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Social News 14/5
PM approves assessment council for national programmes
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved the establishment
of an Assessment Council to assess all national target programmes on rural
development and sustainable poverty reduction for the period of 2016-20.
The council will be responsible for organising the assessment
of investment plans for various programmes and submitting them to the Prime
Minister for consideration and to the National Assembly for approval. Its
tasks will also include organising the feasibility studies of various
programmes and submitting their reports to the Prime Minister for
consideration.
The council will have the authority to ask organisations or
units preparing investment plans to provide relevant documents and
information on various programmes to serve the assessment process. If
necessary, the council can also ask organisations or units to complete their
documents to meet assessment demands and consider and make decisions on
assessment plans and other related issues during the process.
Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh and deputy
Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Van Trung will be the council's
chairman and deputy chairman, respectively.
The members of the council will comprise the heads of the
Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Industry and Trade,
Transport Ministry, Health Ministry, as well as the Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Information and
Communications, Ministry of Public Security, and Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment will be a permanent
body in the council.
Fifty one jailed for attempted murder
The Can Tho Provincial People's Court yesterday convicted 51
defendants of attempted murder and one defendant of failing to report the
crime to the police.
The verdict was announced following a four day court session.
Among the defendants, Truong Phong Hien from Trung Kien Ward
received a life sentence, Le Phuong Vu got 19 years, Dang Chi Tam got 17
years, and Tran Ngoc Tuan received 30 months for failing to report the crime
to authorities. The rest received sentences of 2-10 years in prison.
In addition, the defendants will have to pay VND 120 million
($5.700) to the victim.
Tuan and his friends visited Che Thi Chinh's karaoke bar in
Thot Not Precint to eat and sing on the night of May 30, 2013. While they
were there, an argument broke out between Tuan's group and the owner after
Tuan accused him of providing poor sound equipment. A fierce fight ensued and
Tuan was seriously assaulted by Chinh's group. He was taken to Can Tho
Hospital for treatment.
Hien called for backup and more than 50 men armed with
scimitars and petrol bottles arrived on motorbikes to take revenge for Tuan.
When they got to Chinh's bar it was locked, but they saw Che
Hoang Viet (Chinh's brother) and To Van Tuan Em (Viet's friend) in the house
opposite. Hien and his men used scimitars to attack Viet and Tuan Em, but
local residents shouted "police" and Hien and his accomplices made
their escape.
Viet and Tuan Em were then taken to
The four day trial was conducted under tight security due to
the complexity of the case.
The chairwoman of the
Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, National Assembly deputy and chairwoman
of the city's People's Council, said the need was urgent to meet the workers'
increased demand.
She spoke at a meeting with workers at Tan Thuan Export
Processing Zone in District 7 on Sunday.
Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu, vice chairwoman of the People's Committee
in District 7, said the district in March began building a kindergarten in
Hieu said that one or two more preschools should also be built
to meet demand.
Student openings at public kindergartens in large cities like
A residential permit would give migrant families legal access
to public preschools, which are cheaper than private ones.
However, if a migrant workers' landlord is willing to agree to
sign a document verifying where they live, the workers can then obtain
"temporary residential" status.
This allows them to apply at a public school. But such
agreements are not very common. Therefore, the workers have to choose
licensed private schools, which are scarce and unaffordable.
More than 26 million migrant workers are employed at more than
300 industrial parks and export processing zones, according to figures from
the city's People's Committee.
Manufacturers tend to hire workers from remote provinces
because the employees are willing to be flexible and work for low pay.
Businesses, in turn, benefit from lower costs and higher productivity.
The provision of daycare for migrant workers' children has
become a thorny issue for both businesses and government.
The city government has also reduced taxes and offered
long-term, no-interest loans and free teacher training as part of its
pre-school education privatisation policy.
One of the most pressing concerns for workers is rent.
Huynh Huu Phuoc, a worker at Nidec Tosok Company, said though
the city leaders had encouraged landlords not to increase their rent and
provide electricity and water support, only a few landlords had obeyed.
Workers have asked city administrators to build dormitories in
industrial parks and export processing zones, as the southern
Worker Au Lap Dan from Nidec Tosok Company said that the city
should also build kindergartens in
Workers have also asked the city to impose harsh penalties on
companies that collect social insurance from workers but do not pay the
government.
Another worker, Huynh Tan Tai, said their salaries should
guarantee workers a decent standard of living.
At the meeting, Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, chairwoman of the city's
People's Council, listened to workers' ideas and asked the district
authorities in industrial parks and export processing zones to help workers
with rent, electricity and water costs.
On this occas-ion, Tam offered 20 gifts to low-income
families.
HCM
City evacuates residents from Co Giang building
The People's Committee of HCM City has approved a plan for the
immediate relocation of 300 families living in the Co Giang apartment
building in District 1's Co Giang Ward.
The city's construction department has been authorised to
coordinate with the District 1 People's Committee to provide resettlement
areas to the affected residents before June 30.
The Co Giang apartment building was built in 1968 and was home
to 900 families.
According to competent agencies' inspections, the condition of
the building has been deteriorating seriously and it is likely to collapse
any moment, posing a risk to people's lives and property.
The city authorities have approved a project to build a shopping
mall and a residential block at the Co Giang apartment building site,
spanning more than 1.4ha, with 30 storeys and nearly 1,100 apartments since
2006. The total compensation package was estimated to be more than VND1.5
trillion (US$71.4 million).
Eximbank's former branch director arrested
The public security ministry has ordered the temporary arrest
of former director of the Sai Gon branch of the Export Import Commercial
Joint Stock Bank (Eximbank) Huynh Thi Trinh.
Trinh is accused of alleged "violation of regulations in
lending activities of credit institutions".
Police also prosecuted and took into custody Pham Duy Hien,
34, who is former vice-head of the bank's custom service unit, for further
investigations.
In 2012, Trinh signed a loan contract worth more than VND100
billion (US$4.7 million) with Gia Phat Thanh Company, without asking for any
collateral. Gia Phat Thanh is reportedly involved in a smuggling case too.
Trinh and Hien reportedly caused a huge loss to Eximbank Sai
Gon.
Forbes Vietnam hosts Under 30 Summit
Around 800 people, including young entrepreneurs, artists,
scientists, activists, professionals and students gathered at the Under 30
Summit themed “the Next Generation” in
The programme was organised by Forbes Vietnam Magazine.
Attendees included Ton Nu Thi Ninh, former Vice Chairwoman of
the Vietnam National Assembly’s External Relations Committee; Truong Gia
Binh, Co-founder and Chairman of FPT Group; Le Hong Minh, Co-founder and
Chairman of VNG Group; KhaiLee, Managing Partner at 500 Startups; and Do Hoai
Nam, CEO of SeeSpace, Inc. alongside outstanding people under 30 years old
listed in Forbes Vietnam’s “30 Under 30”.
Also present at the event was Katy Perry, a well-known
American singer and songwriter who is also UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador and a
former member of Forbes’s “30 Under 30” list.
The Under 30 Summit featured three panel discussions, The Next
Generation: What defines us?; The Business World is Your Oyster; and Building
Your Personal Brand, Changing the World.
Through keynote speeches, seminars, discussions and
interviews, young speakers and entrepreneurs discussed opportunities and
challenges for today’s younger generation and shared their dreams, goals and
future visions.
Start-up showcases and art performances were also part of the
programme.
Activities arranged to mark President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday
in Hanoi
A wide range of art performances and live television shows
will be held between May 18 and 19 in
Municipal authorities have planned the activities to include
the wide participation of local residents, said Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Vice
Chairman of the capital’s People’s Committee.
Many campaigns will also be launched across the city to
encourage local residents to work and study hard and to follow the late
President’s moral example.
The city has been working hard to repair and maintain relic
sites linked to the late leader.
Publicity campaigns have been conducted to encourage
patriotism and enhance the local community’s understanding of the nation’s
heroes.
In May, several exhibitions and seminars have been organised
across 30 districts and communities in
Son La collectives receive Lao friendship titles
Six collectives of the northwest
The collectives included the provincial People’s Committee,
the Department of Education and Training, the Department of External
Relations, the Tay Bac (Northwest) University, the Son La Junior College and
the Son La Medical School.
They were praised for helping northern Lao provinces in
training personnel and building schools.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Deputy Governor of
Chairman of the Son La People’s Committee Cam Ngoc Minh said
it was their honour to receive the Lao titles, adding that the presentation
also illustrates the special relationship and multifaceted cooperation
between Son La and Luang Prabang and between the two countries broadly.
Water aid sent to drought-affected areas in Ninh Thuan
About 15 million litres of clean water has been delivered to
the drought-affected districts of Thuan
The water is donated by an affiliate of the Vietnam National
Oil and Gas Group and the Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam Co. Ltd. It was
transported to Ninh Thuan’s Thap Cham train station free-of-charge by a
subsidiary of the Vietnam Railway Corporation.
The water will be distributed to households in Thuan
Ninh Thuan is also one of the four drought-affected provinces
receiving 900 water tanks with a capacity of 300 litres each from the VRC.
The province has a population of 560,000 with 10 percent of
the total households at or below the poverty line.
Acute drought from January to April this year has dried up
local reservoirs, rivers and streams. Only 19 million cubic metres of water
remains at 20 reservoirs across the province, comprising less than 10 percent
of the water volume in years past.
The most heavily-affected areas are located in agricultural
districts such as Bac Ai, Ninh Phuoc, Ninh Son, Thuan
Dozen martyrs reburied in Thanh Hoa
The authorities of central Thanh Hoa province on May 12 held a
memorial and burial ceremony for the remains of 12 Vietnamese volunteer
soldiers and specialists who sacrificed their lives in Lao battlefields
during the war.
Ceremony attendees included representatives of the
Government’s Special Task Board, the High Command of Military Zone 4 and the
Lao
The remains were among 161 sets of martyr remains found during
searches conducted by the Martyrs Collection Team of the Thanh Hoa Military
Command during the 2014-2015 dry season.
Another 13 identified sets of martyr remains have been handed
over to the martyrs’ relatives and local authorities to lay them to rest in
their homeland.
Nearly 35,000 Vietnamese soldiers died on Lao soil and 60,000
others returned home as war invalids.-
Phap Van–Cau Gie highway to open
The upgrade of Phap Van–Cau Gie highway, the southern gateway
to
Under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) project, a fee of 1,500
VND per km per passenger car unit will be collected from July, which will
last for 17 years and three months.
The upgrade in the first phase, with a total capital of more
than 6.7 trillion VND ($315 million), includes revamp of the current
four-lane, 25m-wide road.
The second phase, worth more than 4.7 trillion VND (223
million USD), involves the expansion of the four-lane highway to a six-lane
one, with the width of 33.5m.
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said the six-lane
highway was expected to cater to 60,000 vehicles per day, double its current
capacity, after it gets completed in early 2018.
It is also expected to improve traffic safety and ease
congestion on national highway 1A.
The new road will be linked to Cau Gie-Ninh Binh highway,
allowing vehicles to travel at 100-120km per hour on the entire route.
The Phap Van-Cau Gie highway project is being carried out by
the Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No1 (CIENCO1), the Minh Phat
Investment and Development Jsc and the Phuong Thanh Transport Construction
and Investment Jsc since last July.-
MoLISA, Manpower Group extend cooperation
The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the
The extended cooperation, based on the results achieved by the
two sides during 2008-2011 and 2014, is intended to promote the creation of
more jobs, build a better labour market to support economic development,
improve competitiveness and meet skill requirements during
Specifically, the two sides signed a memorandum of
understanding which will see them work together to build a legal framework to
regulate the labour market, create policies on job placement service activities
and offer training for soft skills in
The Manpower Group will be responsible for providing technical
assistance for cooperation activities.-
Taiwanese organisation donates to poor children in Quang Binh
The Zhi Shan Foundation from
According to the provincial People’s Committee, the province
will allocate the funding to scholarships and free orthopaedic surgeries.
Libraries will also be built in eight local schools.
The People’s Committee has asked relevant agencies to
determine the details of the scholarships, orthopaedic surgeries and
assistance to school education to ensure the activities practically support
the lives of a large number of disadvantaged and disabled children.
Established in 1995, Zhi Shan Foundation is one of
The Foundation has thus far carried out a number of programmes
for children in the central region of
Thua Thien-Hue: Two thirds of rural residents use clean water
Almost 68 percent of people living in rural areas in central
Thua Thien-Hue province have gained access to clean water thanks to
preferential loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies.
The bank’s credit programme for clean water and rural
environment sanitation has provided needy households with loans up to 12
million VND (552 USD) to dig wells or build hygienic toilets, water tanks and
biogas systems which produce biogas from farming waste.
In 2014, more than 10,200 households borrowed a combined 107
billion VND (4.92 million USD) from the bank to build or upgrade
approximately 7,100 clean water facilities and 500 sanitation facilities.
The programme has helped reduce water-borne disease rates,
including eye and skin diseases, and decrease environmental pollution in
rural areas.
The province targets 75 percent of rural residents accessing
clean water by 2015.
PM urges stronger technological invention
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged additional scientific
research, technological application and inventions in the field to create
helpful technologies and products for national socio-economic development.
During his meeting with 63 outstanding nonprofessional
inventors in
He also stressed its relevance to the socio-economic
development of the country, adding that the Party and State focus on
education in order to train high-quality human resources to contribute to
science and technology.
This will help improve living conditions and enhance
production capacity as well as boost national defence and security, the
leader stressed.
Appropriate policies will be designed to stimulate scientific
research and technology application and facilitate inventions, he stated.
Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Quan said his agency
has worked to implement concrete activities to support nonprofessional
inventors, including forming ideas, conducting research studies, and manufacturing
and promoting products.
Enterprises specialising in science and technology have been
established to develop manufacturing and business activities in the field,
Quan added.
Conference seeks ways to prevent emerging diseases
The Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO)
jointly held a conference in
The IHR, in effect since June 15, 2007, is a legally binding
document for all WHO member countries. The regulations aim to prevent and
respond to acute public health risks that have the potential to cross borders
and threaten the global population.
Meanwhile, the APSED, which was launched for the first time in
2005 and amended in 2010, is a regional strategy targeting improved capacity
in managing and responding to emerging and existing diseases.
Addressing the event, Head of the Health Ministry’s Preventive
Medicine Department Tran Dac Phu said after the IHR was approved the
department was assigned to coordinate in its implementation.
An emergency operations centre (EOC) was set up to cope with
dangerous pandemics including Ebola, he noted, adding that this year the
ministry approved a plan to deal with emerging diseases and organise public
health events.
As part of efforts to realise the APSED in preventing the
transfer of diseases from animals to humans, the ministry has assessed the
general risk of bird flu H7N9, while safeguarding against Ebola, he said.
Phu revealed the health sector will continue coordinating with
other sectors in the “one health” direction, completing the EOC model and
increasing supervision over a number of diseases spreading from animals to
people.
During the conference, participants also discussed a number of
issues, including the implementation of the IHR in
Cao Bang, Guangxi work together in biodiversity conservation
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on biodiversity
conservation in border areas was inked on May 12 during a conference between
the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of northern Cao Bang
province and China’s Guangxi Environmental Protection Department.
Conference attendees included representatives from Vietnam’s
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) along with a number of experts in the field.
Under the MoU, the two sides will establish a cooperative
mechanism and a long-term strategy for trans-boundary biodiversity
conservation, research and supervision as well as build and manage a network
of trans-boundary biodiversity corridors.
Additionally, they will work together to improve the capacity
of government workers in biodiversity preservation and in raising public
awareness of the issue.
Speaking at the conference, Vice Chairman of the Cao Bang
provincial People’s Committee Dam Van Eng said biodiversity conservation
should support locals to ensure their livelihoods and engage with their
rights in environmental protection initiatives.
Cao Bang is home to a wide range of endangered fauna and
flora, including medicinal plants. It has two natural reserves, Phja Oac-Phja
Den Natural Reserve in Nguyen Binh district and Cao Vit Gibbon Reserve in
Trung Khanh district.
The locality shares a border line with China’s Guangxi
province which has rich biodiversity and has impressive achievements in
biodiversity conservation. The two have been working together to preserve
biodiversity in the border areas, particularly to protect endangered Cao Vit
gibbons.
Scientists discuss measures to prevent erosion on Cua Dai
beach
Scientists from domestic universities and Japan’s Tohuku
University made practical proposals to prevent erosion along Cua Dai beach in
central Quang Nam province’s Hoi An city at a workshop on May 12.
The ongoing serious destruction occurring along the
7-kilometre coastline is posing direct threats to nearby tourism facilities
and residential areas and intruding into cultivated land. In recent years,
the sea has encroached on the mainland from 30 to 50 metres annually.
Professor Dr. Hitoshi Tanaka from Tohuku University said that
erosion along Cua Dai beach is a consequence of the lack of sand in the Thu
Bon River caused by illegal dredging activities and the construction of
reservoirs for hydro-power plants.
Participants proposed using sand from other areas of similar
quality to replace the deficiency.
They also stressed the need for a research study to measure
the degree of erosion in the region.
The proposals made at the workshop will be submitted to the
Hoi An city authorities for consideration.
On the occasion, the city also installed a seawater measuring
post and cameras donated by the Japanese Government to monitor the rising
seawater level.
Cua Dai beach, located 5 kilometres from Hoi An's old quarter,
is a favourite location for tourists visiting the UNESCO-recognised ancient
city.
Erosion has inched closer to the main section of the 1.5
kilometre road connecting the beach with Hoi An, threatening dozens of
resorts. Rising sea levels have already washed away a 20-hectare area of Cua
Dai beach.
Ca Mau finally receives rainfall
The Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau had finally enjoyed
rainfall after a storm hit on May 11, ending a prolonged period of drought
extending over several months.
It rained heavily for hours in Ca Mau city, the districts of
Tran Van Thoi, Thoi Binh and U Minh, and across the U Minh Ha cajuput forest
area.
However, according to Nguyen Van Hai, Head of the provincial
Forest Management Department , one instance of rainfall is not enough on its
own to overcome the impacts of the long-lasting drought.
The 75,000-hectare forest, which includes large swathes of
primeval forest, remains on full fire alert, with 1,300 people standing ready
to extinguish any outbreaks.
Director Le Van Su from of the province’s Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development said the rain has alleviated the water
shortage issue for thousands of households. However, local businesses,
especially farmers, cannot restart their work until the end of May when rainy
season is expected to arrive.
Sand miners kill protective trees
Illegal sand exploitation by villagers is destroying 300ha of
casuarina forest, much of it planted under a Japanese aid programme to
protect Pho An commune in the central province's Duc Pho district.
Vice-chairman of the commune's people's committee, Nguyen Tan
My, said yesterday that despite many efforts to curb illegal sand mining,
villager continued to remove sand for building.
"We have been struggling against mining along the beach
near the commune. The over-exploitation of sand is starting to affect the
trees that have protected the communal farm and people from storms and sand
encroachment," My said.
The vice-chairman said the communal administration could only
impose a VND2 million (US$95) fine for illegal sand mining case.
However, the district people's committee or the provincial
department of natural resources could impose heavier penalties.
My said the communal administration had asked the district and
province to consider to consider stronger penalties, such as imprisonment.
"Illegal sand mining activities has been going on for
years as residents dig sand for construction. Each truck of sand sells for
about VND600,000 ($29)," said Huynh Van Tui, a resident living in An Tho
village.
"The sand mining has deeply encroached on a large area of
the protective forest. Miners often work quietly at night to escape
detection," he said.
The vice chairman said the commune could possibly assign some
areas for sand mining in the future.
"We have been in discussions with residents about the
problem. Demand for sand is increasing. We will allow some businesses to mine
for sand at allocated areas under strict controls by the
administration," My said.
He said that illegal sand miners were now being asked to
backfill the areas that they had exploited rather than pay a fine.
Vietnam police further probe rhino horn trading ring after
$1mn seizure
Vietnamese police have expanded their investigation into
asuspected rhino horn trading ring after capturing nearly 40 kilograms of
horn en route to the north from the south last week.
Police officers in the north-central province of Nghe An are
working on the case after catching two men illegally transporting 31 pieces
of rhino horn, weighing 37 kilograms in total, by train on Saturday.
The capture took place at the Si Market train station in Dien
Chau Districtafter police officers received a tip-off about wildlife horn
being transported from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi.
At the scene, police caught Doan Duy Dinh, 32, from the
north-central province of Thanh Hoa, and Le Thanh Trung, 32, from the capital
city, red-handed transporting the rhino horns in three traveling bags.
After an inspection, police officers confirmed that all the
horns were from rhinos and were estimated to be worth about VND22 billion
(US$1 million), according to news website Cong An Nghe An (Nghe An Police)
Online.
Dinh told police that a stranger met him last Tuesday in Nghe
An and asked him to travel to Ho Chi Minh City to ship the horns to the
province for VND40 million.
After accepting the offer, Dinh asked Trung to accompany him
and went to the southern city by train before getting on another train to go
back.
Vietnamese state agencies have discovered many illegal rhino
trading and smuggling cases in the year to date.
In the middle of last month, customs officers at Noi Bai
International Airport in Hanoi discovered over 65.4 kilograms of suspected
rhino horns and elephant tusks hidden in two packages sent from France,
chinhphu.vn reported.
The customs force at the airport, in coordination with the
anti-smuggling bureau under the Vietnam Customs and the Customs Department of
Hanoi, inspected the entire shipment following a tip-off about its suspicious
signs.
Customs officers then found the shipment containing wild animal
products suspected to be rhino horns and elephant tusks, including 18 pieces
of animal tusks weighing more than 60kg, and three animal horns.
This was the first time customs had discovered a shipment of
wildlife products sent from Europe to the airport, signaling that smugglers
are finding new routes to transport such banned items to
Earlier, such smuggled shipments were often transferred by air
from African countries to the Southeast Asian country.
The price of rhino horns on the black market can be up to $133
per gram, while that of ivory is around $2,100 per kg.
Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri
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Thứ Tư, 13 tháng 5, 2015
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