Two officials investigated for bribery
 
View more pictures The Supreme’s People Procuracy requested the prosecutor’s office in Long An Province to clarify corruption allegations against two local officials and punish them strictly if they are found guilty.

Nguyen Duc Thuong, head of the department for supervision of social disorder in the provincial prosecutor’s office, was found taking VND10 million (US$480) from Le Van Pho, a local real estate broker in exchange for Thuong’s help in a criminal case involving Pham Thi Be, whose sentence was commuted to 2 years in July for running a brothel.

Pho had asked Luong Hoang Viet, a motorbike taxi driver, to transfer the money to Thuong’s account on June 3, 45 days before Be’s appeal trial was held, police said.

Thuong told the police that the money was not a bribe but Viet’s monetary contribution to Thuong father’s funeral, which is a common custom in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the Long An police said Pho, who was seized on September 27, had received a total of VND480 million (US$23,000) from Be’s husband, Dang Ngoc Nguyen, in return for his help in securing a lighter sentence for Be.

Pho had told Nguyen that he had many connections with law officials and could help Be be released on bail and get a lesser sentence.

The police said they are expanding their investigation into the case to clarify Pho’s acts.

Meanwhile, Vo Hoang Nguyen, acting head of the Can Giuoc District Procuracy, has been placed under investigation after he was accused of taking a bribe while still head of the Ben Luc District prosecutor’s office.

The provincial investigators said they had received an anonymous accusation letter against Nguyen but have yet to reveal how much the bribe was and for what purpose.

Nguyen was transferred to the current post after his predecessor, Nguyen Kim Doan, was removed from his post for violating the moral code for Party members by attending a bash on a ferry on the Vam Co River August 20 with five women, including Dang Thi Kim Phuong, 20, who died after falling into the river.

Theft, robbery besiege students, workers in Thu Duc

Female students and workers who rented rooms in boarding houses near the Ho Chi Minh City National University village told Tuoi Tre that their life has constantly been overshadowed by the threat of thefts and robberies, both during daytime and nighttime.

Since the new school year started last month, many houses rented out to students in HCMC’s Thu Duc District and its neighboring Di An Town in Binh Duong Province, have become targets of thieves and robbers. They have stolen the students’ motorbikes, mobile phones, laptops and other assets, many students said, adding that most of the victims are female.

“When I got up in the morning several days ago, I found the door of my room was forced open. Looking round the room, I found my laptop disappeared. I rushed to the cabinet, pulled out a drawer and could not find my wallet,” Le Thi Hang, a second year student at HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said.

On the afternoon of September 10, two men on a motorbike snatched a cell phone off Lai Thi Tinh, a first-year student of the same university, when she stopped her bicycle to answer a phone call on a road near the University of Public Security.

A few days ago, two cameras and two laptops worth VND50 million (US$2,400) in total were stolen in the boarding house at 505/17 Hiep Binh Phuoc Ward, Thu Duc District, where a group of several female students were staying.

Nguyen Thi Toan, a worker at the Linh Trung Export Processing Zone, said she was very worried even while at work, since the little personal belongings she had at her rented room in Thu Duc could be stolen at any time.

“Last month my mobile phone was stolen when I stayed in a rented house in Thu Duc’s Linh Trung Ward, near the Agriculture and Forestry University. I decided to move to Linh Xuan Ward and again quickly lost a bicycle to theft,” said Nguyen Thi Dung, also a worker in the zone.

Some workers said they were robbed of their motorbikes while riding on the streets.

A worker at the Poong In Vina Co Ltd in Di An Town said, “When I stopped on a roadside to talk on the phone, two man rushed towards me on a motorbike. One of them kicked me down on the ground and in just a split second the other one sped away on my vehicle.”

Talking with Tuoi Tre about the alarming situation, Truong Van Thong, chairman of the Thu Duc District People’s Committee, said he had urged local police to intensify security patrol in many wards, especially those bordering Binh Duong where many criminal gangs often operate.

Recently, the police have cracked down on many gangs and seized a number of criminals. However, the situation still remained worrisome, Thong said.

He also said the authorities had worked with self-organized security teams at dormitories and boarding houses, asking them to boost patrolling activities.

HCMC had the lowest birth rate nationwide

The average birth rate in Ho Chi Minh City was at 1.45 in 2010, lowest in the country, according to the General Office for Population and Family Planning.

The Southeast region and Mekong Delta are two areas with the lowest birth rates in Vietnam, according to Duong Quoc Trong, director at the office at an international press conference last Thursday on the unequal sex ratio at birth.

According to the statistics, the birth rate last year in Long An was 1.6, in Bac Lieu and Ca Mau it was 1.75 while it was 2.1 in capital Hanoi. Meanwhile, in poor highland areas like Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Ha Giang and Gia Lai, each woman averagely had three children.

‘Young lady in old body’ hospitalized

26-year-old Nguyen Thi Phuong, who turned into an old woman virtually overnight possibly due to mastocytosis, was admitted to Ho Chi Minh City University medical center this afternoon for treatment.

Her strange disease has grabbed newspaper headlines around the country during recent time.

The medical center’s officials told Tuoi Tre that they will hold a consultation on October 10 to give final verdict on her disease before doctors can reach a final decision about an appropriate treatment method to help Phuong get back her face.

Doctor Hoang Van Minh, head of dermatology, has been assigned to take care of Phuong’s case by the hospital boards of directors.

Previously, he came to her house in Ben Tre province and did a test on her skin.

Based on the skin test results, Dr. Minh believed Phuong suffered from mastocytosis, a disorder caused by the presence of too many mast cells, leading to a number of symptoms like skin lesions, diarrhea, abdominal discomforts and other infections.

He said the surgery has 50-70 percent likelihood of success.

Phuong’s travails began in 2008 when she developed an allergic reaction to eating seafood. When Western medicines did not work, she switched to Chinese traditional medicine. But soon her body began to swell and cracks appear on her hands, legs, underarms, and groin.

As the condition worsened, her skin started to turn wrinkled and saggy, making the 23-year-old look like an old woman.

Vinh Long TV gets flak for charity to wealthy girl

Following the public outcry against the inclusion of a girl from a wealthy family as a beneficiary in its “Trai Tim Nhan Ai” (Benevolent Heart) charity program, a Vinh Long Television official has said the staff involved will be disciplined.

Phan Thanh Xuan, the station deputy director, said K.N., the daughter of Phan Van Lap of Cai Cung hamlet – in Dong Hai District in neighboring Bac Lieu Province -- had been listed as a child heart patient from a poor family by the local Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

After getting the list, the crew making the charity program had visited Lap’s house but failed to get in touch with local authorities, he said.

The reporters should have involved the local authorities for making such a program, he said.

N. had also been chosen because she was a good student and lived in a remote area, he said.

Besides, the Bac Lieu Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients would also give VND46 million for her heart surgery, he said.

The province Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has not said why N is in the list of poor patients though her parents are wealthy.

The controversy was sparked off when Vinh Long Television showed on August 28 what was ostensibly Lap’s tattered thatched house, and him and his wife toiling to earn money.

But local authorities and residents know Lap as the owner of a lathe workshop and a shrimp farm that would soon bring hundreds of millions of dong in profits.

When Nguyen Thi Ngot, Lap’s wife, had learnt that the TV crew was about to visit her house to shoot for the program, she had removed all her jewelry and moved into the thatched house, actually the family’s kitchen, locals told VTC News.

Because of the public anger at the couple’s tricks, Nguyen Trung Thanh, head of Cai Cung hamlet, visited them several days ago.

Thanh asked her about Lap’s lathe workshop and she replied it was no longer open. But Thanh went to the back of the big house and found the factory was indeed operating.

Meanwhile, Xuan said that the TV station had verified all the properties allegedly owned by Lap and found out none of it was in Lap’s name.

1 killed, dozens injured as car hits 12 motorbikes

One was killed and 14 injured in a fatal traffic accident this afternoon as a four-seat car crashed into 12 motorbikes from behind at a red light in district 10 in Ho Chi Minh City.

There were no full reports of the human casualties while the victims still remain unidentified.

The accident occurred at the busy intersection between Ly Thai To and Su Van Hanh street at 4:25pm, burning down 1 motorbike and causing serious damage to 11 others.

The hit-and-run driver has been identified as Tran Anh Huy, 42, hailing from district 7.

The accident came after Huy, who was a doctor at Nhi Dong 1 hospital in district 10, drove the car towards Ly Thai To roundabout on his way back home.

All victims have been rushed to hospital 115  nearby for emergency treatment.

Four people, who sustained minor injuries, have been discharged from the hospital while 10 others suffering from moderate to serious injuries are still being treated, the doctors said.

After causing the accident, the car driver sped away but he was arrested and handed over to police by local residents.

Eyewitnesses said the car's brake problems probably had led to the crash, which also caused a traffic congestion for hours as huge crowds of curiosity-seekers flocked to the scene.

The mishap aslo left the car badly damaged.

22-year-old Thai Thi Thuy Kieu, who survived the horrible accident, told Nguoi Lao Dong: “When I was waiting for the green light at the crossroad, I heard an awful noise and the car from behind hit me and pushed my bike (with me on it) to the sidewalk. I turned back and saw lots of people including my friend lying on the road with many injuries.”

Duong Thi Thanh Thao, 38, another victim, told the newspaper: “I just picked up my two children from school. When I stopped at the red light, the crazy car crashed into my bike and dragged it over a distance. I heard many shouting and screaming”

Vietnam customs bans sex toys

Sex toys will be banned from entering Vietnam, said the General Department of Vietnam Customs last Thursday.

If a visitor carries sex toys into Vietnam, he or she will have to deposit these items at the border gate and will receive them upon leaving the country.

Within 180 days, if a visitor sends a document asking to renounce these items or the deposit period has expired, the toys will be discarded.

Previously, Ho Chi Minh City’s Customs received several sex toys as luggage or gift but did not how to handle them since there wasn’t any law regarding these items.

5 Chinese to be deported for marriage brokering

Vietnam is set to deport five Chinese nationals in connection with illegally brokering marriages in Can Tho.

Chen Jin Rong, 34, Liu Bin, 43, Chen Lian Ying, 42, Li Deng Ji, 39, and Shen Ya Qi, 28, had been served expulsion orders Tuesday and banned from entering Vietnam for three years, the local police quoted the Immigration Department as saying.

Chen Jin Rong and Liu were earlier fined VND10 million (US$480) each.

On September 2, following a tip-off from the public, the police raided a room at the Tan Phuoc 5 Hotel and caught Liu arranging marriages with Vietnamese women for Li and Shen. Chen Lian Ying, the only woman among the five, acted as the interpreter.

Bin told the police he would get 45,000-50,000 yuan ($7,000-7,800).

In March Liu had arranged a marriage for Chen Jin Rong with 25-year-old Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang of Can Tho. She had gone to China with her husband but when they had returned to Ho Chi Minh City in July for a wedding, she had managed to escape, the police said.

She had told the police then that she had been coerced into the marriage.

She then received a message from a woman named Hien, Liu’s interpreter, demanding a “compensation” of VND100 million (US$4,800) if she did not agree to return to China with Chen Jin Rong.

Seminar shares experiences in discrimination against HIV children

A seminar was held in HCM City on October 7 by Ho Chi Minh City’s Education and Training Department in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to share experiences in discriminatory treatment against children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

HCM City now has roughly 65,000 children with HIV/AIDS. Since 2003, the City has launched a wide range of support activities and set up 12 programs to provide care for affected children.

Under these programs, as many as 5,000 affected children have been directly taken into care; of which 720 have been treated with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.

However, the City is still confronted with numerous difficulties in the protection, care and education of children with HIV/AIDS due to the growing number of people infected, limited access to medical services, and discrimination against children with HIV/AIDS.

At the seminar, delegates exchanged experiences in discriminatory treatment against children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, with the aim of creating a social unanimity on ensuring children’s educational rights and needs.

41st UPU letter writing contest gets underway

A ceremony was held in Hanoi on October 7 to mark the 137th World Post Day and to launch the 41st Universal Postal Union (UPU) International Letter Writing Contest.

With the theme, “Write a letter to an athlete or sports figure you admire to explain what the Olympic Games mean to you”, the contest offers an opportunity for Vietnamese students to express their thoughts about not only a global sports event but also other issues of common concerns of the country and the world.

The annual contest for children up to 15 years old, hosted by the UPU, aims to develop children’s creative writing skills and help to strengthen friendship amongst nations, whilst giving young people an understanding of the postal sector’s role in social development.

The contest has been held in Vietnam 22 times since 1987.

Severe cold spells expected this winter

Experts from the Hydrometeorology Forecasting Centre have said that severe cold spells will not drag out as they did in the 2010-2011 winter-spring season but will instead focus on the northern region in January and February, 2012.

The temperature registered in the first half of the 2011-2012 winter-spring crops in the north and north-central regions is slightly higher than the average levels recorded in previous years.

The first heavy cold spell, with an average temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, is predicted to hit northern provinces on December 26.

From now until the end of this year, storms and tropical depressions are likely to appear in the East sea and directly affect Vietnam.

City congress fosters Vietnam-Russia friendship

Ho Chi Minh City’s Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association organized its congress for the 2011-2016 term on October 7.

At the event, a new executive board including 29 members was elected and Hoang Huu Nghia was re-elected to act as President of the association.

Speaking at the congress, Russian Consul General to HCM City Anatoli Borovik said solidarity and friendship have great impact on the common development of peoples all over the world, and especially between Vietnam and Russia.

Since its establishment, the diplomat said association has contributed to developing the traditional friendship on both sides. He noted that he is ready to assist the organization in order to preserve and develop bilateral friendship.

Established in 1995, the association regularly organizes friendship activities on the occasions of important historical events of Russia.

It has received many Russian delegations, as well as sending Vietnamese counterparts to participate in cultural exchanges in Russia.

The Friendship Association has also engaged in charity activities, such as raising funds to support people in Saint Petersburg city when they met economic difficulties and sponsoring victims in an earthquake-affected area in the Republic of Armenia.