Standing Committee plans NA agenda

The 13th National Assembly Standing Committee begins a three-day meeting today to discuss matters for the agenda of the assembly's 5th session.

The committee will comment on a Government report on socio-economic development during 2012 and the first months of 2013 and will review preparations for votes of confidence to be held on holders of positions approved or elected by the legislature.

The committee will also comment on the draft amendments to the 1992 Constitution, the revised Bidding Law and amendments to Article 170 of the Law on Enterprises.

A project on improving the quality and efficiency of the Assembly Office is also expected to be approved during the meeting.

Voters express frustration with unemployment

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong yesterday, May 13, met with voters from Ha Noi's Ba Dinh District to advise them about the upcoming fifth session of the 13th National Assembly, which starts May 20, and hear their aspirations.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong meets voters in Ha Noi's Ba Dinh District yesterday, May 13.

During the meeting, voters raised concern over education-related issues such as the contents of schoolbooks and graduate unemployment.

They mentioned the monopoly of the country's power industry and the need to have special staff responsible for nuclear-energy security.

They welcomed localities reclaiming the land of delayed projects and said they agreed on many regulations in the draft amended land law.

Voters expressed their support for the continued implementation of the Resolution of the 4th Party Central Committee plenum on Party building.

Welcoming voters' opinions, Party leader Trong said that the fifth session of the National Assembly would debate and adopt 11 bills and give opinions on another eight bills, of which the draft amendments to the 1992 Constitution and the draft amended land law are of the biggest importance.

Trong said that as many as 26 million opinions had been given on the draft amendments to the 1992 Constitution.

He added that conducting votes of confidence on those holding positions elected or approved by the NA or People's Councils was a new and major policy that needed to be held regularly under strict leadership and concrete guidance.

The Party leader underscored the responsibilities of deputies of the National Assembly and People's Councils.

He said he hoped that voters would continue to pay attention and contribute their opinions with enthusiasm to the National Assembly, Party and the whole political system.

The same day, Trong received a delegation from Army Trade Unions representing 170,000 staff who were attending their 8th Congress in Ha Noi.

US helps improve law enforcement capacity at sea

The Vietnamese Marine Police and the US Department of State began a joint multilateral training course in Haiphong on May 13 to improve law enforcement capacity and increase maritime cooperation in the Gulf of Thailand.

Trainees include officers from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia, as well as representatives from the US Coast Guard, the US Department of Justice, and the Freeland Foundation.

During the two-week course, trainees will share experiences and expertise in detecting and combating crime at sea. They will also learn how to inspect suspicious vessels and quickly uncover illegal trading activities, especially illegal fishing and trafficking of drugs, animals and plants.

The US and Vietnam are cooperating to increase the capacity of Vietnam’s law enforcement and improve rescue work in order to maintain peace and stability at sea to promote sustainable economic development in the region.

The training course is one of the law enforcement initiatives adopted in 2010 for countries in the Gulf of Thailand area, aimed at building cooperation mechanisms for maritime law enforcement forces in the region.

VN, Laos plan to help minorities

Viet Nam and Laos should continue to strengthen experiences sharing in ethnic affairs, especially the implementation of poverty reduction and resettlement programmes.

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung made the suggestion at a reception for a delegation from the Lao National Assembly's Committee for Ethnic Affairs led by its head, Duangdy Outthachak, in Ha Noi yesterday, May 13.

Hung said the visit intensified the co-ordination between the two countries' law making bodies.

Hung said he valued the outcomes reached at a working session between delegations from Viet Nam National Assembly's Ethnic Council and the Lao National Assembly's Committee for Ethnic Affairs.

The two sides agreed on measures to renovate co-ordination of work relating to ethnic minority groups, helping them understand the special relations between Viet Nam and Laos.

Earlier on the same day, a delegation from the National Assembly's Ethnic Council led by its Chairman, K'sor Phuoc, had a working session with the visiting Lao counterpart to share experiences.

While in Viet Nam from May 12-16, the Lao delegation will pay working visits to the northern provinces of Cao Bang and Lang Son.

Viet Nam, Japan boost air defence ties

The visiting Chief of Staff of Japan Air Self-Defense Force, General Haruhiko Kataoka, yesterday suggested that the air defence forces of Viet Nam and Japan broaden co-operation.

Kataoka suggested that the two sides beef up the sharing of experiences and the exchange of delegations in the field, including flight safety, aviation medicine, and disaster relief.

General Kataoka was speaking to Deputy Defence Minister cum Chief of the General Staff of the Viet Nam People's Army, Senior Lieutenant General Do Ba Ty.

Ty replied that the bilateral defence relations had taken important steps in air and naval fields, staff training and information sharing in past years.

He also spoke highly of the outcome of a working session between the two sides during the General's visit.

Ambassador works with China’s Guangdong Province

Vietnamese Ambassador to China Nguyen Van Tho is paying a two-day working visit to China’s Guangdong Province from May 13 to boost the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the province.

On May 13, Tho met with Hu Chunhua, Politburo member and Secretary of the Guangdong provincial Party Committee, during which they shared their pleasure at strong developments in bilateral cooperation in politics, economics, trade, science-technology and education, and mutual exchanges at all levels.

In 2012, two-way trade between Vietnam and Guangdong province reached 8.7 billion USD. In the first quarter of this year, the turnover hit nearly 3 billion USD, a year-on-year surge of 50 percent.

Ambassador Tho suggested the two sides continue maintaining exchanges at various levels, drastically implement cooperation programmes for 2012-2013, quickly set up the Shenzhen - Hai Phong economic and trade zone, and encourage big Guangdong businesses to invest in Vietnam.

He also proposed fostering cooperation in culture, education and training, tourism and people exchange and Guangdong province’s provision of more scholarships for Vietnamese students.

Tho’s proposals received the approval from the host provincial leader who also affirmed that Guangdong always attaches importance to the relations with Vietnam.

Hu Chunhua said he believes that under the common direction of the two countries’ leaders and the two sides’ cooperation tradition, the wide-ranging cooperation between Vietnam and Guangdong will grow further to generate practical benefits for both sides.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA