Police crack down on drug-linked crime

Police began a large-scale blitz on drug-related crimes last weekend in a lead-up to the nation's Anti-drugs Month in June.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked the police, border army and customs officers to co-operate to improve investigations at borders and other hot spots.

Dung also asked ministries and local authorities to focus resources on Anti-drugs Month.

"Information campaigns should focus on drugs hot spots and areas suitable to plant drug crops," he said.

"Education on the bad effects of drugs should be given an emphasis, particularly for young people, students, manual workers and vulnerable groups."

Drug-related crimes continue to remain a problem in Viet Nam. Police alone uncovered more than 17,000 cases last year, arresting nearly 25,000 people.

Between 2006 and the end of 2010, the nation reported almost 64,000 drug cases, with some 100,000 criminals arrested and more than 1,000kg of heroin and 8 tonnes of cannabis and marijuana seized.

Anti-drugs specialists forecast that drug-related crimes will continue to increase this year, based on developments throughout the world and the region, particularly in the Golden Triangle of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

National anti-drugs strategies and programmes for 2011-15 were announced last month, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and international donors.

Filipino indicted for drug trafficking in Hanoi

Anti-drug police from the Ministry of Public Security yesterday prosecuted a Philippine national for bringing 3 kg of synthetic drug into Vietnam last week.

On May 22 customs officers at the Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi discovered an unknown white solid substance hidden in the suitcase of De Arroz Gastardo Merely, 39, when he arrived from Manila.

A test on the substance indicated that it was a synthetic drug. The Filipino was detained immediately and the case was transferred to the police for investigation, the officers said.

Merely told the police that he had been hired by two black men to carry the drug from Manila to Vietnam for US$4,000, which would be paid after Merely accomplished his work.

Merely was told by the men that a person would contact him when he arrived in Hanoi to take delivery of the drug.

The police are continuing with their investigation.

Toxic medical waste incinerator planned

Central Nghe An Province will build a modern incinerator to treat toxic medical waste in Vinh City and adjacent districts during 2012-20.

The local Health Department will submit its plan to the provincial People's Committee in August, said Pham Van Thanh, director of the department.

If approved, the project is expected to be immediately carried out, Thanh added.

Construction costs are to be covered by official development assistance (ODA) and investment from local companies, he said.
The initiative is based on the overload of current toxic medical waste incinerators.

The new facility will be equipped with advanced microwave technology and have a daily capacity of 2.5-3 tonnes in solid toxic medical waste.

Advanced microwave technology is expected to minimise the impact of environmental pollution.

Le Thi Chau, head of the provincial Paediatrics Hospital's Bacteria Contamination Control Department, said the hospital had no specialised incinerator to treat its toxic medical waste, which it used to transport to the Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Hospital for treatment.

Cao Thi Hue, a technician at the tuberculosis hospital, said that since November 2011, it has treated the toxic medical waste of four other local medical centres, which has led to the frequent breakdown of its own incinerator that, according to reports, has dealt with around 2.5 tonnes of waste this year.

"In the short term, we will build medium-capacity incinerators in districts of Vinh City to counter current overload," Thanh said.
We will make every effort to operate medium-capacity incinerators as soon as possible, he said.

According to statistics from the local Health Department, the province has 39 hospitals with more than 7,300 sick beds.

On average, the hospitals discharge about 2.5-3 tonnes of toxic medical waste a day.

Few pharmacies lower prices

Thirty per cent of drugstores in HCM City may be participating in the city's price stabilisation programme, but it remains hard to find low-priced drugs in the city.

Under the programme, from April through the end of March 2013, the prices of 85 locally produced medicines in 13 categories, including for high blood pressure, heart disease, allergies, cough, diarrhoea, and some chronic diseases, are 10-15 per cent lower than market prices.

Nine drug companies and nearly 1,400 drugstores with Good Pharmacy Practices certification signed up for it.

But not many patients are benefiting because of several reasons.

Privately owned pharmacies are not particularly enthusiastic about the programme because they make less profit by selling price-stablised, local drugs than expensive foreign-made ones, Pham Khanh Phong Lan, deputy director of the city's Health Department, said.

As a result they do not stock enough local drugs, she said.

She vowed that her department would ensure participating drugstores have sufficient stocks of cheap drugs and inform customers about subsidised drugs.

Another problem, she explained, was that doctors often prescribe foreign-made drugs, which are not part of the programme.

A patient called Ha Thi Le of Go Vap District, for instance, was prescribed French-made sea water nasal spray costing VND70,000 for her sinusitis instead of domestically-made nasal drops that cost just a few thousand dong.

Leaders of hospitals had to persuade doctors to give priority to local-made drugs to reduce the burden on patients, Lan added.

Firms fined for food supplement adverts

The Administration for Food Safety and Hygiene fined five companies a collective VND40 million (US$1,900) for breaking the rules in advertising their supplementary diets.

Bao Thanh Duong Joint Stock Company (JSC), based in HCM City's District 1, advertised two supplementary diet products which did not register business licences.

Three other violators based in Ha Noi, including Trung My JSC, in Tu Liem District, Khang Nhan Co Ltd in Hoang Mai District, and Viet Nam JSC in Hai ba trung District, advertised their supplementary diets with unlawful content.

The Administration also fined Botania Trading Company for advertising supplementary diet Boni Diabet as medicine.
Ministry revokes web providers' licences

The Ministry of Information and communications has revoked the licences of three internet providers, Duong Quoc Co Ltd, VietGlobal Communication Co Ltd and Star Network Link Co Ltd.

These enterprises violated a provision in Article 39 of the Telecommunications Law, which requires enterprises to comply with license regulations within two years after receiving the license.

MIC deputy minister Le NamThang said that of the total 90 enterprises that have been granted licenses, more than 10 licenses had been revoked.

Mysterious skin disease claims one

An unidentified skin disease has claimed one more death in central Quang Ngai Province, bringing the total number of fatalities to 22.

Pham Van But, chairman of Ba Dien Commune in Ba To District, said the latest victim was a 10-year-old boy named Pham Van Thach who died on Sunday afternoon after receiving medical treatment in 10 days at HCM City Children Hospital No 1.

The province's Health Department reported that the disease affected five more people last week, resulting in 241 cases in total.

Flood-prone households to be moved at a cost of $200,000

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue has been allocated nearly VND4.2 billion ($200.000) to resettle 330 vulnerable households at risk of floods and landslides.

The people in coastal and river areas would be moved to safe areas before the rainy season this year, provincial authorities said.

Thua Thien-Hue had 127km of coastline, about 25 per cent of which was hit by frequent landslides while Thuan An and Tu Hien estuaries were particularly susceptible to erosion, affecting socio-economic conditions and threatening lives, the authorities said.
Seawater had encroached more each year on the districts of Phu Vang and Huong Tra.

In the area of Hai Duong-Hoa Duan, the sea had moved 100m inland over 4km of the coastal fringe. The resulting erosion had damaged local infrastructure, caused the collapse of lighthouses and, at Thuan An Beach, had washed several motels and houses out to sea, threatening the lives and livelihoods of local people.

Similar problems were occurring in other locations on the coast and rivers of the province.

To prepare for the wet season from August to November, the province's flood and storm control committee had ordered dykes to be built using sandbags and rocks. Trees had also been planted as wave barriers.

Most localities had improved rescue equipment for volunteers, including boats and life jackets, to prepare for storms.

But in the long run, the authorities said, concrete embankments would have to be built along rivers and in coastal areas or residents would have to be moved to safer places.

Three motorists killed in Highway No 2 crash

Three people were killed in a severe accident on Highway No 2 in Phu Ninh ward of northern Phu Tho Province yesterday, May 28.

A motorbike going from Viet Tri City to Doan Hung ward crashed into a car going in the opposite direction. The motorbike rider died on the spot and his two passengers died on their way to hospital.

The motorbike was completely destroyed and the car front bumper was also heavily damaged. Phu Tho province Police is now investigating the cause of the accident.

VNN/VNS/Tuoi Tre