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Social
News Headlines 23/6
Advance
compensation paid for affected firms in Dong Nai
Insurance companies
on June 22 made advance payment of compensation worth VND39.65 billion in
total to 35 enterprises affected by the recent incident in the southern
Of the total,
VND38.5 billion was handed over to 30 Taiwanese firms, while VND700 million
was given to two Chinese companies and the rest VND400 million to three
Vietnamese enterprises.
The firms were
affected by the incident caused by some individuals who took advantage of the
protests by workers in some local industrial zones against
According to the
provincial Industrial Zones Authority, almost all the firms have resumed
their normal operations.
Speaking at the
handover ceremony, Deputy Finance Minister Tran Xuan Ha said the Vietnamese Government
is always determined to ensure a safe and favourable investment environment
for enterprises, especially foreign-invested ones.
Many prompt support
activities have been carried out with joint efforts of many ministries,
including tax and customs agencies, he said.
He stated that the
advance payment of insurance compensation is another evidence proving the
determination of insurance firms in realising their commitments and
responsibilities towards their customers, helping the affected firms stabilise
their production.
Pham Xuan Nam,
manager of Johnson Wood company – a Taiwan-invested enterprise based in Tam
Phuoc Industrial Park, Bien Hoa city – said he is delighted to receive the
advance compensation, which will be helpful to recover the operation of his
company.
Ninety kilos of
ivory worth more than VND4 billion (US$187,840) was detected yesterday by
custom officials at
They were 39 ivory
pieces and 100 pieces of craft made from ivory.
According to custom
officials, it was imported from
Coast Guard
arrests thieves in Vung Tau
The Coast Guard
said it caught 11 people red-handed stealing scrap steel from a Malaysian
barge in the southern city of Vung Tau on Saturday.
The theft was
discovered at 5.30am when a patrol by a combined team including drug
enforcement officers at G4 Port in Front Beach found two boats moored beside
the Malaysian barge.
The officers caught
four of the men loading scrap from the barge into the two boats.
Around 150kg of
steel was found in their boats.
The officers took
the men and the stolen goods to the Coast Guard base for questioning.
Smugglers
caught with endangered pangolin
Custom Control
officials in Quang Ninh, yesterday, detected 220kg of pangolin illegally
being transported in a car entering the area of Bai Chay, Ha Long.
According to Nguyen
Van Hoan, head of Custom Control Team No. 2, the car was being driven by Bui
Van Nghiep and Le Thanh Nghi, both residents of Mong Cai, Quang Ninh.
Four
students drown while oyster fishing
Four middle-school
students drowned on Saturday in the
Some witnesses said
the students climbed onto the drainage pipe and fell into the river.
Apparently, none of them knew how to swim. Rescuers only managed to recover
their bodies a day later.
A ceremony was held
at
The remains were
recovered during the 115th Joint Field Activities from May to June, 2014.
Vietnamese and US
forensic specialists concluded that the remains might be associated with the
Addressing at the
Repatriation Ceremony, a representative of the US Government expressed deep
gratitude and high appreciation for the steadfast humanitarian policy,
good-will and the increasingly efficient cooperation of the Vietnamese
Government and people.
The seeking of the
remains of US servicemen missing during the war in
This is the 131st
hand-over of American missing servicemen’s remains since 1973.
500kV
transmission line to put into operation in south
The Vietnam
National Power Transmission Corporation (EVN NPT) on June 21 put the 500kV
Phu Lam-O Mon transmission line (Phu Lam-Long An section) into operation for
trial purpose, according to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). The project,
with an investment of 384.2 billion VND (about 18 million USD), is project
invested by the EVN NPT- an arm of the EVN.
The 34.3km line is
expected to facilitate transmission from electricity plants in the
southwestern region to the national grid.
Along with the Nha
Be- O Mon 500kV transmission line, the project will contribute to enhancing
commercial operation capacity of the electricity systems in the southeastern
and southwestern areas, ensuring supply to the southern localities.-
Authorities
take tough stance on drink-driving
The National
Traffic Safety Committee has called on relevant authorities to prevent road
accidents amid the increasing use of alcohol and drug use by drivers, which
is thought to be the main cause of most serious accidents.
In the first six
months of this year road safety has improved in terms of major accidents
involving heavy trucks, containers, and buses, but there is a long way to go
yet.
According to a
report from the committee, around 11,000 accidents have occurred this year,
killing nearly 4,000 in the first five months and injuring over 10,500
others, representing a year-on-year reduction of 1,600 in the number of
accidents and 210 and 2,000 in the number of fatalities and injuries.
But more
significantly, in the first two months - coinciding with Tet, the most
stressful time for traffic when millions return home – safety and congestion
in
"Ha Noi has
adjusted 50 traffic lights and is implementing a project to connect all
traffic lights to make a grid to reduce congestion," Nguyen Quoc Hung,
deputy chairman of the city People's Committee, was quoted as saying in Thoi
bao Kinh te Viet Nam (Viet Nam Economic Times) newspaper.
Most accidents in
Ha Noi occur at the intersection of national roads with commune and district
roads. To improve the situation, over 200 speed bumps and 300 boards were put
up and this reduced accidents by 13 per cent.
The reduction in
the incidence of accidents this year may not be sustainable because of the
increasing use of alcohol and dugs, the committee warned.
Nguyen Van Huyen,
head of the Viet Nam Road Administration, said: "In rural areas the
occurrence of accidents due to alcohol is rife; in urban areas, the number of
people wearing low-quality helmet is increasing."
Poor traffic
infrastructure also hinders efforts to reduce congestion and accidents, he
said.
Alcohol and drug
use was found to be behind many serious accidents, he added.
According to
statistics from traffic police, alcohol figured in around 6 per cent of
traffic accidents, but an international seminar placed it at over 40 per
cent, and even higher during festivals.
The most serious
problem is the increase in the number of drivers using drugs and causing
mayhem.
Earlier this year,
during a crackdown, the northern city of
Around 11,000
drivers in 16 provinces were tested —when not driving — and 99 of them were
found to use drugs.
"We can find
out if a driver has drunk alcohol, but not if they are high on drug," a
Ha Noi police officer said.
It is the
responsibility of transport operators to ensure their drivers do not use
drugs, he said.
"Annual health
tests are needed for drivers and are very important in reducing traffic
accidents."
Deputy PM
orders stricter management of food safety
Deputy Prime
Minister Vu Duc Dam has called for tighter management of drinking water in
residential areas, an area that has not been touched on regularly in food
safety management.
Chairing an
inter-ministerial meeting to review food administration in the first six
months of this year, Dam said that relevant agencies were coordinating quite
well in inspecting and cracking down on food safety violations.
According to the
National Inter-sector Steering Committee on Food Safety, at least 24 deaths
from food poisoning were recorded nationwide in the first six months.
In the first four
months of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had
inspected more than 1.4 million tonnes of imported foodstuff of plant origin,
35,700 tonnes of imported foodstuff of animal origin and 85,000
aqua-products.
At the meeting,
Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that many localities were still
not focusing on implementing pilot models on food safety management and
street food. They were also lax on punishing food safety violators and
raising awareness on the issue at the community level.
Dam asked the
Health Ministry to draft supplementary regulations on regular sampling of
drinking water in residential areas for lab tests and public announcement of
results. He requested the media to promote communications on food safety to
raise public awareness on the issue.
So far, food safety
management had yielded notable results as the public is being more proactive
in protecting themselves from toxic food, Dam said.
"More must be
done to ensure that food safety is always on top of the agenda and
well-coordinated among health, agriculture and trade ministries," he
said.
With Ha Noi
considering setting up of a mobile car for random food safety checks, Dam
said that other localities could well learn this model, in addition to
studying ways for quick food checks at markets and supermarkets.
Journalists
receive national honours
A ceremony was held
in Ha Noi on Saturday to honour 115 outstanding works by journalists across
the nation, which won the National Press Awards for 2013.
The works covered
various topics including politics, economics, national sovereignty over seas
and islands, as well as other hot and major socio-economic issues.
Many winning pieces
of journalism, 11 in particular, focused on topics of the national boundary
and territorial sovereignty.
Addressing the
ceremony, which marked the 89th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press
Day, Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Education and
Communications, Dinh The Huynh hailed the role of the press in the national
struggle for liberation in the past as well as the current national
construction and defence.
He said in the
current world and domestic context, the press plays an increasingly
significant role in the implementation of national reforms under the
leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, protection of the sacred and
inviolable national sovereignty and maintaining of a peaceful and stable
environment for the country's development.
Huynh also asked
journalists to continue fighting against corruption, wastefulness and other
social evils with a constructive and responsible spirit, while rejecting the
enemy's wrongful arguments and information.
Organised by the
Viet Nam Journalists' Association (VJA), the annual National Press Awards
this year attracted 1,665 entries, the largest number so far.
Major State-run
media outlets such as the Viet Nam News Agency (VNA), Viet Nam Television
(VTV) and radio and The Voice of Viet Nam (VOV) have reaffirmed their
position at the forefront of journalism.
The VNA won four
prizes, including a second prize in the online newspaper category.
Family Day
focuses on value of shared meal
This year's
Vietnamese Family Day (June 28) will take the theme "Family Meal with
Love and Compassion", Huynh Vinh Ai, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports
and Tourism, said at a press conference on June 20.
He said the
ministry is encouraging all households in the country to organise a family
meal on the afternoon of June 28.
Twenty families
representing the coast guard and fisheries surveillance forces will be
invited to attend various cultural activities for the Family Day celebration
in
The Vietnam Culture
and Arts Exhibition Centre will host several events from June 26-28,
including a photo exhibition titled "Four Seasons of Love"
featuring 100 moments of reunion from different parts of the country.
Nearly 150 families
from various ethnic groups in
A workshop on
community healthcare models, another on enhancing men's role in family life,
quiz shows for family members and children, as well as a doubles table tennis
tournament (to encourage team work between family members) will also be held.
On the afternoon of
June 28, participating families will sign on a huge map made of dozens of
family photos, aiming to set a national record.
The Vietnam
National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Dong Mo, 40km to the west
of Hanoi, will host a series of events under the themes of "Great Family
of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups" and the "Fatherland's Sacred
Sovereignty" on June 28 and 29.
"The events
will attract more than 200 people from 32 ethnic groups from eight cities and
provinces as well as around 500 representatives from Vietnam People's Army
and 300 Youth Union members from the Ministry of Culture," said Lam Van
Khang, deputy head of the village's management board.
Three traditional
worship ceremonies will be held at the village, including the Po Riyak Sea
God Worshipping Ceremony of Cham ethnic group in NinhThuan province.
The "Le Khao
Le The Linh Hoang Sa" (Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa
Soldiers), will be organised by fishermen from Ly Son Island, Quang Ngai
province, in tribute to the men enlisting for the flotilla patrolling the
Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos to tap natural
resources and defend the nation's sovereignty.
An exhibition
displaying different materials including paintings and photographs of
The Family Day has
been organised every year since 2001.
Bac Ninh
takes measures to punish polluting firms
The
Polluting
enterprises will not only be subject to administrative punishments, but can
also have their business licences revoked.
These are among
several measures that provincial authorities mention in a recent regulation
that they have passed in an attempt to improve environmental protection in
the province, said Nguyen Tu Quynh, Vice Chairman of the Bac Ninh People's
Committee.
The new regulation
requires owners of businesses, production and investment projects to make
environmental protection plans at the same time as they conduct feasibility
studies and submit them to authorised agencies.
It also requires
firms to apply advanced technology in production and business activities,
classify different kinds of waste and take steps to store and treat them
according to prescribed standards.
Quynh said that
industrial zones in particular are required to build waste treatment
facilities before discharging waste and allocate specific areas for the
storage and transport of solid and harmful waste. The province is set to have
24 industrial zones covering 739ha by 2020.
It will focus on
completely ending environmental pollution at six high-risk guild villages
that specialise in waste paper recycling, rice vermicelli production,
aluminum and steel recycling and bronze casting.
Guild villages not
certified to have standard waste treatment methods will be required to move
to industrial zones or have their operations suspended.
At present, the
province has 62 guild villages, most of which are suffering from serious air,
water and land pollution.
The province
targets having all these villages meet environmental protection requirements
by 2030.
Binh Dinh
hit by prolonged drought
As many as 27
hectares of white-legged shrimp have succumbed to disease, while half of the
total farm area in the central province of Binh Dinh are low on fish due to
prolonged drought over the past six months.
The statement was
made by the Head of the Aquaculture sub-department under the provincial
department of agriculture and rural development, Vo Dinh Tam.
The prolonged
period of scorching temperatures has wreaked havoc on the province's
aquacultural sector.
At a farm in Dinh
Binh reservoir, around 50 tonnes of red tilapia fish had been lost to the
heat.
At a fresh water
fish farm run by the My Chau aquaculture experimental centre, around 15
tonnes of fish raised over a ten year period were at risk due to a lack of
fresh water from reservoirs in Dong Deo, Hoc Hom and Hoc Lach. The school of
fish is reportedly worth VND1.9 billion (US$90,000).
The dearth of fresh
water has also wilted white-legged shrimp production in the province,
reducing farming area from 2,243ha to 1,891ha.
Deputy Director of
the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Ho Ngoc Hung
said the delayed shrimp production would lead to long lasting damage and put
aquatic farms at risk of suffering from salinity.
"We have
dredged channels, lakes, ponds and reservoirs to limit the loss of
production. The department is trying to supply water for aquaculture farms as
a top priority," Hung said.
"The province
is also subsidising fuel costs incurred by local farmers pumping at their
farms.
Water from Dinh
Binh reservoir, which boasts a capacity of 226 million cubic metres, has been
scheduled to help supply water to aquatic farms first," he said.
The My Chau
aquaculture experimental centre also planned to move its fish farm to Thiet
Dinh dam as an emergency measure.
More than 21,000
islanders in Ly Son district, 30km off the coast of
The extreme drought
has endangered crops and salinised wells, threatening the lives and
livelihoods of local residents.
As many as 73 per
cent of the population derive their living from growing garlic and spring
onion, and fishing, but farmers have been forced to switch their traditional
crops to water melon.
"Garlic and
spring onion farms need daily watering, while melon gardens can go two or
three days without water. It's the best solution to avoid a complete loss of
farm production," said vice chairwoman of the district's people's
committee, Pham Thi Huong.
"An Hai
commune still has enough water for farming with a reservoir of 270,000 cubic
metres, but An Vinh commune is facing the worst drought," she said.
Head of the
district's rural infrastructure office, Nguyen Van Le, said there was only
enough water to supply 20ha of the total 456ha farm.
The vice chairwoman
said 50 per cent of the crops were estimated to be lost. "We always have
our preparations for the annual dry season, but the worst drought has hit the
island and pushed the onion crops to a terrible harvest this year,"
Huong said.
"Half of total
200 wells for farming have been salinized, which has raised alarm bells for
the onion crops. Even a 20,000 cubic metre reservoir has declined to its
minimum level," she added.
She said local
people would be able to salvage water for daily use, but that the remaining
wells would not be able to be used to water crops.
"We have asked
for a fund of VND300 million from the province's budget to improve irrigation
and dredge water wells," the vice chairwoman said.
A further 310ha of
maize, groundnuts and water melon crops have also suffered from a lack of
water. Many farmers have been unable to sow seeds because of a shortage of
water.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
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Thứ Hai, 23 tháng 6, 2014
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