Public urged to avoid using fuel additives

The Department for Goods Quality Management has warned consumers to avoid using fuel additives which were advertised to help save fuel.

Although the chemicals are available on the market, they have not been tested for quality and safety according to fuel additive regulations issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Advertisements claim the chemicals, allegedly imported from the US, help improve fuel economy by 15-30 per cent when poured into vehicle fuel tanks.

Several recent reports indicate the tanks can catch fire when the chemicals are in use.

Daring thieves made off with truckload of scooters

The remaining motorbikes at the shop after the thieves took away 11 deluxe scooters. (Photo: VNE)

600,000 rural labourers to receive training this year

As many as 600,000 rural labourers are targeted to receive vocational training courses this year following an order from Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.

This is a part of a vocational training programme for rural workers approved by the Government for the 2010-20 period.

It aims to create a trained workforce in rural areas to meet the requirements of modern agricultural production.

The Deputy PM assigned the ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development and Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to issue documents and help localities achieve the target.

Nine localities that have not finished their human resources development plans have been given a deadline of March to complete them.

Effective vocational training models that have been piloted effectively are being encouraged, as well as new models such as cultivating straw mushrooms and dragon fruit, and agricultural mechanics.

It is estimated that around 800,000 rural labourers nationwide have completed vocational training courses since the programme started.

Cops assaulted in 3 provinces; 17 people seized

Four police officers were injured and 17 aggressive young men were detained for acting against law enforcement officers in Thanh Hoa, Tien Giang and Dak Nong provinces.

The Thanh Hoa police have arrested six of the seven young men who assaulted a police team, causing injuries to three of them, of whom one was in critical condition.

When the team was on patrolling duties in Ngu Loc Commune, Hau Loc District, at 10 pm Sunday, they were suddenly attacked with sticks and stones by a group of young men who came from neighboring Da Loc Commune, said Le Thanh Tuan, head of the Ngu Loc police.

Huynh Huy Toan, 52, who suffered the most from the assault, was taken to the district hospital for treatment but later was transferred to Hop Luc General Hospital in Thanh Hoa City due to his serious condition.

He suffered multiple injuries in the head, jaw-bone and the orbit, and had many other wounds in the face, doctors said.

Two other officers with less dangerous wounds were treated at Ngu Loc Commune clinic.

Yesterday the police in My Tho City, Tien Giang Province, detained two brothers Trinh Van Hung, 36, and Trinh Van Dung Em, 26 for acting against law enforcement officers on duty, said Senior Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Kiem, deputy head of the city police.

On Saturday night, a traffic police team caught Hung riding a motorbike dangerously in Ward 10 and stopped him. Hung not only refused to sign the report made by the team about his traffic violation but also hurled insults at the police officers.

Sublieutenant Nguyen Anh Viet escorted Hung to the police office, where Hung continued to insult the police officers on duty.

A moment later, Dung Em came and struck Viet with a bottle of soft drink. Hung also took part in the assault until both of them were subdued by other policemen.

In Dak Nong Province, the police in Gia Nghia Town last Friday arrested nine people who caused social disturbance and resisted police officers on duty.

The incidence involved a group of young men of Gia Nghia town led by Do Ba Minh, 22, and Nguyen Thanh Vien, 21, who got into a fight with another group led by Nguyen Dang Quoc, from Dak R’Moan Commune, over a gambling conflict.

They used knives, cleavers and stones to attack each other, causing mayhem and chaos in the commune.

When the police arrived, Minh and Vien attacked them, injuring deputy head of the commune police Do Trung Tien and another officer, Tran Ngoc Duc.

Stranded Russian tourists receive help to return home

Authorities in central coastal Binh Thuan Province are co-operating with the Russian Consul General in HCM City to help more than 300 Russian tourists return home by next Wednesday.

The Russian visitors were left stranded in Viet Nam after the bankruptcy of Lanta Tour Voyage, one of Russia's biggest travel companies.

The company announced its bankruptcy on January 27, leaving more than 3,500 Russian tourists stranded in foreign countries around the world.

Chairman of Binh Thuan Province's Tourism Association Nguyen Van Khoa said about 100 Russian tourists, who stayed at local resorts such as the Bamboo Village, Hoang Ngoc and Hai Au, were stilled stranded in the provincial capital of Phan Thiet City.

Other Russian tourists left for HCM City, where they will get help to return to Russia.

Khoa said Konstantin Prihodko, director of Lanta Tour Voyage's branch in Viet Nam, would be in HCM City today to deal with the matter.

Previously, the association had asked the police to not allow Konstantin to leave Viet Nam until the issue is resolved, Khoa said.

According to Khoa, a Russian insurance company will take responsibility to pay for the debt of nearly VND10 billion (US$480,000) to Vietnamese resorts where the tourists stayed.

In a related move, officials from the Russian Consul General and the provincial Culture, Sports and Tourism Department visited local resorts on Monday afternoon to meet the stranded tourists.

The Russian Investigative Committee (SK) yesterday prosecuted Lanta Tour Voyage's management board for embezzling money and property.

A representative from the committee said authorities would investigate the case carefully and enforce all necessary measures to compensate the tourists.

Chinese face gold fraud charges

Zhong Tielin and Yang Faqing, who were caught allegedly trying to sell fake gold objects, have been arrested by officers from the Ha Noi Investigation Police Agency.

It was reported that Zhong initially contacted Do Thai Han, the head of a law office in Ha Noi's Cau Giay District, via the internet with the aim of smuggling the antiques abroad.

Zhong said he had acquired the antiques while working on a construction site in Viet Nam.

Zhong and Yang were arrested while trying to sell Hn a Mitreya Buddha statue and 10 gold ingots.

Yang gave a small piece of one of the ingots to Hn for testing. Unbeknown to Hn however, the sample he had been given had not been taken from the gold ingots he'd been shown.

Zhong and Yang said they would sell three Mitreya Buddha statues and 38 gold ingots for 80,000 yuan (US$12,600).

The statues and ingots were later found to consist of bronze, zinc and aluminium.

Man found hanging dead at creditor’s house

Police in Hanoi have detained three people involved in the death of a 52-year-old man who had been found hanging dead at a house in Hanoi where his creditor had detained him over debt.

The dead man is Do Manh Hoan, of Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan District, and the arrested are 36-year-old Truong Kim Nhung and Vu Minh Tri, 36, Nhung’s husband – both live at 98 Thai Ha, Trung Liet Ward, Dong Da District – and Nguyen Hoang Viet, 35, of Thanh Xuan District.

The detainees have been charged with “illegally capturing people and causing serious consequences,” Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy head of Dong Da District Police, told Tien Phong Newspaper yesterday, Jan 31.

At 9 am on January 17, Nhung found Hoan hanging dead at her house and reported his death to police, who came and examined the scene.

Hoang had suffered many injuries to his head, eyes and elbows before death, police said.

Nhung told the police that Hoan borrowed VND460 million (US$21,900) from her and another lender, 38-year-old Ngo Tien Dung, in 2010 at an interest rate of VND10,000 per million per day.

After paying interest fully for a period, Hoan failed to continue his payments due to business losses. As a result, Nhung had Viet and some other people go to Hoan’s house to urge him to pay his debt.

On November 1, 2010, Nhung and her group forced Hoan to make a promissory note for VND1.5 billion ($71,500), including the principal and accrued interest, with the deadline for payment being one month later.

When the deadline was over, Hoan avoided meeting Nhung’s group, but in May 2011, Nhung and Tri found Hoan and took him to the couple’s house, where Tri and Viet forced him to sell his house in Thanh Xuan Bac District to repay the debt.

The house was later sold for VND1.72 billion from which Nhung’s group took VND460 million as principal and an additional amount for interest and expenses incurred while searching for the hiding Hoan. She then used the entire remaining amount to pay her husband’s debt, instead of returning it to Hoan.

In December 2011, Nhung, Tri and others came to Hoan’s house and took him to Nhung’s, where they brutalized Hoan and forced him to pay them the remaining debt of VND1.1 billion.

Hoan had been held there until he was found hanging dead.

The police are continuing their investigation.

HCMC, Binh Duong launch attractive recruitment plans

In an effort to recruit workers needed for their business plans this year, many companies in industrial parks and export processing zones in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong Province have adopted new employment plans.

The total income they offer ranges from VND4 to 7 million (US$190-333) per month, an increase of VND1-2 million compared to last year’s rate, which labor experts considered a good signal on the employment market this year.

This brings good news for job seekers and with it a message that businesses have begun to pay more care and attention to their workers, experts said.

At the Linh Trung 1 Export Processing Zone, the Kollan & Hugo Knit is recruiting a large number of workers, both skilled and unkilled, and offer to give each new employee a cash gift of VND200,000-400,000, depending on their jobs.

The total income of a new unskilled worker will be more than VND4 million, including basic salary, allowances and overtime payment, while that of a skilled one will be about VND7 million, the company said.

Another company in the zone, Freetrend, also attracted workers by offering a total income of VND4.2-4.7 million per month. In addition, each worker will be given a lunch meal, an allowance for dinner, a 13-month salary, bonus based on productivity, and training courses.

Lucky draw

Tran Thi Hong Van, chairwoman of the trade union at Nissei Electric Vietnam said the company needed to take in about 1,000 workers to offset the reduction in its workforce in the past few months.

New workers will be paid VND4.1-6.6 million per month and will have a total of 86 days off per year. They will be accommodated in dormitories equipped with washing machines, water heaters and even karaoke systems, Van said.

To attract application, the company will pay 100 percent travel fee along with VND500,000 for each job seeker, she said.

Particularly, on February 9, the company will conduct a lucky draw and the winner of the draw and his or her two relatives will enjoy a 4-day domestic tour at the company’s expense, she added.

Gold bonus

Sports shoe marker Dong Hung, in the Song Than Industrial Park in Binh Duong Province, is recruiting 1,000 workers at VND4.2-4.5 million per month and will present one tenth of a tael (1.2 ounces) of gold to those who have worked for the company for 5 consecutive years.

Many other businesses in the park, like garment producer My Dung Garment and backpack and handbag marker Pungkook Saigon 2, have also launched attractive recruitment plans.

The former says it will pay VND4 million for unskilled workers and the latter says it will train its workers and grant them certificates of skills.

Located in the Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone, Pungkook Saigon is offering jobs at more than VND4 million per month while Swenco Vietnam and Nidec Copal Vietnam say they will pay VND3.3-5.8 million and VND5-6.5 million per month for their new workers, respectively.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre