Nail scatterer gets 18 months in jail

A Binh Duong Province court yesterday sentenced a motorbike repairman to 18 months in jail for scattering sharp metal objects on streets to cause flat tires which he then replaced at exorbitant cost.
Nguyen The Cong, 31, was guilty of deliberately causing damage to others’ assets, the Thu Dau Mot town People’s Court said.
In its verdict, it called his act “immoral” since he had made money in a way that endangered the safety, even lives, of drivers of vehicles.
Cong had pleaded guilty to his crime.
He claimed that if he had worked as a worker at a factory, he would not have earned enough to make a living.
He set up a motorbike repair shop in Thuan An town last January.

On February 7 local police arrested him after catching him red-handed scattering nails on National Highway 13.
They also seized nails and other sharp metal objects from him.

Taxi runs into coverless sewer hole, driver safe

The driver of a four-seat taxi has narrowly escaped death after his car ran into a coverless waterless sewer hole in Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Binh District on Thursday.

The sewage pit with no cap, measured 2 meters in depth and 4 meters in width, locates on the pavement of Hong Ha Street without any barriers or warning.

So, about 4:30pm, the taxi suddenly slipped into it when the driver intended to drive onto the pavement to park his car after making a turn to the street.

Local people said the hole had previously "swallowed" many vehicles and pedestrians.

Although they have informed the local authorities several times about the danger of the pit, the situation there remains unresolved.

Highland region's growth sound

The Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) region is set to maintain its rate of economic growth while promoting restructuring and the improvement of living standards, Politburo member Le Hong Anh told participants at a conference yesterday, July 14.

The conference was organised by Central Highland authorities in Buon Ma Thuot City in order to evaluate achievements reached during the first half of the year while setting targets for the remainder.

Anh called for more efficient implementation of Government policies related to poverty alleviation for poor ethnic minority households while also urging better management and protection of forests and natural resources.

Provincial authorities are expected to efficiently monitor agricultural production among the local ethnic residents of remote areas in order to deal with the possible lack of agricultural land.

Viet Nam Electricity, in cooperation with provincial people's committees, have been tasked with resettling people in areas earmarked for hydroelectrical projects.

The number of party members is set to increase throughout the region coupled with an improvement in local party activities.

Issues related to land, employment and the improvement of living standard are in urgent need of addressing, Anh emphasised.

The region's economy has been reported to have experienced stable development with GDP growth reaching more than 12 per cent during the first half of this year in terms of both agricultural and industrial production.

Export turnover managed to reach US$907 million, an increase of more than 55 per cent in comparison with last year.

State budget contribution increased by 48.3 per cent, hitting nearly 60 per cent of 2011 targets.

The region has been able to attract many State funded projects aimed at developing infrastructure in remote, ethnic minority areas.

Local residents have encouraged agricultural extension via the application of economically efficient models of cultivation and animal raising, appropriate to regional topography and customs.

Toyota calls whistle-blowing engineer for talks

Suspended Toyota Vietnam engineer Le Van Tach told Tuoi Tre that he has been invited by the Japanese firm’s top brass for a dialogue yesterday, July 14.

Toyota suspended him for three months from June 13 after he blew the whistle on technical faults in vehicles, leading to the biggest recall in Vietnamese history earlier this year.

The company, however, denies the suspension is connected with this and claimed it was due to Tach’s wrongful accusations and bad influence in the company.

Tach said he would go along with his lawyer.

The Engine Corporation and Agricultural Machinery labor union – Toyota Vietnam’s labor union -- has asked Toyota to thoroughly examine the circumstances related to the suspension.

High-risk health workers to get extra job allowances

Civil servants and State health staff working in high-risk fields of medical care will receive improved job allowances from August 19 in a bid by the Government to boost staff numbers.

According to a prime ministerial decree issued last week, health staff who work in the fields of HIV/AIDS, leprosy, tuberculosis, mental illness, forensic examination and pathology, emergency aid, intensive care, border quarantine and food safety will get a wage rise equivalent to up to 70 per cent of their current salary.

"The decree is expected to encourage more people to become health workers in difficult and high-risk areas," said Tran Duc Long, director of the Ministry of Health's Legal Department.

According to the current regulation, most health workers receive an additional allowance equal to 20 per cent of their wage.

The money for the extra allowance will come from the State budget.

Doctors save life of boy bitten by snake

Doctors at Bach Mai Hospital have saved a 12-year-old boy from a Bungarus snake bite, reported Associate Professor Nguyen Tien Dung, head of Paediatrics Department, on Wednesday.

The boy had difficulty breathing and was admitted to the hospital's Poison Control Centre.

After 11 days of treatment, the patient is now out of danger and no longer needs a breathing machine.

Man hunted down on Hanoi street, gang-murdered

Three unidentified motorcyclists chased after one man through on Xa Dan Street of Ha Noi’s Dong Da district and murdered him in cold blood with multiple stabs four days ago.

The deceased were identified as Nguyen Quoc Binh, 29, hailing from Truong Thi ward, Nam Dinh Province.

While Binh was walking on Xa Dan Street in ward 3, the motorcyclists caught up with him. They beat and stabbed him multiple times with a knife, eyewitness said.

Binh sustained many serious wounds on his head, legs and arms. He was taken immediately to St-Paul Hospital but died later at noon the next day.

Police are investigating and hunting down the culprits.

Over VND949 billion donated for the disadvantaged

The Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) mobilized more than VND949 billion (US$46 million) through a number of movements in the first half of 2011.

The figure was released at the 9^th Conference of the VRC Central Committee, which opened in Hanoi on July 13.

In the six-month period, the “Tet (Lunar New Year) festival for the poor and AO victims” movement raised more than VND242 billion for 971,676 poor households and AO victims. The money has been used to build and upgrade 682 houses for households facing serious difficulties.

The VRC mobilized more than VND161 billion for Japanese people to help them overcome earthquake and tsunami consequences.

Additionally, its “Cow Bank” project provided nearly 5,400 cows for 21,500 people in 180 poor communes in 24 provinces nationwide.

After three years of implementation, the campaign entitled “each organisation, each individual accepts one humanitarian address” has collected over VND1.1 trillion for more than 1 million people with special difficulties.

At the conference, Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan presented the first-class Independence Order to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Trong Nhan, who was former Health Minister and former VRC President for his outstanding contributions to the development of the VRC.

Religious activities ‘stable', comply with law

Religious activities in the first six months of this year were stable and complied with the law, reported the Government Committee for Religious Affairs here yesterday.

At a meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs and leaders of religious committees from eight provinces in the south-east area, the committee said that, in general, religious activities attracted many followers under favourable conditions created by all levels of Government. The committee also reported that religious organisations had opened training courses for dignitaries and followers. They had also promoted, transferred and appointed dignitaries and officials and focused on building, repairing and upgrading training facilities, places of worship.

The organisations had participated in charitable activities and the patriotic movement while expanding international relations through religious training and international activities.

For the rest of the year, State management of religion will be strengthened according to law. The fight will also continue against the misuse of religion and undermining national unity.

Opportunities will also be created for religious organisations to participate in international diplomatic activities and to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha (1981-2011).

Ho Chi Minh City Preschools close due to epidemic

With the hand, foot and mouth disease spreading among children, many pre-schools in Ho Chi Minh City have closed fearing for the safety of their students.
Vang Anh preschool in District 8 closed on Wednesday after putting up a notice on its gate saying, “The hand, foot and mouth pandemic is spreading rapidly and dangerously. We kindly request all parents … to keep your children at home.”

A spokesperson said: “The school has strengthened safety measures against the hand foot and mouth disease in the past few months. However, one student was recently confirmed to have the disease when he returned to school after a week following an illness that his parents thought to be sore throat.

“We later had the local health authorities examine all other students.”
Several other preschools in District 8 and others have also shut down, causing inconvenience to many working parents.
Some remain open but have informed parents not to send their children to school if they have fever or rashes on their hands, legs, mouths, knees, or buttocks.
Trieu Tuan, head of the District 8 Education and Training Department, said some 10 children had contracted the disease in the last month, one of them fatally.

From now until August 20, about 30 state-owned preschools in the district will have to be closed due to the spread of disease, he said.

The Ministry of Education and Training had ordered educational agencies to take necessary measures to contain and prevent the disease, he said.
It said when two students in a class contract the disease, the class had to be closed for 10 days.
Meanwhile, HCMC’s Pediatrics 1 Hospital received 70-100 children with the disease every day, many in critical condition, Dr Truong Huu Khanh, head of the infectious diseases department, said.
From 160 to 200 kids were admitted as inpatients at any given time, he said.
At the Pediatrics 2 Hospital, 180 children were being treated yesterday and the hospital receives 60 new cases every day.
Two died of the disease last week, a doctor said.
Dr Nguyen Dac Tho, deputy director of the HCMC Preventive Health Center, said, at 400-450 per week, the number this year had been higher than in the past few years.
It even rose to 500 one week, he added.
He blamed the outbreak on a new etiological agent, Enterovirus 71 (EV71) of the sub-genotype C4, which caused a relapse of the disease in many children who had been cured.

Martyrs’ cemeteries upgraded

A number of projects were inaugurated at two huge martyr cemeteries in the former fiercest battlefield province of Quang Tri on July 13, to mark War Invalids and Fallen Soldiers’ Day (July 27).

They included a shrine to unknown soldiers whose remains were repatriated from neighbouring Laos at the Duong Chin (Road No.9) cemetery. The cemetery is the resting place for over 10,000 soldiers who were killed at the Duong Chin battlefield and on Lao soil during the anti-US war. The facility, built in 1995, was named after a road that was a strategic transport artery connecting the Vietnam-Laos borderline with Dong Ha in Quang Tri province during the war.

The shrine to martyrs at another cemetery, the Truong Son Martyrs’ Cemetery, the largest of its kind in Vietnam, was renovated, including the reconstruction of its main gate and fences.

Hand, foot and mouth disease claims 2 lives

Two boys have died of hand, foot and mouth disease in Thanh Hoa, the central province’s first fatalities this year from the disease.
One-year-old Ha Tien Duc and 26-month-old Ha Van Xuan Tra, both from Trieu Son District, died Wednesday at the Thanh Hoa Pediatrics Hospital.
Dr Ha Hoang Minh, head of the hospital’s emergency department, said the boys had been hospitalized on July 12 with high fever and rashes on their hands and feet.
Despite intensive treatment, Tra’s health worsened and he developed convulsions and respiratory failure before passing away.
Duc died under similar circumstances yesterday morning.
Doctors said the boys had been infected by a rare etiological agent, Enterovirus 71 (EV71) of the sub-genotype C4, which causes severe complications.
The hospital has treated more than 100 children with HFMD this year, they added.
HFMD has also broken out in other provinces and cities, including Ho Chi Minh City where many preschools have closed as a precautionary measure.

New online library for social causes unveiled

Socialmarketing.vn, a non-profit website to promote social campaigns, has been launched to provide news and forums on social projects across Vietnam.

The online library aims to promote social causes and help to create at a better society by introducing 61 campaigns and projects from 30 agencies and organizations from 20 countries across nine categories.

They include education for development, public health, children rights, poverty eradication, family violation, HIV/AIDS and abortion, transportation issues, green marketing, and climate change.

Information about the projects will be updated on the website on a quarterly basis.

The projects are supported by experts, state agencies, corporate companies like Viet Kings, VietnamMarcom, red brand builders, NYF, Adfest, Pepsi, Prudential and other well-known branding and marketing agencies and individuals.

The online library's aim is to enable everyone in Vietnam who wants to contribute to society to do so.

"The red team looks for opportunities to 'give back' to the local community in meaningful ways. We believe our team's support in creating and developing www.socialmarketing.vn will not only help improve Vietnamese lives but also raise the standards in the branding and marketing industry across Vietnam," said Chris Elkin, managing director of Red Brand Builders.

Red Brand Builders, a branding consultancy and marketing agency specializing in building and marketing brands for some of the largest brands operating throughout Vietnam.

It has recently opened an office in Melbourne, Australia.

Red clients include Phu My Hung Corporation, Unilever, Coke, VinaCapital, Apollo Language School, FPT, VinaMilk, Dulux and Liberty Insurance.

225,000 sq.m of forest destroyed for cultivation

Nearly 225,000 square meters of forest lying along the belt of Ba Ha River’s hydropower reservoir of Phu Yen Province have been cleared and burned for cultivation.

Nguyen Thai Dac hailing from Tay Hoa ward has been caught destroying the forest to grow sesames, cassavas and melons.

Mr. Dac will be indicted, said Cao Minh Hoa, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Son Hoa district, Phu Yen Province.

Binh Phuoc Province starts to trade in bio-fuel

The fifteenth shop located on Highway No 13, Thanh Tam commune of Binh Phuoc Province’s Chon Thanh district under Vung Tau Oil and Petroleum Joint-Stock Company began to sell E5 biofuels Wednesday.

E5 bio-fuel, produced by Vietnam Petroleum Corporation Company (PVOil), is sold for VND21,100 per liter (a little over US$1), VND200 lower than A92 gasoline.

Biofuels help significantly reduce toxic emissions into the environment and support economic development in many rural areas.

Medical equipment could cause cancer: HCMC center

Medical instruments made from PVC plastics are popularly used at health facilities but the carcinogenic DEHP contained therein can be harmful to patients.
The warning was given by the Ho Chi Minh City Public Health Association at the scientific seminar “DEHP and the community health” it held yesterday in the city.
DEHP (diethylhexylphthalate) is a general-purpose plasticizer used mainly to make PVC soft and pliable.
Over 40 percent of the plastic medical instruments are made of PVC, said Dr Ha Manh Tuan, director of the Pediatric Hospital 2 in HCMC.
Given the popularity of such instruments, there should be a regulation on the allowable limit of DEHP in them, the doctor said.
In addition, the content of DEHP in medical devices must be indicated on their packaging, and in the long run, all medical implements made from PVC should be replaced by those without DEHP, he suggested.
PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene.
Recently, following the recall of about 50 food products contaminated with DEHP, the Ministry of Health has issued regulations to limit this substance in food.
Accordingly, the DEHP limit is set at 1.5 mg per kg for solid and liquid foods, excluding bottled drinking water.
DEHP causes cancer, weakens male sexual ability, and causes female puberty disorder, the HCMC Health Department said.

100 workers hospitalized after factory lunch

After having lunch on Wednesday, more than 100 workers of the Sewing Factory No. 8 in the central province of Thanh Hoa were hospitalized for food poisoning.
The factory is an affiliate of the Hanoi-based Ho Guom Garment Joint Stock Company.
They were taken to Cam Tu Commune Health Center and the Cam Tu District General Hospital after they developed food poisoning symptoms including stomachache, vomiting, dizziness, and rashes on their bodies.
The workers said their lunch included cooked rice, braised sea fish, and boiled water spinach.
The provincial Department of Food Safety and Hygiene has taken samples of the food and the water that had been used in cooking for testing.
After treatment, most of the workers were discharged later the same day, said Pham Viet Hoai, deputy chairman of the district People’s Committee.

Earlier, a similar case occurred in the province on March 12, affecting about 230 workers at Hong Fu Shoe Company in the Hoang Long Industrial Park in Hoang Hoa District.

They were hospitalized with symptoms of convulsive fits, vomiting and stomachaches after having their lunch.
Some workers said they had complained to the management about the stale and smelly soup that was served to them.
However, the management ignored their complaint and 20 minutes later, they experienced poisoning symptoms.
They were taken to the Hop Luc General Hospital and some other clinics for treatment. Of the victims, 65 were in critical conditions and had to be treated for several days.

VNN/VNA/VNS/Tuoi Tre