Defendant Tran Duc Thach at the court

The People’s Court of north-central Nghe An province on December 15 sentenced Tran Duc Thach to 12 years in prison for “attempting to overthrow the people’s administration”.

Thach, 68, from the province’s Dien Chau district, will be subject to a probationary period of three years upon his release. He was previously sentenced to three years behind bars on charges of “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”.

According to the indictment, from March 2013 to July 2017, Thach and Nguyen Van Dai, Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Trung Ton, and Nguyen Bac Truyen founded the “Brotherhood for Democracy” organisation, built an operational credo and regulations, and opened a representative office and a website.

They used the excuse of fighting for “democracy and human rights” and “civil society” to hide their activities against the administration, and contacted illegal organisations both inside and outside of Vietnam to gain strength and wait for a suitable time to declare public operations, confront the administration, and change the political institutions in Vietnam towards overthrowing the people’s administration.

In December 2015, the Investigation Police Agency at the Ministry of Public Security began legal proceedings against Nguyen Van Dai, Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Trung Ton, and Nguyen Bac Truyen on charges of “attempting to overthrow the people’s administration”.

When working with the agency and Nghe An’s Department of Public Security, Thach committed to giving up the “Brotherhood for Democracy” organisation as well as activities confronting the State of Vietnam.

However, he then continued to implement anti-State activities. From May 1, 2019 to March 2, 2020, he wrote and posted many articles distorting political and socio-economic events and smearing Party and State leaders on his Facebook page.

The jury said that the case was extremely serious and the defendant’s offence dangerous and long-lasting.

The People’s Procuracy of Nghe An province affirmed that Thach’s offense threatened social stability, encroached upon national independence and socialism, reduced people’s trust in the political institutions of the State of Vietnam, and infringed upon national security and social safety and order./.

Boat collision on Saigon River leaves one missing

Rescuers search for a woman going missing after a boat crashed into a barge – PHOTO: PLO

After crashing into a barge on the Saigon River in HCMC’s District 12, a boat transporting soil weighing 45 tons, sank, leaving a 46-year-old woman missing today, December 15.

Nguyen Van Long, a 50-year-old man, who lives in Long An Province, was sailing the boat with his wife this morning, heading from Binh Trieu Bridge to Cu Chi District. When he arrived at the foot of the bridge in An Phu Dong Ward of District 12, the boat collided with a barge coming from the opposite direction.

After the two fell into the river due to the crash, Long swam toward the riverbank, while his wife remained missing. The barge left the scene of the accident immediately.

The waterway traffic police and rescuers quickly gathered at the scene of the accident to search for the victim.

The man who was sailing the boat might not have been paying close attention, a police officer told VnExpress.

Cold spell hits northern Vietnam

A strong cold spell has hit the northern region of Việt Nam, bringing rain and lowering temperatures.

According to Nguyễn Đức Hòa, deputy head of the Weather Forecasting Department at the National Centre for Hydrometeorology Forecasting, due to the influence of the cold spell, from Tuesday, the northern and northern central regions will see temperatures plummet.

The temperatures might drop below 5 degrees Celsius in mountainous areas while the lowest temperatures in other areas would be between 11-14 degrees Celsius.

It will be cloudy all day and the difference between day and night temperatures is likely just 2-4 degree Celsius.

Cao Bằng, Bắc Kạn, Lạng Sơn, Tuyên Quang and Lào Cai provinces are the areas most affected.

Frost might occur in mountainous areas which are 1,500 metres above sea level, like Fansipan Mountain in Lao Cai Province or Mẫu Sơn Mountain in Lang Son Province.

The cold wave might cause rain in provinces from Thanh Hóa to Bình Thuận. The area from Hà Tĩnh to Quảng Ngãi provinces is likely to experience heavy rain on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The normal temperatures in Hà Nội would be 11-13 degrees Celsius.

Hòa said the cold spell would last until December 22 before temperatures increase gradually.

The cold weather would affect the life and production of local residents, especially those living in mountainous areas where the temperatures might drop to below 5 degree Celsius, he said, adding that the frost might have a serious impact on plants and livestock.

Hòa advised people to wear warm clothes during the cold spell.

As for livestock, farmers should not let buffaloes and cows roam free. Instead, they should use canvas to cover barns as well as ensure cattle get enough food.

Job opportunities for the disabled

Breakthroughs in technology over recent years have helped disabled people find employment and have the chance to improve their soft skills. This has, in turn, increased their standard of living and helped them overcome the barriers they face.
 
More than 20 technicians here are disabled.

Once jobless, Sy Thi Ngoc now has a job with an average monthly salary of 8 million VND. She is satisfied and happy, as she is passionate about her job as a graphic designer, and the care of her colleagues gives her even more encouragement.

Completely removing barriers in employment for the disabled requires support as well as proper policies from relevant agencies and enterprises. Opportunities, however, stem from changes in views on how the disabled can contribute to society, what they can and cannot accomplish, and the protection of their rights.

Helping the disabled obtain a sustainable and better standard of living is done by presenting them with job opportunities and changing the attitudes of the population at large.

Proactively removing barriers, especially in technology-based fields, would help the disabled have sustainable livelihoods and improve their living conditions./.

Three new imported COVID-19 cases bring total to 1,405

Three new cases of COVID-19 were detected over the past 24 hours to 18:00 on December 15, all Vietnamese citizens returning from abroad and being quarantine, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The new cases brought the national tally of COVID-19 patients to 1,405.

Two of the new patients arrived on a flight from Myanmar on December 12, while the third one returned from the US transiting Japan on December 6.

Also on December 15, six more COVID-19 patients were given the all clear, raising the total recoveries to 1,252. The fatalities remain at 35.

Among patients still under treatment, three have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, six twice and six thrice.

A total of 18,957 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or arrived from pandemic-hit areas are being quarantined nationwide, with 208 at hospitals, 15,688 at concentrated facilities and 3,061 at home or their accommodations./.

Coordinating Committee for Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre convenes 31st meeting

Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA)

The 31st meeting of the Intergovernmental Coordinating Committee for the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre was held via video conferencing on December 15.

The event was co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh and, on the Russian side, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Aleksey Mikhailovich Medvedev, who are heads of the Vietnamese and Russian Sub-committees.

The two sides agreed that despite the adverse impact of COVID-19, the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre has fulfilled its tasks under the plan for this year and the scientific research programme for 2020-24 approved at the previous meeting of the Coordinating Committee.

Accordingly, the centre carried out 50 research projects, arranged 34 fact-finding trips, held symposiums, and published 126 articles on prestigious scientific magazines of the world and Russia.

Of note, a mobile lab vehicle provided by Russia has performed tests for nearly 200,000 soldiers and citizens at pandemic-hit areas in Vietnam.

At the meeting, delegates approved the scientific research plan for the centre in the next year.

They proposed that the centre increase technology transfer activities, promote the application of research outcomes into reality, and effectively implement scientific and technological programmes.

The sides also agreed on the agenda of the 32nd meeting.

Work on Long Thanh airport project to begin this month

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) will break ground on the first phase of the Long Thanh international airport project in the southern province of Dong Nai this month, with demining being the first to be implemented, an ACV representative told a recent meeting on the project.

The meeting was attended by Dong Nai Chairman Cao Tien Dung and a working team led by Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan to reach a consensus on handing over cleared land for the implementation of the project, reported Phap Luat Online.

After the mine clearance work, ACV will build a fence around the land designated to develop the airport, said the ACV representative.

Of the over 1,800 hectares of land serving the construction of the first phase, competent agencies have completed the site clearance and compensation of over 1,200 hectares, according to data from the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The remaining area of land includes rubber farming land yet to be cleared and local residents’ houses yet to be relocated as they have not been given land for the purpose of resettlement.

To date, the government of Long Thanh District had paid compensation worth over VND1.8 trillion to residents affected by the construction of the project. Also, the district has handed over resettlement land to 94 local households.

Thailand extends state emergency in southernmost provinces

The Emergency Situation Administration Committee (ESAC) of Thailand has decided to extend the state of emergency in the restive southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat for another three months from December 20 for security reasons.

Maj Gen Patchasak Patirupanont, a spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, said on December 14 that a meeting of the ESAC, chaired by Prawit, agreed with a proposal of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4 to extend the decree in the three provinces.

This was necessary on the grounds that the insurgents still had the potential to carry out violent operations in the region and amid signs they may resort to violence in various ways, Patchasak said.

The only districts free of restrictions are Mae Lan in Pattani, Betong in Yala, and Sungai Kolok, Sukhirin and Si Sakhon in Narathiwat. The state of emergency will continue everywhere else in the three provinces until March 30./.

Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics reviews 2020 operations

The Presidium of the central board of the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics (CSVC) convened a meeting in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on December 15 to discuss a draft agenda for the upcoming plenary session of the committee, and a draft report on the central board’s performance in 2020 and orientations for 2021.

This year, the committee has actively joined in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide efforts to support people affected by flooding in the central region.

The CSVC has also engaged in patriotic emulation movements launched by the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, thus contributing to the building of the great national unity bloc.

Addressing the meeting, Vice President of the VFF Central Committee Ngo Sach Thuc suggested that in the future, the committee should focus on encouraging people in and outside the Catholic community to continue to respond to the call on COVID-19 prevention.

The committee should renovate its communication methods, especially for the movements of “Vietnamese people prioritise Vietnamese goods” and “the whole people unite in building new-style rural areas, civilized urban areas” launched by the VFF, as well as the movement of uniting in building new-style rural areas launched by the CSVC.

On the occasion, priest Nguyen Van Rien, Vice President and General Secretary of the CSVC was presented with the Great National Unity Order, while priest Phan Dinh Son, CSVC Vice President received the State President’s Labour Order, third class. At the same time, 19 collectives and individuals with outstanding performance in implementing the committee’s tasks in 2020 were also honoured.

Earlier on December 14, a VFF delegation led by Vice President Ngo Sach Thuc visited and extended Christmas and New Year greetings to the Da Lat diocese./.

Winner of essay contest marking UN’s 75th anniversary announced

UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra speaks at the event. (Photo: nld.com.vn)

Trinh Thi Hanh An, a 3rd-year student, won the first prize of the first national essay competition commemorating the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.

Her essay features the relationship between Vietnam and the UN, the country’s contribution to the goals and mission of the UN, especially in peace and sustainable development.

An was crowned at the final pitching round for the contest that took place at the Green One UN House on December 14.

Five young finalists were selected from the more than 150 contestants from all across the country, including one online participant from Australia.

In his opening remarks, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra highlighted: “While the partnership between the United Nations and the Government of Vietnam has been a special and close one for over four decades now since it joined the UN in September 1977, this relationship has evolved over time as it should, and now focuses not only on what the UN can do to support the Government of Vietnam and its people inside the country but also regionally and globally.”

The essay finalists have captured both the domestic and international aspects of the UN’s partnership with Vietnam.

They have reflected on both what this partnership has achieved so far and what it should focus on as Vietnam moves forward in the region and the world over the coming decade./.

Workshop talks ASEAN approach to maritime cooperation

A workshop marking the 10th anniversary of ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF) was held both online and offline in Hanoi on December 14, focusing on ASEAN's cohesive and responsive approach to maritime cooperation.

Chairing the opening ceremony, Director General of the Foreign Ministry’s ASEAN Department Vu Ho said the AMF provides a platform to promote dialogue, share information and enhance cooperation among agencies in the field. He added that it is time for ASEAN to review maritime cooperation over the past decade and suggest orientations and measures to further boost cooperation in the near future.

Ho suggested focusing discussions on regional maritime cooperation in the new context, sharing of lessons and practices, building a responsive and cohesive approach to the field.

Results and recommendations at the event will be reported to the AMF for consideration.

Delegates shared the view that maritime cooperation is always a field of high priority in the region, with the participation of specialised mechanisms and agencies. A number of important agreements in the field have been adopted.

According to the ASEAN Secretariat, maritime cooperation accounts for over 10 percent of lines of action in the ASEAN Political-Security Community 2025.

Participants also discussed non-traditional security challenges such as illegal fishing, marine environment pollution, plastic waste and crimes at sea.

Many opinions expressed concern over complicated developments in the field, including actions that could complicate the situation, increase tension, and run against international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as rising strategic competition among major powers.

Moreover, up to 12 agencies join in maritime cooperation, easily resulting in overlaps and waste of resources.

They agreed that the approach to maritime cooperation should be built on the basis of harmonising national and regional priorities and interests, and their development plans.

Some delegates suggested that ASEAN should continue stepping up collaboration in maritime connectivity and trade, sea environment protection, ensuring maritime security and safety, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance for people and vessels in distress at sea, preventing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, protecting livelihoods of coastal community, and maritime scientific research.

They also highlighted the need to increase information sharing and coordination among agencies, and abide by international law, especially the UNCLOS.

They welcomed Vietnam’s initiative to build a comprehensive, cohesive and responsive approach of ASEAN to maritime cooperation, thereby affirming the bloc’s solidarity and role in face of existing challenges.

As scheduled, the 10th AMF and the eighth Expanded AMF will take place on December 15 to share maritime issues of shared concern./.

Vietnam sends medical masks to Myanmar

The batch of Vietnam's medical masks at Yangon International Airport on October 15 (Photo: VNA)

A batch of 35,000 medical masks have been delivered to Myanmar to aid Mandalay city amid an increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

The batch was a donation from authorities in central Da Nang city and from Vietnamese citizens.

Speaking at the handover ceremony at Yangon International Airport on December 12, Vietnamese Ambassador to Myanmar Ly Quoc Tuan underscored that the Vietnamese Government and people always think of their friends during hardship, and hoped that Mandalay will soon overcome its pandemic-related difficulties.

The Vietnamese Government previously sent over 90,000 USD, 160,000 medical masks, antiseptic solution, and medical equipment to Myanmar. Vietnamese enterprises in the country also donated more than 25,000 USD and 10,000 face masks.

As of December 13, the number of infections in Myanmar stood at 108,342, with 2,268 fatalities./.

Urban administration requires decentralization

The decentralization will make obligations and responsibilities more clear for the new administration model.

Decentralization is considered essential for the operations of urban administration that will be applied for Hanoi in early 2021, a former senior official has said.

The decentralization of authority becomes urgent as tasks, obligations, and responsibilities would be assigned clearly, making the governance more effective, former deputy minister of Home Affairs Thang Van Phuc told Hanoitimes.

Accordingly, a streamlined, consistent, and dynamic administrative apparatus is a must for the new administration model, facilitating businesses and people, Mr. Phuc said.

In Resolution 97/2019/QH14 dated November 27, 2019, the National Assembly decided to pilot the urban administration or urban local government for Hanoi which is scheduled to begin in early 2021.

Under which, the new administration model will abolish the People’s Council in 177 wards of 12 districts and Son Tay town for the 2016-2021 term.

The pilot model will help streamline the government apparatus, handle urgent issues faster, clearly define the leaders’ responsibilities, reduce the payroll, and save budget.

The pilot scheme also looks to strengthen rural administration in towns, communes and districts while renew task delegation and activities of the Party, Vietnam Fatherland Front and mass organizations at communal and district levels.

To make the targets possible, Mr. Phuc emphasized the importance of a streamlined apparatus, saying that it makes the decentralization clearer and more effective. He highlighted the role of the People’s Committee in the governance and running the system in a more accountable manner instead of working under the “application-approval” mechanism before.

Meanwhile, he paid the special attention to the qualification of cadres, noting that the new governance will require civil servants who are competent at their jobs and have high sense of responsibility.

“Building the urban local government is to re-establish a new operating institution of governments at all levels,” Mr. Phuc said, noting that the role of urban local government in improving public services toward sustainable development remains tremendous and appreciable.

Regarding the abolition of the People’s Council, Mr. Phuc said there’s no worry about lacking supervisory tools for the operations of the People’s Committee in response to concerns about the administrative role of the council in the new governance.

Jameson Boex, a US public finance expert working with the World Bank, UNDP, and USAID and dozens of governments around the world, said it's necessary for urban local government to have their authority and discretion to deliver basic public services.

Reforming intergovernmental institutional structures to better match responsibilities is essential for realizing cities’ full economic potential, according to Jameson Boex, co-authors of the research report “Dynamic Cities? The Role of Urban Local Governments in Improving Urban Service Delivery Performance in Africa and Asia.”

The authors said it appears that political economy forces, rather than technical capacity, are a more significant determinant of whether urban local governments are institutionally empowered to effectively provide urban services.

They believed that it’s important to have effective local participation and accountability mechanisms. To which, citizens should be empowered to ensure that their urban local government respond to their demands for greater service coverage or improvements in service quality.

Movement against plastic waste reviewed

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment held a conference in the central province of Phu Yen on December 14 to review one year of implementing a movement against plastic waste.

To reduce such pollution in Vietnam, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc launched a movement on “saying no” to plastic waste around the country in June last year. All ministries, agencies, and localities prepared their own action plans in response to the movement, in particular targeting disposable plastics and persistent organic pollutants.

More than a year later, the Packaging Recycling Organisation Vietnam and the Vietnam Zero Waste Alliance have been set up to improve the environment and encourage a lifestyle free of waste.

Participants discussed measures to fight plastic waste, including collecting, reusing, recycling, and treating waste, developing a circular economy, and encouraging production facilities to switch to eco-friendly technology.

General Director of the Vietnam Environment Administration Nguyen Van Tai suggested raising public awareness of this latest effort, including changing the habits of using disposable plastic products and regularly discharging waste into the environment.

Further attention must be paid to collecting and classifying waste in the near future, he said, adding that this would reduce plastic waste and improve production and trade./.

Consultation workshop assesses 5-year implementation of Law on People’s Court organisation

A consultation workshop to assessment the five-year implementation of the 2014 Law on the Organisation of People’s Court was co-held by the Supreme People’s Court, the European Union (EU) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Hanoi on December 14.

The workshop was chaired by Deputy Chief of Justice of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Tri Tue, with the participation of UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Vietnam Sitara Syed, and Representative of the EU Delegation in Vietnam Audrey-Anne Rochelemagne. It came within the framework of the EU Justice and Legal Empowerment Programme in Vietnam (EU JULE) which is funded by the EU with financial contributions from UNDP and UNICEF.

In his opening remarks, Tue said after the five-year implementation of the law, the functions, duties, powers, and organisational structures of the People’s Courts have been consolidated and operated stably.

To help the Supreme People’s Court have an objective and comprehensive assessment report, the EU JULE programme has supported to conduct a study focusing on the main contents as follows: researching current regulations of the law and detailed guiding documents for its implementation; assessing the practice of applying the Law in the period of 2015 to present; offering recommendations for the law to be continually and effectively implemented in the future, said Representative of the EU Delegation in Vietnam Rochelemagne.

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Vietnam Syed highlighted the international standards and conditions for the genuine independence of the judiciary, provided by the UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary adopted in 1985; and the Beijing Statement of Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary of the LAWASIA in 1997.

After the workshop, feedbacks from the delegates will be collected and synthesised in order to offer recommendations to solve problems and improve the organisation of People’s Courts towards a lean, effective and efficient operation as well as to propose amendments to the Law on Organisation of People’s Courts and legal documents concerned to satisfy practical requirements for National Assembly’s consideration./.

Emperor-Monk Tran Nhan Tong’s attainment of Nirvana celebrated

The ceremony to commemorate the 712th anniversary of the attainment of Nirvana by Emperor-Monk Tran Nhan Tong (Photo: VNA)

 

A ceremony to commemorate the 712th anniversary of the attainment of Nirvana by Emperor-Monk Tran Nhan Tong, the founder of Vietnam Zen Buddhism, was held at the Vietnam Quoc Tu in HCM City on December 14.

Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308), born Tran Kham, was the third emperor of the Tran Dynasty. He ascended the throne when he was 21 and was famed for defeating Yuan-Mongol invaders twice as well as for developing the national economy and culture during his 15-year reign.

He abdicated when he was 35 and spent the rest of his life on Yen Tu Mountain, in modern-day Quang Ninh province in Vietnam’s north, practicing and propagating Buddhism. He founded the Truc Lam sect of Zen Buddhism at Yen Tu.

Addressing the ceremony, which was hosted by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) in HCM City, Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon, chairman of the VBS’s Executive Council, spotlighted the career of and honoured the merit of Tran Nhan Tong.

Vietnamese Buddhists at home and abroad and the Vietnamese people as a whole would like to express their respect in commemorating the genius and clear-sighted emperor, he said.

He affirmed that Vietnamese Buddhist monks, nuns, and followers all vow to preserve the spirit of national unity and national independence and uphold a spirit of openness and tolerance in the community towards promoting unity among religions for coexistence and development.

A procession of a statue of Emperor-Monk Tran Nhan Tong, which was presented by Tran Temple in northern Nam Dinh province, was organised.

The statue is made from Luy Lau red ceramic and measures 2.2 metres in height, depicting Emperor-Monk Tran Nhan Tong sitting by a stream taking off his royal clothes to take refuge in the Buddha.

The statue will be placed at the Truc Lam Chanh Giac Zen Monastery in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang on December 20./.

Malaysia seizes over 26 million USD worth of crystal meth

More than two tonnes of crystal methamphetamine worth 26.2 million USD was recently seized from a boat off Malaysia’s west coast, the largest-ever haul of the drug in the country, Malaysia’s maritime agency said on December 13.

Director-General of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Mohamad Zubil Mat Som said that the move came on December 9, when an MMEA patrol encountered a recreational boat moving suspiciously off Penang Island.

Officials inspecting the boat found 130 sacks containing 2.12 tonnes of crystal meth disguised as packets of tea. The boat’s lone occupant, a 26-year-old Malaysian man, was arrested.

The origin and destination of the drugs are still under investigation.

The official said the tea packaging was similar to that found in previous shipments suspected to have come from Myanmar.

Malaysia has made several record busts of crystal meth in recent years. Authorities have said the intercepted shipments were part of a multibillion-dollar illicit drug trade that stretches across Australia, Southeast Asia and China./.

Thailand to increase waste-to-energy projects to reduce garbage volume

Thailand’s National Energy Policy Council (NEPC) plans to increase the number of new waste-to-energy (WTE) projects next year to ease worries about the growing volume of garbage.

The council is preparing to invite investors to propose new projects, with total capacity of 400 megawatts, early next year.

WTE plants, which were already granted licences in previous auctions, operate in 36 areas, with combined capacity of 328MW.

Though projects promise a new business opportunity to power companies that want to join the growing trend in renewable energy, Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) encourages moving away from the profit incentive.

All sides should primarily focus on getting rid of garbage and view electricity as a byproduct, said TEI president Wijarn Simachaya.

WTE projects must be done for the sake of the environment, helping Thailand better cope with garbage flooding the country, which ranks as the sixth largest polluter when it comes to dumping plastic waste into the sea, he said.

In 2018, only 35 percent of 27.9 million tonnes of solid waste in Thailand was sorted for recycling and 39 percent was disposed of at landfill and incinerators as well as through WTE projects. Up to 26 percent ended up in some other areas including land, rivers and sea, according to TEI.

Plastic waste made up 2 million tonnes of total garbage. Only 500,000 tonnes were recycled while the majority was disposed together with other types of garbage./.

Malaysia shortens quarantine period to ten days

The mandatory COVID-19 quarantine period in Malaysia is shortened from 14 days to 10 days, beginning on December 14.

The Malaysian Health Ministry’s director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said on December 13 that the decision is based on the latest scientific evidence and practices in other countries.

He said several countries have reviewed their mandatory quarantine periods, and have shortened them from the initial 14 days.

Britain, Germany and Belgium have shortened the quarantine period to 10 days, while in France, it is only seven days, he said, adding the highest risk of infection is in the first week of exposure.

The 14-day quarantine was recommended after the World Health Organisation and other experts estimated that the incubation period is between two days and 14 days. Studies suggest that the average time for symptoms to appear after exposure is five days.

The pandemic continues complicated development in this Southeast Asian country. As of December 13, the country documented 84,475 infections, with 415 deaths./.

Hanoi to liven up with Lai Chau’s mountainous colours this month

A three-day festival highlighting the cultures of ethnic people in the northwestern mountainous province of Lai Chau is set to bring excitement to Hanoians starting December 18.

Themed ‘the bright colours of Lai Chau’, the event will take place at the Hoan Kiem lake pedestrian area in downtown Hanoi.

Participants will be treated to a host of activities, including a seminar on Lai Chau – Hanoi tourism connectivity, a street carnival, a trade fair, and several cultural immersion activities.

The fair will feature more than 20 stalls displaying Lai Chau’s specialties and goods from the local One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme.

While enjoying a series of local folk games and culinary delights, visitors to the event can also watch traditional musical performances and the making of handicrafts like brocades of Lu ethnic people and the Tinh musical instrument of Thai ethnic people.

Endowed with temperate climate all year round and rich soils, Lai Chau has the favourable condition to develop agro-forestry production.

It is home to 20 ethnic groups, hence a rich and diverse cultural identity./.

Malaysia to host first ASEAN Digital Ministers' Meeting in January

Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Multimedia announced on December 14 that its Minister, Saifuddin Abdullah, will chair the first ASEAN Digital Ministers' Meeting (ADGMIN1) via teleconference from January 21-22, 2021.

Themed “ASEAN: A Digitally Connected Community”, the meeting seeks to strengthen cooperation among ASEAN countries towards building digital ecosystems as a pillar in the post-COVID-19 development plan.

According to the ministry, the emphasis will be the importance of centralisation and unity in efforts to develop the ASEAN Community in the areas of cybersecurity, personal data protection, 5G, and promoting innovations and e-commerce.

The meeting also aspires to expand cooperation with ASEAN dialogue partners including Japan, China, the European Union, the United States, the Republic of Korea and India in enhancing information and communication technology (ICT) policies, developing human resources, discovering and exploring new technologies, and enhancing the ability to deal with risks in cyberspace.

It is also a forum for the exchange of views and policies related to the use of the spectrum for telecommunication purposes as well as matters related to the telecommunications industry in the Southeast Asian region.

Recognising the importance of trust in electronic transactions as the main basis to encourage the community to adopt digital transformation, the Malaysian ministry said the ASEAN Digital Data Governance Framework initiative has been developed to formulate administrative procedures and data transfer methods between ASEAN countries.

The meeting will also focus on developing 5G networks in ASEAN countries through the Policy Recommendations for 5G Ecosystem Development project, it added./.

Mekong Delta district to grow only high-quality rice, targets exports

Authorities in Tiền Giang Province’s Gò Công Tây District are encouraging farmers to grow only high-quality rice varieties and want to export all of it.

Ngô Văn Dũng, head of the district’s Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the varieties include VD 20, ST 24 and OM 5451, and are mostly fragrant varieties that fetch high prices since they are much in demand.

The district, a major agricultural producer in Tiền Giang, has 8,800ha of land on which farmers grow two to three rice crops a year.

It has developed 4,500ha for VD 20 in Thanh Nhựt, Long Vĩnh, Đồng Thạnh, Vĩnh Hựu, and Bình Phú communes. Gò Công Tây District is the province’s largest producer of the variety, which is fragrant and soft when cooked. 

It has called on companies within the province and elsewhere to sign agreements with farmers and rice co-operatives to grow VD 20 on large-scale rice fields.

Under the model, farmers pool their lands and grow the same rice variety, use the same farming techniques and have the same crop schedule to increase production efficiency through economies of scale.

The HK Trade Company Ltd. in the province’s Mỹ Tho City has signed  contracts with farmers in Đồng Thạnh Commune to grow 100ha of organic VD 20 for export to the EU.

It supplies farming inputs and teaches farmers modern techniques to grow the grain and buys their entire output at VNĐ200 a kilogramme higher than the market price.

Cao Hồng Tiết, who has a contract with it, said he and other farmers are instructed to use techniques like the “one must and five reductions” and the “three reductions and three increases.”

The latter refers to reducing the use of seedlings, fertilisers and plant-protection chemicals to achieve increases in productivity, quality and efficiency.

Farmers with a contract use machines for the entire cultivation processes.

Châu Minh Hải, director of HK, said the company plans to expand contracts to 200ha next year to export to the EU.

Mai Đức Tấn, director of the Gò Công Tây Agriculture Services Centre, said the district has instructed farmers to use advanced farming techniques and organic standards to grow rice.

It has instructed them to grow flowers around rice fields to attract natural predators of brown plant hoppers, the main rice pest, he said.

The district has 3,000 – 3,500ha of rice grown with contracts with companies every year.

In the ongoing 2020 – 21 winter-spring crop its farmers are planting 8,800ha of rice, including 1,000ha under contracts.

Court increases sentence for former business executive for cheating bank

Defendants yesterday at the appeals court trial on a case involving losses incurred by Southern Bank (now Saccombank).

 

The HCM City appeal court increased the prison sentence given to Dương Thanh Cường, former general director of Bình Phát Company and chairman of the Thành Phát Company, for “fraud and appropriation of property” from 16 to 18 years at a trial yesterday (Dec 14).

A life imprisonment sentence awarded by the trial court earlier for “fraud and appropriation of property” and "misuse of credit to appropriate property" takes his total term to life imprisonment.

He was also ordered to pay compensation of VNĐ185 billion (US$8 million) to Southern Bank, which has been acquired by Sacombank.

The court confirmed a three-year jail term for Trầm Bê, former vice chairman of Southern Bank and Sacombank, for “violating lending regulations of credit institutions” while at Phương Nam (Southern) Bank.

A four-year sentence awarded by the trial court earlier for abusing his position to violate banking regulations to help Phạm Công Danh borrow VNĐ.8 trillion ($77 million) from Sacombank takes his total term to seven years.

The court rejected the appeals to reduce the sentences awarded to other defendants ranging from one year (not in prison) to two and a half years in prison for the same charges. 

It also refused a demand by the prosecution to force the nine remaining defendants, all executives of Southern Bank to pay VNĐ320 billion ($13.86 million) in compensation to the bank.

According to the court, Bê and the others found guilty were aware that Cường’s company was not eligible for a loan, but he still approved it.

In July the HCM City People’s Court had sentenced Cường to 16 years for “fraud and appropriation of property.”

Phan Huy Khang had got two and a half years for “violating the lending regulations of credit institutions.” 

In August the People’s Procuracy appealed to the court to increase the sentences given to defendants Bê, Khang and their other accomplices.

HCM City communes reduce flooding by paving roads, installing sewers

Hundreds of roads and alleys that faced frequent flooding in the suburban areas of HCM City have been paved and trees have been planted along the roadsides.

Sewers have also been installed. Residents living in suburban areas such as Bình Thạnh, Bình Chánh, and Gò Vấp districts are pleased with the results.

Two months ago, a road in Hamlet 3 in Đa Phước Commune in Bình Chánh District was paved. 

Nguyễn Thị Cúc, a resident in the area, told Người Lao Động (Labour) newspaper that she was happy that people in the area no longer have to deal with flooding.

"For decades, people here have suffered rain, flood, and dirt because the road was not paved. Now that the road has been covered with concrete and sewers have been installed, we have planted flowers and trees along the road to breathe new life into it," Cúc said.

After the road was paved, people in the village started to have more activities together every morning, going along the street to exercise, walk or ride a bicycle.

In Vĩnh Lộc A Commune in Bình Chánh District, dozens of new roads have been created due to new unofficially planned residential areas. Most of those roads do not have drains and sewers, so the area easily flooded during rains.

Since 2019, the People's Committee of Vĩnh Lộc A Commune has paved roads and installed more drainage systems.

Trần Vũ Hữu Duy, chairman of Vĩnh Lộc A Commune People's Committee, said that most of the projects were included in the Rural Quality Improvement Project in the commune for the 2016-2020 period.

According to the People's Committee, six more roads will be paved and sewers installed by the year end.

Vĩnh Lộc A has rapidly urbanised on an area of ​​2,000 hectares with more than 130,000 people. Traffic there now is mainly on rural roads that face heavy floods during rains. 

US announces assistance to advance clean energy deployment in Vietnam

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Vietnam Urban Energy Security project and Vietnam Electricity (EVN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on December 14 to formalize a partnership that will support EVN’s efforts to expand Rooftop Solar (RTS) energy generation in Vietnam.

Energy demand in Vietnam is increasing by 10% annually, making it critical for the country to use modern, clean energy technologies to sustain its impressive economic growth, protect human health and the environment, and provide electricity services to over 20 million households.

Recognizing the importance of green growth, EVN has set high targets for increased RTS capacity by 2025 and is putting in place tools to help consumers understand how to adopt cleaner energy. However, increased RTS adoption poses new challenges to EVN’s revenue generation and introduces potential negative impacts to the grid, such as reduced voltage quality or power losses.

To address these challenges and ultimately increase RTS capacity, EVN will conduct utility financial impact analyses of various rooftop solar deployment scenarios in Da Nang city, which will be supported by USAID via this MOU.  As a result, policymakers and utility operators will be informed about short-term impacts in the early phases of their rooftop solar programs. Through this MOU, USAID will also help EVN evaluate rooftop solar systems in its electricity distribution network and build EVN’s capacity to mitigate adverse impacts to the grid. In addition, EVN will receive support designing and implementing innovative communication campaigns to promote solar rooftop system investment and installation.

“USAID is helping Vietnam transition to a more resilient energy sector, powered by renewable energy. We are excited to work with EVN and hope our extensive experience promoting clean energy in the region, access to technical expertise, and global convening power will help Vietnam realize its goals in renewable energy,” said Mission Director Yastishock.

Over the past five years, USAID has committed over US$40 million to support the energy sector in Vietnam and plans to commit an additional US$36 million over the next five years. USAID has been working closely with the Government of Vietnam and the power utility to adopt international best practices in the design and implementation of utility performance to ensure access to secure, sustainable, and reliable energy.

Old vehicles threaten tourist safety in Lang Biang

Old cars used at Lang Biang site.

 

The Lam Dong Department of Transport has raised warnings about the use of outdated vehicles to transport tourists at Lang Biang Tourist Site.

At Lang Biang Tourism Site, old vehicles are used to carry tourists from the mountain foot to Radar viewpoint, one of the peaks of Lang Biang Mountain for sightseeing. From there, the tourists can see Da Lat City and a part of Lac Duong District. This five-kilometre road includes mountain passes and sharp bends.

One car previously ran out of petrol mid-way and the brakes failed, causing panic among the tourists. Luckily, no one was hurt.

On December 13, the Department of Transport announced that they had submitted reports to Lam Dong People's Committee. 54 out of 65 UAZ vans are too outdated to be used to transport tourists. The department has warned the managers many times about this issue but Lam Dong Tourist JSC and the managers of Lang Biang Tourist Site failed to comply, using various excuses to not upgrade to safer vehicles.

Since the cars are too old and have been in use for a long time, the department then asked Lam Dong People's Committee to suspend the tourist transportation at Lang Biang Tourist Site and asked Lam Dong Tourist JSC to follow procedures to apply for passenger car badges for their fleet following new regulations.

Many experts have expressed their approval of the decision by the Department of Transport. Safety is even more important as Lang Biang has many mountain passes and rough terrain.

Vietnam sends more than 54,000 guest workers in Jan-Nov period

Vietnam sent 54,307 guest workers abroad in the first 11 months this year, a year-on-year decrease of 59.1%, official data showed.

The figure includes 20,170 female workers, said the Department of Overseas Labor Management under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

The ministry had to cut the preset goal of sending 130,000 guest workers abroad to 70,000 this year due to negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic but the adjusted goal remains unfeasible.

In the reviewed period, 27,325 Vietnamese went to work in Japan, making the Northeast Asian nation the top destination for Vietnamese workers.

Chinese Taipei came second with 23,403 workers, followed by the Republic of Korea with 1,077 workers.

The other important markets were Romania, China, Singapore, Uzbekistan, and Algeria.

In November alone, more than 7,000 Vietnamese were sent abroad, including 2,397 women, accounting for 47.43% against the same period last year.

American war bomb found at Thanh Hoa construction site

The bomb found in Ha Trung District, Thanh Hoa.

 

A 250-kg bomb dated back to the American War has been detected at a construction site in the northern central province of Thanh Hoa.

While working on the foundation to build a temple in Ha Trung District’s Ha Tan Commune, local people saw the bomb which is around 1.6 metres long.  

The weapon has been defined to date back to the American war.

On Monday, local authorities took the bomb to Hang Ruong Mountain area in Ha Trung District for the successful detonation.

This has been the 14th bomb denoted in Thanh Hoa so far this year.

Platform on intangible cultural heritage information to debut

‘ichLinks’, a digital platform covering information on intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in the Asia-Pacific region, will make its debut in March 2021.

The ‘ichLinks’ project is being implemented by the International Information and Networking Centre for ICH in the Asia-Pacific region under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHCAP). The Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Art Studies is among the coordinating agencies in the implementation process.

‘ichLinks’ is a one-stop online platform where a wide range of ICH information and content shared by and with Asia-Pacific member states can be found. The platform name, ‘ichLinks,’ is a combination of the words ‘ich’ (intangible cultural heritage) and ‘links.’

Through the platform, researchers, practitioners, policymakers and other relevant people can easily search for and locate ICH-related information and content with the help of advanced digital technology. Besides this, they can also use that information and content to promote their cultural heritages and create opportunities to exploit ICHs for socio-economic development in many areas, such as tourism and cultural and creative industries.

After being activated, this online platform will also help organise the live cultural, tourism and creative events based on the ICH content provided through this platform in a broader fashion.

Rach Mieu ferry service expected to be ready for public use before Tet holiday

The Ben Tre Province Department of Transport is speeding up work on the Rach Mieu ferry terminal project, which will connect the two Mekong Delta provinces of Ben Tre and Tien Giang, so that local residents can use the ferry service before January 27 next year, or two weeks before Tet, said a local official.

Cao Minh Duc, director of the Ben Tre Province Department of Transport, said that the roads leading to the ferry terminal are now nearing completion. The government of Chau Thanh District in Ben Tre is in charge of the construction.

Once the project is completed, three ferries will be operated continuously during days before and after the Lunar New Year, or Tet, to carry passengers across the Tien River.

The development of this temporary ferry terminal, which costs some VND100 billion in investment, is aimed at coping with frequent traffic congestion facing the Rach Mieu Bridge, which spans the Tien River and connects the two provinces. The ferry terminal is located some 10 kilometers away from the bridge.

In 2009, the Rach Mieu Bridge was opened to traffic, replacing the operation of the old Rach Mieu ferry terminal. However, several years later, the number of vehicles travelling on the bridge surged sharply, often leaving the bridge severely overloaded, especially during holidays.

According to a BOT Rach Mieu Bridge Company representative, the bridge was designed to serve a daily volume of 3,000-6,000 vehicles, but the current number of vehicles using the bridge has soared to 18,000.

Given this situation, the two provinces came up with a plan to build a second bridge crossing the Tien River to ease the traffic congestion. The plan was quickly approved by the Government but it still remains on paper.

Therefore, the authority of Ben Tre decided to seek approval to build the temporary Rach Mieu ferry terminal to cope with the traffic congestion facing the current Rach Mieu Bridge while waiting for the Rach Mieu 2 Bridge project to be implemented.

Party official discusses promoting ties with political parties in Uruguay

Officials of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and many political parties in Uruguay engaged in an online talk on December 15, discussing ways to promote ties between the sides.

On the Vietnamese side, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Affairs Nguyen Huy Tang highlighted the CPV’s wish to continue strengthening the friendly and cooperative relationship with political parties in Uruguay.

He took the occasion to thank the progressive forces and people of Uruguay for their solidarity and support for Vietnam during the latter’s struggle for national liberation and unification in the past and national construction at present.

Tang underlined the need to maintain the exchange of information and contact among political parties worldwide in the context of complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He affirmed that Vietnam is willing to share its experience in fighting the pandemic while maintaining economic growth, and informed the Uruguayan parties on the situation in the country and the CPV’s preparations for its 13th National Congress.

Leaders of political parties in Uruguay, including President of the Broad Front (FA) Javier Miranda and Secretary General of the Communist Party of UruguayJuan Castillo, offered sympathy to Vietnam over losses caused by recent natural disasters.

They congratulated the Southeast Asian country for its achievements in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic while restoring production and developing the economy, noting that Vietnam is among a few countries recording growth amid the global downturn.

They expressed their belief that the CPV will ride over all difficulties, successfully organize the 13th National congress and continue to reap success in the Doi Moi (renewal) cause towards realizing the goal of “rich people, strong country, democracy, equity and civilization.”

The Uruguayan side shared information on the political, social, economic and pandemic situation in Uruguay, and affirmed that they wanted to enhance the friendship, solidarity and partnership with the CPV, laying the necessary political foundation to promote multi-faceted cooperation and exchange between Uruguay and Vietnam.

Hungary, Can Tho city seek cooperation in high-tech agriculture, education

Leaders from the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and the Hungarian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Szojka Éva Szilvia, have expressed their hope for stronger cooperation in high-tech agriculture, healthcare, and education.

At a reception for the Hungarian delegation on December 15, Nguyen Thuc Hien, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said Can Tho has created optimal conditions for foreign enterprises to study the market and do business, particularly in infrastructure construction, waste treatment, education, and high-tech agriculture.

It has carried out multiple activities aimed at tightening its friendship with Hungary in culture and trade, he added, highlighting the Can Tho Oncology Hospital, costing 1.72 trillion VND (over 70 million EUR) and including official development assistance (ODA) from Hungary of more than 1.39 trillion VND.

Hien also called on the Consul General to act as a bridge to boost bilateral cooperation in education and high-tech agriculture.

Szilvia said the Vietnam-Hungary relationship was advanced to a comprehensive partnership in 2008, creating momentum for the two countries to sign other important cooperative agreements in the future.

High-tech and smart urban area building are strengths of Hungary, and its Government stands ready to help Can Tho in human resources training and seeking partners when there are specific programmes and projects, she said.

In education cooperation, the diplomat said the Hungarian Consulate General would send officials to schools in Can Tho early in the new year, if the locality is interested, to introduce the Hungarian Government’s scholarships to Vietnamese students.

Source: VNA/VNN/VNS/SGGP/VOV/NDO/Dtinews/SGT/VIR