Quang Nam war massacre marked commemorated in Quang Nam

The massacre by South Korean troops happened on the morning of the 24th day of the first lunar month of 1968. In Ha My village, 135 local people were killed, mostly the elderly, women and children.

Yesterday, the 45th anniversary of the horrific event drew representatives from the Peace Museum of the Republic of Korea and provincial union of friendship organisations, as well as members of relevant ministries and agencies, all of whom joined witnesses and family members of the victims in central Quang Tri Province to share their memories.

“I was barely ten years old at that time. I was peeling pumpkin with my grandfather in our house. I escaped from death because my grandfather took me to hide in a dug-out under the altar,” said Nguyen Thanh Nam, whose mother and two younger brothers were killed in the massacre.

Director of the Korean Peace Museum Han Hong Koo said he had no idea about what had really happened for dozens of years.

“Feeling repentant and ashamed, we can only bow our heads to apologise to Viet Nam,” he said.
While the pain left by the massacre lingers for those who witnessed it, the anniversary moved the people of Ha My village one step closer to forgiving the Korean troops in the spirit of peace.

Australia, Vietnam cooperate on AO/dioxin victims’ struggle for justice     

A Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) delegation, led by Chairman Nguyen Van Rinh, has paid a working visit to Australia to further AO victims’ campaign for justice in Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand.

VAVA leaders’ first visit to Australia is intent on strengthening the association’s international campaign by connecting with Australian charities and human rights activists interested in fighting on behalf of Agent Orange survivors in Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries.

VAVA Chairman Rinh said information provided by the delegation will help the Australian Government and people learn more about the impacts of AO on the environment and health of Vietnamese people and the war veterans allied with the US during the war in Vietnam.

During its one-week visit (March 3-10), the delegation will meet activists who struggle for justice for AO/dioxin victims in New South Wales, Tasmania, and Victoria.

At a meeting with related agencies in Sydney, the delegation answered questions on constructing a war museum and the future prospects for the struggle for justice on behalf of AO victims everywhere.

Vietnamese killed in fishing ship fire in South Africa

A Vietnamese sailor has been killed in an apparent incident of arson aboard a fishing ship of the Republic of Korea (RoK) docked in Cape Town, South Africa.

The South African Press Association (SAPA) on March 3 quoted Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, a spokesperson of the city's disaster risk management centre, as saying that the victim was Ho Xuan Tung, 29, found burnt beyond recognition in the fire on the night of March 2.

The spokesman said 25 other crew members, who came from China, Taiwan, the RoK and Vietnam, were rescued, adding that they were given emergency shelter at a seamen's club.

Fire-fighters battled through the night until after 01:00 on March 3 (local time).

According to Solomons-Johannes, it appears that the vessel was purposefully torched in the course of a conflict.

The police are investigating the incident.

State Bank pledges to provide news agency with information

Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) agreed yesterday that the bank would continue informing VNA about issues relating to monetary policy, finance, inflation control and macro-economic management.

Nguyen Duc Loi, general director of VNA and Nguyen Van Binh, SBV governor planned to work together to publicize the bank’s efforts to remove barriers for production and trading, support market operations, settle bad loans and restructure the banking system as well as gold trading management.

As a national agency, Loi said, VNA can boost the effectiveness of legal regulations by making readers aware of new policies.

VNA and SBV will also offer joint training courses for reporters about finance and banking.
VN to train 1,400 teachers abroad by 2015

Viet Nam aims to send 1,400 teachers for training abroad by 2015 under a project approved on March 4, by the Prime Minister that aims to ensure the education sector is more in line with ASEAN standards.

According to the project, by 2014 Viet Nam would take over 34 educational training programs from other ASEAN countries and internationally recognised, accredited programs.

By 2015, 1,400 teachers and 300 management staff in vocational training will be sent abroad.

The country will also finish pilot training for 2,750 vocational students, focusing mostly on priority sectors for the ASEAN region.

ADB helps develop secondary cities in Vietnam

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide additional US$100 million in technical assistance for the development of secondary cities in three central and Central Highland provinces.

The bank announced the aid at a conference in central Quang Nam province’s Tam Ky city on March 5 to review its Secondary Cities Development Project.

The project, which kicked off in July 2012, aims to address critical urban development issues of Tam Ky city, Ha Tinh city of central Ha Tinh province, and Buon Ma Thuot city of the Central Highland province Dak Lak in order to develop them into regional economic hubs, thus fostering balanced regional development.

So far, the first two phases of the project have been completed, focusing on defining approaching methods as well as proposing components in sub-projects and long-term investment mechanism for each benefiting city.

Electricity cables in new city to go underground

All electrical cables in the new city of Ba Ria in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province will be placed underground.

Local authorities yesterday morning kicked off a project to put 30.6 km of electricity cables underground, with the aim of improving the city view and making a safe and stable power grid.
The project, with a total cost of VND116 billion (US$5.5 million), will take place over a two-year period and be divided into two sections.

The first will include underground work for 12.9km of medium-voltage cables and 27 transformer stations. The second will have underground work to install 17.7km of low-voltage cables.

The Southern Electricity Co-operation has invested in the first section, while the second section will come from the province’s budget.

The underground work is expected to affect nine city wards. The new city was created in order to reduce the population burden for the existing Vung Tau City, a tourism hotspot, in the province.

Deputy PM urges more efforts on anti-drug fight

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged more drastic efforts to fight drug crimes, while improving drug detoxification programmes.

His request was made at a national video conference held in Hanoi on March 5 by the National Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of AIDS, Drug and Prostitution, to review the committee’s operations in 2012 and devise key orientations for 2013.

Phuc required committee to improve the legal framework for operations under its charge, and intensify communications campaigns to enhance awareness on the fight against HIV, drugs and prostitution, especially among young people.

He noted that drug-related crimes have not decreased and there are hidden risks of new breakout of the AIDS epidemic.

According to the Public Security Ministry, there are over 172,000 drug addicts in 60 out of 63 localities nationwide. 96 percent of addicts are males, of which 50 percent are aged from 16 to 30.

By the end of 2012, the country had 210,700 HIV carriers, including 61,000 AIDS patients. In the last year some 14,000 were newly infected while 6,700 developed full-blown AIDS and 4,000 were listed as AIDS patients

The northern mountainous province of Dien Bien leads the nation in the rate of HIV infection, followed by Ho Chi Minh City.

Forest rangers seize illegally felled logs

Huong Hoa District forest rangers seized 100 logs of illegally exploited wood in central Quang Tri Province on Monday.

When the forest rangers removed the wood from the forest, unknown individuals scattered nails in their path.

The case is under investigation.

Most rural people have clean water

Over 85 per cent of rural people in Ha Noi have been provided with clean water under an Agricultural and Rural Development initiative.

Currently, 33 per cent of them have water that meets Health Ministry standards. The department aims to increase that number to 80 per cent by 2020.

Cushion workshop destroyed in blaze

A blaze completely destroyed a cushion production workshop yesterday in HCM City’s Hoc Mon District.

Local fire-fighters put out the blaze after a 30-minute effort. No human casualties were reported. The cause of the fire and the extent of damages have not been determined.
The case is still under investigation.

Japan funds school construction in Quang Tri

The Trieu Thanh primary school in Trieu Phong district, central Quang Tri province, was inaugurated on March 5.

This was the third school having six classrooms and other functional rooms, built at a cost of VND2.4 billion sourced from the Japanese Government’s non-refundable aid.

Addressing the ceremony, Japan’s Charge A’affaires to Vietnam Hideo Suzuki expressed hope that the school will help create a better educational environment for both teachers and students and strengthen mutual understanding between the people of both countries.

In addition, he said, the Japanese Government has also funded a mushroom growing project in the province to help post-war victims of bombs and mines improve their living standards.

VNN/VOV/VNS