Newspaper receives award for contribution to journalism

The Tin Tuc (News) daily under the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) received the Labour Order, Second Class, on the occasion of its 30th anniversary at a ceremony yesterday.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan also sent flowers of congratulations to the newspaper.

Speaking at the event, VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi said that Tin Tuc was a Government information channel and leading political-social newspaper, and praised its contributions to the development of the agency and revolutionary journalism in Viet Nam.

Loi asked the newspaper to continue to improve the quality of information to meet the society's demand.

Founded on May 14, 1983, Tuan Tin Tuc (News Weekly) marked an important milestone in the VNA's development. It focused on pressing issues and revealed shortcomings in life that attracted public concern.

The newspaper was seen as a leading newspaper in journalism reform, especially in preventing corrupt practices and social evils.

It shook public opinion with a series of reports on loose management and the life of coal workers in Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Khanh Hoa, Hau Giang and Ha Noi.

Appeal trial held for eight defendants

The Supreme People's Court of Appeal yesterday heard the cases of eight people previously convicted of "carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people's Government" pursuant to Clauses 1 and 2, Article 79 of the Penal Code.

The trial, in the central province of Nghe An, was opened as the accused appealed against the sentences handed down to them by the People's Court of Nghe An on January 9, 2013.

The court said legal criminal evidence and documents prove that Viet Tan (the Vietnam Reform Party) is an overseas reactionary organisation that conducts a range of activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration. It argued that as the defendants participated in Viet Tan's schemes while fully aware of this fact, the initial sentence has firm legal standing.

Meanwhile, some of the accused confessed to breaking the law and expressed repentance, which helped them earn a reduced sentence. Le Van Son had his prison term reduced from 13 years to four years, while Nguyen Van Duyet, Nguyen Xuan Anh and Ho Van Oanh had their sentences reduced by 6 months, one year and six months respectively.

The court upheld the prison sentences for Ho Duc Hoa, Nguyen Dinh Cuong, Tran Minh Nhat and Thai Van Dung.

Ministry to get tougher on immunisation malpractice

The Ministry of Health has told health departments and units under its supervision to improve their management of immunisation services after a number of violations were discovered recently.

Deputy Ministry of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that any health unit found violating regulations would face suspension.

The ministry has also told local authorities to investigate and strictly discipline individuals or health units that commit violations.

Hospitals and medical units around the country were also told to publicise their telephone numbers so that consumers could call about problems related to immunisation.

In an attempt to deal with violations in a timely manner, the ministry said it planned to carry out inspections on practices related to the National Expanded Programme of Immunisation and fee-based immunisation services.

On May 20, a 16-year-old boy in central Phu Yen Province's Tuy Hoa City was vaccinated against measles, rubella and mumps with an expired Trivivac vaccine.

Initial investigations found that the city's Centre for Preventive Medicine had used three tubes that had expiry dates of April 30.

Dr. Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Preventive Medicine Department, said that this was a serious violation of immunisation regulations and that violators would be strictly punished. The case is still under investigation.

In addition, on May 14, the Ha Noi Centre for Preventive Medicine dismissed a health worker, Bui Thi Phuong Hoa, for injecting a five-month-old baby with only half of a 0.5-ml Pentaxim vaccine, and keeping the rest for herself.

Swimming lessons protect children

The Ministry of Education and Training has asked schools to introduce swimming lessons to prevent students from drowning.

The ministry said swimming lessons should be included in the school curriculum and extracurricular swimming training should be provided.

The ministry called for outside organisations to join the campaign.

Around 40 people, most of them students, have died in drowning accidents across the country since early last month.

Device to stop taxi cheats

A new kind of electronic identification chip will be developed to control taxis at major airports in Viet Nam.

This is the latest attempt by the Government to tackle rampant taxi scams at airports. Dodgy taxi drivers are reported to be ripping off tourists with impunity as soon as they arrive in Viet Nam, doing serious damage to the nation's image.

The transport ministry will be responsible for leading the development of the chip with support from Viet Nam Information Technology Association.

Quang Binh fishermen free trapped whale

Authorities and fishermen in central Quang Binh Province's Le Thuy District yesterday rescued a whale caught in a fishing net.

The whale, which is 5m long and weighs one tonne, was discovered by two fishermen off the coast of Ngu Thuy Trung Commune. They brought it into the harbor and notified the local authorities later.

The residents always try to save valuable and rare marine animals, according to the local authorities.

Fake concrete found in support pillars

Authorities in Ha Noi on Tuesday found a local company illegally producing fake additives to make concrete piles to support buildings.

At Ha Noi Trade and Technology Application Limited Company, the city's market watch confiscated 15.3 tonnes of fake additives packed in 530 packages - plus details about the company's production and business.

The company's director, Nguyen Van Tat, 40, reportedly admitted to illegally importing a small sum of genuine products from India, then starting production of the fakes.

Piles must be able to bear thousands of tonnes in unstable or difficult soil conditions. Additives used in their manufacture therefore must be of high quality.

Spread of hand-foot-mouth disease concerns hospitals

Hand-Foot-Mouth disease (HFMD) is now at its peak, having infected a total of 796 children in HCM City in April, an increase of 127 per cent against the same period last year.

Aaccording to the city's Department of Health, hot weather has also facilitated the spread of the disease.

Do Chau Viet, head of the city Pediatrics Hospital No.2's Infection Control Department, said cases were expected to increase through the end of next month.

The hospital receives between 4,000 and 5,750 HFMD patients per day, including 20-25 patients in serious health condition that require hospitalisation.

The city Pediatrics Hospital No.1 has provided treatment for 70 HFM inpatients per day, a two-fold increase compared with the same period last month.

The first HFMD case in the school environment was seen in April. Ten students at the Hoa Lan Kindergarten in the city's Binh Chanh District were hospitalised in the city's Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The city's Department of Health has asked hospitals and medical units to offer grassroots-level medical officials more training courses on HFMD disease prevention, control and containment, according to Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the department.

Japan fund grants $2.5m to help poor vendors

About 600 poor street vendors in Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia are set to benefit from financial loans from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, announced the Asian Development Bank yesterday.

The total funds for the micro-finance loans offered to household businesses by 2017 amount to US$2.5 million, and beneficiaries will also receive training and business counselling.

At least 70 per cent of the grant will be earmarked for poor female vendors, according to the ADB, which will administer the grant.

The move aims to help vendors raise their incomes through their own businesses, with work also including the construction of three small markets in central Quang Tri Province's Dong Ha Town in Viet Nam, and the towns of Battambang in Cambodia and Kaysome Phomvihane in Lao – all three locations are situated in the economic corridor between the three countries.

The towns were selected as locations for the new markets thanks to their size, proximity to agricultural production and advantages in cross-border trade.

The $2.5-million grant is a part of three projects to improve towns along the economic corridor between the three neighbouring countries, worth a total of $220 million.

According to Florian Steinberg, the ADB's Senior Urban Development Specialist for Southeast Asia, the project will set aside space in the new market buildings specifically for women vendors.

It also helps them access local daycare services for their children, and build separate latrines to ensure they can safely spend the day in their workplace.

MARD allocates funds to shore up crumbling dykes

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved a plan to reinforce the inter-provincial dyke system at a cost of VND420 billion (US$20 million) to prepare for floods.

Tran Thi Lan Phuong, an expert at the ministry's Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control, said the dykes include the Duong River dyke running through Ha Noi, Hai Phong City and Bac Ninh Province in the north, and the Lam River Dike connecting central Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces.

A total of VND300 billion ($14.2 million) has also been allocated, to repair damaged sewers and dykes hit by landslides to prevent erosion, said Phuong.

However, the funds meet only 50 per cent of the demand. The ministry has proposed that the Government add another VND120 billion ($5.7 million) to the programme.

The committee claims to be also coping with many violations that can greatly weaken the structure of the dykes.

More than 560 violations have been reported so far this year. They included discharging waste on dyke, planting trees on top of the embankment, driving overloaded lorries along dyke roads and storing building materials on them.

Typically, 16 people built illegal apartments in dyke protected corridors in Ung Hoa, Phuc Tho and Phu Xuyen districts.

In Ha Noi alone, a total of 44 cases were detected last month, an increase by 27 compared with March, according to the Ha Noi Department of Dyke Management and Flood Prevention.

Northern Bac Giang province also detected 85 cases.

Deputy director of the Directorate of Water Resources Nguyen Xuan Dieu said that upgrading and managing the dyke system in some northern provinces was not safe as it did not follow guidelines.

Specifically, some dykes in Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh and Hung Yen provinces were being widened, whereas those in Ha Noi connecting the provinces remained the same.

This meant that dykes in Ha Noi could be threatened in times of high flood, said Dieu.

"Moreover, illegal natural resources and minerals exploitation in river beds in different provinces has changed the water flow, caused landslides and decreased river drainage," he said.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang suggested that regular inspections and maintenance together with drastic punishments would improve the situation.

More than 50 locations along 2,500km of dykes in northern and north-central areas face dangers in the flood season, according of the latest statistics from the Directorate of Water Resources.

Rail project held up by land clearance

Construction of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong elevated urban railway project is behind schedule due to land clearance difficulties, said a project official.

The project is scheduled for completion late next year and open for trains in 2015.

However, director of the project management board Tran Van Luc said at a press briefing on Tuesday that the project could not be completed as difficulties remained in land clearance, particularly in Ha Dong, Dong Da and Thanh Xuan Districts.

Site clearance had only been completed on 9.2km out of 13.5km of the project, he said. Work was not expected to be completed by the end of this year, he added.

Luc said construction of the project's depot would be two months behind schedule.

Deputy Chairman of Ha Dong District's People's Committee Nguyen Truong Son admitted that the most difficulty in site clearance for the project was moving a cemetery in Van Noi commune.

The project management board expected to complete land clearance task and 50 per cent of the project's key structure this year.

The municipal People's Committee has required relevant agencies to actively work to ensure site clearance for the project as scheduled.

The 13-km railway, stretching from Cat Linh Street to Yen Nghia bus station in Ha Dong District, will have 12 stations.

Trains will run at a maximum speed of 80km/hour, taking about 24 minutes to complete a trip from Cat Linh to Ha Dong.

The railway is being funded by foreign sponsors and the Government at a total cost of VND8.8 trillion (US$419 million).

German Red Cross to help VN

Red Cross societies of Viet Nam and Germany will co-operate on humanitarian work in the areas of safe water and environmental sanitation, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

As part of a co-operation programme for the 2013-15 period, an agreement was signed yesterday between Viet Nam Red Cross Deputy Chairman and General Secretary Doan Van Thai and Head of the National and International Co-operation Division of the German Red Cross Society Richert Johannes.

The Viet Nam Red Cross said that the German Red Cross was among its biggest partners in humanitarian activities in Viet Nam.

Since 2008, it has supported Viet Nam in various projects on disaster victim support, community health care and natural disaster risk reduction with total funds of more than 7.7million euros (nearly US$10 million).

New SOS children's village underway

Construction of a new SOS village, the first of it kind in the Red River Delta region, began in Thai Binh Province yesterday.

The US$2.5 million village, jointly funded by the International SOS children's village and PetroVietnam Drilling and Well Services Corporation, will house 14 families to take care of 140 orphans and homeless children.

Additionally, retirement houses for people who take care of the kids will also be built. Located in Hoang Dieu District, the village covers an area of 25,000 square meters.

It is scheduled to be open by the end of this year.

Da Nang police smash drug trafficking ring

The central city's Counter Narcotics Police Force have busted an inter-provincial drug trafficking and trade ring, seizing six drug smugglers.

They also seized 70 grammes of methamphetamine, two motorbikes and VND29 million (US$1,400).

A source at the city's public security department yesterday confirmed the police force had been trailing the ring between Quang Nam and Da Nang city since last year.

The bordering area between Da Nang's Ngu Hanh Son and Quang Nam's Dien Ban district has been a hot spot for criminal drug trafficking rings.

Truck driver prosecuted over deadly collision

Central Binh Thuan Province Police yesterday detained and charged a container truck driver involved in a serious head-on collision with a bus in Ham Tan District on May 11.

Driver Le Van Quy from Binh Dinh was accused of driving at high speed when the collision occurred, leaving six people dead and 10 others injured.

Following the accident, provincial people's committee chairman urged local police to crack down on traffic violations such as speeding and driving in the wrong lane.

 Five arrested for robbing taxi drivers

Police in the northern port city of Hai Phong's Ngo Quyen District have temporarily detained five people who are suspected of being behind a series of robberies targetting taxi drivers in the area.

The five suspects are aged between 16 and 28, and are all residents in the district. Police also confiscated one knife, two choppers and two swords.

Since the beginning of this month, different taxi firms in the city have been reporting that their drivers have been robbed. The gang would use various tricks. For example, taxi drivers would be asked for a ride to a deserted place, where they were attacked with a knife and had their money and property taken away. In other cases, the robbers paid the fare with foreign bank notes of low value, but then asked for change in Vietnamese dong in a high values.

The five arrested suspects admitted to the investigators that they had conducted 10 robberies of taxi drivers.

Jewellery shop robbers receive death sentence for murder

The Ho Chi Minh City Court has sentenced three men to death for murder and fifteen year imprisonment to their accomplices in jewellery shop heists in HCMC and the southern provinces for the last several years.

The three defendants, Huynh Van Tiem, 54, and Le Van Nhan, 56, both from Hoa Thanh District in the southern province of  Tay Ninh; and Le Anh Kiet, 49, from Nha Be District in HCMC were sentenced to death by the HCMC Court on May 23.

According to the council of judges, their criminal acts were a threat to society as they were ready to shoot and kill anyone who got in their way. The quest for money had blinded them, said the judges.

The court also announced that Phan Van Tuong, 40, from Chau Thanh District of Tay Ninh Province get life imprisonment, and Dinh Van Phuoc, 62, from Thoai Son District in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang get 15 years in prison.

Huynh Van Tiem was acquainted with Le Anh Kiem when they were in Tong Le Chan prison in the southern province of Binh Phuoc. After they finished serving their sentences, Tiem and Kiet manipulated Le Van Nha, Phan Van Tuong, and Dinh Van Phuoc to use guns to rob jewellery shops in HCMC and southern provinces of Tay Ninh, Long An, Dong Nai and Vinh Long.

When shop owners or street drivers chased them, they did not hesitate to shoot. They killed Kim Thanh jewellery shop owner, Doan My, who tried to resist them.

In the last several years they had amassed VND5.4 billion (US$257,526) from their nefarious activities.

Viscera transplant operations at nighttime end in success

Doctors at Viet-German Hospital in Hanoi were successful in conducting three simultaneous kidney and liver transplant operations on the night of May 21, thus giving a renewed life to three people suffering from life threatening diseases, said Dr. Nguyen Tien Quyet, director of the hospital.

The three operations took seven hours and involved 120 physicians and nurses, said Quyet.

The liver recipient is a 54-year-old man from Hanoi who was living with Hepatitis C virus since 2005.

Last year in April he was diagnosed with liver cancer, and to stop the tumor from growing further, physicians had used strong drugs on two occasions to arrest growth in liver artery.

Two of the kidney recipients had been suffering from chronic kidney failure for a long time and were on machines three times a week before the operation.

As of now, all the three patients are doing well and showing positive signs of recovery after the operation.

To date, the hospital has conducted 150 successful kidney and 12 liver transplant operations in adults.

VNA/VNS/VNN