Jailed PMU18 chief in the dock again

The Hanoi People’s Court this morning began the much-postponed embezzlement trial of Bui Tien Dung, former general director of the Transport Ministry’s Project Management Unit 18, who is already serving 16 years in prison.

Dung, 52, and eight other alleged accomplices have been charged with siphoning off more than VND3.4 billion (US$165,500) from funds meant for the construction of the $63.3 million, ODA-funded Bai Chay Bridge in Quang Ninh Province.
The eight are Nguyen Vu Nam, former head of the Project Initiation Department No. 6 (PID 6); Nguyen Cong Dung, a former PID 6 expert; Nghiem Phu Son, former deputy head of PID 6; Le Minh Giang, former deputy head of PID 5; Nguyen Huu Minh, former executing director of the Bai Chay 1 (BC1) bid; Nguyen Huu Long, former executive director of the BC3 bid; Tran Duc Hung, chief of the consulting office for the project; and Do Kim Quy, a former deputy general director of PMU 18.
According to the indictment by the Supreme People’s Procuracy, in 1998, PMU18, then led by Dung, was assigned to build the bridge.
Since it needed many consultants, the nine defendants allegedly listed fictitious names and claimed to pay them fees to appropriate the $165,500.

Dung used VND500 million ($24,300) from the amount as a “send-off gift” to Quy who was about to retire, the prosecution said, and the latter accepted the money despite knowing it was illegal.
Except Quy, who is charged with “using assets created by criminals,” the other defendants are charged with embezzlement.

Quy handed over the VND500 million to the police after they began investigating into Dung’s wrongdoings.

Dung is in jail while the others are out on bail.

Dung was sentenced to 13 years in prison for gambling and bribery in November 2007.
In August 2010 he was given an additional three years for “deliberately acting against the State’s economic management regulations, causing serious consequences.”

 Upgrade of border markers finished

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue has completed upgrading the marker system along the Viet Nam-Laos border in its locality, nearly two years ahead of schedule.

The provincial border demarcation and marker planting steering board said that in the first six months of the year the province, in co-ordination with its neighbouring Lao provinces of Salavan and Sekong, had built the last five remaining markers, No. 654, 655, 656, 664 and 675.

The two sides will next build embankments to protect markers 639, 664 and 658. The local government plans to boost educational campaigns on border demarcations and marker planting and complete legal dossiers for the marker system and hand them over to the border guard force.

Man, 23, arrested for intellectual property scam

Tra Vinh Province police have taken in a 22-year-old man and his two accomplices for allegedly running a racket claiming to be top officials at the National Office of Intellectual Property and swindling businesses seeking quick registration.
Vu Viet Xuan, 23, Nguyen Thanh Luan, 26, and Vu Tuan Thanh, 22, all hailed from Hai Phong city, the police said.
Thanh would tell his victims that he was the head of the NOIP and could help with quick registration of their trademarks, industrial designs, patents, and logos, they said.
But following a tip-off from the public, they caught Thanh taking VND4.5 million (US$220) from a business owner on June 20.
Following Thanh’s confession, the police later arrested Xuan and Luan, who also admitted to carrying out similar swindles.
The three had worked for an advertising company in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City.
They admitted to cheating more than 40 companies, 18 in Mekong Delta provinces, including Dong Thap and Kien Giang.

Guard driving into strike face murder charge

Le Tuan Minh, chief security guard of Hanoi-based Just Special Material Co., Ltd. Vietnam, might be charged with murder after driving his truck into a crowd of workers during a strike and killing one person on Thursday.

Talking with Tuoi Tre, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Dao Thanh Hai, head of the Hanoi Social Crime Investigation Department, said the police were questioning Minh.

One day earlier, the police detained him when he turned himself in, Hai said.

On the morning of June 23, the workers went on strike, blocking Minh’s van from entering the company’s compound.

After his request to the workers was turned down, Minh headed straight into the crowd.
Hai said the van injured seven female workers.
All of the victims were taken to Chuong My Hospital, but one of them, Nguyen Thi Lieu, whose neck was run over, died on the way.
The injured were Nguyen Thu Hue, Nguyen Thi Loan, Nguyen Thi Huong, Nguyen Thi Nguyet, Nguyen Thi Thuy and Nguyen Thi Lan.

One of them, Hue, is 7 months pregnant.
Hai said Minh neither had a driver’s license nor knew how to drive a car, but he drove the truck and caused a deadly accident.
He should have known that his act would cause danger, even death, but still committed it, Haid said.
Minh’s act thus constituted a murder, the official concluded.
Minh, 36, from the district’s Ngoc Hoa Commune, is a staff member of the Northern Security Joint Stock Company.
He had been assigned to work as chief security guard at Just Special Material Co., Ltd. Vietnam for 2 months.

Ha Noi adds buses for entrance exams

The Ha Noi Transport Corporation will add nearly 100 buses to 28 capital city routes for the upcoming university entrance exams which will take place from this week until July 14. The additional buses will also help ease overload at the city's Giap Bat, My Dinh, Gia Lam, Yen Nghia, Luong Yen and Nuoc Ngam bus stations. The corporation will also offer 1,000 free bus tickets to students.

Principal murdering colleague turns himself in

39-year-old Nguyen Thanh An, the principal of C Phuoc Long Elementary School in Phuoc Long District in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu, turned himself Saturday after killing his colleague at a school party.

An killed 29-year-old Tran Viet Trieu and injured 37-year-old Bui Thanh Dang on the neck at a party on Friday after quarrelling with them.

An left the scene after committing the crime.

Dang, after being hospitalized at a local hospital, has been taken to a provincial hospital for further treatment.

Kido’s workers treated for food poisoning

Saturday morning, June 25, about 100 workers of South Korean-owned Kido Hanoi Co., Ltd. in the northern province of Hung Yen were taken to two local hospitals for treatment of food poisoning.

After taking lunch on June 24 at the company, the workers developed poisoning symptoms such as abdomen pain, diarrhea and vomiting later in the evening.

Since they could not work the following morning, the company sent them to Pho Noi General Hospital, Yen My Hospital and Van Lam Health Center for treatment.

Samples of the lunch they ate had been tested, said Do Manh Hung, head of the provincial Sub-department of the Food Safety and Hygiene.

Talking with journalists at Pho Noi Hospital, many workers complained about the quality of meals provided by their company.

“I even saw maggots in my rations,” said N.T.H. “My soup had dead flies and I could see at the first glance that my vegetables were dirty.”

Hung said yesterday afternoon, the food safety and hygiene sub-department’s representatives and several journalists went to Kido Hanoi but they could not meet any of its executives.

The company’s staff said their director had been out for business, Hung said.

Talking with VTC News, Nguyen Dang Vinh, head of the Van Lam District Police Department, said about 93 workers had been hospitalized and 6 were in serious condition.

Project to mitigate central region disaster risks

A project to minimize the risks of natural disasters faced by vulnerable communities in two districts of the central city of Danang will be launched early neaxt month.

The project, funded by Save the Children Vietnam, will focus on severeal major activities, including assisting the city’s centre for disaster prevention and mitigation to enhance co-ordination in disaster response and relief.

It will provide the centre with technical equipment and facilities needed for rescue work and training aid such as generators, computers, portable speakers, flashlights and lifebuoy.

Approximately 147 training courses, extracurricular activities and rehearsals will also be organized for almost 6,000 people, mainly teachers, pupils, and residents of coastal area as well as and flood control officials.

These activities are expected to provide basic knowledge of natural disasters, mitigation and response.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre