Education ministry begins action against illegal drugs

The 2013 month of action against drugs was launched yesterday, June 16, by the Ministry of Education and Training at northern Thai Nguyen Province's Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Minister Tran Quang Quy said that preventing the abuse of drugs by students was a vital task that helped to protect the nation's future.

Local youngsters and students join a meeting to mark National Day on Drug Prevention (June 26) in Binh Duong Province. A healthy school environment where students can participate in social activities is believed to help in the fight against drugs.

Students also played an important role in the fight against drugs, he said.

Although work on ensuring schools nation-wide are drug-free had seen progress, abuse of part drugs such as ecstasy by students was still a complicated situation, he said.

Not enough attention on the problem from parents and teachers was to blame, he said.

"Only when every school becomes a "fortress" against drugs will the fight against drugs show effectiveness as expected," he said.

Schools should encourage teachers and students to denounce any student found to be using drugs, he said.

Hotlines needed to be established to receive information about drug use at schools, he said. Schools were also advised to hold periodical health check-ups for students to uncover drug-users.

In addition, a healthy school environment where students could participate in social activities such as sports or art performances would contribute to the fight against drugs, he said.

Representatives from education and training departments and schools signed a commitment to say ‘no' to drugs. Local students held a march as part of the month of action against drugs.

On the same day, activities responding to the National Day on Drug Prevention (June 26) also kicked off in the province.

Vietnam honoured for achievements in poverty reduction

Vietnam was awarded for its poverty reduction achievements at a ceremony held in Italy on June 16 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Vietnam was described by FAO Director General Jose Graziano da Silva as one of 38 countries having fulfilled the millennium development goals (MDGs) for poverty reduction.

He pledged to continue assistance to countries which are making constant efforts in combating poverty.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu spoke highly of FAO’s recognition of Vietnam’s efforts to implement MDG and ensure food security.

She thanked the Organization’s technical assistance and relief aid, as well as its guidelines to help Vietnam complete policies and institutions in the field of agriculture and rural development over the past three decades.

Thu mentioned Vietnam’s important achievements in boosting agricultural production, ensuring food security and improving people’s living conditions despite numerous challenges caused by population growth, natural disasters and a reduction in cultivation areas.

She emphasized that Vietnam has already reduced the poverty level by half in the two periods between 1990-1992 and 2010-2012.

A Vietnamese delegation is in Rome from June 15-22 for the 38th Session of the FAO Conference which is focused on poverty reduction, rural development, food security, food prices, and multi-media role in promoting poverty reduction campaigns.

Blogger arrested over distorted information

Southern Long An Province's investigative agency on Saturday arrested 30-year-old Dinh Nhat Uy for allegedly compiling and publishing distorted and untrue articles and pictures on his blog, tarnishing the prestige of State bodies.

Uy will be held in custody for three months on charges of "abusing freedom and democracy to infringe the State's benefits, rights and legitimate benefits of citizen organisations" under Article 258 of the Criminal Code.

On the same day, investigators also searched the home of Uy, who is director of AT Co Ltd, specialised in photocopy and computer repairs, in My Phu Commune of Thu Thua District, Long An Province, according to head of the investigative division of Long An Police, Nguyen Thanh Son.

Investigators have confiscated many documents that contained contents that infringed the legitimate rights of citizen organisations.

Uy is older brother of Dinh Nguyen Kha, who was sentenced for eight years in jail for "conducting propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam" on May 16, 2013 and two years in jail for another count of "intentionally causing injuries" in another case by the Long An People's Court.

Boy, 9, killed and sister injured in fire

One 9-year-old boy was killed and his 11-year-old sister was injured after their wooden house was burned down on Saturday midnight in Central Highland Lam Dong Province's Duc Trong District.

The fire fighters met difficulties when trying to put out the fire because the house was made of wood, the fire quickly spread.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. The case is under investigation. The local authorities have given VND15 million (US$720) to the family.

Vietnam to produce bio oil from straws

Vietnam is able to produce 31 million tonnes of bio oil per year from straws, one of the agricultural by-products normally burnt up after crops.

The conclusion was made by scientists from the Vietnam Petroleum Institute and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology at a recent conference of the oil and gas sector.

Scientists said bio oil, to be created by pyrolysis, will serve as an alternative fuel or may be used to produce petrol and diesel in the near future.

The pyrolysis of other agricultural by-products such as bagasse, corncobs, and rice husks also saw satisfactory results, they added.

This method not only creates bio oil that replaces other traditional fuels but also helps reduce pollution caused by the burning of straws and bagasse, thus protecting the environment.

Scientists estimate that around 62 million tonnes of straws, bagasse and corncobs are created from agricultural production in Vietnam each year.

Herbal medicine firm chief arrested

The general director of a major producer and trader of herbal medicine has been taken to Ha Noi for questioning following his arrest in HCM City on Saturday.

Bao Long Group director Nguyen Huu Khai is being questioned as part of an investigation into allegations that he has broken the law.

On Saturday, HCM City Police arrested Khai following approval from the Ha Noi People's Procuracy. The arrest was made following allegations that Khai had violated the law and illegally used a large amount of properties in violation of Article 142 of the Criminal Code.

Khai, 61, was born in My Duc, Ha Noi. His company is based in Xuan Thoi Thuong Commune of Hoc Mon District in HCM City.

His violations are under further investigation by the Ha Noi Police.

Vietnam ready for ASEAN disaster relief effort

Vietnam has fully prepared its legal basis for ASEAN cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

A representative of the Vietnam People’s Army was speaking at the second ASEAN militaries’ humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise which open in Brunei on June 16.

He said the Vietnam military wants to share its experience in coping with natural disasters with other militaries in the region.

He also spoke highly of the role ASEAN plays in coordinating and using forces for the search and rescue work.

Rehearsals, co-hosted by Singapore and Brunei, took place in the form of seminars and mock drills   

Representatives from Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam presented reports, highlighting the role of the national disaster management centre in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the first ASEAN Regional Forum Disaster Relief Exercise (ARF DiREx 2013), and national experience in coping with floods and providing humanitarian assistance.

Private preventative medicine discussed

Municipal councillors on Friday suggested that the People's Committee and Department of Health encourage private sector participation in the preventive medicine system to ease the human-resource and financial burden on the government.

At a meeting with health officials, the People's Council members made the suggestion after an official from the department complained about human and financial constraints in strengthening the preventive medicine system.

The official was referring to the lack of facilities and personnel required to combat several epidemics that have hit the city of 10 million in recent years.

Dr Nguyen Hoai Nam, head of the department's medical operations, said preventive medicine centres in all 24 districts have been seeking funds for improving facilities to combat epidemics.

But only a few have managed to get the funds and improve themselves to national standards, he said.

The shortage in human resources for preventive medicine tasks is another problem, he said, adding the system is not good enough to prevent the epidemics that are occurring more and more frequently in the city.

Huynh Cong Hung, head of the council's Social and Cultural Department, said the only way to improve the system is by involving the private sector, which would enable preventive medicine workers to live on their salaries.

"Public funding is never enough for the system to operate well and effectively," he said.

Now a preventive health official who has graduated from university earns around VND2.13 million (US$101) while a nurse gets even less.

Hung also blamed the situation on the poor skills of preventive health officials, saying most of them have just undergraduate degrees.

But other council members feared it would be hard to attract the private sector in preventive medicine tasks rather than diagnosis and treatment, which is more lucrative.

Others called for transparent policies in involving the private sector.

Every year the city spends more than VND500 billion ($24 million) on preventive medicine.

It has 5,046 preventive health officials, or less than 12 per cent of the total number of officials, and just 700 out of the city's 10,390 doctors.

Lack of awareness leads to job deaths

So far this year, 176 workers have died on the job, according to the Labour Safety Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

The department attributed the occurrence of occupational accidents and fires to low awareness of labour safety regulations, as well as a shortage of State labour safety staff and inadequate punishments for violations.

There are currently 450 labour inspectors for the whole country, but only about 50 received training in labour safety and hygiene standards. Two are doctors.

Consequently, only 0.22 per cent of operating enterprises can be inspected by State officials each year.

According to MOLISA reports from 58 cities and provinces, nearly 13,000 enterprises and factories have been inspected this year. More than 1,000 were found violating labour safety regulations.

In addition, early this year, four MOLISA inspection groups collected nearly VND280 million (US$13,460) from roughly 70 violating enterprises in the three northern provinces of Bac Giang, Lang Son and Thai Nguyen.

In early 2013. more than 320,000 workers at State agencies at central and local levels were trained in labour safety and hygiene as well as fire control and prevention.

The Labour Safety Department plans to issue labour safety and hygiene guidelines concerning the use of special equipment and electricity in high-risk sectors and instruct enterprises in the application of the guidelines.

The department planned to complete seven sets of national labour safety standards this year and is working urgently to develop the Law on Labour Safety and Hygiene so as to submit it to the National Assembly for approval next year.

Mexico’s poverty measurement introduced

Experts have proposed applying Mexico’s multidimensional poverty measurement as a feasible basis for relevant agencies to adjust or stipulate new policies on poverty reduction and social welfare from 2015 upwards.

Mexico’s multidimensional poverty measurement and its experience in implementing the methodology were tabled at a two-day conference in coastal Nha Trang city on June 15-16.

Twelve Vietnamese officials who visited Mexico in April 2013 with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) shared what they have learnt from the Mexico model.

The multidimensional poverty methodology takes into account indicators in various areas, including economic growth, education, health care services, social security, housing, and social insurance for the poor.

It has thus established supportive policies for different groups of poor people, implementing poverty reduction based on social development foundation and building a database for better management in the process.

Vietnam presently uses an income-only basis to measure poverty, leading to the shortcomings in poverty reduction policies which cannot cover all needs of the poor.

Quang Ngai to check on expensive school toilets

The Education and Training Department in central Quang Ngai Province plans to inspect water supplies and toilets in all local schools to prevent wastefulness.

The plan follows the revelation that many schools were building water-supply facilities and toilets costing about half of billion Vietnamese dong.

Long Hiep secondary school in Minh Long District, for example, was reported to have built a 29sq.m-toilet for a total of nearly VND600 million ($28,570).

The projects were built under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's programme for clean water and hygiene.

Deputy head of the department Do Van Phu said building costs for each restroom accounted for just one third of the total investment capital.

The remaining money was invested in water supplies, consultancy work, survey and design, he said.

Phu said that any officials found making illegal profits from the construction of the projects would be strictly punished.

"Inspectors will review all process, from design to implementation. Investors will be required to fix any errors found," he said.

The department reported that schools in the province, from pre-school to secondary schools, need 723 clean-water supplies and restrooms.

Local authorities have so far approved 24 projects and 21 have been implemented.

Traffickers change to speed and heroin

Drug traffickers have gradually shifted their focus from opium and marijuana to methamphetamine and heroin over the past two years.

The statement was made by senior lieutenant colonel Nguyen Xuan Cuong said at a conference on drug prevention on Friday.

Cuong, who is deputy head of Counter Narcotics office (PC47) under the city's Public Security department, said the number of traffickers caught with methamphetamine last year increased by seven times over the amount in 2011.

In 2012, the city's narcotics police force arrested a total of 128 drug offenders with 921.4 grammes of methamphetamine, 54 grammes of heroin and 133.6 grammes of marijuana extracts.

The city has a total of 1,500 addicts and drug users at rehabilitation centres.

Firms produce unsafe drinking water

The Food Safety and Hygiene Department in southern Dong Nai Province has suspended the operations of seven companies that sell drinking water following concerns over the water's safety.

A total of 12 local bottled water companies were found to be selling water that was below quality standards.

The suspended companies, including two firms that were indefinitely suspended, were not using substandard equipment and failing to meet safety and hygiene regulations.

70 cases of illegal logging prosecuted

As many as 70 households in the central coastal province of Binh Dinh's Hoai An District were fined a total of VND3.5 billion (US$166,000) for illegal logging in the area.

The fines were made known by Le Dinh Thanh from the provincial Forest Protection Department on Thursday.

Households in the communes of An Nghia, Dak Mang and Bok Toi were fined a total of VND50 million (nearly $2,400). They have also been ordered to pay expenses for replanting the forest.

Delta farmers warned of dragon fruit glut

Many farmers in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta have switched from rice and other crops to cultivating dragon fruit, prompting warnings from local authorities of a market glut and unsustainable expansion.

The farmers have been attracted by the high profits that dragon fruit currently offers, especially with cultivation using lamps in the night to stimulate off season flowering.

This can bring in VND400-500 million (US$19,000-23,800) per hectare a year, much higher than rice and other fruit, according to Long An Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The area under dragon fruit cultivation in Long An has already reached 2,200ha, exceeding the area targeted for 2015, department officials said.

Nguyen Van A, who has a 0.5ha dragon fruit garden in Long An's Chau Thanh District, said the method of having the cacti flower during the off-season has boosted his household's income.

A said he earns profits of about VND100 million ($4,700) a year from his garden. He switched from rice to dragon fruit cultivation after he saw other farmers in the district do well.

In Cho Gao District, which is the major dragon fruit producer in the delta's Tien Giang Province, the area under the fruit cultivation has increased to 3,500ha from just 1,800ha three years ago.

Farmers in other provinces like Tra Vinh and Vinh Long have also cut down other trees to plant dragon fruit, local officials say.

They caution that with the areas exceeding zoning plans made by local authorities, farmers could face a shortage of irrigation water as well as electricity for lighting used to stimulate off-season flowering.

They warn further that about 80 per cent of dragon fruit produced is exported to China, a notoriously unstable market.

The quantity of dragon fruit exported to the US, Japan and EU is still small, so farmers should not expand dragon fruit cultivation and focus instead on improving the quality of existing orchards, officials advise. They also say that farmers should adopt Vietnamese and Global Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) norms to enable exports to stable overseas markets.

Dragon fruit has recorded the highest export growth among Vietnamese fruit in recent years, according to the Southern Fruit Research Institute.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA