Vietnam's military told to get out of business

[Judi Lynn]

Vietnam's military told to get out of business
Jan 30, 2007, 7:00 GMT

Hanoi - The Vietnamese military has been told it must get out of the business of running private companies, a senior communist party official said Tuesday.

The communist party has ordered the army and the Ministry of Public Security to transfer corporations under their control to the state, said Dao Duy Quat, the vice chairman of the Commission on Ideological and Cultural Affairs.

'This move will help the party and the military to better concentrate on their work, and also help the enterprises to operate more effectively in the market economy,' said Quat.

Military-run businesses are found throughout Asia, and are a way for many countries to pay for a standing army.
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http://news.monstersandcritics.com/business/news/article_1253358.php/Vietnams_military_told_to_get_out_of_business

[Igel]

1. Not only was it a way to pay for a standing army,

it was better than having a large, conscripted army sitting in the barracks all day, doing nothing but being bored and restless.