Police bust internet gambling ring

Vuong Chan Thanh and his wife, Dam Kim Khuyen, were arrested for playing important roles in the operation of the website.

The police have arrested seven offenders who operated a large-scale online gambling website in HCM City, with accounts worth hundreds of billions of VND.

After a long investigation into the gambling website 188bet the police from the Department of High-tech Crime Prevention, Criminal Police Department and the Ministry of Public Security conducted raids at a number of locations in District 1, District 11 and Tan Binh District.

At the headquarters of Vien Tin International JSC, in District 11, Vuong Chan Thanh and his wife, Dam Kim Khuyen, were arrested for playing important roles in the operation of the website.

The police also seized evidence, including money transfer forms and computers from their homes and offices.

According to an official from the Ministry of Public Security, 188bet was the biggest online gambling website in Vietnam to date, and its servers are in the Philippines. It allegedly employed agents in various countries.

The police had been investigating this website since 2005 but were unable to come up with hard evidence until recently. Though the initial investigation reported that the transferred money was as much as VND500 billion (USD24 million), the police said the case may only be the tip of the iceberg.

Most of those arrested were said to be operating under the disguise of telecom equipment companies. The police are currently expanding the investigation.

Polluting company pays hefty fine

Southern Tay Ninh Province yesterday fined engineering firm Der Jinh Co Ltd VND114 million ($5,000) for discharging into the environment, according to provincial People's Committee Vice Chairman Huynh Van Quang.

Last month, the committee also closed 11 establishments for causing pollution in the processing of starch and rubber.

These companies were asked to built a completed waste water treatment system before being allowed to resume operation.

Bright graduates to support remote, disadvantaged areas

About 500 young intellectuals will be assigned to work in the most disadvantaged commune People's Committees in rural and mountainous regions nationwide from 2013 to 2020.

The project, already approved by the Prime Minister, aims to improve the quality of commune human resources to promote socio-economic development and contribute to hunger elimination and poverty reduction in disadvantaged localities.

"The country has a total of over 5,000 disadvantaged villages. Therefore, the project will be piloted in 500 of the country's most remote and underprivileged ones," the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs's Youth Affairs department, Vu Dang Minh, told Dai doan ket (Great Unity) Newspaper.

Intellectuals who want to participate in the project must be talented university graduates under the age of 30 with professional skills. They must also lead a virtuous and healthy lifestyle and be willing to work in the areas for five years.

Next year, 300 people will be recruited and assigned to appropriate positions. The remaining 200 will be admitted in 2015.

ASEAN faces uphill battle to stabilise water supply, drainage

ASEAN countries face major challenges in water supply and waste water treatment, warned experts at a recent regional water forum in HCM City.

The average rate of water supply coverage in Southeast Asian countries was only 30 per cent, said Nguyen Tuong Van, Executive Director of the Southeast Asian Water Utilities Network (SEAWUN).

About 1.74 billion people living in Asia have yet to access water drainage services, 69 per cent of whom are in Southeast Asia.

He also noted that the rate of water loss in the region was high (35 percent) while the rate of waste water treated before disposal remained low (38 per cent) compared to 85 per cent in developed countries.

Given these challenges, he urged ASEAN governments to try harder to mobilise resources for the water sector, not only with official development assistance but also with help from individuals and the private economic sector in the form of public-private partnerships (PPPs).

At the forum, many policy makers and experts from other countries shared experiences, management models and methods as well as national investment in water sources.

Lain Menzies, senior World Bank expert on water supply and sanitation in the East Asia-Pacific region, said that the number of PPP projects in water supply and drainage among ASEAN countries remained limited, so they should change their policies to promote this investment model.

A representative from the Asian Development Bank said the bank had expanded co-operation among Asian water sectors, focusing on sanitation, water quality, asset management and taking full advantage of energy.

The forum brought together experts from Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Germany and Finland.

Water pollution seminar

Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta hosted a seminar on water pollution last Friday that focused on improving water supply to households in the context of seawater encroachment due to climate change.

Less than 70 per cent of households in Can Tho have access to water supplied by the Can Tho Water Supply and Drainage Co, according to data presented at the seminar.

Rapid urbanisation helped bring clean water to many suburban areas. However, suburban neighbourhoods still lag behind urban areas when it comes to clean water access.

The Can Tho Centre for Clean Water and Environmental Sanitation, with its huge capacity, could supply more water households in rural areas if it linked up with the Can Tho Water Supply and Drainage Company's pipelines.

But this cannot be done since the centre and the utility are unrelated companies and are thus subject to different tariffs, attendees said.

However, they agreed on the necessity of producing a report urging the city People's Committee to supply clean water to all households in the city.

Fishermen brave storms to beat goal

The April - September fishing season has seen a higher volume of catch this year despite inclement weather, according to the Directorate of Fisheries.

More than 1.53 million tonnes of fish and other aquatic species have been caught, exceeding the season target by 4.2 per cent.

During this period, catches from the sea rose by 5 per cent against the same period last year, while those from inland waters fell by 18.8 per cent.

Provinces that showed an increase include Binh Thuan, Nghe An and Quang Binh in the central region and Thai Binh and Ninh Binh in the north.

Provinces that did not meet targets were the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces of Bac Lieu and Tien Giang and the central provinces of Ninh Thuan and Quang Nam.

Speaking at a meeting on Monday in southern Kien Giang Province, Dao Hong Duc, head of the directorate's Department of Fisheries and Resources Protection, said the volume was higher because more fishing boats were working in groups.

In addition, new advanced fishing methods and updated forecasting about fishing grounds had helped fishermen.

Nguyen Huu Hao, deputy director of the Binh Dinh Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said many fishing boats that once caught cuttle fish and other kind of fish had switched to tuna. Each boat trip yields about two tonnes of tuna.

In the other major fishing season from November to March, the country targets a catch of 1.17 million tonnes of fish and other aquatic species.

Vu Van Tam, deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said provinces should develop fishery resources and offer more support policies for fishermen.

Tam said Viet Nam would work with neighbouring countries and ask them to allow Vietnamese fishermen to fish in their waters.

In August, eight fishing boats from the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kien Giang were granted licences to fish in Indonesian waters for the first time.

The licences were granted by the Directorate of Fisheries under an agreement with the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

Tran Chi Vien, deputy director of Kien Giang Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said Kien Giang was one of the first Vietnamese provinces to promote fishing in Indonesian waters.

After the first fishing trip on August 30, eight boats hauled in a large catch after 10 days. Every two fishing boats earned a profit of VND400 million (US$19,000), he added.

Women lack roles in justice

Vietnamese women working in the criminal justice sector are a minority and face many workplace barriers, including limited opportunities for career advancement and gender stereotyping.

The assessment, made by the UN at a forum yesterday on the situation of women in the criminal justice system in Viet Nam, aimed at supporting the Government's efforts towards effective gender equality in the criminal justice system.

The determination was based on studies undertaken during a visit to Ha Noi by staff from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as well as international and national consultants from UNODC and the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

The assessment discovered that women are assigned to roles within criminal justice departments based on their gender rather than individual capabilities.

For instance, many female police recruits are assigned to administrative duties instead of field positions involving physical police responsibilities.

Relegating women to only these types of roles prevents them from being able to advance professionally and, as a result, higher level positions are held predominantly by men, the assessment said. Notably, less than 1 per cent of the criminal investigators in the country are women, and there are no female prison managers and very few female deputy managers.

In addition to gender stereotyping, gender roles in the country are deeply institutionalised, assigning women to responsibilities such as child care and household management with the expectation that they build a happy family.

In Viet Nam, the Labour Law and the Law on Social Insurance governing retirement age differs for men and women, which is 55 and 60, respectively.

However, the policy has negative impacts on working women because it not only prematurely terminates women's careers, but also limits their career training and promotional opportunities.

The assessment showed that there is an overall decline of women in leadership positions, with those holding ministerial and equivalent posts down from 12 per cent in 2007-11 to 4.5 per cent in 2011-16.

UN experts recommend that relevant Vietnamese agencies undertake a more thorough evaluation of women's roles in the workforce.

More detailed information would enable a deeper analysis of the root causes and specific barriers to the participation of women among the senior levels of the judiciary.

The Government should review the criteria for recruitment and promotion in each criminal justice agency, and revise definitions of merit and capabilities to remove gender biases.

The age of retirement for women and men should be equalised and the Government should explore options for child care provisions to alleviate burdens on women.

"All of us need to invest stronger efforts to ensure that men's and women's similarities and differences are recognised and equally valued and that their opportunities and their benefits become and remain equal," said Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative.

Hanoi works to have more children wearing helmet

Hanoi has increased the rate of children wearing helmets when riding motorbikes from 9.1% to 52.9% thanks to the “Children also need a helmet” campaign initiated in 2011.

“Children also need a helmet” is a national campaign launched by the National Traffic Committee, the Ministry of Education and Training and the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP).

Hoang Na Huong, Deputy Executive Director of AIP Foundation said that the campaign is to improve the rate of helmet use among children, correct parents’ misconceptions about helmet use among children, and increase awareness around road safety issues with the ultimate goal of reducing the number of traffic crash injuries and fatalities.

The public awareness activities of the campaign had a strong impact on perceptions of parents. Many parents became aware of the importance of child helmet use and demonstrated safer road behaviour, she stressed.

In phase III of the campaign, which runs from September to December this year, the AIP foundation will continue to work with relevant Vietnamese agencies to implement various communication activities in order to increase the child helmet use rate to 80%.

The TV commercial “When I grow up” and documentary “In Retrospect” will continue to be broadcast on national and local media outlets. The AIP foundation will replace old billboards to encourage helmet use among children in the city and will install 68 new panels in primary schools, public places, and on buses.

The audio broadcasting will be conducted in front of school gates. Meanwhile, other public awareness activities including a photo contest and online pledge drive will be implemented.

According to Nguyen Hiep Thong, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Education, the department will coordinate with AIP Foundation and relevant agencies to educate parents through family days, information sessions, and audio broadcasting in schools.

It will direct schools to encourage elementary students to get into the habit of regular helmet use, as well as arm them with valuable road safety information from an early age, he said.

Arex exercise rehearses “Neptune” super storm response

The Arex-13 exercise, rehearsing natural disaster response, will be held on October 23 in Ba Vi, Hanoi and involve 10 participating ASEAN countries.

The National Search and Rescue Committee said around 2,500 people and nearly 700 vehicles will join the exercise. All units have completed preliminary training and preparations.

Past Arex exercises were organised in Malaysia in 2005, Cambodia in 2006, Singapore in 2007, and Thailand in 2008.

The training scenario posits a Neptune super storm hitting northern Vietnam, causing large scale flooding and leaving thousands of people dead or missing. The Government declares a state of emergency and directs ministries, departments, and localities to implement rescue measures. Regional nations are asked for aid.

ASEAN search and rescue forces will practice coordinated evacuations, relief provisions, search and rescue operations, field hospital operations, and responses to chemical contamination.

Major General Pham Hoai Giang, Head of the National Defence Ministry’s Search and Rescue Department, said all units involved are ready for the exercise.

Arex-13 will help participating countries fine-tune their coordination during responses to regional emergencies.

It also allows ASEAN nations to test the effectiveness of cooperative mechanisms in resolving shared security challenges, improving multilateral interaction and defence collaboration, limiting natural disasters, and promoting stability and safety in the Asia-Pacific region.

Talent Vietnamese named for ASEAN Scholarship Award

Fifteen young and promising Vietnamese high-school students from different parts of Vietnam have won their entrance tickets for premium education in Singapore.

The students, including 12 from Vietnam’s northern provinces and the others from Central and South Vietnam, were awarded the ASEAN Scholarship at an annual scholarship award ceremony held by the Singaporean Embassy in Hanoi on October 16, 2013.

Aged between 14-16, they will have a chance to study in selected schools in Singapore for a period of four years, accumulating to pre-university qualification or the GCE “A” level certificate. Upon graduation, students with outstanding academic records can further apply for undergraduate scholarships to study in universities in Singapore.

Speaking at the event, Singapore Ambassador to Vietnam Ng Teck Hean congratulated the Vietnamese students for receiving the scholarship. He also encouraged them to make use of their time in Singapore to make friends and foster greater understanding between Singapore and Vietnam.

He added that people-to-people links were an integral part of the Strategic Partnership that Singapore and Vietnam had established during Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to Vietnam in September this year.

The ASEAN Scholarship Award Ceremony Apart was also well attended by representatives from the scholars’ families and teachers, senior officials from the Ministries of Education and Training and of Foreign Affairs.

Administered by the Ministry of Education of Singapore, the ASEAN Scholarship aims to provide opportunities to the young people of ASEAN to develop their potential and equip them with important skills for the future.

Singapore Business Group offers scholarships to Vietnamese students

Singapore Business Group (SBG) based in Ho Chi  Minh City last week hosted a ceremony at the city’s Duxton Hotel to offer scholarships to local needy students.

This was the thirteenth year the SBG made efforts to provide financial assistance to local needy and deserving students through its Education Fund, also known as Ed Fund.

This year, the SBG raised S$22,000 in spite of current poor economic conditions experienced by the business community. The funds benefit a total of 175 university and higher secondary school students.

Singapore’s Consul General Leow Siu Lin said: “I hope that the recipients of Ed Fund scholarships will bear in mind their Singapore connection and do their part to foster the ever growing ties between our two people and countries.”

“In the face of continuing economic hardships, the Singapore business community has not forgotten the plight of Vietnamese disadvantaged. I believe our caring and giving spirit is very much appreciated by the local community. And this has enabled Singapore businesses to thrive in this market,” said SBG’s president Norman Lim.

Initiated by a group of pioneering Singaporean who came to Vietnam in the early 90’s, the Ed Fund has grown over the years to become an annual outreach for the SBG and Singaporean business community residing in Ho Chi Minh City.

Up to date, a grand total of $435,000 has been raised and has helped 2,970 students (1,229 university students and 1,741 higher secondary students) over the span of 13 years.

With the goal of providing financial assistance to poor and needy Vietnamese students, the Ed Fund has helped the youth actualise their potential, change the lives of families and cultivate a modern Vietnam.

Abbott presents milk for storm-hit children

As many as 500,000 cartons of milk worth about 5 billion VND (238,000 USD) will come to school children in nine central provinces and cities affected by the two recent storms Wutip and Nari.  

The gift is part of a charitable programme carried out by Abbott, an American global health care products company in efforts to relieve the difficulties of storm victims in the central region.

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and Central Vietnam Youth Federation will work together with Abbott to distribute the milk to about 100,000 children from October 21-30. $0 $0$0 Tropical storms Wutip and Nari hit central localities within only two weeks in early October, killing several dozens of people and destroyed many houses and schools. Total property damages amounted to hundreds of millions of USD.

UNDP report assesses gender equality in Vietnam

Findings of an “Assessment of the situation of women in the criminal justice system in Vietnam” were issued in Hanoi last week, in a bid to ensure the gender equality effectiveness of the country’s laws.

The report, presented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, suggests practical interventions for the short-term as well as recommendations for long-term policy changes to improve the situation of women in the justice system.

Zhuldyz Akisheva, Country Manager of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vietnam, underscored Vietnam’s tremendous strides in developing its legal system to strengthen gender equality.

The promulgation of the 2006 Law on Gender Equality (GE Law) illustrates the Government’s commitments in the field, along with the adopting of related policies, she said.

However, despite this legislative progress, Akisheva added that women in Vietnam still encounter many difficulties in many social issues, including the criminal justice system.

The report started in November 2012 with the participation of both international and national experts from UNODC, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The assessment helps make clear the realities that women face when dealing with the justice system, and identifies obstacles and challenges that affect their access to justice.

No matter who they are, victims and offenders, or professionals in the justice system, women still face gender preconception, said Akisheva.

The report focuses on three general areas including women who have experienced violence, women in conflict with the law, and women working in the criminal justice system. Each chapter provides an overview of the current situation and the normative framework, and makes strategic recommendations for policymakers in Vietnam.

HIV/AIDS, gender equality remain challenges in MDGs fulfilment

The fight against HIV/AIDS and the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment have remained Vietnam’s challenges on the path towards realising its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, said National Assembly Vice Chairperson Tong Thi Phong.

NA Vice Chairperson Tong Thi Phong was addressing a seminar in Hanoi on October 18 held by the Committee for External Relations and the Committee for Social Affairs of the National Assembly, and the Vietnamese Subcommittee to the International Assembly of French-speaking Parliamentarians (APF).

Under the theme “NA deputies’ role in fulfilling MDGs on combating HIV/AIDS and promoting gender equality”, the seminar was attended by NA deputies and officials of NA Offices from Vietnam , Laos and Cambodia , and representatives from several subcommittees of the APF, relevant ministries, branches and international organisations.

The seminar created a forum for the NA deputies to share experiences and information in the accomplishment of MDGs in general as well as the fight against HIV/AIDS and the enhancement of gender equality in the parliament’s activities in particular.

NA Vice Chairperson Phong said the event helps delegates seek measures for issues that are challenging the international community and each country during the development process.

French Minister for the la Francophonie in the French Government Yanima Benguigui affirmed that the French-speaking community has always given priority to MDGs.

The community will stand by its member countries to help them add the gender equality content to their development policies, she said.

By 2012, Vietnam had reached many of the MDGs committed to the international community.

In ten years the country has halved the number of poor people and continues to make encouraging progress in the first goal to eradicate hunger and poverty. The poverty rate dropped from 58.1 percent in 1993 to 10.7 percent in 2010.

In 2000, the country achieved universal high-standard primary education and by 2012, net enrolment rates for primary education reached 97.7 percent.

Remarkable progress has also been seen in promoting gender equality and empowering women, as well as improving child and maternal health.

The country has obtained significant achievements in establishing global partnerships for development, helping mobilise the flow of foreign investment and official development assistance (ODA), while taking advantage of opportunities offered by trade liberalisation to spur economic growth and poverty reduction.

However, a substantial proportion of the population is in danger of falling back into poverty, as Vietnam is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Heightened risk of cattle, poultry diseases

The Department for Animal Husbandry has issued a warning about the likely recurrence of diseases in cattle and poultry, especially in the central provinces that have been battered by two recent typhoons.

Nguyen Xuan Duong, acting director of the department, said the impacts of the typhoons on the central provinces would lead to a recurrence and rapid spread of mouth-and-foot and blue-ear diseases in cattle and A/H5N1 bird flu in poultry.

According to the department, a flock of 700 chickens in the northern province of Hoa Binh’s Luong Son District has been infected with bird flu. Meanwhile, the mouth-and-foot disease has been detected in the central province of Quang Nam since late last month.

However, due to bad weather resulting from Typhoon Nari, known in Vietnam as Typhoon No. 11, such diseases are likely to recur in the coming time.

Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked the typhoon-hit provinces and cities to tighten controls on diseases prevention measures as the colder weather can make cattle and poultry vulnerable to disease infections.

Besides, illegal cattle and poultry trading in border areas is increasing while farmers are raising new herds in preparation for the forthcoming Lunar New Year holiday, running the risk of cattle and poultry being infected with diseases in the final months of the year.

Four percent population suffer from respiratory problems

Around four percent of Vietnam’s population suffers from respiratory problems because of pollution in the atmosphere, said the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment at a recent meeting on air pollution in the country.

The rate of people with respiratory ailments in high economically developed provinces like Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Hanoi, and Hai Phong is 4-5 times more than in other less developed areas.

Air pollution is known to increase risk for a wide range of ailments.

Around 200 people hospitalized for food-poisoning in Quang Tri

Around 200 people were hospitalized on October 17 after consuming what may have been contaminated bread, in the central province of Quang Tri.

According to Huong Hoa General Hospital, they received patients suffering from severe abdominal pain, nausea, high fever and diarrhea.

The patients said they had eaten bread from a bakery in Khe Sanh Town in Huong Hoa District in Quang Tri Province on October 16.

The number of patients increased to around 200, and the hospital had to place 2-3 patients on a single bed and later had to add more beds along the corridor.

Some of the patients were even transferred to big hospitals as they suffered from severe food-poisoning.

Related agencies have frozen all foods in the bakery from where the above patients had bought bread, and further investigation is on to identify the cause of the food-poisoning.

Benefits of mangrove planting

A mangrove planting project of the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) has brought many benefits for eight northern coastal provinces since it was launched in 1996.

Under the project, funded by the Red Cross societies of Denmark and Japan, over 10,000ha of mangrove forests have been planted in these localities, contributing to protecting the environment, preventing windstorms and easing local socio-economic difficulties.

Researchers from the Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (CRES) carried out a survey to assess the effectiveness of the project in the two districts of Nga Son and Dien Chau in the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An respectively.

The findings showed that a total of 720 ha of mangrove forests were planted and restored in the two localities, saving nearly 20km of their dykes from natural calamities such as flooding, flood-tide and landslides.

Though the flora in the two districts only accounts for around 31 percent of the mangrove flora in Vietnam, the number of living individuals found there, such as shellfish, crab and mussels, is much higher than that of other places in the country.

This demonstrates the rich biodiversity in the areas, creates a valuable seafood source for local people and plays an active role in environmental rehabilitation and coastline protection.

With 75-80 percent of the population involved in catching creatures in the mangrove forests after harvest time, local people’s income has improved remarkably, reducing the number of labourers leaving their hometowns to seek jobs in cities.

Source: VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri