Soc Trang: Buddhist monks convene congress

The Buddhist Sangha of the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang held its 8th Congress for the 2012-2017 tenure on Mar. 5 and 6.

Over 700 delegates, local Buddhist monks, nuns and followers, participated in the congress in the presence of Most Venerable Thich Giac Toan, Vice President of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council.

They elected the provincial Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Board and Patronage Board. Most Venerable Duong Nhon was re-elected as Head of the Executive Board.

In the 2012-2017 tenure, the provincial Buddhist Sangha will continue to boost solidarity among local Buddhist monks, nuns and followers, strengthen organisation and mobilise monks, nuns and followers to follow the Party and State’s policies as well as cultural and social movements in the locality and the country.

Soc Trang province is home to nearly 2,000 Buddhist monks and nuns, who are practising religions at over 180,000 pagodas and places of worship.

Most of those pagodas and places of worship have charitable kitchens and are willing to take care of orphans and elderly people. They also host free healthcare checks-up and provide medicines to poor people.

In the past tenure, the provincial Buddhist Sangha raised over 115 billion VND to build gift houses and over 35 billion VND for other charitable activities.

Police rescue kidnapped girl in Hoa Binh

Police under the Ministry of Public Security and police in the northern province of Hoa Binh on Tuesday morning successfully confronted a group of wanted kidnappers and rescued 6-year-old Song Thi Giang, from Moc Chau district, Son La province.

Previously on Monday evening, police received reports that there was a suspicious group of two men, a woman and a girl entering the Anh Duong guest house.

Upon discovering that the group was on the wanted list, police quickly besieged the guesthouse.

During the night, they continuously called the group to surrender and release the girl, but the kidnappers remained inside guesthouse and threatened to harm Giang.

At 6am on Tuesday, police usded teargas to subdue the kidnappers. They seized 27-year old Do Van Nhuan, 24 year-old Nguyen Xuan Toan and 27-year old Dinh Thi Tam, and confiscated a handgun and dozens of bullets at the scene.

In the afternoon, through investigation, the police caught four more people, including 32-year old Le Van Tho, who organized the kidnapping.

According to the police, this group of kidnappers went to 22-year old Song A De’s house in a black BMW and asked him to pay back debts. Then they used a gun to threaten the family and kidnapped Giang, De’s daughter.

The kidnappers asked for a ransom of VND500 million (US$25,000) and three packs of heroin.

While keeping Giang hostage, the group shot and injured a person.

Police are investigating the case further.

Young girls rescued from trafficker

Border police in Mong Cai town of northeastern Quang Ninh Province have arrested a man who attempted to traffic two young girls on Monday.

Nguyen Ngoc Trung from northern midland Phu Tho Province, 28, admitted to lying to the girls and promising to take them to Uong Bi City in Quang Ninh to sell clothes for a good salary. Instead, Trung took the girls to the border, intending to sell them in China.

Pham Van Tham, head of the Bac Son border post in Mong Cai town, said the case would be prosecuted and has been under further investigation.

Son sues father for 1 chicken, 18 eggs

A man in Dat Do District in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau has filed a lawsuit against his biological father, seeking 1 chicken and 18 eggs in compensation.

The district’s court, who is handling the suit, says the man, aka P.T.Q., accused his father of destroying 18 eggs, beating a cock, and breaking a leg of a hen that later cannot reproduce.

His father T. admitted to breaking four eggs in a moment of anger over his son’s inappropriate behavior.

He consequently had offered to give his son two chickens and some eggs for compensation but the son didn’t agree, demanding him to pay back enough eggs that are going to hatch.

Ta Minh Tri, chief police officer of Long Tan Commune, told Tuoi Tre on Monday: “We feel ashamed having to hand over the case to the court but we had no other choice because every citizen has a right to file a lawsuit.”

According to T., his son is unmarried and lives with him. Before the suit, Q. lost some eggs and accused his sister of stealing them. Angry, he smashed several of his son’s eggs. T. said he was really upset at his son’s attitude.

Pham Quoc Dang, chief judge of Dat Do District’s court, says the court is trying to reconcile the plaintiff and the defendant because the lawsuit is worth little and runs counter to Vietnamese traditional family values. However, if the plaintiff still persists in pursuing the case, the court will handle suit in accordance with existing laws.

Air, noise pollution on rise across HCM City

Air and noise pollution in HCM City is on the rise, according to a report just released by the Environment Protection Department.

Up to 91 per cent of dust samples did not meet standards and noise pollution was above acceptable levels, the report said.

Health service prices to increase in mid-April

The fees for 447 healthcare services and hospital beds will officially go up on April 15, according to a circular jointly released by the Ministries of Health and Finance.

Vietnam Social Insurance says that almost 70 percent of these services will see prices rise by five times, but others could be raised as much as 20 times.

The cost of some services, including X-rays, will also be reduced in these adjustments.

Pham Luong Son from Vietnam Social Insurance said this is the seventh price adjustment in the healthcare sector since 1995.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre