Separate jails proposed for transgender, gay prisoners

Homosexual and transgender prisoners may be housed in jails separate from the general prison population to protect them from sexual harassment under a plan proposed by the Social, Economic and Environmental Institute to the Ministry of Public Security.

The institute has been studying gender-related problems for many years and says many countries provide separate jails for transgender prisoners who are classified as trans-female or trans-male.

A 2014 report found that the majority of transgender prisoners wanted separate jails to avoid the risks of sexual harassment. Homosexual and transgender prisoners face the highest risk of sexual harassment.

The institute cited statistics from the US state of California, which showed 67 percent of homosexual and transgender prisoners have suffered sexual harassment.

The institute said that under current infrastructure in Vietnam, transgender prisoners can only either be held in solitary confinement or left to mix with the general population.

It wants prisoners to be allowed to determine their gender identity, while homosexuals should also be offered imprisonment separate from the general population, rather than subjected to solitary confinement.

The institute said in a 2014 report there were 219 transgender prisoners in Vietnam, 58 percent of whom wanted to be housed in separate jails, while 38 percent identifying as female wanted to be sent to women's prisons.

Of female to male transgenders, 72.4 percent wanted to be housed in separate prisons.

Childcare, protection services enhanced in HCMC

A seminar on developing and improving systems for child care and protection services was held in Ho Chi Minh City on January 13.

Jointly organized by the municipal Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in Viet Nam, the event is part of a project which aims to lower the rate of children with special circumstances and raise the rate of those receiving assistance in the city between 2015 and 2016.

To realize these goals, local authorities plan to construct additional centers for supporting and protecting children, pilot a day-boarding model to care for children living with HIV/AIDS, and develop a community-based protection system over the next two years.

Le Thu Ha from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs said child care and protection service system has been piloted in 63% of provinces and cities, helping reduce the rate of child victims of violence and abuse, among others, by 0.2% annually.

The model also contributed to increasing the rate of children receiving care and assistance to 72%.

However, she noted that efforts have yet to meet set requirements because system and staff capacity in the field remains limited, while interdisciplinary coordination in the field has not been effective.

Le Hong Loan from UNICEF Viet Nam said the 2015-2016 program will focus on supporting the formation of socially-sponsored centers and a staff network working in the field, while establishing interdisciplinary working groups to provide assistance, care and protection services to children in need.

Implemented in HCM City since 2010, the project was designed to improve the capacity of local authorities to thoroughly and effectively resolve issues related children, especially those in poor and vulnerable families, and within migration communities.

Increase in traffic accidents in some provinces due to local authorities’ neglectfulness

Increase in traffic accidents is due to local governments’ neglectfulness, said Deputy Prime Minister cum chairman of Vietnam’s National Traffic Safety Committee Nguyen Xuan Phuc at an online conference to review the whole year’s mission and to implement the task for next year on January 13.

Some 25,322 traffic accidents were reported, killing 8,996 people and injuring 24,417 . The figure dropped by 4,063 incidents (13.8 percent), by 373 dead people (4 percent.

Ten provinces including the northern provinces of Quang Ninh, Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Nam Dinh, Bac Giang, Lang Son and the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau and the central city of Da Nang have seen a decline of deaths from traffic accidents.

However, five other provinces such as the central province of Quang Tri, the highlands province of Kon Tum, the Mekong delta province of Vinh Long, Kien Giang and Ben Tre have an traffic accident increase of more than 10 percent,.

According to Transport Minister Dinh La Thang, traffic accidents dropped thanks to local government’s timely guideline and all agencies’ participation.

However, in some provinces serious accidents took place between passenger coach and motorbikes especially in the last months of the year when the travelling demand increase, he said.

Traffic accidents went up drastically in rural districts where people’s awareness of traffic safety is low, he added.

Deputy Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Khuat Viet Hung said that most of traffic accidents had happened in countryside and mountainous districts due to drivers’ low awareness. Drivers in these places did not wear helmet and were drunk when driving.

Meeting participants said that local governments in provinces which have surge in traffic accidents should spread information of traffic regulations and increase inhabitants’ awareness of obeying to the law. Traffic wardens have to tighten checking on drunk trucks drivers and overloaded coaches.

Deputy PM Phuc ordered each local government and related agencies to work out a detailed plan to reduce traffic accidents in which leaders must assume responsibility if there would be an accident in the province.

Container of smuggled goods found at Saigon Port

Customs officers of Saigon Port on January 12 discovered a container containing smuggled consumer goods with many products being out of date for years.

The container belongs to Phuc Loc Consultant Investment Company Limited who declared that the container contains more than 12.6 tons of LDPE plastic scrap, worth US$1,264, imported from Australia since November 2014. However, the company had not made customs clearance to receive its merchandise for a long time so customs officers have been keeping a close watch on the container.

On January 9, the company carried out customs procedure. When checking the container, customs officers uncovered that beside some boxes of LDPE plastic scrap as the company had declared on customs declaration, the container also contains consumer goods, such as: milk, shampoo, and toothpaste which the company did not declare.

Currently, customs officers continue to count and check this batch of goods.

Experts combine traditional and modern medicines to treat Da Nang former leader

Medical experts of the Central Healthcare Committee yesterday said that Mr. Nguyen Ba Thanh, who was former chief of Da Nang Party Committee and now is Head of the Party Central Committee of Internal Affairs, would be treated by combination of traditional and modern medicine.

Head of the Central Healthcare Committee Nguyen Quoc Trieu said that Dr. Nguyen Minh Ha, director of the Army Traditional Medicine Institute yesterday had come to the central city of Da Nang to examine Mr. Thanh’s health condition and proposed treatment method for  Mr. Thanh.

The committee also opened a consultation session on Mr. Thanh’s health condition, he said.

Mr. Trieu said that Mr. Thanh is in stable condition. He can eat, drink and talk as normal, however, doctors advised him to take soft food diets, he added.

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc came to Da Nang General Hospital to visit Mr. Thanh. After a half an hour talk with Mr. Thanh, Mr. Phuc also listened to the hospital leader’s report on Mr. Thanh’s health condition and treatment methodology.

Before, Politburo member and Head of the Party Central Committee’s Department of Organization To huy Rua, former State President Nguyen Minh Triet, and Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien also travelled to the hospital to visit Mr. Thanh.

Labor union supports workers’ heart operation

A group of delegation from Ho Chi Minh City’s Labor Union yesterday visited a worker in hospital who underwent a heart operation under the union’s support program.

The delegation gave gift to sanitation worker Pham Van Ut of Go Vap District Public Services Company. His operation charge is covered by the union’s charitable program that supports poor workers’ heart operations.

The delegation gave VND10 million (US$ 469.1) and Go Vap District Public Services Company handed VND2million (US$ 93.8) over to him.

The worker has suffered heart problem for over five years. The union’s charitable program has supported him VND100 million (US$4,690). Five of his colleagues volunteered to donate blood for the operation.

Tra Vinh supports vets

The government of the Mekong delta province of Tra Vinh has decided to support VND100,000 (US$ 84,9) per day to vets who are on duty.

Vets will receive the amount when they inject vaccine to poultry in a day. The expense is taken from the provincial budget. Before, they receive just VND200 for injection a water fowl. It is so low that it can not encourage vets to dedicate to their work.

Accordingly the vet sector proposed to increase and its proposal was approved by the provincial People’s Committee.

As per the Department of Animal Health, 4,000 water fowls in Tan Phu Commune ofThoi Binh District in the Mekong delta province of Ca Mau tested positive for the avian flu virus. Before, the disease occurred in Hoa Binh Commune in Tra On District of the Mekong delta province of Vinh Long and in Phong Phu Commune of Tra Vinh province’s Cau Ngang District.

The outbreaks of  bird flu in Tra Vinh, Vinh Long and Ca Mau triggered concern of the re-occurrence of the disease in the Mekong delta.

Police seize Chinese-labeled dried radish

The Ha Noi Market Watch, in co-ordiantion with the Hoan Kiem District Police, on Tuesday seized more than 1,900kg of dried shredded radish with unknown origins.

The radish, which was wrapped in bags covered in Chinese characters, was laid out on the pavement for sale on Tran Nhat Duat Street in Dong Xuan Ward.

The owner of the goods, Nguyen Thi Hue, failed to produce papers to show where she had purchased the goods.

Vietnamese law stipulates that Hue could be fined VND15 million (US$700).

Two die in air tank accident

Two people were killed and one was seriously wounded after an air compressor tank exploded at a family home in Nui Thanh District's Tam Nghia Commune at around 7am yesterday.

Kieu Thi My Loan, 25, and her brother, Kieu Duc Thanh, 16, were killed instantly in the explosion, while Ngo Van Minh, 32, was seriously injured.

A local source said the air tank was used to produce noodles at Minh's house in Tich Tay Village.

Police are investigating the case.

Young environmentalists discuss energy efficiency at GYS

The first Global Youth Summit (GYS) Winter to be held in Viet Nam was inaugurated in Ha Noi today.

It is being attended by 200 young people from different Asian nations to discuss and initiate ideas to protect the living environment.

The event is being jointly organised by the Hemispheres Foundation and the Viet Nam Environment Administration.

The delegates, aged between 11 and 21, have from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, and Singapore, as well as Oman and Viet Nam to take part in the four-day event that will focus on energy efficiency and waste management. There will be field trips in Ha Noi and to the neighbouring provinces of Bac Ninh and Hai Duong.

"These young environmentalists will be a great source of inspiration for other youth in the region to learn more about the environment impact and assume a more active role in their actions for Earth," said Hemisphere Foundation President Ann Phua.

A GYS Summer will be hosted in HCM City this August.

Lam Dong earmarks fire prevention funds

The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong has earmarked VND13.9 billion (US$651,969) this year for forest-fire prevention during the dry season.

The amount divided among 38 of the province's forest-management agencies will be used to buy and repair fire-fighting equipment.

Funds will also be used to upgrade temporary fire-watching huts and permanent fire-watching towers, redesign fire-ban signs, collect meteorology data and print maps, maintain regular patrols, and hold fire-drilling and educational campaigns.

In a related issue, the Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park will submit plans for a project to improve forest management and protection to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for approval.

Lam Dong's forest area extends across more than 580ha, accounting for 59 per cent of the province's natural area.

Last year, the number of forest fires declined from 92 to 40, damaging 131.5ha, 66.8 fewer than the figure of the previous year.

Haste makes waste as families rush into pre-Tet cleaning spree

With just a month before Tet, many families in Ha Noi are scrambling to have their houses spruced up to celebrate the most important holiday of the year.

This means it is peak season for those providing renovation and repair services; and such firms are enjoying a surge in work orders.

However industry insiders warn that many firms are taking on tasks they are not equipped to handle. Many firms lack the manpower and skills, and faced with the pressure of holiday deadlines, may deliver work of substandard quality, they say.

While the Internet makes it easier to find firms providing renovation and repair services, house owners should be careful in selecting them.

"Many companies do not have the required manpower to carry out many contracts. It is not uncommon for them to secure the deal first then find a sub-contractor to do the work," said Nguyen Viet Chien, a sub-contractor who has a 20 plus strong crew.

He said candidly that since sub-contractors do not get the full amount mentioned in the contract, the quality of their work or even the construction materials used may not meet expectations.

"Home owners may be upset but we cannot do anything about it. From a legal point of view, we only honour the contract we have with the company that signed us on as sub-contractor," said Chien.

A few house owners have found to their chagrin that Chien is telling the truth.

Truong Huy Hiep hired a company to renovate his house in Ha Noi's Hai Ba Trung District last year, just two months before Tet.

He was utterly disappointed with the quality of work.

"I had to call almost every day for them to send someone and some days, they did not even show up. And it was not always the same group. There were at least three different groups who came to work on the bathrooms," he said.

The bathrooms later had a bad odour coming up every time it rained heavily and the shower water collected because the floor had not been done correctly to have it flow down the drain.

When he informed them about the problems, he had to wait for almost three months before workers were sent to fix the bathrooms' floors, because "they said there were simply no hands to spare during such a busy time," Hiep said.

The stench issue was never addressed, he added.

In some cases, owners are not sure of what needs to be done to improve their homes, so they have to rely on experts' opinions on the need for repairs or redoing their wiring, said said Nguyen The Nam, who runs a firm providing electrician services mainly for houses in the capital city's Ba Dinh District.

"I often advise home owners on what brand (of electrical equipment) they should get and what quality they can expect. It is very important in the long run, since most houses nowadays embed the wiring in their walls and replacing it would involve digging into them," Nam said.

Companies and contractors who lack experience and skills will not be able to advise their clients properly, and when this happens, large expenses are incurred and great inconvenience experienced later in fixing problems.

Nam said home owners should carefully study the contract terms before signing, and withhold part of the payment for three to six months as an insurance policy in case something goes wrong.

Hanoi tightens management over land issue violations

Land issue violations cost the capital city VND160 billion (US$7.6 million) and 3.88ha of land during 2014, Ha Noi Inspectorate Deputy Chief Bui Van Dinh said on Monday at a meeting.

City authorities conducted 270 administrative inspections covering issues in construction investment, land management and public debt in construction, where the city government cannot pay the contractors after they finish building urban infrastructure, according to Dinh.

He said the Inspectorate had proposed that the city People's Committee reclaimed VND150 billion ($7.1 million) and 3.88ha of violated land, in addition to fining 29 organisations and 39 individuals for failing to fulfill their management duties.

The city also conducted non-administrative inspections in other fields including environment and construction safety and fined related organisations and individuals VND44.36 billion ($2.1 million) last year, he added.

During 2014, city agencies received 30,446 people with complaints and denunciations and resolved two-thirds of the claims.

While the city returned VND2.4 billion ($114,000) and 29.29sq.m of housing land to the people and warned 32 individuals and 12 organisations, Dinh said that the city did not solve a large number of cases because rules and regulations had changed. Moreover, some districts did not follow cases closely and assign clear missions to their agencies.

At the meeting, Le Tien Hao, the Government Inspectorate's Deputy Chief, said that Ha Noi should improve its inspection activities and performance in solving claims and reports, review its policies and regulations to prevent corruption and perform cost-effective activities.

An administrative inspection is an inspection conducted by the Government on itself, its agencies, ministries and their agencies to evaluate their performance in implementing regulations and policies. Administrative inspectors discipline those who fail to fulfill their duties.

A non-administrative inspection is an inspection that the Government conducts to ensure all organisations and individuals in the private sector strictly follow the laws, regulations and policies issued by the Government. Non-administrative inspectors fine those who break the law.

Over 180 suspension bridges to be completed in first half

The project to build 187 suspension bridges across the country will be completed by mid 2015, according to the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam (DRV).

DRV Deputy General Director Nguyen Van Quyen was speaking at a January 13 conference in Hanoi to review 2014 achievements and implement the 2015 agenda.

The department also intends to build another 4,000 bridges between 2015 and 2017 among a number of maintenance projects from the Vietnam Road Asset Maintenance Project (VRAMP), funded through loans from the World Bank.

It will also accelerate the implementation of regular maintenance across the entire national road system.

Besides, online administrative services for granting and renewing driving licenses will be applied in the third quarter of this year, including personnel training.

In 2014, national road system maintenance met transport requirements, with 74 build-operate-transfer projects implemented across nearly 20,000 kilometres of road, more than 400 kilometres of which were put into operation. Last year also saw new measures enacted and enforced regarding vehicle weight limits. Nearly 60,000 violations of weight limits were detected and 227 billion VND (10 million USD) in fines were collected.-

Investigation team on collapsed tunnel in Lam Dong set up

An investigation team on collapsed Da Dang-Dachomo hydropower plant incident in late December last year in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong has been set up.

The team includes experts from the Ministry of Construction and the State Council for Acceptance of Construction Works, and representatives of relevant ministries and local agencies.

According to Deputy Minister of Construction Le Quang Hung, the team will review and assess investment management, implementation and the quality of facilities, while finding out reasons on the collapse and responsibilities of concerned units and individuals.

It also considers conditions to propose resuming the project, he said.

The work should be done and report the Government for final conclusion in early this April at the latest, the deputy minister added.

Work on the Da Dang-Da Chomo project in Lac Duong district kicked off in 2003. The 475 billion VND (22.6 million USD) plant, invested by the Civil Engineering Construction Corp. No. 5 (CIENCO 5), is designed to have a capacity of 22 MW.

Part of the tunnel collapsed on the morning of December 16 after heavy rain in the area, making 12 workers, including one woman, trapped in the tunnel.

The collapsed site was about 500 metres from the opening of the 700m-long tunnel running though the mountain to bring water to the plant.

After a nearly 82-hour mission involving over 500 rescuers, all the workers were safely brought out of the collapsed tunnel at 4:30 pm on December 19.-

National television broadcaster unveils special programme

The national television broadcaster, VTV, on January 14 unveiled a special monthly programme called “VTV Special” which will be produced with assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan's national public broadcasting organisation, NHK.

The VTV Special series will deal with various subjects with emphasis on new findings, original approach and humanistic messages, VTV Deputy Director General Pham Viet Tien said at a press conference introducing the programme.

The programme will be broadcast at 20h10 on the second Saturday each month on VTV1 Channel, with the first episode already debuting on January 10.

The second one will come on air on February 14, bringing the audience into the world largest cave - the Son Doong in the central province of Quang Binh.

The VTV is looking for international partners to jointly produce or buy broadcast rights of some special productions to feature in the VTV Special.

Phu Yen finances flood-proof houses

The central province of Phu Yen has allocated 4.8 billion VND (220,000 USD) for 336 of its impoverished households to build flood-proof houses this year.

The project will offer each family 12-16 million VND (570 USD – 760 USD), with plans to extend the benefit to another 84 households next year.

Phu Yen has also instructed districts to provide 8 million VND (380 USD) to each household from local support funds, dedicated to disadvantaged members of the community.

Families in poverty are also able to borrow up to 15 million VND from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies with an annual interest rate of 3 percent over 10 years.

In 2013, the province financially assisted in the building of 100 flood-proof houses in Tuy An and Dong Xuan districts.

Design competition in honour of Earth Hour

The competition “Turn off the lights, turn on the ideas”, now in its sixth year, will begin in Hanoi on January 15 in response to the Earth Hour 2015 campaign slated for March 28.

Themed “Character protects the environment”, the competition calls for designing characters, be it a person, an animal or a personified object, that highlight recycling, planting trees and energy conservation.

Winning designs will be printed on T-shirts and sold, the profits from which will go towards a reforestation fund planting 5,000 mangrove trees in Ru Cha forest, the central province of Thua Thien – Hue.

The three winners will be later invited to join the campaign “I rode a bike today”, due to be launched on the same day in the capital.

Co-hosted by BooVironment, Redraw the Line, Go Green, and 350 Vietnam, the non-profit campaign advocates using bicycles for short-distance journeys under the slogan “Change your habits before climate changes you”.

Established in 2009, BooVironment aims to raise the sense of social responsibility among young generations to protect the environment.

Redraw the Line is a campaign to raise awareness of climate change in the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, through support and management from the Asia Development Bank and the Swedish government.

It encourages action and behaviour change in three key areas, expanding the use of clean energy and increasing energy efficiency, encouraging greater use of low carbon transportation options, and raising awareness of sustainable alternatives.

Assistance policies pay off in reducing poverty in mountainous areas

Poverty rates in mountainous and ethnic regions were reduced by 2-4 percent last year, with most rapid decreases seen in the northern provinces of Ha Giang, Yen Bai, and Son La, and the southern Soc Trang, it was reported at a conference in Hanoi on January 14.

Reports delivered at the Government Committee for Ethnic Affairs meeting noted that the poverty rate among households in the northwestern region dropped by 3.5 percent, while the northeastern region saw a decrease of 3 percent and the Tay Nguyen Central Highlands was able to reduce the poverty rate by 2.7 percent.

The conference also heard that in 2014, mountainous provinces recorded an average economic growth of 8-10 percent thanks to a recovery in industrial and agricultural production with increases in productivity, output, and quality. The living conditions of ethnic minorities improved while political and security situations remained stable.

The positive outcomes were attributable to numerous policies dedicated to mountainous ethnic areas, including programmes to build flood-resistant homes in vulnerable areas in the Mekong Delta and central regions and a project to construct 186 suspension bridges in 28 mountainous provinces.

In 2014, over 3.9 trillion VND (183.3 million USD) was allocated to 2,331 disadvantaged communes for infrastructure upgrades and production development, with an additional 327 billion VND provided for resettlement projects targeting nomadic ethnic minority groups.

In particular, 29 provinces have provided housing and farming land to landless ethnic households in extremely poor areas.

Addressing the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed ethnic affairs results in the last year, saying that they significantly contributed to Millennium Development Goal achievements on poverty reduction and the country’s socio-economic targets.

At the same time, he appealed for greater efforts towards further developing mountainous ethnic areas.

In addition to the Party and Government’s policies, he suggested localities enact their own measures to accelerate growth in these areas by paying more attention to ethnic affairs, allocating resources to far-flung areas, and organising activities to attract more investment.

Leadership skill-training course for Hanoi students

A training course commenced on January 14 with the aim of promoting leadership skills among students at a number of universities in Hanoi.

In his opening speech, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Office Nguyen Si Dung said this is a component of the cooperation project between the Vietnamese NA and the UK Embassy in Vietnam, designed to popularise activities of the NA among young people.

The project is also intended to equip young people—potential future NA members—with necessary skills and knowledge in the field.

Cherry Gought, Country Director of the British Council (BC) in Vietnam said BC has launched projects of this kind in 38 countries with the aim of offering opportunities for young people to develop and perfect their own abilities, gain insight into political and social issues, and become more self-confident.

The three-day course will cover teamwork, communication, negotiation, and speaking skills, all of which are expected to significantly contribute to forming their leadership capabilities in the future.

VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND