Government News 24/7 Vietnamese, Lao provinces complete border marker upgrades Vietnam’s central province of Thanh Hoa and the Lao province Houaphanh have concluded a project to upgrade and increase the number of border markers along their shared borderline, as heard a review conference held on July 23. The accomplishment represented the construction of 88 border markers and the erection of nine poles marking the positions for future markers, fulfilling the set plan. During the project’s implementation, the Thanh Hoa border marker planting steering board cooperated with relevant departments and branches to educate and popularise regulations on sovereignty protection and border demarcation among officials and village patriarchs in 16 border communes. The steering board also mobilised residents in two provinces to join in campaigns to promote cross-border friendship and cooperation as well as to maintain security along the border. The section of shared borderline between Thanh Hoa and Houaphanh is 192 kilometres long. Vietnam and Laos share a 2,000-kilometre border running north to south – the longest land border Vietnam shares with a neighbouring country. Industry and Trade Ministry carries out anti-corruption work The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) needs to take more comprehensive and drastic measures to prevent and fight corruption, said Government Inspector General Huynh Phong Tranh. The Government Inspector General, a member of the Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption, made the request at a meeting with MoIT leaders on July 23 to supervise anti-corruption efforts at eight units under the ministry. The units are the Market Management Department, Department of Export and Import, the General Department of Energy, the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PVN), the Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Sabeco), the Vietnam National Tobacco Corporation (VINATABA) and the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (VINATEX). Following the inspections, the working team concluded that drastic approaches have been devised within the ministry’s bodies and enterprises, particularly in measures to prevent and curb corruption. The ministry’s officials and leaders of the bodies under the ministry are fully aware of the significance of fighting and preventing corruption. The ministry has carried out administrative procedure reforms and worked to promote transparency in its operations, particularly budget estimates and payments, thus enhancing the sense of responsibility and morality among their workers. The working team also pointed out weaknesses and shortcomings for the ministry to overcome, such as weak law enforcement and management at the ministry’s bodies. They recommended the ministry continue with its good work while focusing on internal supervision and inspections and handling violations in a bid to strengthen anti-corruption efforts. They also urged the ministry to continuously monitor its accounting, particularly in state-owned capital investment and divestment in non-core business. Government Inspectorate reviews six-month performance The Government Inspectorate held a press conference in Hanoi on July 23 to disclose the inspection results from the first half of this year. From January-June, the agency conducted 2,842 administrative inspections and 116,334 specialised ones nationwide, detecting economic law violations involving almost 11.3 trillion VND (around 525 million USD) and 655.7 hectares of land. The sector proposed reclaiming nearly 7.6 trillion VND (362 million USD) and 514.7 hectares of land, of which 6.2 trillion VND (295.3 million USD) has already been returned to the State budget. Inspectors also issued 106,562 decisions on offending organisations and individuals, collecting 1.8 trillion VND (83.1 million USD) in fines, and passed 28 cases involving 76 individuals to criminal investigation agencies. During the period, the agency brought 29 corruption cases to light with 58 people and 27.5 billion VND (1.3 million USD) involved. Deputy Chief of the Government Inspectorate Ngo Van Khanh said in the second half of this year, the agency will continue inspecting corruption-prone fields such as land management, natural resources, construction investment, finance, banking and trade. The sector will work to ensure the progress, quality and efficiency of the inspections while fine-tuning anti-corruption mechanisms and ensuring transparency and publicity in budgets and land and natural resources management, he added. President lauds procuracy sector’s attainments State President Truong Tan Sang lauded the achievements of the Supreme People’s Procuracy while attending a ceremony to mark the sector’s 55 th founding anniversary in Hanoi on July 23. He asked the sector to continue realising the 2013 Constitution, the Politburo’s resolution on judicial reform until 2020 and the National Assembly’s resolution on the prevention and control of law violations and crime activities of People’s Procuracies and the courts and during the judgment execution. The President urged the sector to focus on building and completing the Criminal Procedure Code while showing stronger engagement in building other relevant laws. Meanwhile, the sector should further expand international cooperation, improve staff capacity and act as a coordination centre for judicial support activities. According to Prosecutor General Nguyen Hoa Binh, over the past 55 years, the procuracy sector has made significant contributions to the prevention and combat of crime and law violation, ensuring peaceful life for the people and creating healthy environment for socio-economic development. So far, the judicial system has been organised in four levels with over 15,000 officials, he said. Over the past years, the sector has applied a number of measures to enhance its performance, he said, adding that the four levels have effectively supervised the settlement of civil, administrative, economic and labour cases as well as the execution of judgment in criminal and civil cases. The sector has also detected and investigated cases of corruption in judicial activities, he said. During the ceremony, President Truong Tan Sang also presented the Independence Order, first class, to the sector. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also titled the People’s Procuracies of northern Quang Ninh province and Hanoi with Labour Hero. Experts discuss draft law on belief and religion The draft Law on Belief and Religion should institutionalise the Party’s viewpoints and the 2013 Constitution in order to ensure the right to belief and religious freedom of all people, as heard at an expert consultation held in Hanoi on July 23. Dao Trong Thi, Head of the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, said that the 2013 Constitution stipulates the right to belief and religious freedom is one of the basic and important human rights, respected and protected by the State. As such, it is necessary to issue the Law on Belief and Religion to realise the Constitution’s regulations, he added. Delegates noted that during the 10-year implementation of the Ordinance on Belief and Religion, many shortcomings arose amid the development of religious and belief activities, requiring renovations of the law system. While drafting the law, Ngo Huu Thao from the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration emphasised the need to consult international laws relating to the right to religious freedom, collect public opinions, and conform to the Party’s viewpoints and the Constitution’s regulations on religion and religious affairs. Former Head of the NA Committee for Cultural, Education, Youth and Children Tran Thi Tam Dan suggested the drafting board look carefully at the organisation, the operation and the management system of belief and religion to determine the similarities and dissimilarities of belief and region in considering whether to combine them into one law or divide it into two legal documents. As scheduled, the draft law, which comprises 11 chapters, 12 items and 69 articles, will be debated for the first time at the 10 th session of the 13 th National Assembly and is expected to be adopted at the second session of the 14 th NA in October 2016. Senior military official receives Russian astronaut Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan held a reception for cosmonaut of the former Soviet Union, Viktor Vasilyevich Gorbatko, who made a space flight with Vietnamese astronaut Pham Tuan 35 years ago. Tuan warmly welcomed the visiting cosmonaut and his wife on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the joint Vietnam-Soviet Union flight into space and the upcoming celebration of the 70th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and the 70th National Day (September 2). He hailed the mission as a historic milestone in the traditional friendship and special cooperative ties between Vietnam and Russia. He stressed that the Party, State and people of Vietnam continue to bear in mind the substantial spiritual and material assistance from the people and armed forces of the former Soviet Union and current Russia to Vietnam in the struggle for the national liberation and in national construction and scientific studies. He expressed his belief that the time-honoured friendship between the two nations will inspire practical and effective cooperation in space aviation science and technologies. For his part, Gorbatko thanked the host and recalled the time he shared with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Tuan on the flight, saying the memories will stay forever in his heart and mind. Cosmonauts Pham Tuan and Victor Gorbatko made an aerospace flight on the Union-37 spaceship from July 23-31, 1980. They landed safely after conducting scientific research programmes. The mission became an historical event and the pride of the two nations. Deputy PM urges Ha Giang to accelerate development Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai called upon the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang to be more innovative and proactive in order to speed up socio-economic development in the second half of the year. In a meeting with provincial leaders on July 22, the Deputy PM praised the province’s achievements made in the first six months of this year. However, he asked the province to make the most of available resources in a bid to develop its infrastructure and push key projects forward. The province’s investment environment should be improved and the economic potentials at border areas should be fully exploited, while Ha Giang city should be turned into a level-three city, he stressed. The Deputy PM requested the province to develop commercial agriculture, focusing on traditional crops, such as Bac Quang orange trees, Shan tea and medicinal plants. With regard to tourism, Ha Giang was advised to develop unique tourism products and services, taking advantage of its natural conditions such as the Dong Van Karst Plateau. The Government leader urged the province to implement poverty reduction programmes and projects in an effective manner which produces sustainable results and reduces the poverty rate by at least 3 percent during the 2016-2020 period. The province was asked to maintain security and defence and develop a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development. Ha Giang, one of the country’s poorest provinces, proposed the Government devise policies and provide funding to implement residential projects for 5,000 households and forest protection projects in four mountainous districts in the 2015-2020 period. The province requested governmental support for infrastructure development at the Thanh Thuy border gate, environmental protection, mine clearance projects in border communes and road construction for border patrols. Southwestern region urged to keep up agricultural restructuring Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh called upon the Southwestern region to continue restructuring its agricultural sector and building new-style rural areas, and strive towards sustainable poverty alleviation in order to boost socio-economic development. Speaking at a conference held by the Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region in Can Tho city on July 22, Ninh, who is also head of the committee, reminded participants of the importance of close cooperation between regional localities and central-level ministries and sectors. He emphasised the need for local residents, cooperatives and businesses to work together to find markets for agricultural products, develop trademarks and continue the equitisation of enterprises. According to the steering committee’s report, the region made significant improvements in terms of socio-economic development in the first half of 2015. Growth was recorded in agricultural and industrial production, trade, services and tourism. Attention was paid to socio-cultural issues, social welfare and policies for ethnic minorities and religious groups, as well as defence and security. During the conference, the participants highlighted the advantages of the region and challenges faced in implementing political tasks. Leaders of the localities proposed the Government continue the implementation of socio-economic development policies for each locality in the region, including on infrastructure upgrades, poverty reduction and investment attraction. The Southwestern region comprises Can Tho city and 12 provinces, namely Long An, Tien Giang, Dong Thap, Soc Trang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, An Giang, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau. VNA