ime boundary with Venezuela extends into
their waters; dispute with Colombia over maritime boundary and
Venezuelan-administered Los Monjes islands near the Gulf of
Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary
activities penetrate Venezuela's shared border region; in 2006, an
estimated 139,000 Colombians sought protection in 150 communities
along the border in Venezuela; US, France, and the Netherlands
recognize Venezuela's granting full effect to Aves Island, thereby
claiming a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large
portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and
Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest
Venezuela's full effect claim

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Venezuela is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of
commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; Venezuelan women
and girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation,
lured from the nation's interior to urban and tourist areas; child
prostitution in urban areas and child sex tourism in resort
destinations appear to be growing; Venezuelan women and girls are
trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to Western Europe,
Mexico, and Caribbean destinations
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Venezuela is placed on the Tier 2
Watch List, up from Tier 3, as it showed greater resolve to address
trafficking through law enforcement measures and prevention efforts
in 2007, although stringent punishment of offenders and victim
assistance remain lacking (2008)

Illicit drugs:

small-scale illicit producer of opium and coca for the processing of
opiates and coca derivatives; however, large quantities of cocaine,
heroin, and marijuana transit the country from Colombia bound for US
and Europe; significant narcotics-related money-laundering activity,
especially along the border with Colombia and on Margarita Island;
active eradication program primarily targeting opium; increasing
signs of drug-related activities by Colombian insurgents on border

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Vietnam

Introduction
Vietnam

Background:

The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by
1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared
independence after W