Nelson Mandela Day marked in Vietnam

Representatives from the embassies of South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Nigeria and Palestine visited the Thuy An disabled children’s centre in Hanoi on July 18 as part of a program to mark the 94th Nelson Mandela International Day.

They presented gifts, including wheelchairs, medical equipment, and foods worth VND133 million to disabled children in the centre, which is located in Ba Vi district.

The event, themed “Take action, Inspire change, and Make every day a Mandela Day”, was launched by the South African Embassy. It aimed to lend a helping hand to underprivileged people in society.

In November 2009, the United Nations declared July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day to recognize the contributions of the former South African President. Mandela devoted 67 years of his life to his community, his country and the world in promoting a culture of peace and freedom, said South African Ambassador Ratubatsi Super Moloi.

The diplomat called on individuals and organizations to spend 67 minutes on Mandela Day to help disadvantaged people in the community, adding that any person can contribute to a better world.

Procuracy pays $10,500 damage to wrongly jailed woman

The Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province People’s Procuracy has paid VND220 million (US$10,500) as damage to a local woman who was imprisoned wrongly in 1994.

The prosecutor’s office yesterday, July 18, said it has transferred the money to Nguyen Thi Lang, a resident of Vung Tau City, who was arrested and jailed in September 1994 for “abusing trust to appropriate citizens’ assets.”

The arrest warrant had been ratified by the agency.

In November 1994 Lang was released on bail and in December 1996 the provincial police suspended their investigation into the case, concluding that “it is unnecessary to impose a criminal treatment against the woman.”

In 2006, Lang filed a complaint to the Vung Tau City People’s Court, demanding that the prosecutor’s office pay her damage of VND460 million ($22,000) and give a public apology.

The court, however, turned down her claims, saying that she was not eligible to take such legal action.

Lang appealed the court’s decision, but at an appeal hearing held later the provincial People’s Court upheld the verdict.

Lang continued to struggle for justice by lodging a petition the Supreme People’s Court, which at the reconsideration hearing on May 21, 2009 judged that Lang had been wrongly arrested, jailed and prosecuted.

The court thus requested that the provincial prosecutor’s office pay VND220 million as damage to the woman.

Copperhead snakes discovered on bus

Two copperhead snakes were found crawling around in a bus's storage cabin at Ha Noi's Thanh Tri Bridge on Tuesday.

All passengers were asked to leave the bus by Ha Noi Traffic Police. The police found four bags with a total of 36 kilogrammes of black copperhead snakes.

The case is currently under investigation.

Explosives ring busted by border guards

Border guards from southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province on Monday arrested two people aged 55 and 44 for trafficking a large amount of illegal explosives.

They were allegedly caught red-handed transporting 26 kilogrammes of explosives from a bus coming from the north.
Further investigations led police to arrest their accomplice in north-central Ha Tinh Province, where they allegedly confiscated another 1.75kilos of explosives.

France education exhibitions to take place in August

Opportunities to study in France will be introduced at separate exhibitions in Hanoi, HCM City and Danang in August.
Vietnamese students who are studying in France will exchange information with prospective candidates and those who are interested in studying in France.

Immigration procedures, accommodation, jobs, scholarships, as well as practical knowledge about life in France will all be invaluable information for participants.

Exhibitions will take place in HCM City on August 2, in Danang on August 3, and in Hanoi on August 4.

The series of exhibitions will be jointly organized by the French Embassy in Vietnam, the Union of Vietnamese Students in France (UEVF) and the Union of Vietnamese Alumni in France (UAFV).

Poster contest to promote food safety

A poster designing competition on food hygiene and safety has been launched by the Ministry of Health's Communication and Health Education Centre.

Contestants have been asked to focus on ensuring hygienic standards are not ignored in processing and trading.

All painters and photographers, whether Vietnamese or foreign, are free to contribute.

Three killed in deadly mine collapse

An illegal gold mine collapsed yesterday afternoon, killing three people and injuring seven others in the central province of Nghe An.

Work on digging the mine in Nga My Commune, Tuong Duong District was begun only three days ago.

District Party Committee deputy secretary Nguyen Ho Canh said local authorities and police had tried to stop illegal gold mining.
The collapse was a warning to residents who were thinking of ignoring local authority regulations, Canh said.

Injured fisherman returns home from Hong Kong

A fisherman of central Quang Ngai Province, who was rescued from an accident at sea earlier this month, is expected to leave Hong Kong for Ho Chi Minh City on a Vietnam Airlines flight on July 18.

Duong Mau, born in 1973, was one of the two fishermen brought to Hong Kong for medical treatment after their ship, QNg96246-YS, met with accident in the East Sea on July 5, about 240 nautical miles from Sanya port in China’s Hainan province.
The Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre sent a helicopter to rescue them at the Vietnamese side’s request. Mau was treated at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern hospital.

The other fisherman, Nguyen Van Tinh, born in 1992, is now under treatment at the Queen Mary Hospital. The hospital said he is in good conditions.

Company director held for appropriating $2.1 mil loan

Police in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province have arrested the director of Phu An Sinh Trading & Food Processing Co Ltd. for appropriating loans totaling over VND45 billion, or about US$2.1 million, from the State budget.

Pham Van Minh, 46, whose company is among the most well-known livestock breeders and safe food providers in the country, was arrested yesterday and could be prosecuted for “illegal use of assets”.

Police also searched his home in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, and his office in the province’s Tan Thanh District for materials related to the case.

The loans Minh appropriated had been granted to his company under the provincial government’s non-interest lending plan intended for businesses that took part in a program to mobilize consumer prices for the sake of the public.

In late 2010 the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, under the authorization of the local People’s Committee, granted an interest-free loan of VND16.5 billion ($791,000) for Phu An Sinh to buy and store pigs, chickens and other goods, and then provide them at prices approved by local authorities for the period from November 2010 to May 2011.

Under the contract signed between the company and the department, the company had to return the loan in full when the program ended, but the company only repaid about VND6.5 billion.

Defiance of court judgment

In a similar case, the company has not repaid a loan of more than VND35 billion ($1.7 million) – also at the 0 percent interest rate – to the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In mid 2010, when the blue ear disease spread widely among pigs, the department gave the loan to Phu An Sinh so that the company could buy healthy pigs for reserve to stabilize supply to the market.

After failing to recover the loan despite many payment requests made to Phu An Sinh, the department sued the company in the Tan Thanh District People’s Court in July 2011.

At a hearing on November 10, 2011 the court ordered Phu An Sinh to repay more than VND35.5 billion, including VND33.5 billion as the principal, and the rest as late-payment interest. The company, however, has ignored the court’s judgment.

Tuoi Tre has learned that the lenders had not requested Phu An Sinh to deposit any of its property as security for its loans, and this easy practice has contributed to the company’s loan appropriation.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre