China’s arrest of six Vietnamese fishermen under fire

The Vietnam Fisheries Society (VFS) has released a statement, strongly protesting against China’s recent apprehension of six Vietnamese fishermen and their boat.

VFS vice president Vo Van Trac said Chinese authorities on July 3 detained the Vietnamese fishermen and seized their boat fishing in their traditional fishing grounds in the Bac Bo (Tonkin) Gulf.  

In its statement, VFS described China’s move as wrongful and unruly and asked the country to immediately stop similar acts of aggression, intimidation, property robbery, and arrest of Vietnamese fishermen illegally.

The society also asked China to release the fishermen and compensate them for property damages.

Since China towed its giant drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 to Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in early May, it has continuously intimidated and collided with Vietnamese fishing boats.

On May 5 Chinese ship 37101 rammed Vietnamese boat QNg 90567 TS, damaging its stern. On May 26 a Chinese ship sank Vietnamese boat Dna 90152, leaving 10 fishermen on board in distress.  

OVs in Austria rally against China’s illegal acts

Hundreds of Overseas Vietnamese (OVs) in Austria on July 6 staged a protest against China’s illegal deployment of the Haiyang Shiyou-981 rig deep inside Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf.

They peacefully marched through major streets, hoisting national flags and placards displaying slogans in multiple languages, demanding China respect international law, withdraw its oil rig out of Vietnam’s waters and end its transgression into Vietnam’s territorial waters.

They prominently displayed two enormous maps documenting China’s illegal trespass in the East Sea. They also distributed over 500 maps of Vietnam, asserting Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) islands.

During the march, they solicited signatures to send to the Chinese Embassy in Vienna, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the ASEAN Committee in Vienna in opposition to China’s illegal acts.

The march attracted great attention of local people, international friends and the press in Vienna.

This is the second march that the OVs community in Austria has held in repudiation of China’s actions. It demonstrates the OVs’ sense of responsibility and sentiment for their compatriots at home and the wave of indignation at China’s illegal acts encompassing the world.

Transnational drug trafficking ring busted

Earlier this year, law enforcement officials in Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province nabbed five suspects involved in smuggling drugs across the Laos-Vietnam border.

Further investigation of the case has now revealed that the drug ring has been responsible for transporting thousands of tablets of methamphetamine across the Laos border into Vietnam on numerous occasions.

In the latest arrest in connection with the case, Le Hoai Sang was apprehended on July 2, in possession of 14 tablets of methamphetamine and drug related paraphernalia.

The five original suspects have been taken into custody included Le Hoai Tuan, Le Dinh Hien, Ho Dac Loc, Nguyen Van Thien and Le Hoai Sang.

Bus and truck in head-on collision, 20 tourists hospitalised

At least 20 tourists aboard a passenger bus have been hospitalised after a head-on collision between the bus and a truck on National Highway 1A in Nghe An province on July 6.

The bus which was carrying a group of 39 tourists from Hanoi was said to crash into a truck in opposite direction in Nghi Yen commune, Nghi Loc district, at around 06.00am.

All the passengers are old age pensioners from Phu Dong commune, Gia Lam district on the outskirts of Hanoi, who were on a summer holiday in Nghe An province.

The powerful crash seriously damaged the front parts of both the bus and the truck.

The bus driver trapped in the cabin and 20 other passengers were admitted to 115 general hospital of Ngha An province for emergency treatment.

Most victims suffered injuries in legs, arms and faces. Five seriously injured, including the bus driver, were brought to a centrally-run hospital.

Flagpole of sovereignty built on island off Binh Dinh province

Construction of a flagpole that affirms the nation’s sacred sovereignty over seas and islands began on Nhon Chau island in central Binh Dinh province on July 8.

The 22.66m flagpole is being built through cooperation between the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, the Vietnamese Students’ Association and the Binh Dinh authorities.

Earlier, similar works were launched at Tho Chu and Ly Son islands in southern Kien Giang and central Quang Ngai provinces, respectively.

The flagpole is expected to be complete on the occasion of the National Day (September 2).

Nhon Chau island, also known as Cu Lao Xanh, is about 12 nautical miles from Quy Nhon city, with a population of over 2,100.

Hanoi leader visits soldiers injured in helicopter crash

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao on July 8 visited soldiers injured in a military helicopter crash a day earlier, who are under treatment at the Le Huu Trac National Institute of Burns.

On July 7, the Russian-made MI-171 helicopter with 21 people on board on a parachute training mission lost contact and came down in Hoa Lac village, Binh Yen commune, Hanoi’s Thach That district at 7:46 am, only 16 minutes after it took off from Hoa Lac Airport.

The accident has so far claimed the lives of 18 people, two of whom died at the institute.

Thao said he hopes the injured will overcome the pain to get well soon. He also expressed his sympathies for the families and units of deceased officers.

He asked relevant agencies to care for the deceased’s families and the institute to provide the best treatment for the injured.

Fisheries society asks China to release Vietnamese fishermen

The Vietnam Fisheries Society (VFS) on July 7 issued a statement asking China to release a Vietnamese fishing boat and six fishermen on board that it seized four days ago.

VFS voiced its protest against the Chinese side’s seizure, which is the first of its kind since China illegally positioned its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou – 981 in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone in early May.

China must stop harassing, obstructing, robbing and illegally arresting Vietnamese fishermen right away, VFS said.

At the same time, it must offer due compensation to the victims, the society added.

At the beginning of May 2014, China illegally dispatched the rig as well as a large fleet of armed vessels, military ships and aircraft to Vietnam’s waters and positioned the rig at 15 degrees 29 minutes 58 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 12 minutes 06 seconds east longitude. The location is 80 miles deep into Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

Despite Vietnam’s protest, China expanded its scale of operation and moved the rig to 15 degrees 33 minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds east longitude, 60 nautical miles deep inside Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

China’s armed vessels have aggressively and consistently fired high-power water cannons at and intentionally rammed against Vietnamese public-service and civil ships, causing damage to many boats and injuring many people on board.

On July 6, China still kept around 110 ships of all kinds, including five military ships around the rig.

Poor farmers in Kien Giang benefit from cow-raising project

Hundreds of farmer households in the southern province of Kien Giang have escaped poverty thanks to a project that provides them with cows and loans for animal husbandry.

Funded by Heifer Vietnam, a US humanitarian organisation, and the provincial budget, the project has given 300 farmer households in Vinh Hoa Hung Nam and Dinh An communes of Go Quao district with 300 heifers, together with ducks or other animals suitable with each household’s needs and skills. Each household was also given 3 million VND (around 140 USD) for building animal barns and short-term production or petty trade.

Mr. Trinh Dieu in Village 6, Vinh Hoa Hung Nam commune, said his family received a heifer in April 2012. The cow already produced a healthy calf. His family also raised 100 ducks with the money from the project, and now egg selling is another source of income for them, which can be as much as 3 million VND a month.

According to the director of the provincial Agriculture-Aquaculture Promotion Centre, Dang Khanh Hong, around 175 heifers raised by the project’s beneficiaries have produced calves and 24 female calves have been transferred to other poor families, thus helping spread out the effect of the project.

The project began in Kien Giang in November 2011 with a total budget of 6.9 billion VND to which the province contributed 3.45 billion VND.

Regional experience in flood prevention, risk management shared

Advanced technologies and effective measures in flood risk and vulnerability management were shared at a regional seminar in Hanoi on July 7-8.

At the event held by the Ministry of Public Security and France’s Ministry of Interior, participants from ASEAN countries were introduced to France’s experience and good practices in the field.

Experts from French firms like Airbus Helicopters, Systel SA and Gimaex also presented their civil security services to assist rescue work, including helicopters and vehicles for research and rescue, and communications and warning network.

Officials from rescue and fire fighting forces of Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam exchanged the efficient use of flood control services, especially when ASEAN is facing impacts of climate change.

They underscored the significance of well-trained forces with full equipment in search and rescue work.

France, through its Embassy in Hanoi, has taken part in many cooperation programmes with Vietnam and other ASEAN member countries. It has recently appointed a counsellor in charge of civil security in Singapore.

A seminar to present equipment in civil safety and security will also be held in September in Hanoi with the participation of 12 French enterprises specialising in supplying equipment for disaster prevention, search and rescue.

Hanoi observes World Population Day

More drastic, efficient measures should be done to better balance Hanoi’s sex ratio at birth and ensure gender equality, said a Health Ministry official.

General Director of the ministry’s General Office for Population and Family Planning Duong Quoc Trong made the call at a meeting in Hanoi on July 7 in response to World Population Day themed “Investing in young people”.

Adolescents should receive better care, especially their well-being and employment, he said.

Last year, Hanoi recorded a sex ratio at birth of 114.5 boys to 100 girls, down 1.5 boys from 2012.

Over 7.7 percent of the capital’s population gave birth to the third child, down 0.88 percent year-on-year.

In January-June, nearly 51,500 children were born in the capital, down some 1,500 from last year’s same period. Over 3,800 were third-born children, a yearly decrease of 614.

Some areas, however, still see high numbers of third-born children and imbalance in birth gender.

This year’s World Population Day conveys the message that promoting healthy habits, ensuring education and employment opportunities, access to health services, and social security coverage for all workers is the best investment to improve the lives of future generations.

PM approves WHO-funded project for better public health

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved the content of a project funded by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on assisting the Ministry of Health in implementing the National Strategy on Public Health Care.

The project will receive over 18.5 million in non-refundable official development assistance and be carried out in the 2014-2015 fiscal years.

It aims to update and carry out strategies, regulations and standards on disease prevention and treatment as well as health care in general.

The project will also help the ministry update its strategies, plans and tools to enhance medical services, while developing a legal framework for inter-sectoral coordination to cope with epidemics and newly-emerging diseases.

German state gives scholarships to Vietnamese students

More than 200 college and university students throughout the country will receive one-year student grants of US$294 from the German State of Hessen's Ministry of Science and Arts, according to a representative from the Hessen office in Hanoi.

The students will be selected from 50 colleges and universities, who are gifted, in need and from remote and mountainous regions, with a priority on female students.

A ceremony will be held at the Temple of Literature on July 11, attended by Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan, Hessen State Minister of Science and Arts Boris Rhein and German Ambassador to Vietnam Jutta Frasch.

APEC officials meet in Hanoi to prepare for HRD meeting

About 100 officials from the 21 APEC member economies and international organisations gathered in Hanoi on July 7, examining preparations for the 6th Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministerial Meeting to be held in Danang this September.

Representatives from the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) attended the preparatory meeting.

The upcoming ministerial meeting is themed “Strengthening people-to-people connectivity and quality employment through human resources development”, which was approved at the 36th APEC Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) Meeting held in Ningbo, China, in February 2014.

It will focus on enhancing human resource quality to meet supply chain demands, facilitating mobility in the fields  of  labour  and  skills  development,  and  supporting  inclusive  growth  and  sustainable development, addressing the social dimensions of globalisation.

At the preparatory meeting, delegates examined technical reports and draft documents, and recommendations to be submitted to the APEC Senior Officials Meeting for consideration.

Crime and smuggling prevention enhanced

The Police General Department of Crime Prevention (PGDCP) announced it has investigated 22,000 cases, arrested over 45,000 suspects and razed more than 1,400 criminal rings in the first six months of the year.

It has detected more than 7,000 cases of economic crimes and 162 corruption cases, involving 248 people, and uncovered more than 9,000 cases of drug related crimes arresting nearly 4,000 criminals, seizing a large amount of heroin and synthetic drugs.

At a July 7 meeting to review work in the first half of the year, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc appreciated the PGDCP’s achievements helping maintain social order and security and raise public awareness of crime prevention.

He urged the police force to better perform their role in crime prevention and implement measures to ensure that law enforcement officials do not look the other way, when crimes are brought to their attention.

He asked them to work harder to combat organized and hi-tech crimes, as well as cracking down on transnational drug and human trafficking rings.

The Deputy PM also requested that law enforcement forces actively coordinate with other relevant agencies and international organisations to timely detect and deal with tackle crime in the new context.

Taiwanese doctors provide free check-ups in Dong Nai

A group of Taiwanese doctors, with the support from their colleagues in the southern province of Dong Nai, have provided free medical check-ups and medicines for more than 1,000 poor locals.

Chen Zhao Long, Director of Chang Geng Hospital of Taiwan (China), said his hospital sent its best doctors to the healthcare programme from July 6-12, adding that on the occasion, it will organise a symposium to introduce Taiwan’s medical advances to Dong Nai General Hospital.

Director of the Dong Nai hospital Phan Huy Anh Vu said the Taiwanese hospital is one of the world’s leading medical centres in the spheres of liver transplants, joint replacement surgery and treatment for cardiovascular diseases.

To improve expertise for its doctors, the local hospital has signed a cooperation agreement with its Taiwanese partner in the fields of training, technology transfer and management, Vu added.

The Cambodian government and people will continue to work with Vietnam in searching for and repatriating the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and specialists who fell down in Cambodia during the war.

General Pol Saruon, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, made the declaration during the 13th meeting of the special task force committees of the Vietnamese and Cambodian governments on the work in Ho Chi Minh City on July 8.

The two committees spoke highly of efficiency of their cooperation, which has resulted in the repatriation of the remains of more than 16,000 Vietnamese soldiers since 2001.

Speaking at the meeting, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Thanh Cung, expressed his thanks to the Cambodian Government committee and people for their support to the search.

The two sides also agreed to keep 11 teams for the work, with a hope of finding about 500 remains during the 2014-2015 dry season.

During the 2013-2014 dry season, the remains of 590 Vietnamese soldiers have been found.

Vinaphone launches package for fishermen

The Vietnam Telecom Services Company, or Vinaphone, has officially launched a special package dedicated for offshore fishermen, said the company on July 7.

Activating this package, fishermen will enjoy a number of promotions, including 50,000 VND (2.35 USD) in account for the first month and 30,000 VND each for the next 11 months.

Customers can use GPRS services to surf the internet and get free weather forecasts and information about maritime security situation.

Meanwhile, low-cost information packages will provide them with helpful consultations on how to increase fishing efficiency, preserve aquatic resources, while protecting the environment.

To help fishermen use the package effectively, the mobile service provider has installed more than 1,000 transceiving stations along the coast and on islands with the coverage of up to 40 nautical miles.

Vietnamese in Canada support national sea sovereignty

Vietnamese communities in Ottawa and Vancouver, Canada have donated 10,000 CAD to Vietnamese coast guard and fishery surveillance forces and fishermen who are protecting Vietnam’s sovereignty right and jurisdiction in its continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

The donation was made during talks on the latest developments in the East Sea briefed by Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada To Anh Dung in Ottawa and Consul General in Vancouver Tran Quang Dung on July 5.

Since the beginning of May 2014, China has illegally dispatched the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou – 981 as well as a large fleet of armed vessels, military ships and aircraft to Vietnam ’s waters.

China ’s armed vessels aggressively fired high-power water cannons at and intentionally rammed against Vietnamese public-service and civil ships, causing damage to many boats and injuring many people on board.

Chinese ships have continuously encircled, constrained and driven away Vietnamese fishing boats and even injured Vietnamese fishermen, threatening their lives.

On May 26, Chinese ship 11209 sank a Vietnamese fishing vessel while it was operating normally in its traditional fishing ground near Vietnam ’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

On July 3, China detained Vietnamese fishing boat QNg 94912 TS with six fishermen on board while they were normally operating in the traditional fishing ground in Hoang Sa (Paracel) island.

Ambassador To Anh Dung also updated Vietnamese community with Vietnam ’s response to Chinese aggressive acts. Some said that they are supportive of firm and cautious stance by the Vietnamese state and government in the fight.

In Vancouver, Consul General Tran Quang Dung told participants that Vietnam advocates settling the dispute by peaceful and legal means.

Similar events will be held in Montreal and Toronto soon.

Binh Dinh to receive help to overcome drought

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has promised to ask the Prime Minister for an aid package of more than 100 billion VND for the central province of Binh Dinh to overcome the on-going drought.

Minister Cao Duc Phat made the pledge at a working session with Binh Dinh officials on July 5 as part of his trip to inspect efforts fighting drought and the situation of fishermen in the locality.

More than 12,900 ha of rice in Binh Dinh are withering due to the drought, while over 18,700 households are suffering from water shortage for their daily use. Local officials estimate that the number of affected households can rise to 28,890 if there is no rain from now until the end of the month.

The minister also agreed to allocate capital for Binh Dinh to upgrade seven irrigation reservoirs within this year.

Regarding support for fishermen, Minister Phat said his ministry has submitted to the Prime Minister a plan designed specifically for Binh Dinh, under which investment will be provided for the building of 430 new fishing vessels and upgrading 1,550 ships. The Tam Quan Bac fishing port in Hoai Nhon district will also be upgraded to serve local fishermen.

At the same time, the ministry will assign its experts to work together with Binh Dinh to research suitable farming and animal raising models for the province, the minister said.

Hanoi inspects elevators

The Ha Noi People's Committee asked the municipal Department of Construction to report on the safety of elevators in several apartment buildings.

The apartments in question were built to resettle residents after their homes were demolished as part of a road expansion project.

The call for inspection follows the death of a security guard at building NA5 in Cau Giay District's Trung Hoa, Nhan Chinh area on June 30.

While inspecting an elevator that had stopped on the seventh floor, the guard fell down the elevator well.

Under the Housing Law, two per cent of the cost of each flat goes into the maintenance budget. Project owners must transfer the funds to the administration boards, which are responsible for building maintenance. The maintenance budget for the city's 155 resettlement buildings is VND45 billion (US$2.1 million).

Vice chairman of the Ha Noi People's Committee Nguyen Quoc Hung asked the construction department to report on the progress of the establishment of such administration boards, as well as how maintenance budgets were being used.

However, only five apartment buildings have established boards and received a budget for maintenance, although the buildings have had over a decade to do so.

Residents living in apartments without administration boards have been fighting to retrieve their maintenance money from project owners.

"All residents in the building are now calling for an investigation into how their two per cent maintenance contributions were used," said Nguyen Manh Lan, a resident of building NA5.

Ha Noi to tackle pollution, jams

Ha Noi People's Council considered a plan to name or rename some streets in the capital at its tenth session which opened yesterday.

Under the plan, the highway linking Noi Bai airport to Nhat Tan bridge in the districts of Dong Anh and Soc Son will be named after General Vo Nguyen Giap. It will be 12km in length and 70-100m in width.

During the session, which continues until July 11, council members are expected to consider other proposals submitted by the municipal People's Committee, including one on conserving biodiversity.

They will also discuss regulations on prices for new medical services at State-run medical establishments and fines for administrative violations in construction and culture.

Chairwoman of the council, Ngo Thi Doan Thanh, said the capital's economy encountered an array of difficulties in the first half of the year.

Thanh noted that Ha Noi's economic growth had slowed compared to the same period last year, falling behind the set target. Meanwhile, she said there were many problems in urban management, land use, environmental protection and health care.

Permanent Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, Vu Hong Khanh, reported that the city's gross domestic product grew by 7.4 per cent in the first six months, about 1.5 times higher than the national average.

He said in the last months of the year, local authorities would continue with efforts to remove difficulties for production and business - and step up investment in development.

The meeting will hear reports summing up feedback from voters and recommendations and the implementation of decisions made by the council at its previous session.

HCM City meeting focuses on population issues

The HCM City Family Planning and Population Division has said it will continue to co-operate with relevant agencies to provide education, health counselling, and jobs to young people.

At a meeting on raising awareness on population issues held yesterday in HCM City, Tran Van Tri, the division's deputy head, said that the city has carried out many reproductive-health-counselling programmes for young people at schools and neighbourhoods.

Eight clinics have been set up to provide counselling in reproductive health in some districts.

The city is in a "golden" demographic period with 70 per cent of its people being of working age and the city ranking third in the country in the human development index, he said. Its average age is 76 and birth rate is 1.48, lower than the country's rate of 2.1, he added.

Duong Quoc Trong, head of the General Office for Population and Family Planning, urged the division to pay more attention to encouraging families to have two children to preclude an ageing population.

Tri also spelled out the problems facing the city — like its population "overload."

The city had nearly eight million people last year and a population density of 3,698 per kilometre, 13 times higher than the country's.

The meeting was held to mark World Population Day on July 11.

Campaign tackles blood shortage

More than 2,800 units of blood have been donated to a cross-country donation campaign in HCM City, Can Tho City and the provinces of Kien Giang, Vinh Long and Binh Duong.

The campaign will continue to tour 11 cities and provinces until July 28.

Director arrested for role in quarry deaths

Police in the northern province of Phu Tho on Monday arrested and prosecuted Tran Van Voi, director of Tran Phu Commercial and Investment Ltd. Co., for allowing the illegal use of explosives, which led to two workers' deaths.

On June 25, two quarries in Chieng and Giac hamlets in Thu Cuc Commune, Tan Son District sudddenly collapsed due to landslides. Four days later, the bodies of the victims were found by the local rescue team.

Tran Phu Company's license to use explosives expired last year, according to the local investigative police.

The investigation is ongoing.

Businessman jailed for real estate swindle

Nguyen Dong Hai, 38, director of Tan Hai Dang Company in An Minh District in the southern province of Kien Giang, was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday for deception and appropriation of property.

Hai's accomplices, Duong Van Giau and Nguyen Hoang Minh, both former staff of An Minh District's Land Registration Office, were sentenced to 15 years and 7 years respectively.

Nguyen Van Luom, former chairman of the An Minh District People's Committee, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for irresponsibility on duty.

From March 2010 until November 2011, Nguyen Dong Hai, with the assistance of Giau and Minh, faked land use certificates and used them as credit to borrow VND101.6 billion (over US$4.83 million) from six banks. Hai also sold land that he did not have the legal right to, taking over VND18.6 billion (over $885,700) from 21 buyers. He was ordered by the court to compensate the banks as well as individual victims.

Kom Tum shop fire injures eight people

Eight people have been injured in a fire that broke out yesterday in an interior decoration shop in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum's Hoang Van Thu street.

One of the victims has been severely injured and has burns over 80 per cent of his body.

All of the victims are receiving medical treatment at the Kon Tum General Hospital.

Four fire engines were dispatched to extinguish the fire.

One of the injured persons, Dinh Tien Hoang, said he heard a loud explosion while he was cleaning chairs.

The case is being investigated.

Police locate cause of Can Tho shop fire

An electrical fault was found to have caused a fire that engulfed a footwear shop killing three people in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, said the municipal Police Department yesterday.

According to Colonel Tran Duc Dinh, Deputy Director of municipal Fire Department, the fire started in the early morning on Sunday and caused a power failure which made it impossible to open the electrical controlled door to rescue the family inside.

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