SOCIETY IN BRIEF 17/8

Officials launch labour, employment database

The General Statistics Office (GSO) yesterday, Aug 16, launched its online data warehouse on labour and employment statistics for the 2007-10 period.

The move is aimed at improving access and storage of information obtained from annual labour force surveys.

"Data on labour and employment play an increasingly important role in evaluating the labour market in particular and the national economy in general," said GSM's deputy general director Nguyen Bich Lam at the launching ceremony.

The data warehouse provides users with information obtained from population and labour force surveys.

Lam said the development of the data warehouse was one of the important tasks in boosting use of information technology in the statistics sector.

Dong Ba Xuong, head of the Ministry of Planning and Investment's Population and Labour Statistics Department said the GSO collected data from all 63 cities and provinces, providing data that present of the situation across the country.

Users can access the information at www.gso.gov.vn/khodulieuldvl.

This is the second data warehouse launched in Viet Nam, following another on information from surveys on household living standards in 2004, 2006 and 2008, which was launched in January.

Italian doctor to fix genital defects in children

Dr Roberto DeCastro examines a child in Hanoi yesterday, Aug 16. (Photo: Lao Dong)

They will also screen children with genital defects to identify those who can be treated locally.

During his week-long trip, DeCastro will train the Vietnamese doctors in genital organ regeneration technology.

In 2008 DeCastro had performed surgery on Nhan, recreating his penis using the boy’s own tissue at a hospital in the US.
The child was discovered in a jungle in the central Quang Nam Province in 2006 after being abandoned at birth by his mother. He had been mauled by a wild animal, thought to be a dog, which chewed off his leg and badly savaged his genitals.
He also had a prosthetic right leg fixed.

Soldiers’ remains repatriated from Cambodia

The southern province of Tay Ninh has repatriated a total of 2,546 sets of remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers from Cambodia during the 2001-2011 period. 

The figure was released at an August 16 meeting to review the 10-year search for remains of Vietnamese soldiers who had laid down their lives during the war in Cambodia.

Of the remains, 86 sets were identified by name and native place. 

During the ten-year period, search teams in Tay Ninh province had coordinated closely with authorities, security forces and people in the Cambodian provinces of Kongpong Cham, Batdom Bong, Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, Otdar Meanchey and Pailin to complete their mission. 

They also provided free medical check-ups to the local people to maintain solidarity and friendship between the two nations. 

The search teams planned to cooperate closely with provincial authorities of Kong Pong Cham, Siem Reap and Banteay Meanchey, to locate and repatriate more than 300 sets of fallen soldiers’ remains in Cambodia in the future.

3 HCM City firms flout waste rules

The Ho Chi Minh City environmental police Monday found three companies in Cu Chi District violating waste treatment regulations.
Lien Hiep Rubber One-Member Production and Trading Co Ltd did not have space to store harmful waste, inspectors from the Anti-Environmental Crime Police General Department said.
The company had a wastewater treatment system with a capacity 1,800 cubic meters per day, but only treated part of its wastewater, discharging the rest directly into the Vam Sau canal that flows into the Saigon River.
The other offenders were Thai Hung Thinh Production and Trading Co Ltd and PTH Production Trading and Service Co Ltd, who had no storage space for harmful wastes or a contract with treatment facilities to treat their waste.
The inspectors have made reports about their findings.

Denmark launches DANIDA business partnership

The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) has launched the Danida Business Partnership (DBP) programme to support sustainable development and poverty reduction in its partner countries, including Vietnam. 

According to the Danish Embassy in Hanoi, the programme was one of DANIDA’s new policies on "Growth and Employment" which focuses on effectively using Denmark’s development assistance in the private sector. 

Since August 8, 2011, the DBP programme has replaced the Business to Business (B2B) and Innovative Partnership for Development (IPD) programmes to focus on the field of green growth, including renewable energy, effective use of energy through clean technology and environmentally friendly projects in Vietnam, from 2012 – 2013. 

The programme will support the establishment of long-term trade partnerships between Danish and Vietnamese businesses, to help raise Vietnamese partners’ competitiveness through activities such as business introductions, field surveys, technology transfer, export promotions, and improving working conditions and the surrounding environment. 

Danish Ambassador to Vietnam, John Nielsen said he believes the DBP programme and other DANIDA programmes will continue to significantly contribute to poverty reduction.

He said Denmark is one of the countries well prepared to adapt to climate change, and use renewable energy effectively in areas where Vietnam has keen interest in promoting cooperation. 

More information about the DBP programme can be found at www.dbpartnerships.um.dk or www.ambhanoi.um.dk.

Hanoi police busts human trafficking ring

Police in Hanoi’s Tu Liem District last Sunday cracked down on a human smuggling network that brought four Vietnamese women to China.
Previously on Saturday afternoon (August 13), police checked a guest house in My Dinh district and discovered four women being kept under surveillance.
Later, three smuggler Ta Dinh Hoan (24), Nguyen Van Tuan (23) and Bien Thi Huong (28) hailing from Krong Pak in the central highland province Dak Lak were arrested.
At the police station, they admitted their plan of bringing four women from Dak Lak to Hanoi and then smuggling them to China through Mong Cai border gate.
The four women were released to their hometown.
Police are still investigating those involved in this case.

EU funds prevention of hand-foot-mouth disease

The European Union and Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department has pledged EUR60,000 (US$87,000) to help hand-foot-mouth disease victims in Viet Nam.

The funds will be used to support the Vietnamese National Red Cross assisting over 113,000 people by publicising hand-foot-mouth prevention and control, focusing on good hygiene practices.

It will target parents and caregivers of children under five, primary school children and their teachers.

The operation is expected to start when children return to school from their holidays this month and last until November.

The activities are planned to be carried out in 75 communes in HCM City and the provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Quang Ngai and Thanh Hoa.

Binh Dinh goat herder catches 30-kilo python

Vo Van Ngoc in Tuy Phuoc District, in the central province of Binh Dinh, discovered and caught a 30-kilo python at Ong Hai pit, southwest of the Son Trieu Mountain Range last Monday when he was herding his goats.

Many curious locals have come to his house for a peek at the 2-meter long Burmese python with a 30-centimeter belly.

According to Ngoc, he discovered the traces a large animal left on the ground near the pit a month ago when he was herding the goats. As some of his goats had previously gone missing, Ngoc realized they were from a python and his goats had not been stolen but eaten by the python.

Ngoc said there is still another python, weighing twice as much as the one he caught, living around the area.

Although offered more than VND6 million (US$300) for the python, Ngoc has not yet agreed to any deal.

Restaurant manager found dead in HCM City

A decomposing male body was found under a manhole inside the Thao Nguyen Xanh Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Chanh District last Saturday when neighbors smelled a bad odor.

Police identified the victim as 19-year-old Le Minh Tam, who is son of the restaurant owner Khanh Tung, also a comedian.

Tung said he stopped managing the restaurant three months ago and entrusted Tam with the task.

Tung added some assets like TV, laptop, and motorbike in the restaurant were stolen.

Preliminary investigations found that the victim could be robbed and killed.

Police are investigating. 

Over VND3 billion donated for AO victims

A delegation led by Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on August 16 presented VND3.24 billion to the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange and Dioxin (VAVA) Central Committee as support for AO/dioxin victims.

The sum was donated by cadres from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), overseas Vietnamese, and Vietnamese students studying and working abroad.

On behalf of Vietnamese AO victims, VAVA President, Senior Lieutenant-General, Nguyen Van Rinh, thanked the donors for sharing their sympathy, adding that this is a great source of encouragement that helps AO victims overcome the difficulties they face in their lives.

In his speech, Minister Minh said issues related to AO and its victims are always topics of discussion between Vietnamese senior delegations and concerned parties.

The MOFA has coordinated closely with VAVA in the struggle to deal with the consequences of the AO catastrophe and seek justice for the victims.

The plight of Vietnamese AO victims has captured international public sentiment. Malaysia and India have offered to provide wheelchairs and scholarships for the children of AO victims.

The Foreign Minister said he hopes there will be more international support in the future for Vietnam in this struggle.

Container falls off truck under HCMC bridge

A shipping container Monday afternoon fell off the back of a truck while it was passing under the Tan Thuan Bridge in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7, causing major delays to drivers.

Fortunately, there were no reports of human casualties.

The truck was later moved to another place but the container was still left in the middle of Huynh Tan Phat Street, causing a big congestion.

The driver has been identified as Vo Van Hai, 52.

Police say the accident was caused when the coupler connecting the container and the truck broke.

Some similar cases have been reported in Ho Chi Minh City.

On August 11, a semi-trailer truck transporting chemical substances smashed into a median strip on the Cat Lai Flyover Bridge and then overturned.

Just one day later, a 40-foot container fell off a truck traveling at high speeds at a T-junction in Di An District of the southern province of Binh Duong.

Six youngsters stabbed for trying to stop attack

Two young men gave themselves up to police Sunday after they stabbed six people who tried to prevent them from attacking a young man at a café in Ho Chi Minh City.
22-year-old Tran Trong Vung and his friend, Bui Minh Tam, 18, used four knives to attack a group of six young men at a café in the Binh Chanh District Saturday, police said.
These youngsters, aged 17-24, had prevented Vung and Tam from attacking another young man, who was also a customer at the café.
Tam, hailing from Long An Province, told the police that he came to the café to meet that young man to settle their conflict over a girl but they fell into a quarrel and then exchanged blows.
Tam then called Vung to the café to help him.
At this moment, since the six young men prevented Tam and Vung from their attack, Vung stabbed all of them and then fled on a motorbike with Tam.
The victims were taken to Cho Ray Hospital for emergency treatment.
Two of them, with less dangerous injuries, were discharged Monday morning, while the remaining four, including 21-year-old Nguyen Thanh Luan who was stabled in the heart, remained in hospital, said Dr. Ton That Quynh Ai, head of the hospital’s Emergency Department.

Vietnam, Cambodia boost education cooperation

A delegation from the Vietnam Academy of Social Science, led by its Chairman Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, paid a working visit to the Royal Academy of Cambodia in Phnom Penh on August 16.

The Vietnamese delegation met with Dr. Khlot Thyda, director of the Cambodia Royal Institute and advisor to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, and expressed their wish to promote exchanges and expand cooperation with the Cambodia Royal Institute for mutual benefits.

Based on their bilateral cooperation agreement signed recently in Hanoi, both sides discussed ways to formalize issues and exchange experiences in scientific research and common projects sustainable growth and adapting to climate change.

The Vietnamese delegation proposed establishing a Vietnam study centre at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, and the host agreed to Vietnam’s initiative on organizing the first conference for scientists from three academies in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The conference will be held in Hanoi as soon as possible.

The Royal Academy of Cambodia was established in 1965 and has focused on human resource development at the senior level. It currently has six research institutes and five centers authorized to train post-graduate and doctoral degree students.

Company deceives patients with ‘cure-all’ tea

A company in the southern province of Tay Ninh has been able to sell to hundreds of patients daily by claiming its tea can cure many diseases while the product is in fact a kind of food supplement and as such has no healing properties.

On July 25, when Tuoi Tre reporters came to Tam Lan Tea Co Ltd in Cau Khoi Commune, Duong Minh Chau District, the company was already packed with patients from other provinces waiting to buy the ‘miracle’ tea that is claimed to be able to cure even cancers and visual impairment.
N.T.V, 55, hailing from the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang, said the company employee had told her to buy the Tam Lan tea and the red pine oil capsules, which cost her VND2 million (US$100), for her daughter, who is suffering from Hepatitis B.
“The employee told my daughter to drink the tea and the capsules for 3 to 4 months straight, after that the disease will be cured,” she said.
Disguising as a customer whose mother has been suffering from diabetes for 20 years, a Tuoi Tre reporter was asked to buy the same tea and red pine oil capsules, which is a kind of nutritional supplement imported from Korea.
Tam Lan Tea Company also gifts its customers a couple of VCDs containing the advertisements of the tea when they buy the products.
Although the ad affirms in the introduction that “the tea is not medicine and does not have the disease curing effect,” it later shows dozens of scenes featuring patients claiming to have their diseases cured after only a short time drinking Tam Lan tea and the red pine oil capsules.
The company’s director also shows up in the ad, saying many partners from Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the US want to buy Tam Lan tea but the company has to refuse since their supply is not enough to meet domestic demand.
In fact, Tuoi Tre found out that Tam Lan tea, as well as the red pine oil capsules, is a nutritional supplement, and thus cannot cure any diseases as claimed.
Le Van Giang, deputy head of the local Food Safety and Hygiene Department, said Tam Lan Company misled consumers with “unclear information.”

Man kills doctor after brother death at hospital

Police have arrested a young man in Thai Binh province for killing one doctor and wounding another early yesterday morning, Aug 16, after they failed to save his brother.
18-year-old Nguyen Van Dung committed his crime at the Vu Thu District General Hospital at about 1 am yesterday, Aug 15.
The doctor stabbed to death was Pham Duc Giau, 60, while one of his colleagues, Dr. Ngo Duy Hoan, 30, was injured.
According to witnesses, at about 11 pm Monday, the hospital received Nguyen Van Hung, 20, who was taken in by his mother and his younger brother, Dung. All of them came from the district’s Hoa Binh commune.
Dr. Hoan said, “Hung was hospitalized in critical condition and his blood pressures could not be measured. Meanwhile, Hung’s relatives threatened that if doctors failed to save him, they could be killed.”
The hospital called the district police for help and four policemen came.
Hung died at 0:18 am yesterday, Aug 16, and doctors asked one of Hung’s relatives to come to their office for a death report.
While the report was being written by three doctors, a nurse and one relative of Hung’s, Dung suddenly rushed in and used a knife to stab Dr. Hoan in the belly.
Hoan, another doctor and the nurse ran away from the office while Dr. Giau suffered a stab in the chest. Giau tried to run to a room nearby but died there.
After committing the crime, Dung fled, leaving the knife on the scene, which was seized later by police.
At 8 am, following a tip-off from the public, the police arrested Dung at a hotel room where he was hiding.
The police have examined the scene, collected testimonies of all parties involved, and are investigating.

PM allocates $546m to build safe harbours

Over 130 safe anchorages are expected to be built nationwide by 2020 under a new decision by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The anchorages, costing around VND11,200 billion (US$546 million), will be able to provide shelter to roughly 84,200 fishing vessels during storms.

They will also be equipped with the same advanced facilities and automated information systems as those operating in other developing countries in the region.