Sailor to leave NZ hospital

The final Vietnamese crewman who was working on a South Korean ship off the coast of New Zealand when a fire broke out onboard is scheduled to be discharged from hospital this afternoon and fly back to Viet Nam tomorrow, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand.

Nguyen Van Ngoan, a crewman onboard the Jeong Woo 2, was seriously injured in the incident which occurred last month.

One of his Vietnamese crew members who was also injured in the incident returned home on Wednesday.

Forty crew members, including 23 Vietnamese sailors, were onboard the fishing vessel at the time of the fire. Three Vietnamese sailors died in the inferno.

Hanoi’s 21-story apartment building on fire, no casualties

A blaze broke out at 4.15am on Friday, causing smoke to cover block B of M3-M4 Thanh Cong apartment building in Nguyen Chi Thanh, Hanoi’s Dong Da district.

Photo: VNN

Hai called out and later with other security guards used extinguishers to put out the fire.

“There was a lot of smoke, we had to take the stairs to get out and call the fire department,” Hai said.

Upon receiving reports, the department sent five fire trucks to the scene.

As black smoke covered the stairs and corridors, firefighters had to open doors and break glass for the smoke to get out.

At 7am the fire was extinguished and residents at the apartment were evacuated.

People living in the building said they did not hear the fire alarm ring.

“The fire happened early in the morning when we were sleeping. When we were rescued by fire fighters, no one heard the alarm,” said Pham Huy Thong, who lives in room 1704.

“My family were sleeping when we were awakened by burning smell. We turned on the light but the power was cut. I took a flashlight to check the corridor and the smoke went into my face andnose, leaving me breathless,” said Ngo Ngoc Huy at room 101.

Huy said his 80-year old mother had to find towels to cover the gap under the door so that smoke would not come inside the house. They also put wet towels on their faces and waited for help on the balcony.

Police at the scene said the initial cause of the fire was due to a short circuit in an electricity management room on the second floor, where a parking lot is also located.

The fire spread through electricity pipes to the 21st floor, causing block B of the building to be flooded with smoke.

Da Nang helps fishing vessels buy insurance

Many fishermen in the central city of Da Nang are more confident during offshore trips now that the municipal authorities will pay the full cost for their accident insurance.

The policy targets fishermen who work on fishing boats with a capacity of at least 50CV (metric horsepower), including those coming from other provinces.

The city will contribute 64,000VND (US$3) per person for coverage up to VND20 million ($950) for those who suffer injuries or death while working on the sea.

The city's Seafood Department and district economic offices are authorised to spread news about the policy and deliver registration forms to all local boat owners.

There are currently 290 fishing vessels with 50 CV or more employing 3,000 workers in the city.

Man held for faking central agency card

Police in Hanoi yesterday arrested a man who falsely claimed to be a member of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Organization when he was handled by traffic officers for violating traffic rules.

At noon yesterday, 32-year-old Nguyen Thanh Tam was stopped by a traffic police team while he was riding without a helmet at the intersection of Nguyen Thai Hoc and Ton Duc Thang Streets, Dan Tri newswire reported.

As Tam claimed that he was a police officer at Cau Giay District, the police officers asked him to show his police card but he failed, said deputy team head, Lieutenant Colonel Vu Van Ngoai.

He then said he was a member of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Organization and showed the team a card, No. 215236589 issued on August 2, 2011 as evidence.

Tam also showed the team a number of New Year greeting cards presented to him by State President Truong Tan Sang.

After examining the card, the officers found it to be fake, and they escorted Tam to their office for questioning. He later confessed he was a trader of sportswear on Trinh Hoai Duc Street.

The police found a plastic baton and a traffic control stick hidden in the boot of Tam's motorbike.

Tam said he had printed a card sample he accidentally found on the Internet and then stuck his photograph on it.

He told the police that he wanted to use the fake card to threaten people when dealing with them, if necessary.

The police are continuing their investigation.

Doctors save unborn baby from pesticide

The Ha Noi-based Bach Mai Hospital saved a 32-week-old foetus after it was poisoned when her expectant mother accidentally drank a pesticide, said Dr Nguyen Tien Dung, head of Paediatrics Department.

The mother, 24, from Ha Noi's Soc Son District regularly takes medicine to prevent epileptic seizures.

Doctors performed a caesarean to save the 1.3kg baby girl and the mother who was still in a critical condition two days after the December incident.

The baby is reported to have fully recovered after two months of treatment. Her mother has also recovered.

Man dies as bus plunges over cliff

A bus fell over a cliff yesterday, Feb 2, while making a turn on 2B Street in Bo Trach District, central Quang Binh Province, claiming the life of one person and leaving two injured.

According to Bui Quang Thanh, deputy head of the local Traffic Police Department, the bus was carrying eight passengers at the time of the accident.

WB supports Vietnam in tackling climate change

The World Bank Board of Directors on February 2 approved a US$70 million credit project from the International Development Association to help Vietnam tackle climate change challenges.

The Vietnam Climate Change Development Policy Operation project is the first of a series of three operations to support the development and adoption of priority actions to strengthen policies, strategies and institutions needed to respond to Climate Change.

This credit has a 25-year maturity with a 5-year grace period.

Vietnam is one of the most vulnerable countries affected by climate change, in particular to floods, storms, and sea-level rise. Climate change poses a significant threat to economic, social and human development, as well as the environment in the country. Impact from climate change in Vietnam is expected to take a heavy toll on public finance. 

The objective of this specific operation is to support Vietnam in its efforts to address climate change by adopting policies and strengthening institutional capacity to promote climate resilience and lower carbon intensity development.

The programme focuses on four policy goals under the three thematic pillars of adaptation, mitigation and cross-cutting issues:

Focusing on climate resilience and low carbon intensity development, the operation directly contributes to assisting Vietnam with sustainable development - one of the three pillars of the World Bank's new Country Partnership Strategy. Examples of outcomes supported by the programme are enhancing preparedness and adaptation to natural hazards, improving the management of water resources and scaling up energy efficiency practices.

Fuel dealers brazenly continue selling after losing licenses

Though required to stop operation for a year as of February 1, four out of nine fuel dealers that had their licenses revoked last year for selling substandard petrol have been caught remaining operational.

On the morning of February 1, the Phu Hoang filling station at 3A Bau Cat, in Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Binh District, was full of consumers, though it had been fined VND30 million for selling substandard petrol under the guise of A92- and A95-grade gasoline, and had its license withdrawn.

When asked to arrange a meeting between Tuoi Tre and Do Van Thuat, the station’s owner, the employees said he had been away.

Similarly, the Minh Dat filling station in Binh Chanh District, another company whose license was revoked, is still serving customers as usual. A female employee who refused to be named said her station had been allowed “by the authorities to operate until the unsold petrol stock had been emptied.”

However, she could not elaborate on which agencies had given them the go-ahead to do so.

The Truong Anh filling station in District 12 also continued to operate despite the authorities’ requirement that they shut down.

For its part, the Tan Canh private company in Tan Phu District had its license expire on December 31, 2011, and was banned from renewing the license for one year.

However, the filling station was caught remaining operational on February 1.

Do Thi Ro, who runs the company, told Tuoi Tre that she was just trying to empty the unsold stock.

However, after the talk with Tuoi Tre, Ro immediately asked the employees to close down the station.

Le Manh Ha, deputy chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said the relevant agencies will conduct check-ups on the violators to see whether or not they have followed the law.

“Any violators refusing to close operation as required will be severely sanctioned, and asked to shut down operations,” Ha said.

Dak Lak set to get rid of slums

The Fatherland Front in Buon Ma Thuot City, Central Highland Dak Lak province, has raised more than VND1.5 billion for building nearly 130 houses for poor people in 2011.

Last year, the city reduced the number of poor households from more than 1,100 to over 2,700, of which more than 400 badly need housing construction.

The Fatherland Front has called on organizations and individuals to help build houses for the poor, at an estimated cost of more than VND2 billion this year.

Construction inspectors break taxi’s window

Some construction inspectors on Thursday morning broke the glass window of a cab, which supposedly illegally parked on a street in Ho Chi Minh City to wait for a customer.

According to the driver Le Hoang Anh working for Vinasun Taxi firm, on the morning, he was told by the switchboard operator to go to a house no. 30 on Tran Dinh Xu Street of District 1 to pick a customer up.

Upon arriving there, he parked the car by the roadside but still turned on traffic indicators and the engine.

At the same time, around 6 construction inspectors of Co Giang Ward showed up and asked him to present the vehicle’s documents.

The driver told them that he already turned on traffic indicators and ignited the engine, so he did not violate any traffic rules. Afterwards, he drove the car and parked it in front of a house no. 44 on the same street.

Some inspectors ran after him and then beat the car’s right window two times with a stick, causing it to break.

Local residents who witnessed the case were angry at the inspectors’ behavior towards the driver and tried to prevent the situation from getting worse.

According to one of the inspectors, upon being required to show the car’s documents, the driver not only refused to do so but also tried to reverse the vehicle, which caused an inspector’s motorcycle to fall down; therefore, they gave two knocks on the window to stop him.

Police in Co Giang Ward are investigating the case.

US$523 million for transport infrastructure development in Dong Nai

The Dong Nai provincial People’s Committee has approved a plan to develop transport infrastructure to 2015.

Accordingly, the province will invest VND11,000 billion (more than US$523 million) to upgrade 15 roads, six waterways and two bridges.

The provincial Department of Transport said it will work closely with localities and relevant agencies to better plan the transport system in Dong Nai. It will also mobilise domestic and foreign investment capital and enhance its responsibility in managing capital construction, as well as coordinating with relevant agencies to speed up land clearance for projects.

From now to 2015, key projects to be completed and put into operation include Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay highway, National Highways 51, 20 and 1, and byways in Bien Hoa City and Long Khanh town.

Authorities hire sexy girls to serve post-Tet gathering

The People’s Committee of Binh Hung Hoa B Ward in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Tan District hired sexy dancers to take part in a music and art show for its gathering on January 30 before resuming work after the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays.

In order to entertain the guests at the gathering, the committee hired a number of art and music units to perform at the event. Among them was a group of dancers, including several young girls, who, in their sexy dress, conducted their performance in a manner usually seen at a dancing hall or bar.

In their belly dance show, the girls swayed their bosoms and shook their bottoms before the audience, including local officials, police officers, retired civil servants, and representatives of residential quarters.

Some of the guests appeared to be excited with this “special” show and recorded it using their mobile phones. Meanwhile, others stepped outside, not wanting to see such a scene at the office of a local government.

“Such a performance by such dancers, who are dressed in such a ‘Hawaii sea style,’ are only appropriate at recreational and entertainment places,” a male staff member of the committee commented.

In previous years, the committee’s staff conducted an art and music show by themselves, but this year, the committee hires outsiders according to suggestions from the committee’s trade union, a female member of the local authorities said.

 “That day while the gathering was taking place in the first floor, we were working on the ground floor. When we were told about the sexy show later, we were rather surprised.,” she said.

Talking with VnExpress, Do Thanh Quyen, chairman of the committee, said Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, deputy chairwoman of the committee and the chairwoman of the trade union, was responsible for organizing this art and music program.

The district People’s Committee has requested the ward authorities to submit a report on the incident, he said.

“We recognize that we had shortcomings while organizing such a program,” he added.

Posing as journalists to write for money

Two men falsely claimed to be reporters from HCMC Television (HTV) and Lao Dong newspaper to persuade a lottery ticket seller to pay VND18 million (US$860) for an article about her returning winning lottery tickets to a frequent customer who had bought them on credit.

The lottery seller, Pham Thi Lanh, 29, in Dong Thap Province, who last November returned 10 winning lottery tickets worth $314,000, to Do Ngoc Tuan, 41, a tricycle goods carrier, told Tuoi Tre that she had paid the two “reporters” VND9 million out of the VND18 million charge for an article about her good deed.

The rest was paid by Tuan, who had introduced the two “reporters” to her.

“Several days before this past Tet ( Lunar New Year), which fell on January 23, while I was hawking lottery tickets, two men came to see me and said they wanted to write an article for the “good people, good deeds” category of the Tet edition of the HVT magazine to feature my returning the tickets to Tuan,” Lanh said.

The two men called themselves as Bui Ngoc Dat, a reporter of the HTV, and Lu Nguyen, another reporter from Lao Dong newspaper, and showed Lanh their business cards as evidence, she said.

They then talked at a café and Dat and Nguyen showed Lanh a quotation ranging from VND6 million to VND40 million. They said her story would be published on the cover if she agreed to pay VND18 million.

Lanh consulted with Tuan before she agreed to the deal, which was effected by a contract that was signed by Tuan on behalf of Lanh.

Some of Lanh’s relatives later disagreed with such a deal, so Lanh called Dat requesting that he cancel the contract, but Dat said this was impossible since everything related to the deal had been completed.

Lanh called Tuan and the man said he would have to pay compensation to HTV if he unilaterally canceled the deal.

After the article was published, the two men met Tuan who later paid them VND9 million. They asked Tuan to give them Lanh’s address but Tuan refused.

Talking with Tuoi Tre yesterday, Feb 2, Tieu Ngoc Thoai, deputy head of the Long Khanh A Commune, Hong Ngu District, where Lanh lives, said Dat and Nguyen came to meet him on January 14 and had him take them to Lanh’s house.

After Thoai left Lanh’s house, Dat and Nguyen asked Lanh to pay the remaining VND9 million according to the contract.

“I wanted to comply with the contract, so I paid them the money. They said they would use the money for charity in Ho Chi Minh City,” Lanh said.

A few days later, Lao Dong newspaper staff came to the commune, where they confirmed for Lanh that the newspaper had no reporter named Lu Nguyen. They told Lanh that they were very sorry that somebody had posed as their newspaper’s reporters in order to cheat her.

Tuoi Tre later read a report from Nguyen, in which he confessed he had pretended to be a Lao Dong newspaper reporter in order to make contact with Lanh and Tuan to write an article.

He said he had printed business cards to show he was a reporter for the newspaper, but he claimed that he had not been involved in receiving the amount of VND18 million.

Nguyen is now a freelance writer for Moi Truong Do Thi Vienam (Vietnam Urban Environment) magazine.

Yesterday, the HTV management told Tuoi Tre that Dat was not a staff member of the agency, but was the director of the Thanh Dat Telecommunication Company in Tan Phu District, HCMC.

Dat had subscribed a page of the Tet edition of the HTV magazine and then wrote the article about Lanh to post on the page.

HTV asserted that it had not assigned any reporter to write an article about Lanh.

HTV said Dat had admitted that he printed false business cards and had falsely posed as a HTV reporter to make contact Lanh and Tuan.

Tuoi Tre later failed to reach Dat through his mobile phone or his company’s phone.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre