Industrial zone locals seek $1m damages

Locals living near the Long Thanh Industrial Zone under the Sonadezi Service JSC in south-eastern Dong Nai Province have requested compensation of over VND24 billion (US$1.14 million) for damage done to the environment and their economic benefits.

According to Kieu Hoang Anh, a representative from Long Thanh District's Tam An Commune, Sonadezi's wastewater treatment factory has polluted the environment and damaged maritime products, plants and poultry.

The company, however, agreed to provide only 95 per cent in compensation of the natural resources, denying responsibility in polluting plants and poultry, which triggered anger among the locals.

The Long Thanh District steering committee for pollution investigation and verification said they would guide locals in completing petitions for compensation.

Man apprehended for trafficking woman

Police from northern Lai Chau Province's Tan Uyen District arrested a 25-year-old man yesterday for trafficking women.
The suspect, named Ma A Chu, was caught red-handed on his way to sell Lau Thi Mo, 17, and Giang Thi Sua, 26, from Nam So Commune, to a Chinese man.

Chu admitted that he also sold another two women from the commune to the same man for VND4 million ($190) on June 17.

‘HCM City Days’ opens in Vientiane

The ‘Ho Chi Minh City Days’ opened in Vientiane, the Lao capital, on June 27 as part of Vietnam-Laos Friendship Year 2012 celebrations.  

The Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Le Thanh Hai, said that the city has always treasured its ties with Vientiane and other Laotian localities.

He also noted that the friendship between the two cities has flourished across all fields, contributing to their joint development and prosperity as well as boosting special relations more broadly at a national level.

The highlights of the event include a photo exhibition, a trade-investment-tourism promotion conference and a wide range of cultural performances and sports competitions.

The Lao Deputy Prime Minister, Soukan Mahalath, spoke highly of the event, saying that it helps the citizens of Vientiane to learn more about Vietnam’s largest economic hub.

He expressed his gratitude to the Vietnamese Party, Government and people for their practical support to Vientiane.

The Ho Chi Minh City Days also marks 35 years of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Cooperation Treaty and 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

Yen Bai has plans to reduce drownings

The northern province of Yen Bai has put forward plans to reduce child drownings, which have been reported as "alarming" here.
Stiff measures include stricter co-ordination between schools and families, including swimming lessons in school curriculums, launching anti-drowning campaigns before and during summer breaks, establishing local voluntary child-care networks and promoting house safety criteria.

A nine-year-old boy from Vinh Lac Commune, Luc Yen District was drowned while swimming in a pond near his home earlier this week, bringing the total number of cases in the district to five this month alone. Dozens such cases are reported every year in the province.

Revolutionary veterans to receive free check-ups

Dong Do heart hospital in Ha Noi will offer free medical examinations in July for mothers of fallen soldiers, war invalids and those who greatly contributed to the revolution.

The offer was to mark the 65th War Invalids and Martyrs Day on July 27, said hospital general director Do Thuy Kieu.

The hospital's cardiology, electro-cardiography and echo-cardiography departments had prepared for up to 1,000 patients during the month, Kieu said.

Poor and disabled receive free operations

More than 270 people with deformities of the jaw, face, eyes and limbs in the Mekong Delta provinces of Vinh Long, Dong Thap and Ben Tre were offered free check-ups from June 22-28, with 130 already receiving free operations.

The free service has been supplied by volunteer doctors and nurses from the ‘Smile for Children’ Organization from the Republic of Korea funded by SK Telecom, Military Hospital 108 and Vinh Long’s General Hospital.

Together with the free operations, which cost $200-300 each, the patients also receive travel expenses of VND100,000 from SK Telecom and patients who are operated on are also presented with an VND800,000 gift each.

Patients from poor households are also supplied with free meals from Vinh Long province’s Association for the Support of Disabled and Orphans.

In 2010, the Smile for Children Organization and SK Telecom targeted patients in the central coastal province of Phu Yen and in 2009 they helped children in the central province of Thanh Hoa to regain their natural smiles.

Gas lighter factory burns down in south province

A gas lighter factory run by Top Field Viet Nam was burned down by a sudden blaze in Thanh Phuoc Commune, Go Dau District, south-eastern Tay Ninh Province yesterday.

The fire, which started early in the morning and affected thousands of square metres, was only completely extinguished by the afternoon.

Although no casualties were reported, the company has reported damages of over VND20 billion (US$950,000).

Local police investigations into the case remain on-going.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre