4,500 tons of wildlife smuggled through Vietnam annually
Environmental police on Wednesday said an estimated 4,000-4,500 tons of wild animals and their body parts are smuggled through Vietnam every year from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.
According to the Department of Environmental Police, primates, bears, anteaters, turtles, snakes, elephant tasks and rhino horns are transported to Vietnam before heading to China.
A small percentage stays inside Vietnam to be consumed domestically, it said.
The General Customs Office since 2005 has discovered 14 illegal imports of wildlife, seizing 13.5 tons of ivory and more than 30 tons of turtles and turtle parts from the Hai Phong Port.
In Vietnam, wild animals are highly sought as demands for bush meats in homes and restaurants are rising from their overrated health properties.
Police said there are more than 200 restaurants serving bush meat in Hanoi alone.
No evidence found in alleged child abuse
Police in the southern province of Dong Nai said they found no evidence to prove the four children who ran away from a local orphanage to Ho Chi Minh City last month were abused.
Nguyen Van Be Hai, 13, Diep Tuan Khoa, 6, Le Gia Huy, 5, and Diep Hieu Trung, 4, were found wandering on HCMC’s Hung Vuong Street Nov 8 with multiple bruises on their bodies.
Police took them to the HCMC Social Sponsoring Center, where they said they had run away from the Dong Nai Open Home, a charity center for orphans and abandoned children.
Khoa and Huy were taken to the Children’s Hospital No.1 to treat a broken arm and several wounds.
Hai told the police they had been tortured by Le Thi Thanh Lan, deputy chief of the Dong Nai Open Home, and her husband Le An Thanh.
Police then opened investigations into the alleged beating but they announced Tuesday no evidence was found.
They said Hai, the oldest boy, disliked Lan because she kept yelling at him for being too mischievous, so he talked other boys into running away with him.
The wounds on the kids’ bodies are not the results of torture, but just a fall when they climbed up a two-meter wall in the dark to escape, according to police.
Khoa and Trung, two brothers, have been brought back to their home to live with their grandmother, while the two others have been sent back to another orphanage in the capital Bien Hoa City.
2 foreigners drown near Phan Thiet, 1 saved
Two tourists, a Russian and a French, died while snorkeling in the central province of Binh Thuan Monday, local police said. A Russian man was rescued by fishermen.
The dead have been identified as Philippe Bousseau, 47, of France and Alexander Nikolav, 42.
The rescued man, Pavel, who was found by fishermen off Cu Lao Cau beach in Tuy Phong District, was pulled ashore for first aid.
He told them the other two were underwater, but by the time the fishermen reached them, they were already dead.
The three had been staying in different hotels in the resort city of Phan Thiet some 110 km away.
The bodies were sent to the Binh Thuan General Hospital. Autopsies will be done today in the presence of consular officials to identify the cause of death.
Vietnam Airlines to fly direct between Can Tho and Taipei (China)
Vietnam Airlines plans non stop flights between Can Tho and Taipei (China) to meet travel demands of passengers during the Lunar New Year 2011. C
The airlines celebrated the inauguration of Can Tho International Airport in December. The first inaugural flight departed from Can Tho at 1.55 on December 20 and arrived in Taipei at 6.15. The return flight left Taipei at 7.40 and arrived in Can Tho at 10.10.
The forthcoming flights are scheduled on December 29, January 12,19,21,29, 30 and February 5, 7,9,12.
In the first phase of renovation the airport was upgraded to receive domestic flights in 2008 and international flights in 2009. The total cost of the project from 2007 to 2025 is expected to exceed VND11, 000 billion.
The renovation will upgrade the airport to Grade 4E ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards allowing landings by larger aircrafts including the B777 and B747-400 normally used for international flights. The new facilities will also improve on the passengers checking time.
Bus operator skyrockets bus fares for Tet
Taking advantage of the ticket scarcity in the coming Tet holidays, the bus operator Hoang Long Transport Ltd Company has stiffened bus fares at Mien Dong Bus Station, in Ho Chi Minh City.
On Tuesday morning, many people gathered in front of the ticket stalls of Mai Linh, Chin Nghia, Binh Tam and Hoang Long. However, many hopeful passengers failed to get a ticket.
The companies operating the routes from HCMC to central provinces have doubled their fares. One of the companies that has continuously manipulated the fare is Hoang Long.
Specifically, on December 5, it increased the fare on the HCMC to Hanoi route from VND650, 000 to VND720, 000.
Three days later, it rose the price again to VND850,000 and then to VND1, 190,000.
In addition to Tet tickets, the company has charged passengers a 60 percent increase in current prices.
Furthermore, Hoang Long was found to be selling Tet tickets; although it had not displayed any price of a ticket, on the notice board.
This was at the Mien Dong Bus Station’s on December 21.The company also broke other regulations by selling tickets with higher price than that was stated on the notice board and by giving out no invoices.
Thuong Thanh Hai, director of the Mien Dong Bus Station said that the station has been reported to the relevant authority and shortly they will handle the case.
With regard to the current regulations, the bus operators have rights to increase or decrease their prices as long as they inform the bus station and Departments of Transport, Finance and Taxation, about the new prices increases, Hai added.
Vietnam tests ‘Chinese satay’ after revelation of toxic cancer-causing substance
Following revelations made by the Chinese media, who stated that their satay might contain a toxic cancer-causing substance, Vietnamese authorities on December 21 took samples from some markets in the North for testing.
The Vietnam Food Administration and the Ministry of Health investigated markets in Hanoi and the northern provinces in order to collect food samples of the Chinese satay (or pot-au-feu spices).
The revelation has caused fear in Vietnam as many people have used these spices for years.
In Dong Xuan market, the biggest wholesale market in Hanoi, Chinese products are displayed besides locally-made satay and other spices. China’s satay is sold at VND10, 000 a pack.
In addition, Chinese products have no expiry date on their packaging and no Vietnamese language labeling.
Nguyen Thanh Phong, deputy head of the administration, said Chinese companies have not announced the quality of these products in Vietnam. Furthermore, the display of these products in this country violates Vietnam’s food hygiene and safety regulations.
Phong warned Vietnamese customers to be careful in selecting and buying products that have no clear indications of its origin.

Street children in 10 localities get assistance

Street children and those at high risk of becoming street children in 10 provinces and cities have received timely assistance, an official of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) said on Dec. 22.

Enhancing transnational crime combat among VN, Laos and Cambodia

More than 100 chief judges and judges from the Supreme People’s Courts of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and their border provinces are attending a two-day conference that opened in the central coastal city of Nha Trang on December 22.

Chinese firms assist the poor in Binh Duong

The Chinese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Xu Mingliang, on December 22 handed over VND410 million to the “Fund for the Poor” of the southern province of Binh Duong.

US professors in praise of Vietnamese students

Professors from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) under Bloomington University in Indiana, USA, have praised the intelligence and learning desire of Vietnamese students for their hard working and studying at the university.

Rehab centres ready for 2011

Rehabilitation centres in HCM City will take in 3,000-3,500 drug addicts and 300-500 sex workers next year, the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said.

Almost two-thirds of drug users will be provided vocational training before they reintegrate into society, Nguyen Van Minh, deputy director of the Department, told a conference yesterday.

The Department will also work with the city AIDS Committee for a methadone-treatment programme that targets 1,500 drug users next year, he said.

Nearly 3,500 drug addicts and 105 prostitutes were sent to the rehab centres this year, a 33 per cent increase over last year, according to a report by the Department.

People from outside the city and the homeless accounted for 49 per cent of them.

Around 7,480 addicts and 86 prostitutes are currently undergoing rehab at both public and private centres.

More than 1,300 addicts were reintegrated into society this year, taking the total number discharged from the centres under the programme so far to nearly 12,000.

However, more than 2,700 of them, or 22.76 per cent, relapsed into drugs after returning to the community.

The number of addicts successfully treated with methadone under a pilot programme is 860.

Two arrested for possession of explosives

The Ta Pet Border Guard in co-ordination with the Drugs Control Department caught Dao Duy Linh, 34, a resident of Binh Duong Province's Loc Ninh District carrying 193 kg of explosives, 40 electric primers and VND170 million($8,500) on December 17.

The guards also arrested Tran Thi Huong, 42, from the same district while she was transporting7 kg of explosives the following day.

Further investigations are now underway and the case will be brought to court shortly.

Daycare worker faces abuse charges

Police in the southern province of Binh Duong's Thuan An District have proposed that babysitter Tran Thi Phung should be prosecuted for alleged child abuse.

The case was brought to light after a video clip was posted on Youtube on November 11 2010.

Phung was filmed gripping the child's hair while bathing her. Phung also kept splashing water over the child's face, stamping on her, pinning her down to the floor and shouting at her.

Phung was responsible for the care of her neighbour's three year-old girl, Huynh Thi Thuy Ngan in May 2009.

Vedan to disburse compensation payments

Vedan Co., will begin the second stage of compensation payments for Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province from January 14-15, said Tran Van Cuong, deputy director of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province's department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Total compensation for the province will total VND53.6 billion($2.68billion).

By the end of December 20 1,231 of 1,255 households had received compensation payments. Xuan My Commune attempted to contact the remaining 24 households to process their compensation payments on December 22, 2010.

RoK donates $10 million for Bac Giang technology college

The Republic of Korea Government is to donate US$10 million for construction of the Viet–Han Technology College in northern Bac Giang Province.

Bac Giang People's Committee Chairman Bui Van Hai and Vice Chairman of the Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOIKA) Anh Dong Won signed off on the deal on Wednesday.

"I hope the Han–Viet Technology College will help train people with high-tech expertise necessary for the economic development of Viet Nam. The college will also stand as testimony to the close relationship between the Republic of Korea and Viet Nam," said KOIKA Vice Chairman Won.

Construction of the 9,100- square metre college will be completed in 2013. The aim of the institution is to train high-tech personnel for Bac Giang Province's electric, electronic, mechanism, computing and automobile industries.

KOIKA will support the college with construction, teacher training, curriculum development and providing equipment.

The college will play an important role in promoting sustainable development for the province's five industrial zones, which have a total investment capital of more than $400 million. Neighbouring areas will also benefit.

Police seize 7,500 packets of cigarettes

Ha Noi Police and Hai Duong Traffic Police found a car transporting 7,500 packets of imported cigarettes without invoices on Tuesday.

The packs were disguised in cartons carrying Vietnamese cigarette labels, such as Vinataba, Thang Long and Sapa.

The car's driver, Nguyen Trong Thanh, allegedly said that he transported the goods for the Phan Ha Co based in northern Quang Ninh Province.

Two 400kg bombs unearthed by army

Army Corps No12 discovered two unexploded bombs weighing about 400 kilograms each in Chuon Village in Le Thuy District's Kim Thuy Commune in Quang Binh Province.

They removed the bombs so that they could later be detonated.

The bombs were believed to have been dropped during the American War in the 1970s.

Killer lorry driver to face prosecution

Thuan Thanh District Police in Bac Ninh Province are prosecuting driver Nguyen Xuan Truong, 23, from Bac Giang Province for killing three students in a road accident on December 12.

His lorry crashed into a motorbike carrying three girls on the provincial highway through An Binh Commune.

Cement plant under pollution scrutiny

Van Xa Cement Factory, owned by foreign investors, has been ordered to report on rehousing arrangements for residents overcome by pollution.

The request was made public by Hoang Ngoc Khanh, chief administrator of the provincial People's Committee.

Thick layers of dust and coal soot from the factory covered all adjacent houses, forcing residents to shut them around the clock.

It is claimed that since 2003, the factory has used dust-sleeve filters instead of electrostatic dust filters without the consent of competent agencies.

Man accused of stealing VND4 billion

Nguyen Van Tuyen, 31, a resident of Hai Duong Province's Tu Ky District allegedly stole VND4 billion (US$200,000) from Ham Long Pagoda, according to police in Bac Ninh Province.

Police have seized more than VND2,6 billion ($130,000) found in Tuyen's possession.

Further investigation is underway. The case will be brought to court shortly.