Ministry ensures security, order at industrial zones

The Ministry of Public Security has instructed police in southern Binh Duong province to work with other forces in ensuring security and order at industrial zones and safety for foreign workers there.

Deputy Minister Lieut. Gen. To Lam made a fact-finding tour of industrial zones in the province on May 15.

He also directed the force to provide necessary support for businesses to resume production activities.

At the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park , Lam assured the enterprises that security is secured and they can quickly return to their normality.

The same day, the Deputy Minister visited policemen who are performing tasks at industrial parks.

The Police Agency of Binh Duong has arrested more than 800 suspects following disturbances at industrial zones in the locality.

Those people were investigated on charges of causing public disorder, appropriating and destroying assets and taking actions against on-duty officials, according to Major Vo Thanh Duc, Director of the agency.

Following legal proceedings, over 300 of them have now been found guilty of criminal violations that will be strictly punished under the law.

Dong Nai: legal proceedings against disturbance cases

Legal proceedings on May 15 started against three cases involving public disorder and intentional destruction of assets of businesses in Nhon Trach and Trang Bom districts and Bien Hoa city in southern Dong Nai province.

According to Ho Van Nam, head of the provincial People’s Procuracy, the proceedings were also taken for six people on charge of causing public disorder.

The provincial investigation agency has found that these offenders triggered social disorder at Tam Phuoc Industrial Park , Bien Hoa city, in the evening of May 13 and they admitted their violations.

During their investigation, the agency has also found some jobless people taking advantage of industry workers’ parades to protest China ’s illegal placement of a drilling rig in Vietnam ’s waters to incite the participants to destroy assets of businesses located in the locality.

At present, 224 people are being held in custody for further investigations.

Between May 13 and 15, 302 rabble rousers and asset destroyers were arrested.

Due to the disturbances, all Chinese- and Taiwanese-invested companies in the province halted their operations on May 14.

However, according to the provincial chapter of the Labour Federation, many of them resumed their activities on May 15 thanks to the authorities’ prompt publicity of Party and State policies on the territorial sovereignty protection to workers.

Chung Lien Shun, technical director of Taiwanese-invested Tuico Products JSC at the Ho Nai 3 Industrial Zone, expressed his backing for workers’ love for the country and its sea and islands.

However, he said he hopes that they will show their patriotism in a right manner and work together with the executive boards to protect their enterprises as well as their legitimate interests.

Law breakers punished following damaging disturbances

The Police Agency of southern Binh Duong province has arrested more than 800 suspects following disturbances at industrial zones in the locality.

Those people were investigated on charges of causing public disorder, appropriating and destroying assets and taking actions against on-duty officials, according to Major Vo Thanh Duc, Director of the agency.

Following legal proceedings, over 300 of them have now been found guilty of criminal violations that will be strictly punished under the law, he said.

The local authorities and police are doing all they can to protect the safety of foreign workers and assets belonging to foreign businesses, he said, stating that Vietnamese law protects all people regardless of nationality.

The police are intensifying measures to ensure security at industrial zones so that factories can operate normally while the authorities are providing a high level of assistance for businesses working in the province.

Duc said he has sent messages calling on youths and workers to show their patriotism in the right way. Any act that damages property is wrong as it affects workers’ jobs and livelihoods.

Therefore, workers should not follow the words of rabble rousers to create disturbances, because in doing so they will become law breakers, he noted.

The same day, the province instructed agencies and localities to promptly implement measures helping businesses maintain their activities. Many businesses affected by the disturbance have already resumed their operations.

Meanwhile, police in the central province of Ha Tinh have also started legal proceedings against a public disorder case in the Vung Ang Economic Zone, arresting 76 people on charges of causing public disorder, destroying property and stealing assets.

Lieut. Colonel Nguyen Thanh Liem, Deputy Director of the provincial Police Agency, told a May 15 press conference that a group of people enticed the zone’s workers to flood streets with flags and slogans opposing China’s illegal placement of a drilling rig in Vietnam ’s exclusive economic zone. Their parade resulted in a conflict with foreign experts and workers at the Formosa project.

Taking advantage of the situation, some people torched the houses of foreign workers and stole company assets, machinery and other equipment.

The province mobilised 600 police and military officers to disperse the crowds and take foreign workers to safe places, he said.

At present, the local authorities are still deploying forces to ensure security and order at Formosa, while implementing communication campaigns to urge people to exercise restraint and show their patriotism in a right and peaceful manner, he added.

Five children drown in Hieu River

Five children, aged between 6 and 9, drowned yesterday afternoon when they were swimming in the Hieu River in the central Quang Tri Province's Cua Viet Town.

The children, including two girls, were neighbours and were from poor families in the town.

The local authorities have paid VND2 million, or US$98, as compensation to each of the victims' families.

About 6,000 vehicles yet to install mandatory black boxes

Operators of buses, coaches and trucks were ordered to equip their vehicles with black boxes by March 1. But while these boxes are intended to transmit data to monitors at a centre run by the Transport Ministry, about 6,000 vehicles have not yet satisfied this condition.

Deputy head of the ministry's Transport Department Do Cong Thuy told Tien Phong (the Vanguard) Newspaper that about 50,000 vehicles had black boxes. Many of the remaining vehicles had installed substandard products, he explained. The producers of the substandard boxes left their business locations after their business licences were revoked, leaving operators with no way to find them or get compensation.

However, transport firms had to find ways to solve the problem by themselves, he said.

Deputy director of the Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam Nguyen Van Quyen said that the 6,000 vehicles were ordered to connect their boxes to the centre before June 1.

Local transport departments were assigned to urge the transport firms to meet the new deadline, Quyen said. Firms that did not would be suspended from operation or have their business licences revoked.

Chair of Viet Nam Automobile Transportation Association Nguyen Van Thanh suggested the ministry impose sanctions on producers manufacturing substandard black boxes as well as units that issued business licences for the producers.

Vietnam, Russia hold friendship exchange

The Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association and Hanoi University on May 15 co-organised a friendship exchange coinciding with the 60th anniversary of Vietnam’s Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7).

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organisations Vu Thi Hai underscored the great significance of the Dien Bien Phu victory to Vietnamese, contrasting it with the importance of the Great Patriotic War which brought an end to Nazi fascist oppression in Russia.

For her part, Nguyen Thanh Tuan, Director of the Department of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia spokeabout the Russian people and theirhistory and culture.

Ms Hai specifically  talked about China’s stationing of drilling rig Ocean-981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, and a driveto collect 100,000 opinions conveying a message to the world that Vietnamese people love solidarity, peace and wanted to maintain peace in the East Sea.

The programme has so far collected 10,798 signatures after having been launched for only four days.

HFM disease likely to spread in HCM City

The number of hand, foot and mouth (HFM) cases this year are likely to increase significantly compared to last year, according to the Ministry of Health.

The assessment was made by a delegation from the Ministry of Health led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Viet Tien to supervise preventive activities at the Children Hospital No.1 and No.2 and the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases on May 15.

The delegation said that although the number of infectious disease cases in HCM City has increased remarkably, no deaths have been reported so far thanks to effective treatment. At present, the development of diseases is becoming complicated as there is a new viral respiratory disease named Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

The delegation asked HCM City to keep vigilance to cope with the possible pandemic and requested the City's Pasteur Institute to co-ordinate with hospitals to consider possibilities to reduce the age of measles vaccination for children under nine-month.

It is forecast that HFM cases are likely to increase from last year and there is high risk for a possible epidemics in the future.

Deputy Minister Tien emphasized that preventive work should be conducted in parallel with activities to stamp out the epidemics and stressed the importance of proper treatment outlines.

Paris marks 124th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh

The Vietnamese Embassy in France on May 15 held a ceremony to mark the 124th birth anniversary of late President Ho Chi Minh, which falls on May 19.

The function started with participants offering incense to the founder of the modern, united Vietnam at his worship alter in the embassy.

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung and the participants then visited and laid flowers at House No. 9 on Compoint alley, district 17, where Ho Chi Minh lived during his stay in France in the early 20th century.

They also paid floral tribute to the late national leader at his monument at the Museum of Living History in the outskirt city of Montreuil.

Montreuil Governor Patrice Bessac said it is the city’s honour to keep alive these historical remembrances of President Ho Chi Minh. He expressed hope that the sites will help convey the friendship of French people towards Vietnam to future generations.

Meanwhile, former Governor of Montreuil Jean-Pierre Brard stated that President Ho Chi Minh remains a symbol of patriotism, revolutionary spirit and dedication for the people.

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung thanked Montreuil city for preserving remembrances of the Vietnamese leader, expressing hope that the friendship and cooperation between Montreuil and Vietnam will be further enhanced.

Hanoi will host a conference to review 10 years of implementing the Politburo’s resolution 36 on overseas Vietnamese (OVs) affairs on May 20-21.

This information was released by Nguyen Thanh Son, Deputy Foreign Minister and head of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs at a meeting with the media in Hanoi on May 15.

“The best things we have done were the issuance of basic mechanisms and policies benefiting overseas Vietnamese. The media has helped explain the role of the State and people inside the country toward Vietnamese living abroad. The media has also conveyed the aspirations and feelings of overseas Vietnamese around the world, helping the Party and State have the foundation to carry out sound policies." Son said.

The conference will review Party and State guidelines and policies for overseas Vietnamese, revise legal regulations to benefit them, support a united and wealthy Vietnamese community in integrating into the resident countries, and promote their strength in national development.

Ha Noi speeds up application of IT

The capital is mapping out a plan to become a smarter city by applying information technology, said director of the city's Information and Communications Department director Phan Tu Lan.

Under the plan, IT strategies will be applied in the transport, healthcare and education sectors, according to Lan. For example, the healthcare sector will create electronic health records for each patient and better administrative management systems for hospitals.

"The move will make public services more convenient to use," she said.

The Information and Communications Department expects to submit the plan to the municipal People's Committee by the middle of this year. If approved, it will be implemented next year.

Ha Noi ranked second in IT application in 2012, behind the central city of Da Nang, according to a 2013 report by the Ministry of Information and Communications. In 2011, Ha Noi ranked 19th.

According to a report released on May 10, 96 per cent of departments and agencies in the city apply "one-door" software programmes to monitor the progress of administrative procedures.

All municipal departments, agencies and People's Committees at district level link their homepage to the municipal portal (hanoi.gov.vn), which publicises about 2,300 administrative procedures. The city offers 108 online public services.

Since 2010, the city has rated the application of information technology in its departments and agencies annually based on four criteria: IT facilities, IT application in administration and public service delivery, IT in human resources and policies to boost IT application.

Director of the city's Department of Planning and Investment Pham Van Khuong said that IT application in human resources and infrastructure helped promote the application of IT in governance as a whole.

Presbyterian Church holds second congress

The Presbyterian Church of Viet Nam held its second congress in HCM City yesterday to review its activities during the first tenure and plans for the next four years.

Followers and dignitaries of the church have always abided by laws, boosted production and contributed to poverty-reduction work, heard the congress.

Delegates also highlighted the church's contributions to national construction and protection and charitable and humanitarian activities.

Bui Thanh Ha, Deputy Head of the Government's Committee for Religious Affairs, stressed the Party and State always recognised and highly valued the contributions of religious compatriots, including Protestants.

He added that the Government believed the church would continue to maintain its activities based on laws and legal regulations that enhance national construction.

The church now has some 17,000 followers from 22 localities throughout the country.

Forest fires prevention ramped up at national park

The Military Command in the southern province of Dong Thap has deployed nearly 100 soldiers responsible for preventing and fighting forest fires that may occur at the Tram Chim National Park during the dry season.

Accordingly, the force will increase patrols at hotspots prone to wildfires and illegal trespassing.

Measures against forest fires also include building fire belts and raising residents’ awareness of forest protection.

Located in the provincial Tam Nong district, the park boasts rich biodiversity that saw it chosen as the world’s 2,000 th Ramsar site in 2012.

Established in 1985, the 7,313-hectare Tram Chim became a national park in 1998 and the fourth Ramsar site in Vietnam in 2012.

Tram Chim is home to 198 bird species, including 16 rare ones such as red-headed cranes, black-faced spoonbills, black eagles, great-billed herons and spotted-billed pelicans. It is recognised as an important bird sanctuary in Vietnam.

HCM City acts to address riverbank landslides

Houses built along the sides of rivers and canals before June 2004 will be issued use certificates, but those built after that date will be destroyed, deputy chairman of the HCM City People's Committee Nguyen Huu Tin said at a conference on Wednesday.

At the conference, Tin asked local authorities to set up plans for moving nearly 1,300 affected households. Any houses that remain must be 5-10m from the river and canal edge to avoid landslides.

Ly Thanh Long, chief inspector of the municipal Department of Construction, told Nguoi lao dong (Labourer) Newspaper that after the city promulgated Decision 150 regulating the use and management of river and canal banks in June 2004, more than 1,800 people were discovered in violation of the decision, of which more than 500 were punished.

Long said that so many violations occurred because of loose management by local authorities.

Additionally, after Decision 150 was issued, the municipal authorities did not issue detailed regulations on landmarks for the riverbanks, which would determine how punishments were decided.

The city will fund VND10 billion (US$476,000) for relevant bodies to set up the landmarks.

At-risk children get measles vaccinations

Children between the ages of two and 10 in localities with a high risk of measles infections received supplementary vaccinations against the disease yesterday.

According to the Preventive Health Department under the Ministry of Health, the campaign will be carried out in Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Vinh Phuc and Bac Giang in the north, central Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces, HCM City and southern Binh Duong province.

On Wednesday, 35 new measles cases were diagnosed, mostly in the Central Hospital of Pediatrics, Bach Mai Hospital and the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, according to the ministry.

However, no measles-related deaths were reported.

Samples of Dutch Lady-brand fresh milk products tested negative for the contaminants responsible for causing food poisoning in northern Nam Dinh province last month, head of the provincial Department of Food Safety and Hygiene Hoang Tien Cuong told Nhan Dan (People) Online Newspaper.

Around 20 of the nearly 700 pupils at My Tan primary school in My Loc District were rushed to the hospital after drinking the milk products on April 18 during the FrieslandCampina Viet Nam promotion programme.

The test was carried out by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality.

Singapore-supported mobile library visits HCM City

The Singapore International Foundation (SIF) has partnered with Ho Chi Minh City’s General Sciences Library (GSL) to begin a “Words on Wheels” (WOW) mobile library programme in primary and secondary schools in the city.

Accordingly, WOW will visit five schools and three cultural centres in Binh Chanh district four times a month, providing free usage of the library, internet and multimedia facilities.

Beginning on May 15, the three-year project is expected to benefit 3,000 pupils in the city.

As many as 300 Singaporean volunteers are scheduled to participate in courses to teach English language and basic IT skills to municipal pupils.

They also help GSL’s library staff, librarians and teachers in the schools improve their skills in applying IT to library management.

GSL Director Bui Xuan Duc said the project contributes to forging links between the city’s citizens and Singaporean people, as well as developing a culture of public reading in schools and promoting literacy in the city.

The partnership also supports the GSL in developing into the city’s leading information, culture and education centre, Duc added.

IFAD helps the poor in Mekong Delta localities

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on May 15 launched a project to strengthen livelihoods and resilience to climate change of poor people in the Mekong Delta provinces of Ben Tre and Tra Vinh.

The organisation will provide 34 million USD out of the project’s total capital of 49.3 million USD for the two localities.

The project, which targets poor communities, particularly ethnic minority and female-headed households, will be implemented in 30 communes in each province from now until 2020.

It will work to develop climate-resilient agricultural systems, salinity-tolerant fish varieties and off-farm livelihood opportunities.

The project will also promote climate-sensitive planning to rationalise budgetary allocations and provide financing for upgrading infrastructure.

The Mekong Delta region, Vietnam’s rice granary, is among the three large deltas in the world worst threatened by climate change.

Since 1979, IFAD has invested over 280 million USD in 12 programmes and projects in Vietnam, benefiting more than 507,900 households.-

VFF leadership convenes ahead of eighth tenure

The presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee (VFFCC) convened the 14th conference in the 7th tenure in Hanoi on May 15 in preparation for a major forthcoming congress.

The VFF, an umbrella for social-political organisations, is tasked with building national unity, protecting people's legitimate interests and fostering friendship and cooperation between Vietnamese people and those around the world.

VFFCC President Nguyen Thien Nhan said that during the function, the presidium will discuss the committee’s structure for its eighth tenure (2014 - 2019) and draft amendments to VFF regulations.

Reports at the session show that 95 percent of VFF’s chapters at district level have held congresses and 12 meetings at provincial level will be organised this May.

Nhan said in the coming time, the VFF will renovate its operations by promoting the role and contribution of its member organisations to better ensure the legitimate rights and interests of the Vietnamese people.

Steel ship building project enjoys strong results

The first steel fishing vessels built under a Government pilot project have helped fishermen enjoy bumper catches by staying longer in Vietnam’s offshore fishing grounds.

The Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (SBIC) was tasked with building steel vessels to replace tens of thousands of wooden boats nationwide, promoting offshore catch quality and the safety of fishermen.

Vu Ngoc Binh from the SBIC’s Song Dao Shipbuilding Joint Stock Company said that two of the first six steel vessels were handed to fishermen in Hai Hau district, the northern coastal province of Nam Dinh.

They measure around 25m in length and can cruise 10 nautical miles per hour.

Their holds are standardised to preserve catches longer and minimise fuel consumed, thus extending fishing trips, he said.

Each of them is equipped sufficiently for an eight-member crew to stay on board for 20 days, Binh noted, adding that fishermen can buy the ships on hire purchase under concessional terms.

Fisherman Pham Xuan Kinh, who works on one of the two steel vessels, said that his ship was bought for 5 billion VND (over 238,000 USD) at an interest rate of 0 percent.

Despite being costlier than wooden vessels, the steel one is able to operate for 30 years, three times as long, and withstand harsher weather conditions, thus helping prolong fishing trips and halving expenses, he said.

After each 10-day trip on the new vessel, his crew caught more than 1.2 tonnes of mackerel and tuna, generating some 200 million VND (9,500 USD) in revenue.

He added every trip costs 37.5 million VND (nearly 1,800 USD) while it takes up to 50 million VND (2,400 USD) for a trip by wooden vessels.

Kinh said he hopes the Government will expand the project so that fishermen like him can work in offshore waters longer and more safely, bringing about higher economic values and also affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty in the sea.

Statistics show that some 24,500 wooden fishing vessels need to be replaced with steel ones across the country.-