Businessman buys rare turtles to release

Khanh Hoa authorities released one of the two rare turtles to sea on November 8. (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

Nguyen Quoc Anh Bao told Tuoi Tre that he had caught some people carrying the endangered animals on a delivery tricycle to sell. Bao then decided to buy the creatures for VND500,000 (US$25) and then handed over them to local authorities.

Nguyen Van Dau, deputy head of Khanh Hoa Province’s Aquatic Resource Exploitation and Protection Sub-department, said the 2 turtles belong to the Chelonia mydas, a highly protected turtle species in the world.

The turtles were freed to the Hon Mot sea in Vinh Hoa Ward on Tuesday.

Hanoi launches “Day for the Poor” campaign

The Hanoi City People’s Committee officially launched a “Day for the Poor” campaign in Hanoi on November 8.

At the launch ceremony, Dao Van Binh, chairman of the Hanoi chapter of Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, who is also head of the “Fund for the Poor” emphasized the great significance of the campaign which is aimed at strengthening solidarity among the Vietnamese people.

Mr Binh called on businesses, organizations and all strata of people from all walks of life to help poor households escape poverty for the benefit of a peaceful, civilized Hanoi.

The city’s Fund for the Poor received more than VND100 billion from individuals and representatives of different organisations present at the function.

Over the past ten years, the fund has raised more than VND140 billion, helped build and repair more than 20,000 houses, provided funding and health check-ups for poor households. Over the last ten months, it has collected VND15 billion in support of 15,000 poor households and financed free surgery for 19 children with congenital heart diseases.

There is a plan afoot to rebuild 3,700 houses for poor households from now until early next year.

VNA delegation visits Laos

Lao Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdala has lauded VNA’s assistance to the Lao news agency (KPL).

He was speaking at a reception for the visiting delegation of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) led by Deputy General Director Nguyen Hoai Duong in Vientiane on November 8.

He asked VNA to provide further support for personnel training and technology and help the Lao side open a press representative office in Hanoi soon.

For his part, Duong briefed the host on results of his talks with KPL General Director Khamsen Phongsa, during which the two sides reached a cooperative agreement for 2012.

Both sides highly valued the implementation of cooperative agreements in various areas such as sharing news articles and photos, exchanging high-ranking delegations and journalists, publishing a book titled “VNA and KPL – years of mutual development” and launching a Lao language webpage, Duong said.

In 2012, VNA will help Laos improve technical infrastructure, print the Lao Pictorial magazine and develop human resources, Duong said, adding that the two sides agreed to increase information promoting the land and people of each country as well as cooperative activities in economics, trade, culture, arts and sport between the two countries.

Duong took the occasion to introduce VNA’s diverse information channels to Minister Bosengkham Vongdala, expressing his hope that the Lao minister will help VNA Television Channel (Vnews) soon be included in the Lao cable television system, beefing up cooperation between the two news agencies and special relations between the two countries.

22 killed in floods in central Vietnam

Floods due to continuing heavy rains and rising rivers in several central provinces have so far killed at least 22 people, injured 2 other, and caused 2 others to be missing, the Central Steering Board for Floods and Storm Prevention and Control reported.

The dead victims include 17 in Quang Nam, 3 in Da Nang and 1 in Thua Thien-Hue and 1 in Quang Ngai.

Thousands of houses have been damaged and 659 hectares of rice and 2,850 hectares of other crops have been submerged.

Many roads in downtown Hue city in Thua Thien-Hue Province were submerged over 1 m under water while many areas in Huong Tra District was plunged 2 m under water.

In Quang Nam, floods caused a landslide at the Lo Xo Pass, swepping thousands of cubic meters of soil and rock and blocking traffic in Phuoc Son, Tay Giang and Dong Giang districts.

Another serious landslide occurred in Nam Tra My District and many roads in other districts were heavily submerged.

About 73,000 houses in this province are now under floodwater.

36,000 houses In Thua Thien-Hue and 24 wards and communes in Da Nang have been submerged. In Da Nang, 3 fishing boats have sunk.

In Binh Dinh, thousands of houses were submerged and because of blocked traffic, 25,000 students haven’t been able to go to school and nearly 10,000 workers couldn’t go to work.

Japanese exchange boosts friendship with Vietnam

Tomigaya Primary School in Tokyo’s Shibuya district on November 8 hosted an exchange to express friendship with Vietnamese children studying at the school.

Pupils at the 81-year-old school amazed Vietnamese guests including Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Phu Binh, with their knowledge of Vietnam’s country and people.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh told the school’s pupils that they are the future of Japan, advising them to exert their utmost in study to contribute to the country’s socio-economic development and strengthening the Vietnam-Japan Strategic Partnership.

A pupil, Taniguchi Yuki said he and his friends were happy to have the Vietnamese friends at the school. Previously, the School launched a programme to improve knowledge about Vietnam.

Asian nations share experience in HIV control

More than 100 delegates and heath experts of Vietnam, the US and 11 Asian countries are gathering in Ho Chi Minh City to share experience in HIV prevention and treatment for injecting drug users.

Jointly organised by the US Global AIDS Programme Coordination Office and Vietnamese concerned agencies, the conference is designed to update experience and lessons as well as effects of the provision of HIV prevention and treatment services for injecting drug users in the region.

It also focuses on sharing information on expanding services for injecting drug users in Southeast and South Asia and the way each country and the international community respond to the issue as well as appropriate policies.

During the course of the four-day conference, the delegates are scheduled to discuss a range of topics relating to challenges in HIV prevention among injecting drug users, the current situation of drug use and HIV infection in this group, policies on the implementation and expansion of HIV prevention activities, and expansion of treatment by using replacement medicines.

The US President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has provided more than 400 million USD and technical assistance for Vietnam to carry out its national HIV/AIDS prevention and control project.

OV organizations’ leadership conference to be held in Da Lat

A conference of Overseas Vietnamese (OV) organization leaders will be held in Dat Lat city, in the central highland province of Lam Dong on November 11-13, according to the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) at a press briefing in Hanoi on November 8.

The conference expects to attract 150 outstanding overseas Vietnamese from more than 30 countries, and representatives from many overseas Vietnamese organizations and associations.

Deputy Foreign Minister and COVA Director, Nguyen Thanh Son, said the conference provides a good opportunity for leaders of OV organizations and associations to share experiences and enhance their role in upholding solidarity, contributing to their countries of residence, and participating in international integration and national development.

An art performance entitled “I Love My Country’s Language” will be held as part of the conference on November 12.

Japan helps Vietnam supervise food safety

Japan has pledged US$4.5 million to help Vietnam improve its capacity for supervising the safety of agro-forestry-fishery food products.

A project for improving the capacity for monitoring and controlling food safety was signed in Hanoi on November 8 by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Vietnam Sanitary and Phytosanitary Notification Authority and Enquiry Point (SPS Vietnam), and the International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The three year project, worth US$4.5 million in non-refundable aid from the Japanese government, will be carried out from 2011-2014.

Project partners include SPS Vietnam, the National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD), the Plant Protection Department and the Veterinary Department.

The project is being implemented as food poisoning continues to occur in many localities and some staple Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery products are destroyed or sent back by importing countries due to food safety issues.

According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), 93 outbreaks of food poisoning were reported in October in Vietnam in which 4,400 people were poisoned and 15 others died.

Taigo Endo, JICA’s SPS expert, said that Vietnam has created regulations on food safety but the capacity to implement them is still poor.

Under the project, Japan will help Vietnam by transferring food quality control technology and training human resources.

Head of the MARD Agro-Forestry-Fishery Product Quality Control Department, Nguyen Nhu Tiep, said that the project has three major targets: improving the capacity for controlling agro-forestry-fishery products at laboratories; improving the national supervisory program on the safety of agro-forestry-fishery food products, and enhancing the capacity of cadres involved in the project.

VNN/VOV/Tuoi Tre