142 soldier remains recovered in An Giang

The remains of 142 soldiers who died during the American War have been recovered after a four-month search in southern An Giang Province by the provincial Military Steering Committee's Team K93.

As many as 122 martyr remains were discovered in Cambodia with 20 more found in the province's Bay Nui area.

The names and origins of four sets of remains have been successfully identified.

All soldiers were identified as belonging to provincial armed services that perished while on duty during a southwest border battle in support of liberating the Cambodian people from genocidal disaster.

Convicted official faces 12 more years

Bui Tien Dung, former general director of the Ministry of Transport’s Project Management Unit 18 (PMU18), who is serving 16 years in prison for bribery and other crimes, may face up to 12 more years for embezzling 165,500.
This morning, the Hanoi’s People Court continued its trial for Dung and 8 other defendants for siphoning off nearly VND3.5 billion (US$165,500) from the ODA-funded Bai Chay Bridge in Quang Ninh Province.
The eight are Nguyen Vu Nam, former head of the Project Initiation Department No. 6 (PID 6); Nguyen Cong Dung, a former PID 6 expert; Nghiem Phu Son, former deputy head of PID 6; Le Minh Giang, former deputy head of PID 5; Nguyen Huu Minh, former executive director of the Bai Chay 1 (BC1) bid; Nguyen Huu Long, former executive director of the BC3 bid; Tran Duc Hung, chief of the consulting office for the project; and Do Kim Quy, a former deputy general director of PMU 18.
Except Quy, who is charged with “using assets illegally acquired by others,” the other defendants are charged with the same crime as Dung.
At the trial, the public prosecutor proposed 11 to 12 years for Dung.
Meanwhile, 9-10 years in jail were suggested for Nam, 4-5 years for Cong Dung, 6-7 years for Son and Giang, 16-17 years for Minh, 13-14 years for Long, 3-4 years for Hung, and 2-3 years for Quy.
According to the indictment by the Supreme People’s Procuracy, in 1998, PMU18, then led by Dung, was assigned to develop the bridge project.

Dung and his accomplices allegedly signed false consulting agreements and then prepared false payrolls of consulting engineers to pocket $165,500 when carrying out that project from March 2003 until February 2007.
Dung used VND500 million ($24,300) from the amount as a “send-off gift” to Quy who was about to retire, the prosecutor said, and Quy accepted the money though he knew it was illegal.

Quy handed over the VND500 million to the police after they began investigating Dung’s wrongdoings.
At the trial, Dung denied the embezzlement charge, saying he did not pocket any of the $165,500.
As for the cash gift for Quy, Dung said it was not offered by him but by Pham Tien Dung, head of the PMU18 Planning Department, and some others.
The trial, which began on June 27, will last for several more days.
Dung is in jail while the others are out on bail.
In November 2007, Dung was sentenced to 13 years in prison for gambling and bribery.

In August 2010 he was given an additional three years for “deliberately acting against the State’s economic management regulations, causing serious consequences.”

Doctor suspended for negligence leading to death

According to a source, a doctor and two nurses at Nam Can General Hospital in Ca Mau Province has been suspended by the provincial health department for failing to carry out full medical checks which led to the death of a 17-year-old girl on Wednesday.

To Van Mung, the hospital’s deputy director of Nam Can, admitted that the doctors on duty when Duong Thi Thu Huyen from Sa Po Ward, Nam Can District, was hospitalized on June 28 didn’t perform full and appropriate medical checks on her and thus failed to diagnose her traumatic brain injury.

On June 28, Huyen was taken to Nam Can after her neighbors found her lying unconsciously on the street with bloodstains on her clothes and scratches on her body in the early morning.
Her aunt, Nguyen Thi Phuc, who took care of her at the hospital, said the doctors in Nam Can asked the family to bring Huyen home after examining her.

“They said my niece’s health was normal,” she said. “But we asked them to let her stay at the hospital, as she was still writhing in pain and was unable to speak.”

At midnight June 28, as Huyen suddenly had difficulty breathing, Phuc and Anh again took her to doctor Tu.

“But after a quick check, the doctor told me that my niece just ‘pretended to be in pain’ and she would be okay in the morning,” Phuc said.

“He went back to sleep after that and told me not to disturb him anymore when I tried to call him more 5 times.”

Huyen died at 4 am on June 29.

According to the Nam Can District People’s Committee, Huyen was reportedly raped by Le Quoc Lo after going to a karaoke club with him and four other 4 people on June 27.

Lo has been arrested for investigation.

The police also seized 24 “hooligans” who had destroyed the facilities of Nam Can hospital and even the house of doctor Tu upon Huyen’s death.

New traffic decree outlines stiff fines for safety breaches

A new Government decree that took effect yesterday levies high fines on several traffic violations.

Those who are carrying oversized objects on roads and bridges without permission, those who use horns under 90dB or over 115dB, and container truck drivers who haven't got the FC driving license will run the risk of being fined between VND 2 -3 million (U$100-150).

Violations to do with not having enough or adequate equipment like headlamps, lighting for number plate, breaking lights, windscreen wipers, rear view mirrors, emergency tools, fire extinguishers or speedometers will attract fines of VND200,000-300,000 ($10-15).

"We will focus on those who use the wrong horn because the violation greatly impacts citizens' health, but in fact, one limitation would be that we lack equipment to measure the sound of horns," said senior lieutenant colonel Tran Son of the Ministry of Public Security's Road and Railway Department.

Initially, regular checks on horns would be carried at vehicle registration offices through collaboration between the police, provincial transport departments and the registration offices themselves, he said.

"Horns are installed for trucks after being registered, so the police force should buy equipment to measure their sound for several hundred US dollars each," said Do Huu Duc, deputy director of the Transport Ministry's Viet Nam Register Department.

The deadline for trucks to install black boxes (route-recorders) has been extended until July 1, 2013.

Kidnapped newborn rescued near canal

A one-week-old boy was found lying in a bush near a canal in the southern province of Bac Lieu Thursday, VnExpress newswire reported.

The boy was kidnapped when his mother, 21-year-old Le Thi Hong Nuong was breast feeding him earlier in the day. A masked man suddenly broke into the house and muffled her mouth with a piece of cloth.

The man then took the boy and threw him into a canal nearby.

Nuong struggled to break free but it took a half an hour for her family to free her.

The family tried to search for the baby who was later found almost drowned by floodtide in a bush near the canal.

Both the mother and the child are undergoing treatment at Bac Lieu General Hospital.
The boy is said to be out of danger.

Preliminary investigations point to a personal feud between the family and the man.
Police are searching for the culprit.

Police identify suspect in couple’s murder

Ngo Van Kim, a worker in a company in Binh Duong southern province, has been identified as the prime suspect of setting a young couple on fire last week, police said Thursday.

Kim, who hails from Quang Ngai central province, fled the province shortly after the murder.

The two victims are Le Thi Giang, 23, and Tran Van Pha, 29, hailing from central provinces Nghe An and Thua Thien Hue.

However, Pha died from severe injuries at Ho Chi Minh City-based Cho Ray General Hopsital Thursday.

According to police, when the couple was sleeping in a boarding room with the only door being locked outside, a fire started from inside the house and quickly flared up to cover the whole house.

The couple distressingly cried for help but it was too late.

Initial investigation by local police shows that the room was set fire by petrol. Policemen found a petrol tank at the scene and a yellow lock.

Police are prompting to track down the culprit.

Workshop on renewable energy opens in Ha Noi

Experts from several ASEAN countries with similar natural conditions and socio-economic development shared their experiences on developing renewable energies at a workshop held by the Institute of Energy in Ha Noi yesterday.

Representatives from the Philippines and Indonesia explained how they had compiled policies to help promote the development of renewable energies.

Institute director Hoang Tien Dung said while Viet Nam was still in the early phase of renewable energies, there was an urgent need to develop the field.

Since the beginning of this year, Viet Nam had to import 10,000 tonnes of coal and oil to generate electricity although it still exports dozen of millions of tonnes of coal and crude oil annually.

Viet Nam is building its strategic plan to develop renewable energies toward 2020, with a vision to 2030 and 2050. The aim is that by 2020, renewable energy will account for five per cent of total national energy.

Mountain rockslide kills 5 family members

Five were killed and one injured, all in a family, following a mountain rockslide hit Bum To – Muong Te commune in Lai Chau mountainous province Thursday afternoon.

The injured victim is undergoing treatment in hospital.

The rockslide was said to be triggered by heavy rains.

"Heavy floods have destroyed Muong Te commune during the past days," Nguyen Khac Chu, chairman of Lai Chau’s People’s Committee, told Dan Tri newswire.

Dan Tri reported the rockslide unexpectedly rushed down a group of 11 farmers when they were returning home from fields, leaving 5 dead and another hurt.

By now 2 out of 5 bodies haven’t been found yet, police said.

After being informed, local authorities immediately mobilized rescue team to search for the victims.

2 dead, 40 fall into lake in fatal road accident

A bus with 40 passengers crashed into a motorcycle last night on national highway 1A situated in Hue central city’s Phong Dien district, immediately killing two men on bike.

Nguoi Lao Dong reported the bus driver then lost control and plunged into a lake nearby.

However, due to shallow water, all passengers smashed up the glass window to escape. Some reportedly sustained minor injuries.

Police identified the two deceased as Pham Dinh Phuoc, 21, and Dao The Cuong, 19, hailing from Phong An district.

The bus was retrieved yesterday, June 30.

Census to gather development data

More than 16 million respondents across the country will be interviewed for a national rural, agricultural and fisheries census conducted by the General Statistics Office (GSO) from today.

Nguyen Van Lieu, deputy chief of GSO and member of the census steering board, said the respondents would be categorised into four groups: rural households and agricultural and fishery households in urban areas; households engaged in large-scale farming; People's Committees at the commune level; and "sample" households in rural areas.

Lieu said all of the 15.44 million rural households and 800,000 others engaged in agriculture and fisheries in urban areas would provide basic information about household development, while 15,900 who owned large-scale farms would supply data on the farm-based (large scale farms) economy.

Officials from 9,094 People's Committees at the commune level would provide information on socio-economic infrastructure in their localities, while data collected from 75,000 households selected randomly would help launch specific studies, he added.

The census would gather information needed to assess policies and come up with fresh orientation for agriculture and rural development in the future.

Initial findings of the census would be made public this December, and the official results announced in the third quarter of 2012, he added.

The last national rural, agricultural and fisheries census was conducted in 2006.

Fake products sold on home shopping channel

Products, including liquidisers and ovens, sold via the television programme Viet Home Shopping of Viet An Company, were found to have fake US credentials.

The city's Market Watch Office said about 150 confiscated products were mainly made in China. This followed a surprise check of the company's ware house in HCM City on Wednesday.

Fungal nails to be treated for free

Dermatologists from HCM City Medical University Hospital will provide free examinations for 100 patients with fungal nail infections on Saturday.

People can register by phoning 54051010, 39525353 or 39525355 during working hours.

Men netted for cheating diplomats, bank officials: police

Hanoi police have arrested two young men for cheating Vietnamese diplomats posted overseas and bank officials via hacking and impersonation, police said Wednesday.

Nguyen Quy Phuc, 19, and Phung Ngoc Tuan, 21, residents of Hai Phong City’s Le Chan District, confessed they have since early this year cheated more than 10 people by stealing and using the internet users’ nicknames and passwords.

Their victims included Vietnam’s diplomatic officials working overseas and bank employees.

Most recently, in early June, Phuc cheated Hang after logging into her boyfriend’s account and telling her to send him VND50 million (US$2,380) as “his mother was receiving first aid at the hospital”.

After receiving the money, he said he needed an additional VND50 million to give to the doctors. Thinking Phuc was her boyfriend, she continued to send him the cash.

“With just a ninth-grade education, Phuc was very crafty,” said an investigator.

“To win the victim’s trust, Phuc suggested she could get a hot loan and he would go back home after one or two days to pay the interest.”

Phuc and Tuan have so far swindled people out of about VND400 million (roughly US$20,000), the investigator said.

According to their confessions, Phuc was given two email accounts when playing video games at a Hai Phong game shop in February. These accounts would receive stolen data including login names and passwords sent from computers installed with a spyware.

When people use the keyboard of these computers, all their information are recorded and automatically sent to the two abovementioned email accounts.

HCM City clamps down on taxis

Inspections of taxy operating throughout HCM City started on Wednesday and will last until the end of July.

Inspectors from the city's Department of Transport and Police and Department of Standards, Measures and Quality are checking licences and cracking down on those who park illegally.

Taxi drivers may be fined VND800,000 ($38) and have their licences suspended for 30 days for parking in forbidden areas.

Native fish released in conservation activity

The non-profit organisation Wildlife At Risk (WAR) released 100 native Fighting fish (Betta imbellis) into the Sai Gon River in HCM City on Wednesday.

Releasing native fish to the wild is a periodic activity under WAR's conservation programme, which began in February last year.

The programme aims to raise community awareness and contribute directly to nature conservation.  

VNN/VNS/Tuoi Tre