Call for fewer food additives

 

The Viet Nam Food Association (VFA) and agencies have urged food processing facilities, especially small – and medium-sized companies, to limit the use of food additives and follow the Health Ministry's guidance.

 

Nguyen Khanh Tram, VFA's deputy head, spoke at workshop on food additives and their danger last Saturday in HCM City held by the Viet Nam Association of Food Science and Technology in co-operation with the Viet Nam Food Industries Joint-Stock Company and the Swiss-based Firmenich Perfume and Flavour Company.

 

She noted that food additives, substances that were added to preserve flavour or enhance taste and appearance did not provide any nutritional value.

 

Tram said that they could harm customers' health if food manufacturers abused them.

 

The substances do not have an immediate influence on health, but can make people weak and more susceptible to cancers.

 

To ensure safety, food processing facilities, especially small – and medium-sized ones, should only use additives on the ministry's list of permissible food additives.

 

There are 371 additives on the list, including 30 food colourings and 20 preservatives used and sold at markets.

 

They should be used in small quantities. For example, Natri Benzoate and Kali Sorbate, chemicals that keep food fresh, have been abused by food manufacturers.

 

Two grammes of the substances per kilogramme of food have an impact on the nervous system and can even lead to death.

 

The HCM City Institute of Hygiene and Public Health's reports that 20.3 per cent out of 349 food and drink samples had Natri Benzoate and Kali Sorbate content exceeding the ministry's permissible level in 2010.

 

Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, deputy head of the HCM City Department of Health's Inspectorate, said that at the beginning of last year, the department's inspectors discovered that Natri Benzoate was included in soups for children under one year old.

 

Natri Benzoate, which is on the ministry's list of permissible additives, should not be used for children under one year old.

 

Food processing facilities should familiarise themselves with the ministry's warnings and regulations as well as national technical regulations to ensure customer's health, Tram added.

 

Furthermore, they should use additives that have a clear origin and expiry date, she advised.

 

The VFA report showed that 22 food poisoning cases nationwide had affected more than 500 people, with six people dying. Food additives were listed as a main cause.

 

Mai said that in HCM City, food additives and other industrial ingredients were sold in stalls in places like Kim Bien Market in District 5, leading to difficulties in controlling the sale of additives.

 

Because of the demand of small – and medium-sized food processing facilities for cheap additives, they often mistakenly bought industrial additives instead of food additives, she said.

 

There were currently more than 57,000 food processing facilities throughout the city, she added.

 

Out of them, the number of small – and medium-sized food processing facilities accounts for more than 60 per cent.

 

Some owners of the food processing facilities were aware of food additives' dangers, but they still used them because of profits, Mai added.

 

Drainage system unable to prevent flooding

 

Various routes throughout HCM City were submerged in 0.5 metres of water following heavy rains yesterday afternoon even though drainage systems along these routes were fully operational.

 

Tran Hung Dao Street, the Chau Van Liem – Hong Bang Crossroads in District 5 and Kinh Duong Vuong Street in the Binh Tan District were all submerged in 1 metre of water in some places, bringing traffic to a standstill.

 

The Southern Bus Station was flooded causing passengers to wade through water in order to buy tickets. Routes in District 6, 7 and 8, including Hau Giang, Nguyen Thi Thap and Pham The Hien Streets, were additionally flooded.

 

According to the HCM City Flood Prevention Centre, flooding occurred due to nearby drainage systems still being under construction, obstructing water flow.

 

Heavy rains, coupled with strong winds, caused trees and billboards to fall down in Ha Noi yesterday. Although some roads were slightly flooded, the water disappeared quickly.

 

Dam project announces resettlement plan

 

The investors of the Lower Se San Hydropower Project No. 2 and the provincial authorities of Stung Treng in Cambodia have announced compensation and resettlement plans for local residents affected by the project.

 

Located in Se San District, the Lower Se San II hydro-power project, a joint venture between EVN International Joint-Stock Company (EVNI), a subsidiary of Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) and Cambodia's Royal Group, will have a total capacity of 400 MW.

 

The five-turbine plant will be built with a total investment of more than US$800 million.

 

At the meeting with provincial leaders in Phnom Penh last Thursday, EVNI representatives presented steps including compensation and resettlement and the establishment of a Compensation and Resettlement Committee (CRC) and a Working Group (WG) led by Cambodian Government officials.

 

Speaking at the meeting, EVNI Deputy General director Nguyen Thanh Huan said the CRC and WG were expected to become operational in October.

 

The mayor of Stung Treng Province, Loi Xophat, told Phnom Penh Post the leaders and residents of the province supported the project, which is expected to be licensed by the Cambodian Government later this year.

 

He said residents in Stung Treng, one of the poorest provinces in Cambodia, believed that once completed, the project would help pave the way for the province's socio-economic development.

 

Earlier on May 24, the Royal Group announced that it would proceed with its Vietnamese partner on the hydropower project along the Lower Se San River, with construction due to start by the end of the year.

 

The 400MW Se San Hydropower Plant is expected to enter commercial operations in 2017, said a statement released by the Royal Group last week.

 

"œThis power generation project will contribute greatly to the continued economic development of Cambodia, ensuring a reliable, moderately priced supply of electricity," said Royal Group Chairman and CEO, Kith Meng, in a statement.

 

The joint venture is 51 per cent owned by EVNI, with the remainder held by Royal Group, officials said.

 

The Royal Group said in a statement that project studies had been completed.

 

Uong Bi City established

 

Uong Bi City, situated in the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh, held a ceremony on Sunday in order to announce the Government Decision to establish it as a city.

 

The new city consists out of 11 administrative units (seven wards and four communes), a total area of 256sq.m and a population of nearly 158 thousand made up out of 10 ethnic groups including Kinh, Dao, Tay, Hoa, Thanh Y, Nung, Muong, Tho, San Diu and Cao Lan.

 

Uong Bi has played an important part in linking the Province with Ha Noi, Hai Phong City, the northern coast and northeast regions while playing an integral part in education and training with six universities, colleges and vocational schools.

 

Establishing Uong Bi as a city is expected to assist socio-economic development as well as the strategic development of urban networks throughout Viet Nam and the province from 2015-2020.

 

As Uong Bi continues to develop it is predicted to contribute to the positive economic growth of the province's western region, balance development amongst regions in the province, accelerate the pace of urbanisation and enhance its role as an important communications, national defence and security hub for the northeast.

 

It has additionally been predicted that the new city will do much in promoting the image of Yen Tu and Viet Nam's Buddhist capital Truc Lam Zen, attracting more international visitors in order to develop the local tourism, industry, health, training and service sectors.

 

The city received a first class Independence Medal, awarded by the President, due to its excellent achievements in contributing to the growth of socialism and national defence.

 

Agricultural insurance pilot plan hits hurdles

 

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a workshop in Ha Noi last Friday to discuss the feasibility of agricultural insurance and collect opinions from representatives of localities and insurance companies about a pilot programme on the insurance.

 

The pilot programme is set to be implemented in July.

 

"The fragmented and clustered character of agricultural production in Viet Nam is considered a major difficulty in implementing agricultural insurance," said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ho Xuan Hung.

 

Representatives from localities shared the idea that the criteria to select those eligible for insurance, proposed by the ministry, did not target the right people.

 

The pilot implementation of agricultural insurance was mainly aimed at poor or low-income households that were near poverty.

 

However, it would be difficult for the poor and households near poverty to meet the demands of production scale necessary to be eligible for agricultural insurance, said representatives from northern Nam Dinh Province and southern Soc Trang Province.

 

In addition, the standard processes of agricultural production in the fields of rice cultivation and livestock, poultry and fish farms were not appropriate to the real conditions of each locality, said Vu The Ninh, a representative from northern Bac Ninh Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 

"The processes need changing to be applicable to real local situations," said Ninh.

 

According to Nguyen Phung Hoan, deputy director of Nam Dinh Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, natural calamities and outbreaks of diseases that caused substantial damage to agricultural production have not been listed adequately in the programme.

 

With support from the Government, insurance companies committed to try their best to ensure the success of the pilot programme on agricultural insurance, said president of the Association of Vietnamese Insurers Trinh Quang Tuyen.

 

In addition, the responsibilities of insurance companies and those of farmers also play important roles in limiting the damage to agricultural production when diseases or natural calamities occur, he said.

 

According to Hung, three insurance companies have been appointed by the Ministry of Finance to be in charge of carrying out agricultural insurance.

 

"The success of the pilot programme on agricultural insurance should be evaluated through the diminution of damage to both farmers and insurance companies," Hung said.

 

The pilot programme will be applied in 20 provinces throughout the country to the end of 2013 in the four fields of rice cultivation and cattle, poultry and fish farms.

 

Poor households and those near poverty will receive support from the Government to join the pilot programme with authorities covering 100 per cent and 80 per cent of insurance costs, respectively.

 

Tourists get stuck in lift in Da Nang

 

Nineteen tourists got stuck in a lift at a height of 10m in the Ngu Hanh Son tourist area of Da Nang City yesterday due to a technical error.

 

Technical personnel managed to fix the lift after 10 minutes, after which all of the tourists, among whom one child had fainted, were safely delivered to ground level where each received a quick health check, the fainted child remained in doctor's care.

 

The lift started operation at the end of April.

 

Vietnam Airlines plane struck by lightning

 

A Vietnam Airlines plane was struck by lightning on Saturday on route from Da Nang City to Lam Dong Province.

 

All 68 passengers were safe following the incident.

 

Another VNA plane was struck on April 24 when landing at an airport in France.

 

Traffic violations decrease by 2,000

 

Ha Noi Police handed out nearly 60,000 fines for traffic violations last month, a decrease of 2,000 compared with April.

 

Traffic fines throughout May totalled VND14 billion (US$700,000), and saw police temporarily seize more than 13,870 driving licences.

 

Last month, 40 people died and 12 others were injured in 47 traffic accidents in the city. Most of accidents resulted from motorists travelling in the wrong lane at high speeds.

 

Stick insects destroy 24ha of forest

 

Stick insects destroyed nearly 24ha of forest in Cat Ba National Park of the northern city of Hai Phong during the past week.

 

The insects appeared in the park in 2007. They have six long legs and can move quickly, making them difficult to catch. The insects' density in the park is as high as dozens of thousands on each tree.

 

The Hai Phong Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has sprayed plants to prevent the insects from spreading.

 

Ha Noi welcomes 5.7 million tourists during first five months

 

The capital has welcomed 5.7 million tourists during the first five months of 2011, according to the Ha Noi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

 

Of this, 552,098 were made up of foreign tourists (32 per cent from China, 28 per cent from Australia and 14 per cent from Japan), a year-on-year increase of 20 per cent.

 

Thanks to significantly increased visitor numbers, hotel capacity reached 60.62 per cent, a year-on-year increase of 3.56 per cent.

 

Ha Noi aims to welcome 13.25 million visitors in total, including 1.75 million foreign tourists, during the year.

 

The city has also set a target of welcoming 16 million visitors, including 2 million foreign tourists, by 2015.

 

A tourism promotion campaign, set to run from 2011-15, coupled with an international tourism fair and a Ha Noi eating and drinking festival, will assist the city in successfully reaching its targets.

 

Boat owner faces criminal charges in Vietnam fatal accident 

 

Police in the southern province of Binh Duong have asked related agencies to consider the criminal responsibility of the owner of a tourism area where a boat accident killed 16 people on May 20.

 

Police have also held a meeting after the families of four Chinese victims in the accident on the Saigon River submitted a letter to the provincial police and prosecutors’ office.

 

The letter asked for charges against the owner of Din Ky Company, which manages the Din Ky Cau Ngang Tourism Area, local news site VnExpress reported Monday. 

 

They also asked for criminal punishments against Le Van Duc, the floating restaurant-boat’s captain, Le Van Quang, its manager, and Dinh Van Quan, manager of floating restaurants in the area, the news website reported.

 

Currently Duc and Quang are in police’s custody for investigations.

 

Duc was found disqualified for plotting the boat, while the vehicle’s register certificate expired in February.

 

The port, which has been operated by Din Ky over years, is unlicensed as well because it is located at a dangerous location with a whirlpool.

 

The fatal accident that killed nine members of a family who were celebrating the birthday of a three-year-old boy happened when the floating restaurant, which was carrying 28 passengers, overturned in the Saigon River during heavy rain and strong winds.

 

Five passengers and the seven-member crew swam to safety.

 

Following the accident, Chau Hoan Tam, owner of Din Ky, made a public apology and pledged to pay all funeral and transport fees for the victims’ families.

 

The accident has sparked safety concerns among waterway agencies in HCMC and Binh Duong, prompting checks on local boats’ safety.

 

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, meanwhile, instructed its provincial agencies to coordinate with other agencies to better monitor waterway tourism and ensure safety. Provinces nationwide have been told to survey tourism boats and propose measures to improve the service.

 

7 killed in 3 consecutive accidents on National Highway 

  

Seven people were killed and five others injured, on Friday evening, in a trio of highway accidents on a section of the National Highway 1A in the northern Vietnamese province of Ha Tinh.

 

The first accident occurred at around 9 p.m. when a packed seven-seater plunged off a cliff near a highway bypass in Ha Tinh Province’s Ky Phuong Commune.

 

Five of the passengers died on the spot and two others were seriously injured.

 

Roughly an hour later, two men on a motorbike crashed into another motorist as they rushed to the scene of the accident--all three were injured.

 

The motorbike drivers had been told that their relatives had been among those traveling in the ill-fated seven-seater.

 

At midnight, a truck collided with two men on a motorbike while crossing another section of the highway; they died on the spot.

 

Following the third accident, Ha Tinh police arrived at the site to clear traffic backed up along the highway.

 

Students beaten by building guards in Vietnam metro 

 

Four high school students in Ho Chi Minh City were hospitalized on Monday night after being beaten by security guards of a building where the students held a farewell party before the graduation exam. 

 

The accident happened at around 7 p.m. in the basement of the EverRich Building in District 11. The high school graduation exam takes place on June 2.

 

The students claimed they had been attacked by 10 security guards armed with plastic clubs, helmets and iron tubes. However, only three security guards admitted to the police they had beaten the students, but without using the weapons.

 

Police found two clubs and two iron bars at the scene. They said investigation is delayed due to the students' graduation exam.

 

The farewell party started at around 6 p.m. on Monday, involving two teachers and more than 40 students of the Nam Ky Khoi Nghia High School, on the 5th floor of a Lotte Mart supermarket in the EverRich building.

 

The teachers left the party early. After it ended at 7 p.m., the 12th grade students continued to talk and joke loudly when they were going down the escalator. Security guards told them to stop making noise.

 

The students and the guards reported two different stories about what happened later on that day.

 

The students said when they came to the basement of the EverRich building to take their motorbikes out, they were attacked by more than 10 security men.

 

Tran Hoang An, 18, the most seriously injured, said Tuesday at the Trung Vuong Emergency Hospital, “When I entered into the parking plot, I discovered my helmet has disappeared. I asked the security guards about it. Then I led my motorbike out. Suddenly, a group of the guards hit my head from behind with iron sticks.

 

“[…] They then pulled me to a corner to punch and kick me. They also used the helmet to beat me.”

 

Three other students rushed to An’s site to restrain the guards but they were also beaten. They and An were then rushed to the hospital.

 

Tran Minh Tam, An’s father, said his son had black and swollen left eye, congested blood in his head and some other injuries elsewhere on his body.

 

Meanwhile, Doan Huy Son, chief of security at Lotte Mart, said the students kept shouting loudly, running and jumping on the escalators even after receiving a request from the guards to stop making noise.

 

In addition, the students insulted the guards, said Son.

 

Le Van Truong, who manages the parking lot in the basement, said two students told off the guards after finding that one helmet was lost. According to Truong, one of the students hit the head of a guard, named Hoang The Vinh, with a helmet, leading to the fight.

 

The guards are staff of the Long Hoang Security Services Company, based in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District. They have been hired to serve at the EverRich building.

 

Bui Thi Ha, CEO of Long Hoang Company, said the security guards' activities were "violations."

 

The company has suspended six guards involved in the fight and would pay all the medical fees for the hospitalized students.

 

An’s three friends were discharged from hospital on Tuesday noon while An was released a day later.

 

Le Thanh Chien, director of the Trung Vuong Emergency Hospital, said An should have been there for treatment but doctors let him to be discharged so that he could take part in the graduation examination on June 2.

 

Dead elephant found in Dak Lak 

  

Dak Lak Province authorities have incinerated the body of a baby elephant found in Yok Don National Park last Wednesday. 

 

Nguyen Con, Yok Don park ranger, said they found the decomposed elephant, weighing around 100 kilograms, at the section No. 290.

 

He said it was a newborn elephant but they couldn’t identify the cause of the death.

 

Con said several herds of wild elephants have recently been near the residential areas in Buon Don District, threatening the crops and safety of local residents.

 

Vietnam had around 2,000 elephants in the mid-90s but the number has plunged to between 70 and 100 because of relentless poaching and deforestation, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. 

 

Nguyen Van Truong, director of Yok Don National Park, said that there have been 219 cases of illegal deforestation within the first four months this year, an increase of 51 more cases than the same period last year.

 

At a meeting with Dak Lak People’s Committee last month, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development said he was “sure that there have been wrongdoings and collusions” between officials in charge and poachers.

 

Lu Ngoc Cu, chairman of Dak Lak People’s Committee, said that many residents had reported directly to him about ongoing timber poaching. They even tipped him on which forces to bust, because they assumed that some local officials may have colluded with the poachers.

 

Further probe ordered into duck killing case 

  

A central court has requested additional probe into a case of a father and son killing dozens of a neighbor's ducks for feeding them on their rice field. 

 

According to the indictment, Phung Van Duc, 45, and his son Phung Tan Loi, 17, attempted to attack five locals with billhooks on September 12 last year, after the locals were feeding ducks on the duo’s rice field in Hoa Kien Commune in the province’s Tuy Hoa Town.

 

However, the five people, Tran Van Anh, Bui Van Dong, Nguyen Duong, Pham Quoc Tinh and Vo Cong Huong, fled to safety. The father and son then shifted their billhooks on the flock of ducks feeding on their farm, killing 50 fowls of Anh on the spot.

 

Duc and Loi were prosecuted against charges of destroying other’s properties – a crime subjected to jail terms of up to three years under the Penal Code.

 

At the trial on Friday, the judging panel demanded prosecutors to conduct additional probe into the case, after Duc confessed that there was another man helping kill the ducks. 

 

In addition, Anh claimed that the defendants had slaughtered a total of 162 laying ducks, instead of the 50 as accused by prosecutors.

 

Meeting marks 70th anniversary of day for the elderly

 

A meeting was held in Hanoi on June 6 to mark 70th anniversary of Vietnam Elderly Day (June 6).

 

Addressing the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung, congratulated the Vietnam Elderly Association on its achievements over the past years. He affirmed that the Vietnamese elderly have played an important role in the great national unity bloc, emphasizing that relevant agencies should pay more attention to the health and lives of the elderly in future.

 

He said that the Party, State and Vietnam Fatherland Front should refine the law on the Elderly and devise policies to promote the role of the elderly in society. He also expressed his belief that old people will always live happily and be healthy.

 

Over the past 70 years, the Vietnam Elderly Association has been expanded nationwide and now has 7.3 million members. The association’s activities and campaigns have been effective and contributed to ensuring political stability and social security.

 

Germany supports sea dyke upgrade

 

The German KfW Bank (German Development Bank) has provided loans worth EUR9 million for the southern province of Ca Mau to improve and upgrade a sea dyke section in U Minh district.

 

Accordingly, the 8 km long sea dyke, from Huong Mai rivermouth in Khanh Tien commune to Khanh Hoi rivermouth in Khanh Hoi commune, which was seriously degraded, will be upgraded with a new breakwater built for erosion prevention, at a total cost of EUR12 million.

 

The dyke is one of the items in the project of coastal protection for dealing with climate changes in Ca Mau province that is funded by the Germany Government through the KfW.

 

The project is expected to begin in July.

 

Laos-Vietnam friendship association

 

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) on June 5 handed over 20 sets of computers to the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association (LVFA) to help the association’s branches operate more effectively.

 

Addressing the gift-presenting ceremony, VUFO President Vu Xuan Hong said he believes the relations between the two organisations in particular and the two countries in general will continue to flourish under the leadership of the two Parties.

 

Hong also expressed his delight at practical activities carried out by the two organisations over the years with the aim of promoting the people’s mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries.

 

Hong’s views were shared by Lao Education Minister and LVFA President Phankham Viphavanh, who expressed hope that VUFO and LVFA would increase cooperation in educating of revolutionary traditions.

 

2011 World Environment Day held in Bac Kan

 

A national meeting to mark the 2011 World Environment Day was held in the northern province of Bac Kan on June 5 

 

Ba Be recognised as the third Ramsar in Vietnam

 

Meeting marks Vietnam Sea and Islands Week

 

The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Bac Kan Provincial People’s Committee.

 

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Pham Khoi Nguye said this year’s World Environment Day will send a message on the important role of forests in economic development and environmental protection.

 

According to statistics, more than 200ha of forest is planted every year in Vietnam and forestation has become popular in most localities.

 

The country has increased the size of its forest coverage from 27 percent in 1990 to nearly 40 percent in 2010.

 

It has also created laws and regulations for protecting and developing the forest.

 

Vietnam should create a “green economy” combining developing economy, ensuring social welfare and protecting the environment to cope with climate change, said Minister Nguyen.

 

The country should also develop and use energy saving and environmentally friendly technologies and preserve its forests and other resources.

 

*** Also on the same day, the MoNRE handed over the UNESCO decision to recognise Ba Be National Park as the third wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Vietnam after Xuan Thuy National Park and Bau Sau in Cat Tien National Park.

 

City cracks down on air horns

 

Drivers blowing loud air horns in Ho Chi Minh City will face stiffer fines from June 30 under a new government decree.

 

From VND300,000-VND500,000 (US$15-25) now, it is set to go up to VND2 million-VND3 million, the Department of Traffic and Transportation has said.

 

Air horns are a menace on Vietnamese roads.

 

In June last year, when a truck driver blew his horn, a young woman who was carrying her two-year-old daughter on a motorbike was startled and fell on the road. Her daughter was run over by the truck.

 

Man blackmails Vinamilk with contaminated milk

 

A 17-year-old man in the southern province of Long An was sentenced to one-and-a-half years probation Wednesday for blackmailing Vietnam’s largest dairy producer, Vinamilk , for VND70 million (US$3,500) with allegedly pesticide-tainted milk.

 

Pham Tan Loi, from Long An’s Tan An City, wrote to Vinamilk via the contact section on the company’s website saying he had three blocks of Vinamilk’s fresh milk which were contaminated with pesticide.

 

He warned Vinamilk that if the firm refused to give him VND70 million ($3,500) he would leak the poisoned products into the market.

 

Vinamilk agreed to give him some prepaid cell phone cards equivalent to VND50

million($2,500).

 

The parties agreed that Loi would go to an Internet shop to get the cards from a Vinamilk official. He received 15 cards in the first exchange, but after he attempted to get 14 more, police had been alerted and Loi was arrested.

 

Notorious PMU18 boss to face court again

 

The former general director of the Transport Ministry’s Project Management Unit 18, who is already serving 16 years in prison, will be brought to court again later this month to face embezzlement charges.

 

According to the indictment, announced in November 2010 by the Supreme People’s Procuracy, in 1998 Bui Tien Dung led the Project Management Unit, which was assigned to a US$63.3 million ODA-funded project to build the Bai Chay Bridge and the project needed support from many consultants.

 

Dung, 52, and his accomplices then allegedly made false lists of consultants to appropriate more than VND3 billion (US$146,200) from the state budget.

 

After postponing the trial numerous times so prosecutors could collect more evidence, the Hanoi People’s Court will begin the new trial from June 27 to July 6, under the chair of Judge Le Thi Hop.

 

Two prosecutors will be assigned to the Court and several lawyers will defend the defendants.

 

Dung will be tried along with nine accomplices, including Nguyen Vu Nam, former head of the Project Initiation Department No. 6 (PID 6); Nguyen Cong Dung, a former PID 6 expert; Nghiem Phu Son, former deputy head of PID 6; Le Minh Giang, former deputy head of PID 5; Nguyen Huu Minh, former executing director of the Bai Chay 1 (BC1) bid; Nguyen Huu Long, former executive director of the BC3 bid; Tran Duc Hung, chief of the consulting office for the Bai Chay Bridge project; and Do Kim Quy, a former deputy general director PMU 18.

 

Other than Quy, who is charged with “using assets created by criminals,” the other defendants will be charged with embezzlement.

 

Dung used VND500 million ($24,300) from the amount as a “seeing-off gift” to Quy who was about to retire at the time.

 

Quy knew the money was illegal but still accepted it.

 

Bui Tien Dung was escorted to the court room in a previous trial

 

After police began investigating, Quy handed in all VND500 million to the investigation agency.

Dung is still in prison, while the others are have been released on bail.

 

In November 2007, Dung was sentenced to 13 years in prison for gambling and bribery. Nearly three years later, in August 2010, he was sentenced to an additional three years for “deliberately acting against the State’s economic management regulations causing serious consequences.”

 

Dung has served two years.

 

Billboard collapses in Hanoi, 3 severely injured

 

A large billboard collapsed due to strong wind and rain in Hanoi Sunday evening, badly injuring three people sheltering beneath, VnExpress

 

At around 7 pm, when it began to rain unexpectedly, dozens of people took shelter under the billboard in front of Ngoc Toan jewelry, 30 Quang Trung Street.

 

After being battered by heavy winds, the five-meter by four-meter billboard collapsed, breaking a man’s arm and leg and causing brain injury to his wife.

 

Another person too was severely injured and all were taken to the Ha Dong General Hospital for treatment.

 

The falling billboard also crushed several motorbikes and brought down a lamp post.

 

Tourists panic as Da Nang outdoor lift gets stuck

 

An elevator along a cliff at a tourist site in Da Nang suddenly got stuck yesterday afternoon, terrifying 23 people inside, including its operator, and causing a few to faint.

 

The 22 occupants had ascended around 10 meters at the Ngu Hanh Son Tourist Area on Thuy Son Mountain when the malfunction occurred.

 

The attendant pressed the emergency button for help, but it took 15 minutes for technicians to bring the lift down manually.

 

They then had to force the lift door open with crowbars.

 

Le Thi Hong Nhung of Hanoi, one of the victims, said the lift suddenly stopped though there had been no power outage.

 

Some of them began to panic, others had breathing difficulties, and a few, including a child, passed out.

 

All were taken to a local health center for emergency aid and examination.

 

The 50-meter-high elevator system was installed at a cost of VND20 billion (US$972,000) by the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism only in late April but it is not the first time it is malfunctioning.

 

Source: SGGP/Tuoi Tre/VNS/VNA/VOV/SGT