Decree aims to help human trafficking victims

Foreign people who are victims of human trafficking in Viet Nam will receive support from the State Budget for their basic needs and travelling costs to return to their hometown, according to a new decree.

The victims will also receive medical care free of charge for 60 days under the decree, which provides concrete guidance on the implementation of last year's law on human trafficking prevention.

Additionally, Vietnamese victims belonging to poor and near-poor families will be exempt from vocational training fees if they wish to take vocational courses when they return home.

Prospects for labour export

Vietnam is expected to send 85,000 guest workers abroad in 2013, says Le Van Thanh, deputy head of the Overseas Labour Management Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

Thanh says about 80,000 Vietnamese workers were sent to foreign countries last year, fulfilling 89 percent of the set target. It was understood that the rate of unemployment remained high in many foreign countries in the context of slow global economic recovery.

He is still optimistic about prospects for labour export in 2013, saying that Vietnam’s major labour markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, and the Middle East need more guest workers, including those from Vietnam.

At present, Japan is short of about 500,000 nurses and Germany also in need of medical workers. Other countries namely Finland and Saudi Arabia are keen to employ graduates from medical colleges and universities in Vietnam, Thanh says.

Up to now, nearly 800 Vietnamese guest workers have returned to Libya as the political crisis is now in remission.
Qatar is asking Vietnam to train guest workers for the Qatar construction sector, Thanh adds.

So, he emphasizes the need to increase the quality of guest workers and improve foreign languages for Vietnamese students who wish to work abroad, especially in the fields of health care, engineering, construction and welding.

Thanh says in 2013 the labour export sector will focus on traditional markets such as Russia, the RoK, Taiwan and Malaysia, while seeking new markets.

Vietnam and Russia are negotiating to sign a labour cooperation agreement by the end of this year.

Girl wins wildlife protection award

Nguyen Phuong Anh, 14, of Nguyen Du Secondary School in HCM City won a contest for best ideas to develop computer games for protection of endangered wildlife.

Her entry, titled "Hero of the Forest," requires players to quickly identify and eliminate threats to wildlife.

The contest, "Call of the Forest," received more than 400 entries from secondary-school students in the city.

It was organised by non-profit Wildlife At Risk and Khan Quang Do (Red Scrarf) magazine at the end of last year.

Hospital offers free cancer treatment

Poor cancer patients living in Da Nang and all central provinces will be exempt from charges at Central Da Nang Cancer Hospital.

The hospital's director Trinh Luong Tran announced the hospital's official opening yesterday after three years of constructionin the city's Lien Chieu District.

Built at a cost of VND1.3 trillion (US$61.9 million), the facility offers 200 beds and is expected to increase the number of beds to 500.

Blood Donation Festival due on Sunday

Hanoi will host the fifth blood donation day on January 20 in an effort to support hospitals in saving patients during the upcoming lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

The Red Sunday campaign was announced by organizers, the Central Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion and Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper in Hanoi on January 15.

Hospitals usually lack blood for emergency cases during the Tet holiday due to the increasing number of traffic accidents. The annual campaign shows Vietnamese people’s tradition of mutual assistance and support for patients in dire need of blood for surgery in hospitals.

Le Xuan Son, Tien Phong’s editor-in-chief, said the Red Sunday campaign has received strong response from people of all social strata, especially young people and students.

The campaign has also received enthusiastic support from other localities besides Hanoi, and this year Thai Nguyen University will launch a similar blood donation day to follow suit.

The organizing board hoped to gather between 800 and 1,000 units of blood this Sunday.

Launched four years ago, Red Sunday has attracted tens of thousands of blood donors, collecting more than 2,500 units and presenting thousands of gifts to patients in Hanoi.   

Mineral exploitation needs co-operation

Close co-ordination between authorities and northwestern provinces was needed to manage and exploit mineral resources for the region's socio-economic development, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked.

The region, which was home to many ethnic people, had an important strategic position, Phuc told a conference hosted by the steering committee for the region in Lao Cai Province yesterday.

The committee should set out programmes and targets that directly concern local residents, said Phuc, who is head of the committee.

The Party's policies and the State's laws should be popularised among the people, he said. Advances in science and technology should be applied to help them improve productivity and their lives.

Committee standing deputy head Dinh Van Cuong said the region had enjoyed socio-economic stability and development last year. It had recorded a GDP growth rate of 9.64 per cent and average annual income of VND18.46 million (US$900) – an increase of VND2.45 million from 2011. In addition, more than VND17 trillion ($810 million) had been collected for the region's budget.

The rate of poverty in the region was reduced to 25 per cent, down 3.4 per cent against 2011. Religious activities were basically stable while the State management of the sector being strengthened. Political security and social order was kept stable and national border sovereignty was safeguarded.

This year, the committee would actively co-ordinate with ministries and branches to attract investment to key regional sectors. It would also focus on implementing key projects in the region.

The conference was attended by representatives from 14 northern mountainous provinces. During proceedings, a work co-ordination programme was signed between the steering committee and the Central Committee of Viet Nam Women's Union.

The committee also received VND5 billion ($238,000) donated by Vietnamese banks.

Transport department blacklists contractors

The HCM City Transport Department blacklisted 440 contractors for delaying payment of a VND6.6 trillion (US$316 million) fine for violating city regulations.

The contractors' violations included putting building materials outside construction sites and building without a licence, Nguyen Bat Han, deputy chief of the department, told Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer) newspaper.

Statistics from the department show that 13 contractors have still not paid their fines, which amount to VND100 million ($4,800) each.

These violators include Housing and Urban Development's Cowaelmic Joint Venture Company, Tri Viet Thanh Co Ltd, Hoang Ngan Transporting and Building Co Ltd and Japan's Obayashi Contractor.

The contractors are mainly involved in projects to supply tap water and electricity, upgrade Dong Tay Boulevard and protect the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal basin from environmental damage.

The transport department would reject all requests from the contractors to grant building licences or extend licence deadlines before they finish their payment, Han said.

An additional 19 contractors were ordered to compensate for causing VND550 million ($26,400) in damages to public lights and traffic lights at nearly 20 local roads and intersections during the construction process.

The department has ordered urban transport management boards to pay for repairs. The money would be returned to the boards when the contractors pay for the damage, according to Han.

In December, the department suspended Ben Thanh Water Supply Company from digging roads for underground water pipes because the company damaged the road's surface in a previous project.

Deputy PM calls for more attention to northwest region

Ministries, branches and central agencies should coordinate closely with provinces in the northwestern region to effectively manage and exploit mineral resources for its socio-economic development, says Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The region, which is home to many people of various ethnic groups, has an important strategic position, Phuc told a conference hosted by the Steering Committee for the region on January 14.

The committee should set out programmes and targets that directly concern local residents, stressed Phuc, who is also head of the committee.

The Party’s policies and the State’s laws should be popularised among the people, he said. Advances in science and technology should be applied to help them improve productivity and their lives, he added.

According to standing deputy head of the committee Dinh Van Cuong, the region enjoyed socio-economic stability and development in 2012. It recorded a Gross Domestic Product growth rate of 9.64 percent and average annual income of VND18.46 million (US$900) - an increase of VND2.45 million from 2011.

The poverty rate in the region was reduced to 25 percent, down 3.4 percent against 2011. Religious activities were basically stable while the State management was strengthened. Political security and social order was kept stable and national border sovereignty was safeguarded.

This year, the committee will actively coordinate with ministries and branches to attract investment to key sectors.

VNN/VOV/VNS