Drug traffickers get death penalty

Central Nghe An Province People's Court handed the death penalty to two transnational drug dealers yesterday.

The accused, Nguyen Trong Tuan, 42, and Xong No Cha, 34, both from Nghe An, were leaders of a large-scale cross-border drug trafficking ring.

Three other members of the ring, including a Laotian, received life imprisonment.

According to the indictment, between October and December, 2012, the ring smuggled 208 cakes of heroin weighing 72.8 kg and 321 methamphetamine pills from Laos to Viet Nam. The drugs were then sold in China and other countries.

Another member of the ring, Laotian Ha No Chua, who sold heroin to Vietnamese dealers, is wanted by Interpol for further investigation.

Gifts presented to Binh Duong’s disadvantaged pupils

As many as 120 scholarships, 120 bikes and 400 gifts worth over 420 million VND in total have been presented to disadvantaged students in the southern province of Binh Duong on the occasion of the new school year.

The presents were jointly given by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Binh Duong chapter and the provincial sponsor fund for the disabled, orphans and poor patients.

Speaking at the presenting ceremony, Venerable Thich Hue Thong, head of the chapter’s Executive Board, said the annual programme aims to encourage pupils in the province to overcome difficulties to enter the new academic year.

Since the beginning of the year, the provincial sponsor fund has provided free eye operations, houses and gifts totalling 1.3 billion VND to local poor people, the elderly, orphans and disabled people.

Previously, the Red Cross of Di An town called on donors to present gifts worth almost 100 million VND to 200 needy households and scholarships to disadvantaged pupils on the threshold of the 2013-2014 school year.-

Vietinbank donates to social welfare in Kien Giang

The Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) has completed a number of social welfare projects at a total cost of 46.5 billion VND (2.2 million USD) in the southern province of Kien Giang .

Under its commitment made in 2012, the bank has built 50 houses for the poor, 11 bridges and two rural roads in the five districts of Giong Rieng, An Minh, An Bien, Vinh Thuan and Hon Dat.

The bank also presented ten wheelchairs for local disabled people and three ambulances for the district hospitals in Vinh Thuan, Hon Dat, and Giong Rieng.

This year, the bank has pledged 40 billion VND to build more houses for the poor as well as bridges and schools in poor rural areas in Kien Giang.

Since 2011, VietinBank has contributed nearly 100 billion VND (4.7 million USD) to social welfare programmes in the province.

Total contributions made by the bank to social welfare projects nationwide have so far amounted to 4,000 billion VND (189 million USD).

Nigerian jailed for 18 years over drugs

The Ha Noi People's Court on Tuesday sentenced Mabayoje Emmanuel, a Nigerian man, to 18 years in prison for illegally transporting methamphetamine.

Emmanuel was arrested at Noi Bai International Airport in December last year by Viet Nam Police as he was waiting in transit to fly to Cambodia.

Emmanuel, 35, borrowed US$2,500 from a man to buy a return ticket to Cambodia from Nigeria. However, to borrow the money, he had to agree to transport a case containing mobile phones, five DVD players and seven bags of heroin weighing 701 grams.

Ships found illegally transferring oil

Northern Nam Dinh Province's border guards on Tuesday caught two ships illegally transferring oil near Nam Dinh beach.

They include the Yong win 18, a vessel from Myanmar and QN 5088, a ship from northern Quang Ninh Province, according to Ngo Thai Dung, director of the Viet Nam Border Guard's Department of Drug-related Crime Prevention.

The Myanmar vessel had 16 people aboard, including 14 from Myanmar and two from China. It was found to contain around 5,400 tonnes of Diesel Oil.

The Quang Ninh vessel had seven people aboard, including five from central Thanh Hoa Province and two from Quang Ninh.

They admitted to transporting oil illegally.

The case is under further investigation.

Building Vietnam-Cambodia standard border gates

The Prime Minister has approved a plan to develop land border gates between Vietnam and Cambodia till 2020.

The plan aims to standardise the infrastructure of the border gate system along the Vietnam-Cambodia border in order to meet the socio-economic development requirements of the region and instate the State budget.,

These border gates will be equipped with modern facilities and technologies to ensure they are all connected to speed up customs service clearance as quickly and effectively as possible.

According to the plan, the two countries will consider opening four more international border gates and nine main border gates in the Central Highlands, South-East region and South-West region.

Other remaining border gates will be upgraded and modernised.

Two die while watching accident

Two people died and seven were seriously injured in a severe accident in Doan Hung District in northern Phu Tho Province yesterday.

A 23-year-old man was killed instantly in the crash while the other victim died later at the district's general hospital.

According to local residents, the nine victims had been watching another accident when they collided with a coach on the Ha Noi-Tuyen Quang route.

On the same day, a chairman of a commune in Hoa Lu District (Ninh Binh Province) was killed on 1A National Road after his car was hit by a train.

Witnesses said the accident was the result of reckless driving.

20 tonnes of rotting bovine legs found in Binh Duong

Authorities in the southern province of Binh Duong yesterday discovered 20 tonnes of decomposing cow and buffalo in storage containers at the Sai Gon Mechanics and Metal Cast Company in Tan Binh Ward.

The company said the rotting legs and feet belonged to Nguyen Van Thanh, who had ordered the products to be kept there three months ago.

Binh Duong veterinary and police authorities said no documentation had been lodged relating to the frozen animal products.

Authorities have sealed off the containers for investigation.

Japan offers work incentives to Vietnamese nurses

Approximately 180 Vietnamese nurses and orderlies are expected to have the opportunity to work in Japan if they complete a Japanese language training course next year.

A seminar in Hanoi on August 28 was told that 150 local nurses and orderlies attended a Japanese language training course in Vietnam last year, and they are expected to be sent to Japan for a further 12 months of training before being officially recruited to work at clinics and hospitals in Japan.

The Japanese government has granted 472 million Yen to run such training courses in Vietnam.

Those selected candidates must be under 35 and have a college degree in medicine (at least three years) and a minimal of two years professional experience.

They will be provided with free-of-charge training for 12 months as well as meals and accommodation. Once chosen, they will work in Japan under a 3-5 year labour contract with salaries ranging between 130,000-140,000 Yen/month (VND28-30 million/month).

Local nurses and orderlies can get more information from website: www.molisa.gov.vn or www.dolab.gov.vn.

The seminar was jointly held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam.

Global job opportunities for Vietnamese students

Representatives from 30 leading universities in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines attended a workshop on developing global companies and human resources in Asia at Tokyo’s Meiji University on August 28.

The event, jointly organised by Nikkei Group, Nikkei HR Company and the Japan Foundation, provided good opportunity for Japanese businesses and Asian universities to exchange valuable experience in training, nurturing and recruiting global employees.

In addition Nikkei HR Company will host a job interview from August 28-30 as the first pilot model for Japanese enterprises to approach abundant labour forces from foreign countries.

During a group discussion, Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoang Diem, a lecturer from Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City, spoke of the need to teach Japanese to Vietnamese students, an important element in seeking jobs at Japanese enterprises.

Dr. Tran Thi Thu Thuy from Foreign Trade University said due attention should be paid to teaching Japanese not only at university but even at a lower education level.

She expressed hope that Japan will soon have a specific strategy to support Vietnam in training human resources, especially in teaching Japanese to Vietnamese students.

Keisuke Yoshio, Councillor to the President of the Japan Foundation, said even though most Vietnamese students have trouble learning Japanese at the beginning, they then can quickly complete the basic level.

As an organisation to promote Japanese language and culture to the world, the Japan Foundation has played a vital role in supporting human resources training at Vietnamese universities, Yoshio added.

Vietnam joins ASEAN Youth Camp in Singapore

Nine Vietnamese together with nearly 40 youths from other nine ASEAN member countries are gathering in Singapore to participate in the ASEAN Youth Camp 2013.

A biannual affair, the ASEAN Youth Camp aims to foster closer ties among the youths of ASEAN through programmes and activities focusing on the arts, heritage and culture.

Themed “In Celebration, ASEAN Youths Unite”, the ASEAN Youth Camp 2013, organised in Singapore from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1, will complete the series of ASEAN Youth Camps organised specially for youths since 1998.

Vietnamese youths attended all the eight workshops focusing on the four art forms of traditional music, traditional dance, painting and photography. They exchanged artistic expertise with their friends as well as shared Vietnamese unique artistic works such as “dan bau” music or “mua non quai thao” dance.

Besides engaging in creative workshops, traditional musicians and dancers will come together to put up performances at the Singapore Night Festival on Aug. 30 while photographers and painters will exhibit their works at the National Museum of Singapore.

The participants will also get to visit many places rich in history and heritage such as the National Museum of Singapore, the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the Asian Civilisation Museum.

Rosa Daniel, Chair of ASEAN Committee for Culture and Information of Singapore, said: “As our region moves towards closer ASEAN integration with the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, activities such as this ASEAN Youth Camp become an important platform for our youths to meet, work together and learn from each other’s diverse cultures and backgrounds.”

She added that such opportunities will help bring about greater unity and understanding and forge a strong regional ASEAN identity.

KOTO founder receives Asian award

Vietnamese-Australian Jimmy Pham Viet Tuan, founder of a hospitality vocational project known as KOTO, has recently received the fifth Ilga award for his support to street and disadvantaged children in Vietnam.

The award aims to honour those who are contributing to the Asian countries’ social development.

Pham said that his award highlights the vision of the local community and KOTO’s partners in helping the disadvantaged youth in Vietnam, find jobs, escape poverty and live with dignity.

Since its established 14 years ago, KOTO, short for “Know One Teach One,” has trained more than 500 of the young people in general life skills, English language and restaurant hospitality in order to work in KOTO-sponsored or other restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Born in 1972, Jimmy Pham left for Sydney as a child with his mother and siblings and studied hospitality in college.

In 1996 he returned to Vietnam for the first time, on a temporary assignment as a tour operator.

In January 2013, he was included in the Australian Honors List for his support to street and disadvantaged children in Vietnam.

Authorities puzzle over road fees

Although the regulation on road maintenance fee collection came into effect over a month ago, Ha Noi's munic-ipal Department of Transport has not yet received any reports on fee collection from wards and districts.

Most are still working to make up the list of motorbikes in their areas, said deputy director of the department Nguyen Xuan Tan.

One reason for the tardiness was that ward and commune authorities did not know how to collect fees for motorbikes not registered in the city.

Chairman of the Me Tri Commune People's Committee in Tu Liem District Dao Tang Quynh told Tien phong (Vanguard) newspaper that the commune had nearly 38,000 people, with more than 10,000 of them visitors from other provinces and cities temporarily residing in the commune.

"The people are of working age so everyone has a motorbike, however, the city authorities did not give guidance on collecting fees for motorbikes not registered in the city," he said.

Similarly, Dai Kim Ward had not collected fees from motorbikes registered or not registered in the city to avoid contradiction, said Nguyen Dinh Khoi, head of the ward's Hamlet 14.

Deputy director Tan said Ha Noi would not collect road maintenance fees for motorbikes registered in different provinces and cities. Owners of the motorbikes would pay the fees in the provinces and cities where they registered their motorbikes based on Ministry of Finance regulations.

Furthermore, to facilitate the collection, the city should set up road maintenance fee funds in districts, so that localities could directly hand in the funds they had collected, he said.

The city began to collect the fee from July 21 according to the municipal People's Committee's Decision No 24. The fee is VND50,000 (US$2.3) per year for motorcycles of less than 100cc and VND100,000 ($4.6) for motorcycles over 100cc

The city now had more than 4.4 million motorbikes and nearly 1 million of these were registered in different provinces and cities, according to statistics issued last year by the Ha Noi Department of Transport.

Vapour forces new factory closure as residents fume

A new Hai Phong City factory attempting to make lightweight bricks was ordered to temporarily close down yesterday because nearby residents claimed they had been overcome by fumes.

Vice chairman of the People's Committee of northern Hai Phong City Do Trung Thoai ordered the factory to temporarily close down until it overcomes the problem.

The move came after about 100 nearby residents gathered in front of the factory last Friday and demanded it do something.

They claimed that the fumes from the factory had being making them dizzy since it started heating up its kilns last Thursday.

Hoang Van Tuyen, director of the co-operative said that the factory, located in Thuy Nguyen District's Lai Xuan Commune, had started burning 90 tonnes of wood in preparation for a trial run early next month. This was expected to last for six days.

Tuyen said the kilns were being heated in preparation for a trial run under a permit from the Natural Resources and Environment Department.

Bui Thi Thai, a doctor at Thuy Nguyen District General Hospital, said that four people were taken to the hospital with symptoms of vomiting and dizzy last Thursday.

However, they left after heart and blood pressure tests revealed nothing abnormal.

Thousands of immigrants to benefit from UN Project

The UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality will provide US$200,000 to a project to help Vietnamese woman immigrants for the very first time, for the next three year period.

The project will concentrate on improving social welfare and public healthcare services of immigrants and promote development of individual economic models and household businesses.

Around 1,140 women and 1,090 men will directly benefit from the project and 6,270 women and 5,630 men will indirectly be affected.

The project will be implemented and managed by the Institute for Development and Community Health--LIGHT, a non-government and non-profit organization.  

The institute chose this project from among 900 projects in the world.

Young traffic violators witness suffering of traffic victims

More than 80 young traffic violators were taken to the Emergency Room and Brain Injury Division in Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on August 29 to watch and hear patients groaning with pain.

These young traffic violators were also told about the consequences of traffic accidents and learnt more about emergency and treatment procedures.

On this occasion, wardens also propagandized traffic regulations to them.

After the visit, many pledged to strictly abide by traffic rules as they did not want to suffer such wounds and consequences.

The activity is part of a Safety Traffic Program launched by Vietnam Youth Committee in District 8, to enhance traffic prevention and knowledge among young drivers.