under detention for more than seven months now but is bearing up
well, according to those that have been able to see him.

A foreign ministry statement said police had proposed prosecutiing Linh under
Article 205 of the penal code, corroborating information from other Vietnamese
sources.

The arrest of Linh, who is believed to be a Communist Party member, shocked
the local journalistic community and led to international calls for his
immediate release.

Linh was arrested after a series of articles appearing in May which questioned
the 4 million dollar purchase of four new Ukrainian-made patrol boats which
arrived in unserviceable condition.

Two boats were later reported to be more than 20 years old and three of the
four had to go for repairs immediately. According to one reckoning the real
market value of the vessels was close to 1.3 million dolalrs and customs
officials were put on the spot to explain the discrepancy.

The state secrets charge, sources say, was a political counterattack by the
director-general of the General Department of Customs, Phan Van Dinh, who was
challenged by name in the articles.

Amnesty International, the London-based human rights organization, said it
appeared that Linh was being ``detained solely for the expression of peaceful
political views,'' in a statement that angered local officials.

The latest two-month detention order, signed by the People's Supreme
Inspectorate, expires June 9.

``The arrest of Linh or reporting alleged high-level misappropriation of funds
brings into question the government and the party's commitment to exposing
corruption when politically inconvenient,'' commented Human Rights Asia in a
report last year.

* Building of Vietnam oil refinery a step closer

HANOI, May 22 (Reuters) - Vietnam and a Russian firm will sign a joint
venture deal in two months to build the country's first oil refinery in a
location described as a ``bad site,'' an executive said on Friday.

Oleg Popov, general director of Russian state firm Zarubezhneft, told
reporters he was focused on the long-term potential of the refinery, which
Vietnam's official media have said would hopefully begin operation in 2004.

The $1.4 billion project has seen off two groups of foreign investors and
been mired in controversy since Vietnam announced its chosen location in Dung
Quat, a barren place 900 km (560 miles) from the nation's major oil producing
area in the south.

Popov said the site -- in central Quang Ngai province -- was undesirable but
added Zarubezhneft would agree to the terms with Vietnam's oil monopoly
Petrovietnam.

``It's a bad site but we take what the Vietnamese gave us. It is not the best
site for us, but strategically, it is the best for us, and politically, best
for the Vietnamese,'' he said.

``They dictate the rules of the game, and...we accepted.''

``We are looking at the long-term. We already produce oil, now we want to
refine, then supply oil in Vietnam,'' he added.

Zarubezhneft operates Vietnam's main oil field in waters off the south of the
country in partnership with Petrovietnam.

The venture, Vietsovpetro, accounts for the bulk of Vietnam's oil exports,
which totalled 9.7 million tonnes in 1997. Hanoi plans to pump 12 million
tonnes this year.

In choosing the refinery site, Hanoi has said it wants to develop its central
provinces, which have largely missed out on the benefits of economic reforms
adopted in the late 1980s.

Popov was speaking after signing a framework agreement with Petrovietnam that
officials said paved the way for the actual joint venture deal.

Russian Vice Minister of Fuel and Energy Anatoli Kozyrev, also in Hanoi for
the signing of the framework agreement, voiced confidence the project would
go ahead and said his ministry would help Zarubezhneft find the financing if
necessary.

``We have no doubts concerning the formation of this joint venture,'' Kozyrev
said in translated remarks.

``The two sides will finance this project and I would like to add the
(Russian) Ministry of Fuel and Energy will provide any support to
Zarubezhneft to find the financial resources.''

When asked if Zarubezhneft would seek to extend rights on the 30-year
Vietsovpetro oil joint venture signed in 1981 as a sweetener, Kozyrev said
the two projects were separate.

But Kozyrev added he would like to see an extension for Vietsovpetro of at
least 10 years.

Popov said Zarubezhneft and Vietnam would provide equal funds for the
refinery, indicating the joint venture could be split 50-50. He said he would
also welcome outside investors.

The Dung Quat saga began in 1995 when France's Total SA pulled out claiming
the site made no economic sense.

A consortium of foreign firms, including South Korea's LG Group and Petroliam
Nasional Berhad (Petronas Dagang Bhd) of Malaysia, stepped in to replace
Total.

But the group broke up last year after Petrovietnam rejected its demands for
greater commercial and financial incentives.

A government official said last week Vietnam hoped to appoint the British arm
of U.S. group Foster Wheeler Corp as technical consultant for the refinery.
Executives from the firm in Vietnam have not been available for comment.

Nearly all of Vietnam's crude is exported. Refined oil and oil products must
be imported.

* Hanoi says China ships withdraw from its territory

HANOI, May 22 (Reuters) - Vietnam said on Friday three Chinese ships that had
been operating in its territorial waters in the South China Sea had withdrawn
from the area.

``The ship Discovery 08 together with two armed fishing ships numbered 621
and 626 have operated in the south of Vietnam's waters,'' Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh said.

``At present, the above mentioned vessels have withdrawn from Vietnam's
waters,'' Thanh said, reading a prepared statement in response to queries
from Reuters.

Vietnam on Wednesday accused the ship Discovery 08 of operating deep inside
the country's territorial waters in the Spratly islands since mid-April, and
said Hanoi had asked Beijing to withdraw the vessel.

It had not mentioned the other two vessels or given any description of the
Chinese ship Discovery 08. There was also no further description of the
fishing vessels.

The potentially mineral rich Spratlys in the South China Sea are claimed
wholly or in part by Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and
Brunei.

``Stemming from a policy that is to settle disputes through diplomatic
negotiation, Vietnam has constantly contacted China on this issue,'' Thanh
said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said on Thursday that Chinese
ships in the area were operating within its territorial waters.

Vietnam has also expressed displeasure over China's plan to develop the main
island of another disputed archipelago -- the Paracel chain -- for tourism.

The Paracels lie 300 nautical miles south of Hong Kong and 145 nautical miles
east of the Vietnamese port of Danang. They were seized by Chinese forces
from South Vietnam in 1974, a year before the Vietnam War ended.

Beijing insists nearly all South China Sea islands have belonged to China
since the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 A.D.)

Vietnam and China have long-standing differences over their land and sea
borders. Their armies clashed in a 1979 border war while a naval exchange
took place in 1988 in the Spratlys.

* INTERVIEW-Revised Hanoi investment law a small ste

HANOI, May 22 (Reuters) - Vietnam's revised domestic investment law contains
positive changes for private companies but it will take years before they
operate on a level playing field with state-owned firms, an official said on
Friday.

Pham Chi Lan, executive vice president of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, said the revised law improved the legal framework for domestic
investors and also added some incentives such as better tax concessions.

Vietnam's National Assembly passed amendments to the existing law earlier
this month, although few details have been made public and the law does not
take effect until January 1.

The government said the earlier law had weaknesses. A separate law covers
foreign investors, and provides more privileges and incentives to them, Lan
said.

``The improvements on the domestic investment law are a good step but it is
not enough,'' she said in an interview.

Asked when the private sector in Vietnam would operate on a level playing
field with state-owned firms, Lan said:

``That will be a process which will take time and must coincide with reform
in the state sector. If the state sector still has all their privileges and
monopolies then the private sector will not operate on an equal level.''

Vietnam's leadership has insisted the state sector will play a leading role
in the country's development. The sector accounts for less than 10 percent of
the workforce but grabs more than half the available bank credit.

Lan said the revised investment law -- which covers private and state-owned
firms -- made clearer the role of the state in facilitating and protecting
domestic investment.

Its intention was to create equal rights for both but there was some way to
go, she said.

The changes widened tax incentives for domestic investors, especially for
those engaged in production and manufacturing.

Echoing the views of many businessmen, Lan said the government needed to
strengthen supporting regulations along with the enforcement of those rules.

``In many cases we see at the top the law does not cause many problems but at
the lower level, in by-laws and daily operation, we see more control and
interference from government at the lower level, among ministries and local
authorities,'' she said.

A big constraint on private firms was credit, she added.

Only 30 percent of loans provided by state commercial banks went to private
firms, and most of this was mainly channelled to large private enterprises,
Lan said.

She said banks sometimes waived collateral requirements for state-owned firms
whereas private companies had to struggle because they were unable to use
land-use rights certificates to guarantee loans, while state firms could.

The state still owns all land in communist Vietnam but people can obtain long-
term certificates to either farm the land or build a factory.

Domestic investors have to navigate 16 steps at various government agencies
to obtain these certificates, she said.

In addition, even though private firms were allowed by law to export many
products, they still had to get through complicated procedures such as
customs approval.

Lan said Vietnam had 35,000-40,000 registered enterprises, with 90 percent of
these classified as small- and medium-sized firms -- entities with capital of
less than five billion dong ($385,000) or employing less than 200 people.

She said there were three million family-run companies and 11 million private
farmers out of a population of 78 million.

* Vietnam puts one Tupolev back in fleet for cargo

HANOI, May 22 (Reuters) - National carrier Vietnam Airlines has put one
Tupolev Tu-134B back in service for carrying cargo on domestic and
international routes, an airline official said on Friday.

``We have been using one Tu-134 for two months to carry the extra cargo that
exceeds other planes' capacity for three routes,'' said the official, who
declined to be identified.

Vietnam Airlines grounded all the 1970s-era, Soviet-made planes last
September after a Tu-134B crashed in Cambodia, killing all but two of the 66
people on board.

That left Vietnam with four Tupolevs.

The official said the passenger cabin of the Tu-134B was converted to carry
cargo on an irregular basis between Hanoi and Vietnam's southern hub of Ho
Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Vientiane in Laos along with Ho Chi Minh City and
Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

``All of our flights by that Tu-134B have been safe,'' he said, adding that
nearly 80 tonnes of cargo had been delivered by the plane during the last two
months without incident.

Vietnam has recorded three major air crashes since 1988, with two involving
Tupolevs.

Vietnam Airlines, one of the communist country's major success stories, faced
a downturn last year when passenger growth slowed to just under two percent
and revenues slumped as the local currency, the dong, depreciated.

The airline has been ordered by the government to cut four domestic routes
and to reduce flights on some international routes, domestic media have
reported.

* India rice traders bullish on exports to Indonesia

NEW DELHI, May 22 (Reuters) - Thailand's decision to suspend rice shipments
to Indonesia and a Vietnamese ban on fresh exports could force Indonesia to
turn to India for supplies, Indian grain traders said on Friday.

``I am quite bullish about rice sales to Indonesia this year,'' Gurnam Arora,
joint managing director of Satnam Overseas Ltd, a leading New Delhi-based
rice exporter, told Reuters.

``Exporters are booking a lot of orders to Indonesia, Africa and
Bangladesh,'' said Arora, the president of the All-India Rice Exporters'
Association.

Thai rice exporters have decided to suspend shipments to Indonesia unless
backed by letters of credit from third countries.

Drought-stricken Vietnam has suspended all new rice export contracts, but has
said the ban might be lifted if rainfall improves.

``As two main rice suppliers are out, and with Pakistan also not having
enough non-basmati rice supplies, Indian rice is the only -- and right --
alternative available now,'' Arora said.

Industry officials said rice export prices rose during this week by at least
$5.00 per tonne on good overseas demand.

Traders said Indian five percent broken non-basmati rice for export was
quoted at $275 per tonne FOB, 10 percent at $265, 15 percent at $260 and 25
percent at $250 per tonne.

Exporters said they would only be able to estimate rice sales to Indonesia
after waiting to see how the country's new president shapes polices.

Mass civil unrest forced former president Suharto to step down on Thursday
after 32 years in Indonesia's top political post, making way for his protege
Jusuf Habibie.

``Things are calming down now in Indonesia,'' the manager of a leading
foodgrains exporter in the Indian capital told Reuters.

``I think the prospects of exports to Indonesia are bright. We are closely
watching the new political developments.''

Trade officials said Indonesia had banned rice imports from India a few years
ago because of quality problems.

Indian exporters plan to send a delegation to Indonesia this year to try to
get the ban removed.

``Our delegation will try to sort out the problems regarding quality and
other things,'' Arora said.

Demand for non-basmati rice from Africa and Bangladesh is also picking up,
exporters said. ``A lot of shipments are going to the east and west coasts of
Africa,'' another New Delhi rice exporter said.

The rupee's recent fall against the U.S. dollar would also boost Indian rice
exports, exporters said.

``We are more competitive now as compared with Pakistan and other supplying
nations,'' Arora added.

The rupee has lost some 12 percent of its value against the dollar since mid-
August. It fell to an all-time low of 40.80 rupees to the dollar last Friday.

Trade officials said a sharp surge in demand would see non-basmati rice
exports rise to between 2 million and 2.5 million tonnes in 1998/99 (April-
March) compared with 1.4 million tonnes in 1997/98.

``I am extremely bullish about this figure,'' Arora said.

He said basmati rice exports were also expected to rise to about 550,000
tonnes in 1998/99 from 450,000 tonnes in 1997/98.

The government said earlier this week that rice production in the 1997/98
(July-June) season was expected to be a record 83.5 million tonnes, compared
with 81.3 million tonnes in 1996/97.

* APEC policymakers gather to weigh cures for crises

KANANASKIS, Canada, May 22 (Reuters) - Top financial policymakers from the
Asia-Pacific region are gathering in this Canadian Rockies resort this
weekend in a quest to prevent financial system meltdowns.

Finance ministers and their deputies from the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) forum will hear specific action plans on Saturday from a
group of commercial bankers, such as how to train financial experts and
develop markets to raise sufficient capital in the region.

While APEC financiers' group was laying out on Friday blueprints for what the
private sector can do to help prevent crises like the one that erupted in
Asia last year, the ministers were arriving to update each other on their
economic climates for their annual meeting that ends on Sunday.

Against the backdrop of mountain peaks and wild animals, some delegations
were warming up on the golf courses while their spouses were gearing up for
sightseeing and shopping at the ski resort of Banff, near the APEC site in
Alberta.

It is in sharp contrast to what the world has witnessed in the Indonesian
capital of Jakarta this week, where Asia's longest-serving ruler, President
Suharto, resigned after a week of violent protest against economic policy and
corruption under his regime.

``It sure doesn't look serious here for a place to talk about the Asian
crisis,'' said a commercial banker as he sifted through the private sector
proposals, waiting for the ministers' arrivals.

Among the proposals, development of capital markets in Asia has been a key
issue.

``If people had been a little bit more proactive, we might have alleviated
some of those problems that have developed in the region,'' one APEC official
said.

Now, all eyes are on how Indonesia can forge ahead with the promised
political and economic reforms by a stable government that will take over
from the current regime accused of corruption and nepotism.

The global financial community wants Asia's economies to correct those
inefficiencies in their systems and contribute to freer flow of goods and
capital, a key to boosting world growth.

Indonesia will be represented by its ambassador to Canada at the APEC
meeting, instead of the finance minister, in the wake of the unrest in the
country.

Stagnation in Asia is sending a ripple effect to even Americans, who are
currently enjoying a long-lasting economic boom with low inflation.

The APEC meeting comes on the heels of the latest sign that the U.S. economy
is feeling the effects of Asia's reduced appetite for imports and an influx
of low-price Asian goods into North America.

The U.S. trade deficit surged by 7.0 percent, to $13.03 billion, in March,
the highest level since the current measure started in January 1992.

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Thursday that there is
still a small - but not negligible - chance that the Asian problems could
have a larger negative impact on the rest of the world, including Japan.

Tokyo, for its part, is seeking to improve its tarnished image as a drag on
world economic growth. Japanese officials are considering over ways to
contribute to the stability of Asia's financial systems.

A senior Finance Ministry official in Tokyo said on Thursday that recent
proposals by a group of academics to the finance minister will be presented
to the APEC talks.

The advisory panel, whose members are handpicked by the government, called
for a greater role of the yen in the foreign exchange system in the region.

It says Asia's economies were not hedging against currency fluctuations well
enough to fend off speculative selling last year because they were heavily
dependent on the U.S. dollar.

The reality is, however, that the value of the yen has decreased as Japan's
exports were hit by Asia's crisis and investors lost confidence in Japan's
economic recovery.

And for the host of the APEC meeting, Canada's Finance Minister Paul Martin,
finding cures for Asian flues is crucial for his political campaign as
Canada's western provinces are suffering slow demand for goods and raw
materials in Asia.

He wants to fix the domestic economy before taking what analysts see as a
more ambitious career move - eventually leading ruling Liberals and becoming
the next minister.

The APEC groups are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New
Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States.

APEC observers Peru, Russia, and Vietnam are also joining the meeting.

* New York Myke Shelby to Speak on Memorial Day at Vietnam Veterans Memorial;
Will Welcome Rolling

WASHINGTON, D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 1998--New York Myke Shelby, a
candidate for the California Assembly's 78th district, has been selected as
one of four speakers for the Memorial Day celebration at the Vietnam
Veteran's Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Shelby, a Vietnam Veteran who provided close air support for the 101st
Airborne Division in Vietnam, will speak frankly about U.S. involvement in
Vietnam, popular misconceptions, and the failure of many to support our
troops, both during and after the war. He will also discuss ongoing efforts
to set the record straight and restore the dignity rightly earned by Vietnam
veterans.

"Our soldiers fought valiantly for 16 years to check the advance of Communism
in Southeast Asia," remarked Shelby, "winning almost every battle with their
hands tied behind their backs. For our noble efforts, we were taunted by our
fellow Americans, whose right to demonstrate we fought for, and by draft
dodgers, who would have been renounced for their cowardice in earlier wars.
Could Tokyo Rose or Axis Sally have enjoyed a successful movie career? Could
a WWII draft dodger have been elected to ANYTHING?"

In his address, Shelby will also welcome participants of the Rolling Thunder
Motorcycle Rally and the Run for the Wall. Each year, hundreds of thousands
of bikers from these two groups come together to honor U.S. veterans and call
for the acknowledgement and return of our POWs and MIAs. 1998 marks the 15th
anniversary of The Wall, which bears the names of the 58,000+ brave soldiers
who lost their lives in Vietnam. It also marks the 10th anniversary of
Rolling Thunder and the Run for the Wall.

"I was present on November 11, 1982 at the dedication of The Wall," said
Shelby. "It was a cathartic and unifying experience felt by many who fought
in Vietnam. That day, we felt as if we had finally been welcomed home. I
returned that year on Memorial Day to take part in a rally that would later
become Rolling Thunder, and have returned almost every year since.

"On this, the 30th anniversary of the defeat of the North Vietnamese's TET
offensive, and the 25th anniversary of the return of our POWs, it's time our
fellow Americans began teaching the truth about a war that was won by our
soldiers (even as the cause was given up) and then lost by our politicians.
We won the war on the battlefield. It's time that history was made to reflect
this." Who's Myke Shelby?

Myke Shelby, a candidate for the California Assembly's 78th district, is a
successful businessman and owner of Harley Davidson's flagship San Diego
dealership. Shelby is also a respected activist and frequent guest on talk
radio. His colorful and outspoken views are well known to listeners of the
Ken Hamblin, Roger Hedgecock and Alan Stock shows, where he has served as
guest host. Myke and Paula Shelby live in Ocean Beach, Calif., and have four
children. Myke served in the U.S. Air Force from 1962-1966, including a tour
of duty in support of the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.

* Memorial Day Festivities in Sacramento Mark Notable Anniversaries; Several
Organizations Unify Ceremonies to Honor Men and Women Who Served in Uniform

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 1998--Memorial Day 1998 in
Sacramento will move a step away from the picnics, beer drinking, auto
racing, three-day weekend, start of summer holiday it has become and a step
closer to remembrance of and appreciation for the sacrifices of others it was
meant to be.

Three Memorial Day events will take place around the state Capitol on Monday,
May 25.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Sacramento Traditional Jazz
Society will sponsor an annual memorial service; the Sacramento Veterans
Affiliated Council, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, will sponsor
an annual Memorial Day parade around the Capitol; and, marking the 10th
Anniversary of the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Sacramento
Chapter, Vietnam Veterans of America, will sponsor a remembrance service at
the memorial, dedicated in 1988.

All events are open to the public without charge and will take place as
follows:

Memorial service, 9 to 10:30 a.m., hall C, Convention Center, J and 13th
Streets.

Parade, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., beginning at 14th and N Streets, following a
route up to 10th Street and concluding at 15th and L Streets.

Vietnam veterans remembrance service, 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., California
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 15th Street and Capital Avenue.

As part of the celebration of its silver anniversary, the jazz society will
provide bands, participating in the weekend's jubilee, as entertainment prior
to each event.

California Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jay Vargas, who will present the
keynote speech at the 9 a.m. event, said, "Joint planning meetings started
when we hoped that the dedication of the California Veterans Memorial would
take place on Memorial Day. When we couldn't make that date for the
dedication, the working group continued to meet in our office and develop a
joint approach to all the remembrances in the area of the Capitol."

The group that worked on the plan consisted of a representative of Vargas'
staff, Michael Kilbane; Earl Workman, chairman of the Sacramento Veterans
Affiliated Council (VAC); John Canfield, VAC and state legislative chairman
of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., Department of California; Mark
Hite of the Sacramento Chapter, Vietnam Veterans of America; Phil Crimmins of
the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society; and Pete Conaty, a veteran and
Sacramento area public relations consultant.

Said Vargas, "I have always believed we veterans should speak with one voice
on those matters that are important to us. Certainly, that is especially
important when we pause to give thanks for the sacrifices made by our fallen
comrades.

"The joint planning that was done this year will make for a wonderful day of
celebration. I hope we continue to do this in future years so that the impact
of the message of Memorial Day is made clearer to all Californians."

* Indonesia a lesson to all - Philippines' Ramos

MANILA, May 21 (Reuters) - Philippine President Fidel Ramos on Thursday
called Indonesian President Suharto's decision to resign an act of
statesmanship and said Indonesia's recent experience should be a lesson for
the Southeast Asian region.

Ramos said the challenge now facing Indonesia, after Suharto's decision to
relinquish power to Vice-President Jusuf Habibie was to rebuild its economy.

``We hope this will provide a lesson for all of us here in the Philippines as
well as in ASEAN that the right approach perhaps ... is to stay on the track
of reform in consultation with our people and the leaders of various
sectors,'' Ramos told reporters.

ASEAN is the Association of South East Asian Nations, which groups Indonesia,
the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos and
Myanmar.

Ramos said he was hopeful Indonesia would be able to carry out needed reforms
under Habibie.

``This has to do with the recovery of the Indonesian economy ... so that
prices will go back to reasonable levels and those investors ... who are
dealing with Indonesia will be attracted to go back there,'' Ramos said.

It was ``statesmanship on the part of President Suharto to make this very,
very difficult decision,'' he added.
   
hyt...@my-dejanews.com

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