Vietnam Courts Microsoft and Vice Versa

wbren writes "Bill Gates and Vietnam's Prime Minister Phan Van Khai have signed two 'memoranda of understanding' regarding Microsoft's presence in Vietnam, according to this AP story. They met Monday at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters for a closed door meeting and a tour of Microsoft's "home of the future". The agreement reached is expected to strengthen Vietnam's IT industry, as well as provide software training for 50,000 of the country's teachers. Khai's visit also triggered protests in Seattle, reminding everyone of Vietnam's human rights record."

Comments

No hard feelings.

[delire]

Bill: Phan, can I take off a little economic load while ensuring long term technological dependence on my software and rendering you less competitive in Asia for decades?

Phan: I guess (sighs).

$$HICK $$HING

Bill: How does that feel?

Phan: Pretty weird really, I thought all that stuff you said at dinner last night was honest, y'know about empowering people and stuff.

Bill: Well, right now I need as many footholds in Asia as possible to help stay a unilateral exploration of alternatives to vendor lock-in, especially in this region. No hard feelings? I want to do this together Phan. You and me. It'll be like Bonnie and Clyde but with IntelliMice instead of guns.

Phan: I guess, no hard feelings.

Bill: I feel we really understand each other.

Phan: Me too, Americans have been really nasty to us in the past. Thanks Bill.. Can you call me "Phan The Man"?

Bill: It would be my pleasure.

Phan: Can I call you "Billy G"?

Bill: Absolutely not.

Phan: (sighs)

Re:no sense of irony

[dominiv]

have recourse to a free press and the courts

yeah, right...

Re:no sense of irony

[ExtraT]

... or they can be shipped off to someplace like Guantanamo Bay where you have exactly zero rights and are very deliberately dehumanized.

And again with the Horrible GULag of Guantanamo Bay.
Tell me, how many US citizens can you name that have been shipped there?
And, in general, can't you people give it a rest already? Guantanamo Bay is a POW camp, plain and simple. POW camps are not pretty, but they are necessary in times of war.

What good is 50k MSCE's?

[SuperKendall]

Who cares if VIetnam has 50k more MSCE's - frankly if I were them I would think that an act of provocation and tell us to cut it out.