Four sentenced for making company incur losses

The HCM City People’s Court on Tuesday handed down jail terms to four people charged with irresponsibility causing losses to the Coastal Fisheries Development Corporation (Cofidec).

Nguyễn Thanh Xuân, former acting director, was sentenced to five years imprisonment for violating the State’s regulations on economic management and taking advantage of his position.

Võ Huệ Trân, former director, and Ngô Ngọc Sơn, former deputy head of the import-export division, were sentenced to three years and two years and five months, respectively, for violating the State’s regulations on economic management resulting in serious consequences.

Đặng Hữu Thịnh, head of the import-export division, was sentenced to 2.5 years probation on the same count.

According to the indictment presented at the start of the four-day trial, Cofidec was at the time engaged in processing and trading agricultural, forestry and seafood products. It also imported machines, equipment and material related to its work.

Since February 2004, importers from the United States had stopped buying shrimps from Việt Nam, but they still instructed their employees to draw up fake contracts with international partners.

Thịnh and Sơn helped Xuân and Trân prepare the fake contracts and shipped a large quantity of frozen shrimps to the United States, causing the company losses of VNĐ38.7 billion (US$2.4 million).

Investigative police found that all the signatures by directors of foreign companies on the contracts were actually signed by Sơn, under the instructions of Xuân, Trân anh Thịnh.

Xuân, as an acting director, also paid travel expenses for the mechanics who installed imported machines, although it was not stipulated in the machine import contracts, causing losses of VNĐ73 million ($3,200) for the company.

PM chairs meeting on rice sustainable development in Mekong Delta

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc on March 15 is chairing a meeting on rice sustainable development in the Mekong Delta, which is organized in Long Xuyen, An Giang Province.

The event is attracting the participation of leaders from ministries, agencies and localities, businessmen, professionals and scientists.

According to the report at the meeting, 4.8 million tons of rice were exported in 2016, gaining US$2.1 billion. Viet Nam’s rice was present in 150 countries and territories, with main markets as China (accounting for 38%), the Philippines (9%), Malaysia (9%) and the Ivory Coast (9%).

The rice exports from the Mekong Delta accounted for more than 90%.

A total number of 787,235 tons of rice were exported in the first two months of 2017, worth more than US$328 million, a year-on-year drop 18.5% in volume and a 21.4% rise in value.

However, rice production faced difficulties due to natural calamity, droughts, sea-water intrusion and flood. The productivity of each household is 2.7 times lower than that in Thailand and 1.5 times lower than the level in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that farmers are suffering from low benefits in the rice sector’s value chains.

Delegates at the meeting agreed that rice continues to making crucial contribution to the national food security in the context of high population, decrease in agricultural land, urbanization and climate change.

They will analyze objective and subjective factors in rice production and consumption and propose measures for rice sustainable development in the future.

Hanoi, Microsoft cooperate on IT

People’s Committee of Hanoi and Microsoft yesterday signed an agreement to collaborate on IT.

As per the agreement, Microsoft will provide consultation and support on IT applications for e-government and smart city in education, healthcare, IT personnel training and updates IT information for city leaders as well as boost IT development. 

Additionally, through competitions, Microsoft will freely provide software to startup companies as well as introduction of Cyber Security and experience of IT implementation globally. 

The event is a project of Hanoi leaders to develop the capital city’s IT in the period 2016-2020.

One more people dies of methanol-tainted alcohol

Hanoi-based Bach Mai’s Poison Center yesterday said that one more people died of methanol-tainted alcohol.

Within two weeks, the hospital received  27 people who were poisoned by drinking alcohol with high content of methanol, including three deaths.

Latest patient was 58 year old man in Hai Ba Trung district who was hospitalized in coma; accordingly, medical workers provided intensive treatment. Yet because the man was severely poisoned with the content of methanol in blood up to 150 mg/dL, he was still in coma and his brain was damaged. His family insisted to bring him home for preparation of funeral ceremony.

His relatives said that a few days ago, he complained of fatigue and refused to eat yet he did not want to go to see doctor. Until March 13 when he fell in coma, he was taken to the hospital. His relative said that the drunkard often has alcohol in nearby eatery in Truong Chinh - Giai Phong.

In related news, yesterday, the General Hospital in the central province of Ha Tinh said that it has admitted a woman who fell into coma caused by methanol-tainted alcohol poisoning. The patient is a 55 year old woman in Binh Loc Commune in Loc Ha District. Soon, she was treated by a method combining hemodialysis and hemoperfusion. After three day treatment, she was still in coma and brain damage.  

Her relative said that she has been addicted to alcohol for two years. She had been poisoned and fell in coma for one day before being taken to the hospital.

Dr. Nguyen Ba Trong of the hospital’s poison center said that the center admits 7-8 victims of methanol-tainted alcohol every month.

Gac Ma Memorial Site to be inaugurated on July 27

Gac Ma Soldiers' Memorial Site is scheduled to be inaugurated on the Day of Dead and Wounded Soldier this year ( July 27).

The memorial site was built over 2.5 hectares of land. The first phase’s investment capital costs more than VND 150 billion contributed by people.

 Until now, main items are mostly completed while the progress of auxiliary items as square, park, trees, underground museum and cemetery are also being speeded.

Vietnam’ charm- Europe association introduced in Paris

The Vietnam’s Charm–Europe association has held a ceremony in Paris’ 13th Arrondissement to officially introduce itself to Vietnamese expatriates in France.

The association aims to preserve and promote Vietnamese traditions and culture among the community in Europe.

Addressing the ceremony, head of the association Alain Vu Duc Hoang Mi said that since it was established on April 16, 2016, the non-profit organisation had held various activities to promote Vietnam’s culture, tourism and food in many European countries, including France, the UK, Belgium and the Czech Republic.

The association is currently selecting candidates for a beauty contest for Vietnamese women worldwide, slated for next April in the UK, and preparing to participate in a cultural festival of European ethnic groups. It also plans to organise annual festivals for Spring, Summer and Autumn.

Counsellor Do Duc Thanh from the Vietnam Embassy in France lauded the association’s plans to work with other organisations to hold cultural events, which has fostered solidarity among Vietnamese expat communities in France and across Europe.

Former air hostess prosecuted for gold smuggling

The Hanoi City People's Procuracy has just decided to prosecute three people including a former air hostess and a former technician of Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company for smuggling more than 3 kilos of gold to South Korea.

According to the indictment, Hoang Thi Ngoc Anh, 35, who used to work as a flight attendant for a local carrier until 2014, had a Vietnamese acquaintance in South Korea and knew about the higher gold prices there. Anh borrowed VND2.8 billion (USD122,887) from relatives to buy 84 taels of gold which were then reshaped into four bars. 

On July 26, 2016 evening, Anh and her husband, Nguyen Ngoc Sang, 31, passed the security check points at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport with the four gold bars wrapped in a black plastic bag unnoticed. They hired a technician of Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company, Pham Duy Nhuan, 37, to bring the gold to the Vietnam Airlines A144 flight and hide under the seats that they had booked earlier to fly to South Korea's Incheon International Airport. Anh paid Nhuan VND2 million (USD89) for the work.

At 12.25am on July 27, Anh and Sang were arrested right after they got to their flight seats.

The three told police that they had successfully brought 20 taels of gold to South Korea using this way in June 2016.

Investigators said that at the prices at that time, Anh could earn over VND20 million (USD890) in profit with this second smuggling.

According to Vietnam Criminal Law's article 153, Anh and her husband may face the highest punishment of 20 years or life in prison.

In March 2015, a pilot and a flight attendant of Vietnam Airlines were arrested in South Korea for smuggling 6 kilos of gold when entering Gimhae International Airport in Busan City.

The duo claimed they were paid USD250 per kilo of gold if they successfully carried the gold to South Korea.

New personnel for National Committee on Climate Change

The PM chairs the National Committee on Climate Change, according to the recently-issued Decision on the establishment of the National Committee on Climate Change.

The Vice Chairs of the Committee include Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha.  

Members of the Committee consist of the Minister-Chairman of the Government Office, the Ministers of Planning and Investment, Finance, Science and Technology, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Development, Defense, Public Security, Construction, Transport, Health, Industry and Trade.

The Committee consults and assists the Government and the PM in proposing, directing, monitoring, coordinating and addressing crucial issues related to the national programs and strategies on climate change as well as monitors the realization of the national strategies and programs on climate change as well as enhances international cooperation in climate change.  

Tam Nông toll station temporarily halts toll collection

 Tam Nông toll station on National Route 32 passing through Tam Nông District has temporarily halted collection of toll following protests by locals and coach operators who felt the amount was “too high.”

BOT Hùng Thắng Co Ltd, investor of the Build-Operate-Transfer project to build a part of Hồ Chí Minh Road and upgrade a section of National Route 32, made the decision on Tuesday after a meeting with Phú Thọ Province’s People’s Committee. The Tam Nông toll station aims to collect fees as payback for the company’s investment.

Nguyễn Xuân Hải, director of the company, told online newspaper VietnamPlus on Wednesday morning that the two sides had agreed on a new proposal to submit to competent State agencies to ensure benefits for locals passing through the toll station.

He said Phú Thọ provincial authorities would ask the Ministry of Transport (MoT) to exempt toll for under-seven seater cars that do not offer transportation services and whose owners are residents of neighbouring Hồng Đà and Thượng Nông communes.

The same rule would also apply to cars of State agencies located in Tam Nông District, according to the proposal.

Meanwhile, the toll fees would be reduced by half for similar type of cars belonging to residents in Cổ Tiết, Hương Nộn and Dậu Dương communes and Hưng Hóa Township, the proposal said.

All trucks of residents of the aforementioned localities would also benefit from a 50 per cent reduction in toll fees.

Earlier, on Monday morning, locals blocked the toll station with some 20 vehicles, leading to traffic congestion of about 1km.

They claimed toll fees of VNĐ35,000 – 50,000 (US$1.5 – 2.2) per vehicle was too high as National Route 32 was only an upgrade of the old route.

Thirty-six coach operators operating on the route from Thanh Sơn (Phú Thọ Province) to Mỹ Đình (Hà Nội) also sent a petition to the Phú Thọ People’s Committee and other responsible authorities calling for a recalculation of the toll fees.

Earlier, MoT had already rejected a proposal by Phú Thọ provincial authorities to reduce the toll for locals, saying that the Ministry of Finance, which is authorised to made the decision, did not approve the solution. 

Pregnant woman suffering accident in private clinic dies

A pregnant woman getting convulsion and brain damage after being examined at a private clinic died yesterday despite of effort by doctors at Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital.

Her family expressed their desire that health authorities and police to clarify the cause of the woman’s death after receiving treatment at private polyclinic 168 Hanoi on March 5.

After being informed of the incident, the Ministry of Health asked the Department of Health in Hanoi to set up a scientific council to clarify the cause of the incident. Additionally, police and health authorities must summon a Chinese doctor who provided treatment to the pregnant woman to writer detailed report of treatment procedure.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the Ministry of Health to probe the case and send its report to the PM before March 14.

Provision of land titles fails public expectations

Public dissatisfaction with the issuance of land use certificates remains high despite improvements in procedures, according to a Government Office report released yesterday.

The report, based on a survey done to calculate the Satisfaction Index of Public Administration Services (SIPAS), scrutinised administrative procedures relating to six main papers: identification card; land use right certificates; house building licence; marriage certificate; birth certificate; and notarizing documents.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has been tasked, since 2015, with calculating public satisfaction with administrative services in co-ordination with the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Vietnam Veterans’ Association.

Home Affairs Minister Le Vinh Tan said the study found that results varied at different administrative levels.

Accordingly, procedures settled by district-level authorities including identification card, land use rights certificate, and construction licence for houses received a lower rate of satisfaction as compared to those settled at commune level like marriage certificates, birth certificates and other similar certification.

The indexes reflecting individuals and organisations’ assessment of the quality of administrative services was lower than those indicating their satisfaction.

The quality indexes for procedures ranged from 40 to 70 percent whereas those showing public satisfaction for all six procedures stood between 70 and 90 percent.

SIPAS 2015 used four key criteria to measure public satisfaction: access to services, administrative procedures, attitude of civil servants, and results of the work.

“The practice will help change the thinking and manner of dealing with administrative work towards paying more attention to people’s opinions, providing better service, and enhancing public participation in decision-making by relevant authorities,” said Minister Tan.

At the district level, people expect the expansion of the ways in which information is disseminated, continued simplification of administrative procedures, and reduced time for settling procedures, the Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

In communes, people are looking forward to further improvements in physical facilities alongside better service.

Nguyen Thien Nhan, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, said the national programme for Public Administrative Reform in the 2011-2020 period had set ambitious targets including achieving 80 percent of public satisfaction with the administrative services at all levels.

“If we do not take the measurement and assessment of public satisfaction seriously from now, we cannot have an exact answer on how satisfied the public is with services provided by State administrative bodies,” Nhan said.

SIPAS 2015 was based on a social study covering 15,120 individuals and organisations in 108 communes in three cities and seven provinces: Hanoi, HCM City, Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Lai Chau, Hung Yen, Ha Tinh, Dak Lak, Tay Ninh and Ca Mau.

Explosion at steel company leaves 8 injured

An explosion occurred early Tuesday morning at Nam Kim Steel JSC in southern Bình Dương Province, leaving eight workers injured, four seriously

Of these, Đoàn Văn Sư, 29, from Cà Mau Province suffered burns on 90 per cent of his body, while three others had 30 per cent of their bodies affected.

After the accident, the victims were rushed to Bình Dương General Hospital for treatment, six of whom were later transferred to HCM City-based Chợ Rẫy Hospital due to the severity of their conditions.

The workers told media that while they were working a furnace containing melted steel exploded.

Local authorities are investigating the accident. 

Hà Nội aim to get out of neutral with win

Following a series of draws, Hà Nội FC are determined to beat Tampines Rovers of Singapore in the third match of Group G of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.

The match will take place at 6pm today at the Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hà Nội.

The hosts, V.League defending champions Hà Nội, have had six draws in a row, with four in the national premier league and two in the AFC Cup.

They are in third place in the Cup, while the visitors rank second with one win and one loss.

According to coach Chu Đình Nghiêm, the club will try their best for a win in the upcoming match to boost the morale of the team, with the services of good players such as Hoàng Vũ Samson, Gonzalo Damian Marronkle, Nguyễn Văn Quyết, and Phạm Thành Lương.

Captain Marronkle recently returned from injury and his playmaking skills will be essential for Hà Nội to end their run of draws.

“We will make changes in our way of playing to get three points,” Nghiêm said.

Meanwhile, Tampines are also looking to get back on track following a demoralising 5-0 defeat against Ceres-Negros in the second group game. Although they are still at second spot with three points, Hà Nội trail by just a point after being held to 1-1 draws in their respective games so far.

Tampines can also call up their AFC Cup duo of Raspreet Sandhu and Sahil Suhaimi.

Both players have not seen much action, but coach Juergen Raab might be inclined to give them more playing time and give his key players some rest, especially since this will be the Tampines’ fourth game in 12 days.

Shahdan Sulaiman appears to have recovered from his calf injury after being made to sit on the bench against Balestier and his presence will inject the much-needed creativity into Raab’s side. Hà Nội tied with Tampines 1-1 in an AFC Cup fixture in 2011.

Thật claims inner-city stage of cycling contest

The Phan Thiết stage of the Bình Dương International Women’s Cycling Tournament 2017 concluded today with Vietnamese cyclist Nguyễn Thị Thật’s victory.

Thật, Gạo Hạt Ngọc Trời An Giang Team’s ace cyclist, won the 48km inner-city race at an average speed of nearly 40km/hour in a fierce battle against Japanese Karami Miyoko and Kajihara Yumi.

The tourney’s next stage, overing 120km from Phan Thiết to Vũng Tàu will take place on Wednesday.

Students learn about traffic safety through fashion, games

Fashion shows and games about traffic safety were organised on Tuesday at Ấp Đình Primary School in HCM City’s rural Hóc Môn District.

The students learned about standard and non-standard helmets and how to wear them while playing a game.

The extracurricular activities were part of the Helmets for Families programme held by the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation in co-operation with the National Traffic Safety Committee and Ministry of Education and Training, sponsored by global healthcare company Abbott.

The programme has helped raise the average helmet wearing rate at all four schools in the district to 81 per cent in the 2016-2017 academic year compared to 31 per cent in the past.

In January, students and their parents participated in educational training sessions when the programme kicked off.

AIP Foundation’s staff has been working with teachers since December 2016 to help them implement the road-safety curriculum.

According to the city’s Department of Education and Training, the schools chosen to participate in this programme are some of the most vulnerable in HCM City.

Hóc Môn District is near the Tân Phú Trung area in Củ Chi District, which has heavy industrial traffic.

For the 2016-2017 school year, the programme provided 5,600 high-quality helmets to students, teachers and parents through donations and subsidies.

The programme serves four schools in the district and two in Hà Nội.

Since its launch in 2013, Helmets for Families has served beneficiaries at 15 schools in the country, and has provided more than 30,000 quality helmets through donations and subsidised exchanges.

Vietnam presses charges against worker over African ivory smuggling

A Vietnamese man has been formally charged with smuggling ivory from Angola, VietnamPlus reported, citing Hanoi prosecutors.

The case is part of Vietnam’s efforts to put an end to ivory smuggling, which has been so prevalent that the country is ranked one of the world’s biggest markets. It outlawed ivory trade in 1992.

In August 2015 customs and police seized 24 pieces of elephant tusks weighted 50 kilograms (110 pounds) from the suitcase of Pham Van Luat, who failed to declare with customs officials of the goods, VietnamPlus reported.

Investigations found Luat went to work at a photocopy shop in Angola in 2012 and was offered $200 to bring the ivory back home, the report said.

Upon the seizure, Luat managed to escape, but last December he turned himself in. 

If convicted, Luat could face a jail term of between six months and five years, based on Vietnam's penal code.

The usage and trading of rhino horns, mostly from Africa, is a criminal offence in the Southeast Asian country, but demand is strong as many people believe rare animal parts can cure diseases.

Vietnam also serves as a trafficking hub for tusks bound for other parts of Asia, conservationists say.

Hanoi has rejected such allegations but has also stepped up the fight against smuggling and launched campaigns to raise public awareness about the usage of rhino horns.

Dak Lak hosts contest for coffee farmers

Nearly 190 coffee farmers in key coffee-growing districts in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak are taking part in a contest on coffee cultivation knowledge and techniques.

The six-day contest, which began on March 13 at the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival, is part of the NESCAFE Plan project developed by Nestle Vietnam and the Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute (WASI).

Each district has sent a team of 30-40 farmers chosen from among participants in the project, which has been implemented in the Central Highlands since 2011.

Following training in sustainable coffee production by agricultural and WASI experts, these farmers have embraced advanced technologies to improve their productivity and income.

The contest tests their knowledge of methods to improve the soil, how to properly fertilise coffee plants and prevent diseases, production processes and labour safety equipment, farming diary notes and others.

It will not only help contestants improve their farming knowledge but also provide a platform for them to exchange information and experience in coffee production and trading with each other and with experts from the project.

The project has so far helped 21,000 farmers obtain the 4C international coffee certificate, distributed more than 15 million high-yield, disease-resistant coffee seedlings to farmers to replant, and provided training to nearly 150,000 farmers, enabling them to effect a 40 percent saving in water and 20 percent in fertilisers and raise their income by 40 percent.

Its model of growing other crops among coffee trees has helped double farmers’ incomes and improve the soil.

Vietnamese expats in Poland remember fallen soldiers

The Vietnam Buddhism Association in Poland has hosted a requiem for the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend the homeland’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and seas and islands.

The commemoration in Warsaw on March 12 brought together representatives of the Vietnam Embassy in Poland, the Defence Attache, the Veterans Association, the Women’s Association, and Buddhist followers in the Vietnamese community in the host country.

Participants agreed that the requiem is needed to remember the martyrs who protected Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Sea.

They burnt candles and shaped them into a map of Vietnam, which also features Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes.

From early March, commemorations for Vietnamese martyrs have been held by Overseas Vietnamese in several countries as a way to help their next generations to learn more about the homeland’s history, seas and island sovereignty and national protection.

Contributions by Vietnamese expats in Germany appreciated

Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man appreciated contributions to the homeland by the Vietnamese community in Germany at a meeting in Berlin on March 13.

At the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Doan Xuan Hung informed the VFF delegation about activities of his embassy and the situation of Vietnamese people in the European nation.

Representatives of Vietnamese expatriates in Germany expressed their willingness to develop the community, better integrate into the local society, and contribute more to the homeland.

In response to some businesses’ wish to invest in Vietnam, Man pledged that the VFF Central Committee and its local chapters will continue supervising the implementation of administrative procedures and offer best possible support to expatriates’ investment in Vietnam.

On this occasion, the VFF Central Committee presented certificates of merit to the Vietnamese people’s association in Leipzig, the Haiky company, and General Director of the Dong Xuan trade centre in Berlin Nguyen Van Hien to recognise their dedication to social welfare activities in Vietnam last year. 

Collectives and individuals who were active in donation campaigns supporting natural disaster victims in Vietnam’s central region in 2016 were also commended.

Common method for public service evaluation needed

It is necessary to form a common method for the whole country to evaluate people’s satisfaction about public administration services, heard a teleconference in Hanoi on March 14. 

While reviewing the measurement of the Satisfaction Index of Public Administration Services (SIPAS), President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee (VFFCC) Nguyen Thien Nhan suggested the issuance of documents guiding the implementation in all provinces and cities as well as ministries and sector. 

According to Minister of Home Affairs Le Vinh Tan, the SIPAS was jointly launched at the national-scale in 2015 by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), the VFFCC Standing Board, and the Central Committee of the War Veterans’ Association of Vietnam. 

By December 2016, four ministries and 32 cities and provinces had carried out the measurement of SIPAS in six administrative services covering the issuance of identity cards, land use right certificates, house building permits, marriage certificates, birth certificates and certifications. 

However, their results were different due to the application of different questionnaires and criteria, Tan added.

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, who chaired the teleconference, asked the MoHA, ministries, agencies and localities to measure the public and organisations’ satisfaction on the national, sectoral and local scales each year to promptly discover shortcomings in public  administrative services and learn about their expectations. 

Binh requested the ministries, sectors and localities to raise public awareness of the move, thereby improving the quality of administrative services and contributing to developing a service-oriented administration. 

He also recommended the use of SIPAS as an index to evaluate the performance of public assignments of ministries, sectors and localities.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE