Prognosis anyone?
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SE Asia Jun 14, 2011
Vietnam signs order on military eligibility
Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (left) waves as he arrives for the 18th ASEAN Summit with his wife Tran Thanh Kiem (right) at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta May 6, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
HANOI - THE prime minister of Vietnam has signed an order on eligibility for military conscription, at a time of high maritime tension with China, the official army newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The document is not a mobilisation order but clarifies who will be exempt from military service in the event of war, Quan Doi Nhan Dan said.
'This will take effect starting from August 1,' it said, quoting from the order.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung signed the document on Monday, the same day Vietnam's navy said it conducted about nine hours of live-fire artillery training in the South China Sea.
Relations between Vietnam and fellow communist China have sunk to their lowest point in years following recent sea confrontations which reignited a long-standing dispute over sovereignty of two potentially oil-rich archipelagos, the Paracels and Spratlys.
In comments published last week, Mr Dung said Vietnam was determined to protect the 'incontestable' sovereignty of the islands. -- AFP
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