Regional rice plan gets VN approval

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh approved the ASEAN +3 Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) agreement yesterday, April 26, which the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will implement.

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Under the APTERR agreement, member countries will provide 787,000 tonnes of rice to enhance the quick response capacity of ASEAN +3 when supply and production are affected by natural disasters in order to maintain price stability in those countries.

Viet Nam and Myanmar will each contribute 14,000 tonnes, Thailand 15,000 tonnes, Indonesia and the Philippines 12,000 tonnes each, Malaysia 6,000 tonnes, Singapore 5,000 tonnes, and Brunei, Laos and Cambodia 3,000 tonnes each. China, Japan and South Korea will provide 300,000 tonnes, 250,000 tonnes and 150,000 tonnes, respectively.

Ninh also agreed that Viet Nam would take part in the rice emergency stock co-ordinated by APTERR's secretariat. MARD and the Ministry of Finance have been assigned the task of proposing the form and level of emergency assistance offered for the Prime Minister's final approval.

Buddhists congratulated on Buddha’s birthday

The President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, Huynh Dam, has congratulated local Buddhists on the occasion of Buddha’s birth anniversary. 

In his letter sent to the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), Dam highly valued Buddhism’s great contributions to the nation. 

“Since its foundation, the VBS has always encouraged monks, nuns and followers nationwide to implement Party policies and State law, and eagerly take part in patriotic emulation movements, contributing to strengthening the great national unity bloc, and to national construction and defence,” he wrote. 

He expressed his belief that under the motto of “Religion - the Nation and Socialism”, the VBS, together with monks, nuns and followers inside and outside the country, will always go along with the nation and promotes the tradition of national defense and human protection. 

He called on the Sangha to better perform its role as a member of the VFF, contributing to the great national unity bloc in the new stage of development for prosperous people, a strong nation, and a democratic, fair and civilized society. 

He also wished the upcoming 7th National Congress of the VBS every success.

Unexploded ordnance information shared

The Sapper Service under the Ministry of National Defence has introduced foreign military attachés in Vietnam to the country’s programme to remove unexploded ordnance left by wars.

At the working session in Hanoi on April 26, Colonel Phan Duc Tuan, Deputy Commander of the Sapper Service said that all 63 cities and provinces in Vietnam are polluted by bombs, mines and explosives over a total area of 66,000 sq.km, more than 20 percent of the country’s area.

At present, some 800,000 tonnes of wartime bombs, mines and explosives lay scattered across the nation, mainly in the six central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Ngai.

According to incomplete statistics, more than 100,000 Vietnamese people have been killed and wounded by bombs, mines and explosives since the war ended.

In past years, the Vietnamese Government has paid special attention to overcoming the consequences of bombs and mines and has poured dozens of millions of USD into bomb and mine clearance.

The Vietnamese Government has joined non-governmental organisations in supporting bomb and mine victims in central provinces. The country has also expanded cooperation with governments and international organisations in surmounting the consequences of unexploded bombs and mines.

It is estimated that Vietnam needs about 10 billion USD and more than 100 years to clear out all unexploded ordnance in the country.

Tuan said that the goal of a national programme on overcoming bomb and mine consequences is to utilise domestic and international resources to speed up the treatment of post-war bombs and mines, minimise the impacts of bombs and mines, ensure safety for people and help victims integrate into social life.

He suggested the military attachés seek aid sources for Vietnam as well as provide the country with equipment and technology and train experts and technicians serving the bomb and mine clearance task.

On behalf of foreign military attachés, Colonel Didier Oustric, Military Attaché of France, affirmed his call on governments and international organisations to continue effective support for the Vietnamese Government and people.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA