Four die as coach overturns in Dak Lak

Four passengers were killed and 18 others injured when a coach careered off the road and capsized on National Highway 14 in Ea H'leo District in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak last night, Oct 4.

The coach, carrying 32 people, is believed to have got out of control due to a slippery mountain road while travelling from Gia Lai Province.

Two out of those killed were children aged two and three years.

Among the injured, four are reported to be in a critical condition. They were taken to Dak Lak general hospital. Others are still being treated for their injuries at Ea H'leo District hospital.

Local authorities have provided VND1-3 million (US$47-142) for each victim of the accident, which is still being investigated.

Drivers can renew licences

The Ha Noi Department of Transport will renew out-of-date, damaged or lost driving licences from October 18.
This will be done at their offices at 18 Cao Ba Quat Street and 2 Phung Hung Street in Ha Dong District.

Campaign fights illegal rhino and bear trade

A campaign was launched in Ho Chi Minh City on October 4 to raise public awareness of the need to prevent illegal trade of rhinos and bears in Vietnam.

The event was jointly held by the wildlife trade monitoring network (TRAFFIC) Southeast Asia and The Body Shop.
Entitled “Where’s My Mama?”, the campaign is working to shine a spotlight on two victims of illegal wildlife trade, the White Rhinoceros and the Asiatic Black Bear.

It aims to put an end to the situation that wild animals are captured illegally and killed because of the mistaken belief that their parts can cure diseases, which make many young wild animals defenceless orphans when their mothers are killed or taken away.

Dr. Naomi Doak, Coordinator of TRAFFIC’s Southeast Asia-Greater Mekong Programme, said it is important to take action to detect, arrest and prosecute sellers and consumers of illegal wildlife products, including those trading in rhino horn and bear products.

The “Where’s My Mama” campaign is running on www.facebook.com/Trafficsea and in The Body Shop stores in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Decaying pork found in abattoirs

Local police found two abattoirs butchering 24 decaying pigs in southern Dong Nai Province's Thong Nhat District yesterday, Oct 4.

The two owners of the abattoirs admitted to police that they bought the pigs from local farms in the districts, then cut them up to sell in HCM City and Binh Duong Province.

Police allege they could not produce operating licences and documents indicating the origin of the pigs. All the animals were removed for destruction.

Floods wash away fish, destroy rice, fruit

Heavy rain in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Dong Thap washed away 100 tonnes of farmed fish in Tan Hong District.

The rain, which started three days ago, also submerged 16ha of watermelons and red peppers. Elsewhere, it inundated thousands of rice paddies in the districts of Thap Muoi, Cao Lanh, and Thanh Binh.

Local authorities mobilised water pumps to drain the water away.

According to the local weather office, the rain was the heaviest seen in the district in 40 years.

Swedes inspire changes to health services

Viet Nam and Sweden should co-operate more on improving healthcare services, Maria Larsson, Swedish Minister for Children and the Elderly, said yesterday.

Larsson was speaking at a conference during a three-day visit to Viet Nam.

She said children should be able to enjoy a secure and drug-free childhood and that older people should be able to enjoy life as much as they always did.

"No matter where we go, we want our life to be long and healthy and our children to grow up strongly," she said.

Larsson said she hoped the visit, apart from strengthening, intensifying and broadening co-operation between Sweden and Viet Nam, would be a chance to promote Sweden's values regarding the rights of children and introduce the leading medical and healthcare technologies of her nation.

She said the conference would help representatives of both countries share experience and explore business opportunities in the healthcare sector.

On Wednesday, Larsson met Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen, who said she had high regard for the support of Sweden in building national strategies to improve the ability of health staff and in developing healthcare models.

She said the two countries could co-operate in epidemic prevention and control, radiotherapy and the development of healthcare systems.

The Swedish minister also paid a visit to the National Hospital of Paediatrics, Thuy An Rehabilitation Centre for Handicapped Children in Ba Vi, and Child Protection Centre No 4.

Hau Giang passenger boats violate important safety rules

Many boats in Hau Giang Province that transport people across rivers and canals have no operation licence, carry no lifebuoys and are not manned by certified drivers, threatening the safety of passengers, especially during the rain and flooding season, local officials say.

For example, on the Xa No Canal's 7km-long section in Chau Thanh District that runs from Bay Ngan Town to Mot Ngan Town, most of several dozen wharfs do not observe waterway traffic safety rules, including having lifebuoys for passengers.

At the Lai Hieu Canal in Phung Hiep District and Nga Bay Town, many ferry boats that are just 3-4m long and 1.5m wide carry 4-6 passengers including their bicycles or motorbikes on each trip.

Most boats on the canal are rowed by hand and do not have lifebuoys and other safety equipment.

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province has about 440 wharfs, not including small and makeshift ones, but only 50 of these are licensed to operate, according to the provincial waterway police.

The province has organised nearly 800 waterway traffic safety inspections at the wharfs this year, discovering more than 3,900 violations. Administrative fines have been issued in 1,970 cases.

However, violations resume once the inspectors leave, residents say.

Huynh Van Song, deputy head of the province's waterway police division, said they would strengthen co-operation with other agencies in encouraging boat owners as well as passengers to strictly follow traffic safety regulations.

The bureau would also strengthen inspections of wharfs and severely punish those violating waterway traffic regulations, he said.

VNN/VOV/VNS