Government News 27/5 Vietnam looks to strengthen ties with Uruguay Vietnam’s Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay Nguyen Dinh Thao said he would try his best to strengthen cooperation between Vietnam and Uruguay. Thao sent greetings from Vietnam’s Party and State leaders to Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez, who took office in March, while attending the President’s meeting with foreign ambassadors in Montevideo, on May 26. At his meeting with Monica Xavier, Head of the Chambers of Senators’ External Commission and President of the leftist coalition Frente Amplio, Thao conveyed Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s congratulations on the victory of the coalition in the general election last year. He also informed Xavier of Vietnam’s economic, social and political situations. He also had a working session with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Vietnam and Uruguay established diplomatic relations on August 11, 1993 and the relationship between the two countries has grown continuously since then. President Vazquez and Vice President Danilo Astori made their visits to Vietnam in 2007 and 2012, respectively, while Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh made their trips to the South American country in 2012 and 2013. Revised state audit law, penal code debated at NA session Lawmakers discussed several draft revised laws at the ongoing ninth session of the 13th National Assembly on May 26 under the chair of NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung. In the morning, Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung and Chairman of the NA Committee on Finance and Budget Phung Quoc Hien delivered reports on a draft law regarding charges and fees. Hien, then, presented another report on the draft Law on State Audit (revised), which received comments of 14 deputies. The responsibility of offices, organisations and individuals for State audit was the focus of discussion. In the afternoon, NA deputies discussed in groups the draft Penal Code (revised). The plenary and group sessions will continue on May 27. PM underscores hi-tech innovation in global integration setting High-quality workforce and technological advances are breakthroughs to carry the country forward in the current global integration context, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told a gathering of science-technology intellectuals in Hanoi on May 26. The meeting took place ahead of the upcoming seventh National Congress of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) for the 2015-2020 tenure that will bring together 600 delegates across the country. The host praised VUSTA for popularising knowledge and promoting mass innovation movements, playing an active part in encouraging private investments into health care, education and science-technology. He hoped that VUSTA will continue assembling leading scientists, experts and managers working as advisors to the Party and State, with all necessary backing from the Party and State. The PM requested VUSTA motivate its members and their fellows outside to work on technological innovations that serve socio-economy, culture, and national defence-security. VUSTA President Dang Vu Minh, for his part, thanked the Party and State for their helpful support to VUSTA operations over the past time, saying that the Government issued important documents as a legal framework for the union to do its primary job of social counseling. With chapters across 63 cities and provinces nationwide, VUSTA will follow the examples of predecessors and dedicate their brainpower to the nation development, he promised. PM demands end to national environment red tape Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has called for the simplification of administrative procedures in the field of natural resources and environment, especially relating to land, to make them more convenient for both people and management agencies. The PM’s request came in his meeting with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and relevant ministries on May 26 to seek solutions to cut administrative procedures in the field, which will improve the business environment and raise national competitiveness. Transparent and explicit administrative procedures will reduce corruption and help build a workforce of professional, skilled and virtuous civil servants, the PM declared. He urged 22 provinces to swiftly publish the administrative procedures required relating to land, and 49 localities to open land registration offices. The PM also asked the MoNRE to re-examine the exploitation of sand in rivers and carefully examine the possible impacts on the environment, while also reviewing whether the granting of licences to seaside projects may potentially damage the nation’s landscapes. MoNRE’s Minister Nguyen Minh Quang, said the reform of administrative procedures in the field of natural resources and environment has achieved positive progress with many mechanisms, policies and regulations simplified. This has made it more transparent and convenient for organisations and individuals, he claimed. According to Quang, the time for completing most procedures has been reduced. For instance, the procedures for granting certificates have been cut by 5 to 25 days, while in some provinces the procedures for the registration of land-use rights have reduced up to 50 percent. Many ministries and sectors, however, said that a number of regulations and administrative procedures within the realm of the MoNRE need to be revised and improved to make them more suitable. Gov’t declares fees and charges law in need of overhaul The Vietnamese Government has stressed the necessity of issuing a law regarding charges and fees for things such as road tolls, administrative procedures and the processing of paperwork in order to eliminate flaws in the existing guidelines. In a presentation at the plenary session of the National Assembly (NA)’s ongoing ninth sitting on May 26, the Government cited the fact that the ordinance on charges and fees, enforced from January 2001, is no longer suitable for the country’s socio-economic development. It added that an updated law on charges and fees will fall in line with ongoing administrative procedure and taxation reforms. The NA Committee for Financial and Budgetary Affairs agreed on the need to issue such a law, which it said will create a complete and synchronous legal framework for the management of fee charging, collection and use. The committee asked the cabinet to continue reviewing the regulations for the updated law, which is being drafted. State leader commends anti-drug police State President Truong Tan Sang has praised anti-drug police forces of several localities for their tireless efforts in the fight against drugs. The President has sent a commendation letter to the Police Department for Investigation of Drug-related Crimes under the Ministry of Public Security, and anti-drug police units of the northern provinces of Lao Cai, Son La, Thai Nguyen, Cao Bang, Hoa Binh and Quang Ninh. The letter highlighted the close and synchronous collaboration of the police forces and between the forces and offices involved, as well as the bravery and creativeness of officers in carrying out their missions, particularly during the recent national crackdown on drug-related crime, during which several transnational trafficking rings had been busted and 5,922 drug-related cases had been uncovered. As a result, 9,396 suspects were arrested and 314.21kg of heroin and 198.88kg and 75,225 pills of methamphetamine were seized. The President requested the entire public security sector to follow the outstanding examples in the fight and strive for better performance to protect a peaceful life for the people and to mark the country’s big anniversaries, particularly the 70 th traditional day of the Vietnam People’s Police (August 19). Vietnam, Cambodia border provinces strengthen cooperation Officials from the the southern bordering province of Kien Giang and the Cambodian province of Kampot have signed a plan to boost bilateral cooperation in the near future. Accordingly, the two provinces will focus on maintaining border security, facilitating the completion of the two countries’ border demarcation and marker planting plan as well as fostering economic development. So far, the two sides have closely collaborated in maintaining land and sea border security and order and worked to prevent smuggling and trafficking of drugs, women and children. The two provinces have also worked closely on searching and repatriating 44 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Cambodia. As many as 22 border markers have been completed so far. In 2014, the two-way trade between Kien Giang and Kampot reached 101 million USD. VNA