Customs upgrade to cost $126mil

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved an amount of VND2.6 trillion (US$126 million) for the customs sector to improve its fleets from 2011-20.

The move aims to better facilitate the prevention and control of cross-border smuggling and make the patrol, inspection, and pursuit of violators more efficiently.

These goals would help ensure the country's economic security as well as its sovereignty.

Accordingly, customs will have new fleets of patrolling boats: speed-boats with modern technical features enabling more missions and co-operation with other authorities, including police.

Domestically-made boats are preferable. Moreover, existing equipment will be maintained and upgraded.

The fund is from the State's budget, liquidation of old equipment and other legal sources.

Designer seized for stealing software for sale

Tran Ngoc Hien at the investigating police agency in Hanoi.  (Photo: VNE)

In 2005, the company transferred it to the Zamil Steel Buildings Vietnam Co., Ltd. for exclusive use in Vietnam.

On August 22, 2011 Zamil Steel Buildings Vietnam reported to police that the software had been stolen and offered for sale on the Internet.

The police launched an investigation and found out that the stealer had used email address nhatheptienche2006@yahoo.com to make deals with three people and then sold the software to them for a total of over VND100 million, which was transferred to an account at a bank in Ho Chi Minh City.

The police later identified Hien, living in Tan Binh District, HCMC, as the owner of both the e-mail address and the bank account. They then arrested him for the charge of “illegal use of the information on the Internet and in computers.”

Hien confessed to the police that while working at the company’s branch in HCMC, he managed to unlock the software with a view to stealing it for sale.

Vietnamese satellite centre to be set up

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has decided to set up a National Satellite Centre under Viet Nam's Institute of Science and Technology.

The centre, to be located in Hoa Lac Hi-tech Zone in Ha Noi, has been assigned the project of building a National Cosmography Centre.

The cosmography centre will study and produce small satellites to forecast weather or seek and rescue people in the case of emergencies.

Man stopped by traffic police causes uproar

A middle-aged man who was stopped by the traffic police in Hanoi last Sunday called other men to his rescue.

At 10:15 p.m. on September 18 near Hanoi National University on Xuan Thuy Street in Cau Giay District, the traffic police found a man driving a Honda’s SH motorbike without a number plate or a helmet.

They pulled him up and asked for his personal papers. As the man didn’t show his papers, the police filed a report against him.

The man then said he was himself a criminal policeman and threatened the traffic officers and even demanded them to show him their badges.

As the police were filing the report, the man, who later identified himself in the report as Cao Anh Tuan, 39, from Cau Giay District, made many phone calls to seek “help.” 

After Tuan called for help, several men appeared. One illegally parked his Mazda car on the street to hinder the police who immediately checked the car and found a 60cm-long iron stick inside.

This man was later taken to the police station for questioning. Another man wearing a white T-shirt also showed up and tried to rescue Tuan.

When he saw some reporters reporting the scene, he insulted them and kicked a camera out of the hand of a reporter from Hanoi Moi Newspaper.

This man was also arrested and at the police station, confessed that he is Truong Manh Ha, 27, also from Cau Giay District.

According to an initial investigation, Ha is a policeman.

ADB-funded project approved

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a US$1 million technical assistance project to develop the irrigation system in the Red River delta financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

PM Dung has asked the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to finalise project-related documents, and coordinate with other localities to ensure the effective implementation of the project.

The project will be carried out in two years in the four provinces of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Vinh Phuc and Phu Tho.

Murdered journalist’s mother demands fresh probe

The Long An Province Procuracy has called for a fresh investigation into the burning death of a journalist allegedly by his wife following a demand from his mother.

Nguyen Thi Kim Nga has sought the reinvestigation since a number of issues remained unclear, her lawyer Nguyen Huu Duc said.

The evidence collected at the crime scene did not match Lieu’s confession, while there were things that indicated Lieu may have had help.

The quantity of gasoline used to burn Le Hoang Hung, the journalist, was not the same as Tran Thuy Lieu, 40, the alleged killer, claimed in her confession.

An examination had revealed that the mattress on which Hung had been lying burst into flames from two sources of fire at the same time but the investigators had accepted Lieu’s claim that she had acted alone.

Lieu claimed to have bought a 12-meter rope and tied it to the balcony railing to create a red herring, but the rope was in fact only 10.5 meters long.

Even the motive for the murder was unclear since Lieu’s relatives had said the couple had had no serious conflicts.

Cao Minh Tri, the Procuracy spokesperson and head of its office, told the media yesterday that the police should clarify the issues raised by Nga.

On July 28 the police filed murder charges against Lieu for burning her husband to death. They concluded she acted alone, rejecting speculation that someone had assisted her in the murder. She had confessed to the killing in February.

There was speculation that Lieu’s lover Nguyen Van Tam, former head of the province’s Market Management Team No. 5, had a hand in the murder but the police said there was no evidence for it.

Hung, 51, was found killed on January 19 while he was sleeping in his home in Long An and died 10 days later in hospital.

He had worked for Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper, covering society, crime, and anti-corruption.

Nghe An market fire causes $96,000 damage

At 1 am yesterday morning, Monday, residents at the Muong Xen Town in central Nghe An Province panicked when they found a flame break out and spread in the makeshift Muong Xen market.

As the town had no fire brigade, the local authorities had to mobilize policemen, soldiers and border guards to extinguish the fire.

After burning down 20 kiosks, the fire was put out at 2 am.

The total damage in assets was estimated at about VND2 billion (US$96,000), but fortunately there was no human casualties reported, according to local authorities.

The market was temporarily built for traders pending the inauguration of the official Muong Xen Market, authorities said.

The local police are investigating the cause of the fire.

Shell explosion kills one, wounds 10 at military unit

One soldier has been killed while 10 others have been wounded in a shell explosion at a military unit in central Vietnam.

The incident took place at C55 unit under technical department of Military Zone No.5 headquarter on Monday morning.

Among the wounded soldiers, 2 had their limbs chopped off and 2 others were in critical conditions when being rushed into C17 Military Hospital.

All of them had multiple injuries caused by shrapnel lodging in all over their bodies, said Nguyen Huu Binh, director of the hospital.

Major-General Le Van Hoang - Deputy Political Commissar of Military Zone 5 - said the since the dead and wounded soldiers were on duty, they would be honored as and martyrs and war invalids.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

Sacked drink-and-drive inspector sues boss

A former deputy head of a traffic inspection team in Can Tho City who has been fired after causing a drink-and-drive accident is now suing the city Transport Department director for the sack which he claims is against the law.

In his complaint filed to the Can Tho City People’s Court, Le Van Qui claimed that director Le Tan Hoc had taken a disciplinary action on him without convening a disciplinary council.

According to the case file, Qui caused an accident while he was drunk in February, 2011 in O Mon District.

After the police sent a notice about Qui’s wrongdoings to the department, Hoc issued the decision to remove Qui from his post without convening a meeting of the disciplinary council.
Hoc did not assign Qui to any other jobs after that.

According to the city Party Committee’s Commission for Inspection, Hoc’s dismissal decision violated Decree 34/2011/ND-CP dated 17 May 2011 by the Government regarding disciplinary action against public servants.

The Can Tho City People’s Court is handling the lawsuit.

82,000 Vietnamese die of cancer per year

The number of yearly deaths from cancer in Vietnam is 82,000, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

The figure was announced at the conference “Cancer – Overcome and win over the disease” held by the Vietnam Nutrition Association in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday.

The IARC also warned that the country has about 116,000 new cases of cancer ever year.

The rate of male patients with cancer increased to 181.2 per 100,000 people in 2010 from 141.6 in 2000. The figure for female patients is 134.9 per 100,000 against 101.6, according to the statistics.

If detected early and treated properly, most cancers are potentially curable, with a success rate of treatment amounting to 90 percent for prostate cancer, 80-90 percent for breast cancer, and 65-70 percent for cervical cancer, doctors said at the conference.

Along with impacts from chemical and radioactive therapies, spiritual depression can cause weight loss in 50-80 percent of cancer patients, as shown in clinical studies, Dr Bui Chi Viet, head of the Surgery Department II of the HCMC Oncology Hospital, said.

Meanwhile, only a 5-percent reduction in weight can be enough to cause a serious impact on the remaining life expectancy of cancer patients, he said.

In addition to early detection, good treatment and proper diets, optimism will enable cancer patients to win over the disease and prolong their life, doctors said.

Cancer patients should be fed with food with high content of protein, fat, and Omega 3-EPA that is found in some fish like salmons and tunas, they said.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre