Buildings cleared to improve riverbanks

Ha Noi's Thanh Tri District authorities on Wednesday used coercive measures to clear illegal buildings from the right bank of the To Lich River along Kim Giang Street.

The measures were necessary so that work can be done to improve the banks of the river.

In 2007, the municipal Department of Transport allowed the Thanh Cong Co-operative to use about 1.6km of the bank as a car park. However, the land was leased to workshops and restaurants.

The Department of Transport ordered all work to be completed by the end of August, 2010, there are 14 buildings to be cleared.

Locals siege gov’t office, attack commune leaders

The chairman of a commune government in the central Vietnamese province of Ha Tinh and his deputy were hospitalized Wednesday after being attacked by a group of residents with hundreds surrounding the headquarters of the local People’s Committee. This probably started from a land conflict.

Photo: VNN

53-year-old Nguyen Huy Que and his 51-year-old deputy Duong Chi Thanh, chairman and deputy chairman of Yen Loc Commune People's Committee were rushed to the Ha Tinh General Hospital suffering from multiple injuries.

The chairman was injured more severely with a brain injury and his right eye was bleeding, needing special monitoring.

Lying on the hospital’s bed, Que told Tuoi Tre that he and his deputy were working when suddenly hundreds of people appeared and surrounded the headquarters of the Yen Loc Commune People's Committee on late Tuesday afternoon.

They started to flock to his office and demanded the local government release Dang Van Cong of Trang Son Village who was arrested for acting against officials on duty earlier the same day (Tuesday).

Confronted by the angry locals, the commune leader telephoned Can Loc District leaders who arrived at the office to explain the cause of Cong’s arrest to the attackers who then left.

But on 7:00 pm, there were some residents who went to extremes and cut the power supply of the headquarters of the Yen Loc Commune People’s Committee and called for more people to attack the place by throwing stones and bricks into some office rooms.

"I and my deputy were trapped in the office throughout the night. Approximately about 3:00 am on Wednesday morning, about 20 young men carrying sticks rushed into our rooms and attacked us,” Que said.

The mob also smashed the office and many furniture and equipment inside.

Lieutenant Colonel Dao Xuan Trinh, deputy Chief of Police Can Loc District, told Tuoi Tre that the decision to arrest and indict 27-year-old Dang Van Cong and his brother Dang Van Dinh is the main cause of the assault.

The lieutenant colonel said the arrest happened after some Yen Loc communal officials were attacked when trying to prevent an illegal land digging conducted by the two men and their team at the local football court early Tuesday.

The provincial police have launched a thorough investigation into the case to find out the mob that launched the attack, said Bui Huy Tam, chairman of Can Loc District government.

Mekong province aims to improve human resources

The Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long will continue to send 50 eligible professionals abroad to pursue post-graduate degrees in order to supply the province's most important industries with high-quality human resources by 2020.

This is the second phase of a human resources improvement project, "Vinh Long 100," that the province launched six years ago. As part of the project, the provincial People's Committee pays VND43.5 billion (US$2 million) for at least 100 new graduates and State employees to study abroard.

The project aims to train individuals for management positions in key areas like public administration, education, healthcare and job training.

In the first phase, which lasted from 2006-11, the province sent 37 eligible professionals to study in 13 different nations and territories - mostly the UK, France and Taiwan. Now, one-third of them have returned home and work for State agencies.

Truong Thi Be Hai, vice head of the province's project management board, said that most of the candidates were recent graduates because few State officers applied to the programme.

Some areas, such as public health, had so few applicants that they failed to recruit enough participants.

She also noted that lack of foreign language competence was a major barrier preventing candidates from getting the scholarship.
Moreover, she said, job appointments for post-graduates often bear no relation to their majors at universities, so they have few opportunities to demonstrate what they have learned.

Vinh Long 100 is part of Can Tho University's human resources development initiative for the Mekong Delta region. The initiative, "Mekong 1,000," has attracted 13 regional provinces to join through offering at least 1,000 scholarships for local residents to study overseas by 2015.

Last year, the province's GDP per capital was VND28.24 million ($1,344), higher than the national yearly average income of $1,300.

Drug trafficker arrested in Dien Bien

Border guards and police arrested a drug trafficker carrying about 4 kilos of heroin in Tan Thanh Ward, Dien Bien Phu City on August 16.

Lo Van Bua, 20, from Huoi Mon Hamlet, Pa Thom Commune, Dien Bien District, admitted to police officers that he was hired by a Lao citizen to transport 11 cakes of heroin to Noong Luong Commune, Dien Bien District for distribution.

After getting in contact with a buyer from Hanoi, Bua hid the drug in his body and drove a motorbike to Binh Long guesthouse where he was caught red-handed by police.

Relevant agencies are now broadening the scope of their investigations.

Vietnam woman caught with drugs at Filipino airport

A Vietnamese woman was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila, Philippines on Tuesday after custom officials found 2.9 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride in her luggage, local newspapers said.

The drugs were found in a sealed plastic bag concealed in a fabricated compartment of her luggage, customs police said.
An airport official told the GMA News that the Vietnamese woman arrived at the airport’s Terminal 2 on board Philippine Airlines flight PR 753 from Bangkok, Thailand, at around 2 pm on August 14.

The suspect, who was later identified as Dong Ty Yen, was handed over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for investigation.

Filipino authorities have also formed a team to find out if Dong had contacts at the airport or if a syndicate could have been involved in the drug smuggling, according to the Global Nation.

Authorities ban sea bathing at night

Sea bathing at night has been banned at Thuan An Beach – the biggest one in central Thua Thien-Hue Province's Phu Vang District.

According to the provincial People's Committee, this is to prevent drowning incidents.

The province also ordered search and rescue efforts to be enhanced at beaches and tourism sites in Phu Vang, Phong Dien and Phu Loc districts to ensure safety for tourists and residents.

Youths arrested for trafficking women

Northern Hai Phong City's Police have arrested two young Vietnamese members of a gang selling women across the border into China.

The ring allegedly involved Hoang Thi Hai Yen, 16, her fiance Bui Chinh Quyet, 19, from Ky Son District – and a Chinese woman, Lu Shi Jin.

They were said to be involved in taking Vietnamese women to China.

Quyet is alleged to have deceived another girlfriend, Nguyen Thi Thuy, who lived in Thuy Nguyen District. He sold her to Jin for 8,000 Chinese Yuan (US$1,256).

Quyet and Yen were arrested after returning to Viet Nam. Local police are working with Vietnamese Interpol in the search for Jin.

Huge bomb unearthed in Binh Duong

A 454kg bomb dropped by United States' bombers during the war was unearthed by Vietnamese sappers in a residential area in the southern province of Binh Duong's Thuan An Township on Tuesday.

The bomb, 35cm wide and 1.8m long, was part of the Mark 80 series of low-drag general-purpose bombs in United States service. It has a streamlined steel casing containing 202kg of tritonal high explosive.

Its safe recovery is a reminder that although the war finished more than 40 years ago, bombs, mines and explosives are still being found in cities and provinces throughout the nation.

Website promotes Vietnam's images to Germany

The Vietnam – Germany Friendship Association (VGFA) on August 16 launched an information website www.hoivietnamduc.vn, aiming to share current activities related to Vietnamese and German people and provide a ‘live’ online platform for everyone to exchange information.

Hoang Van Huay, VGFA President said the website will feature VGFA’s activities, the people-to-people diplomacy, and images of the two countries. It also serves as a forum for the Vietnamese community in Germany, as well as those who used to work and study in the country.

According to the German Statistics Office, around 100,000 Vietnamese are studying and living in Germany. Those who returned to Vietnam have made important contributions to both countries since the bilateral diplomatic ties were established 37 years ago.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre