Government News 22/5 Smuggling, trade fraud worsen national economy: PM Smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods are seriously damaging the national economy and negatively affecting society, stated Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at a teleconference on tobacco smuggling. Chairing the May 21 teleconference reviewing the six-month implementation of a Government decree on intensifying the fight against tobacco smuggling, the PM said the Government always considers combating smuggling and trade fraud a key task. He asked ministries and localities to synchronously carry out measures to fight tobacco smuggling, with the focus on ringleaders. The Government leader stressed the need to strictly address sales of contraband tobacco, while intensifying communications to raise public awareness of tobacco trafficking. Disseminating the bad impacts of smoking among the public, particularly among the young, is also essential, he added. Ministries and localities were also asked to prevent smuggling activities at border areas, and at the same time improve the quality of domestic products to encourage people choose made-in-Vietnam products. According to a report delivered by Deputy Finance Minister Do Hoang Anh Tuan, who is also deputy head of the National Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeit Goods, the Government decree on intensifying the fight against tobacco smuggling has proved effective. Over the past six months, authorised agencies have uncovered over 5,400 tobacco-trafficking cases, collecting nearly 5.2 million packs of tobacco, and seizing 1,400 motorbikes, 31 cars and 22 canoes involved. Police have also started legal proceedings against 108 cases with 176 people involved. Ambassador presents credentials to Andorra Co-Prince On May 21, Vietnam Ambassador to France, concurrently in Portugal, Monaco, Andorra and the Central African Republic, Nguyen Ngoc Son presented his credentials to the Co-Prince of Andorra, Joan-Enric Co Vivesi Sicilia who is also the Archbishop. At the credentials presentation ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Ngoc Son extended regards from senior Vietnamese leaders to Joan-Enric Co Vivesi Sicilia and briefed his host about the socio-economic development situation over recent years, as well as issues pertaining to bilateral ties. The Vietnamese diplomat thanked Andorra for its continual support for Vietnam at UN multilateral forums and in the International Organization of the Francophonie and expressed the nation’s desire to further promote bilateral relations with Andorra. The Andorra Co-Prince in turn extolled the socio-economic development achievements Vietnam has recorded over the past 40 decades and showed his interest in the Christian community in Vietnam. On the occasion, Ambassador Son also paid a courtesy visit to Foreign Minister of Andorra, Gilbert Saboya Sunye. National Assembly deputies discuss revised bills Deputies heard a number of reports and debated several draft revised laws at their ongoing 9th session of the 13th National Assembly on May 21. The reports included the verification the draft revised code of criminal procedures by Chairman of the NA Committee for Justice Nguyen Van Hien and a plan adjusting the law and ordinance making programmes in 2015 and 2016 by Head of the NA Law Committee Phan Trung Ly. They also listened to reports on some matters related to Article 60 of the 2014 Law on Social Insurance by Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen and Chairwoman of the NA Committee on Social Affairs Truong Thi Mai. The NA deputies discussed the draft law on supervision of the NA and the People’s Council. The lawmakers also discussed the draft revised Law on the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF). They focused on the range of revisions; the VFF’s organisation, tasks and authority, as well as rights and responsibilities of the agencies, bodies subjected to the VFF supervision; the relationship between the VFF and the people, among others. Later on the day, they heard reports and discussed some points in the draft revised Law on Military Service. On May 22, the lawmakers will discuss in groups and sit for a plenary session. Hanoi’s leaders greet Russian Ambassador The free trade agreement signed between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is expected to promote exchanges of trade, investment, technology, and professional human resources between the Southeast Asian country and Russia. Pham Quang Nghi, Politburo member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, made the statement during a reception for Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Vnukov Konstantin Vasilievich on May 21. Nghi highlighted the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and Russia, saying that there remains plenty of room for trade collaboration between two countries. He underscored that Hanoi authority always creates favourable conditions for Russian enterprises to invest in the city and expects the two sides’ trade to post new growth. Ambassador Konstantin Vasilievich pledged to do his utmost to deepen the bilateral strategic partnership relations. He expressed his hope that the free trade deal will push for expansions across sectors along with inked agreements on oil and gas, nuclear electricity and military technical cooperation. On the same day, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao also welcomed the Russian Ambassador.- Lao Defence Ministry’s Office Chief welcomed in Hanoi Lao defence personnel have learned from their Vietnamese peers about organising ASEAN conferences on defence and military affairs, said Major General Onsi Sensue, Office Chief of the Lao Defence Ministry. He made the statement while received by Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh in Hanoi on May 21. Vinh suggested the two sides continue their discussions on running the ASEAN events in a way that is useful for each country. Those conferences will help the host country consolidate its regional position, he said. Laos will play ASEAN Chair in 2016. Late President’s birth anniversary celebrated in Cuba, Pakistan The staff of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the People (ICAP) and the Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba paid floral tributes to late President Ho Chi Minh at his statue in Havana on May 19 on the occasion of his 125 th birth anniversary. Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City’s Fatherland Front Tran Tan Ngoi, who is on a visit to Cuba, joined local people and representatives of the Vietnamese community at the event. Vietnamese Ambassador Duong Minh highlighted the great contributions Ho Chi Minh made to progressive movements around the world, affirming that his thoughts and values remain as a foundation for Vietnam national development and safeguarding. Meanwhile, Vice President of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association recalled the tireless efforts of Vietnam’s first president in the struggle for national liberation, as well as sharing his experiences as a battlefield reporter during wartime in Vietnam. On the same day, the anniversary was also celebrated by the Vietnamese Embassy in Pakistan. Delegates to the event were offered a chance to watch documentaries featuring the leader’s revolutionary career and introduced to several of Ho Chi Minh’s written works translated into English. Vietnam boosts disaster prevention efforts The Party, State and Government, along with ministries, agencies and localities, have paid attention to natural disaster prevention, with a series of plans and projects put in place. According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang, the task was performed strongly in 2014. Decrees instructing on the implementation of the Law on Disaster Prevention were issued, while communication efforts were intensified helping raise public awareness of the law. Additionally, disaster prevention infrastructure facilities were built and upgraded and a map of areas at high risks of flooding was formed. By the end of 2014, nearly 750 km of dykes and embankments, and 235 flood control dams were upgraded, and 125 hectares of trees were planted for preventing water. The National Steering Committee on Disaster Prevention and Control worked closely with ministries, agencies and localities to give swift and detailed instructions on coping with natural disasters, focusing on measures to protect boats operating offshore and in rivers. The National Meteorology and Hydrology Centre has forecast that Vietnam is likely to face dangerous negative weather in 2015. In order to proactively deal with disasters, active response measures should be rolled out and activities to evaluate the safety of water reservoirs, dykes and other infrastructure facilities must take place, the centre said. Disasters across the country in 2014 left 113 people dead or missing. They also damaged nearly 2,000 houses, submerged 230,000 hectares of rice and crops and destroyed many traffic and irrigation works, causing a total estimated loss of over 2.8 trillion VND (nearly 129 million USD). NA debates changes to social insurance Labourers who are ineligible for retirement pensions because they have not made compulsory social insurance payments for the required amount of years may choose to get a one-off lump sum or continue to receive monthly payments if a Government proposal gets approval from the National Assembly later this month. A shoe manufacturing line at My Phong Co Ltd in Hieu Tu Commune, Tra Vinh Province. The Government has asked the National Assembly to consider a regulation which allows workers to get a one-off lump sum or receive monthly payments as a retirement pension.   Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen made the proposal after presenting a Government report on Article 60 of the 2014 Law on Social Insurance at the ongoing 9th session of the 13th National Assembly in Ha Noi yesterday. According to the report, the Government asked for modifications to the article to create a flexible policy on social insurance, meeting the wishes of many labourers. The regulation would also be applied to voluntary social insurance payers. Chuyen said that the 2014 Law on Social Insurance had additional regulations to create favourable conditions for labourers to pay insurance so that they could receive monthly pension payments when they retired. She predicted that the number of labourer who opted for lump sum payments would fall when they learnt more about the advantages of a monthly pension. Chairwoman of the NA Committee on Social Affairs Truong Thi Mai said the majority of the committee's members agreed with the Government's proposal. However, she asked the Government to map out a plan for one-time payments to match the number of labourers and the development of the labour market. The modifications to Article 60 should ensure that more labourers receive a pension when they retire, she said. NA deputies will continue to discuss Article 60 in groups today before a plenary session on May 27. The same day, the deputies stressed the need to continue amending, supplementing and issuing new laws during their discussions on lawmaking in 2015 and 2016. Head of the NA's Law Committee, Phan Trung Ly, presented a statement pointing out that five more laws would be added to the NA's law building and endorsement programme this year, and the plan for 2016 would cover 31 laws, 2 decrees and one resolution. Deputies concurred that law building was a key task in order to institutionalise the Party's resolutions and constitutional regulations. Later in the day, they heard reports and discussed some points on the draft revised Law on Military Service. In the morning session, lawmakers suggested increasing the Viet Nam Fatherland Front's role of supervising new laws and policies. Debating the revised Viet Nam Fatherland Front bill, deputies focused on the Front's rights, responsibility, operation and organisational structure. Many deputies said that the bill lacked specific regulations on the rights and responsibilities of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front as regulated in the 1992 Constitution. They said the law should have specific regulations to promote the Front's role and responsibility in strengthening the consolidation of the Party and Government. Deputy Tran Khac Tam from Soc Trang Province said the social influence of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front had remained limited. "The Front should take responsibility to represent public opinion on every ruling and policy the Party puts forward because they are all directly related to... the rights and benefits of people and the country's development," said Tam. "By doing that, new policies would receive more supports from society," added Tam. Deputy Tran Tien Dung from Ha Tinh Province said that the Front should have the right to dispute new laws and polices as well as existing legislation, especially those directly related to the country's socio-economic development and the legal rights and benefits of the people. Deputies also agreed with the bill's proposal to establish a Fatherland Front board at communes and hamlets to implement the organisation's work at a grassroots level. On the same day, deputies also heard a statement on the National Assembly's law and ordinance programmes for 2016; adjustments to the law and ordinance making programme of the NA's 8th session in 2015; and the election of deputies to the National Assembly and People's Council bill. VNA/VNS