Opinions gathered for Constitution amendments

The National Assembly Committee for External Relations collected its members and former members’ opinions on the draft amendments to the 1992 Constitution at a conference in Hanoi on January 29.

Addressing the conference, Chairman of the committee Tran Van Hang emphasised that amending the Constitution that amendments to the Constitution is a great political event of the country and requires the involvement of all people.

Collecting public opinions will reflect the will and desire of people based on the basic principles of the State, which is of the people, for the people and by the people, he said.

The delegates’ opinions focused on the institutionalisation of foreign policy, the role of the NA and the collaboration between the NA, the President and the Government in deploying foreign policies and ideological and practical foundations for the amendments and supplements to the authorisation to ratify treaties.

The opinions will be submitted to the NA Standing Committee before March 15, 2013.

Earlier, on January 8, a national conference to collect public opinions on the draft amendments to the 1992

Constitution was broadcast live across the country.

Vietnam-Netherlands friendship and cooperation association established

The Vietnam - Netherlands Friendship and Cooperation Association (VNFCA) made its debut in Hanoi on January 29, in the presence of Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Associations Don Tuan Phong, and Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam JoopScheffers.

During its conference, the association elected former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dao Xuan Hoc as its Chairman.

In his speech Loc emphasized that the association aims to strengthen mutual understanding and boost multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries.

He said the association’s logo has the image of the lotus and tulip, the two countries’ national flowers.

Ambassador Scheffers spoke highly of Vietnam’s dramatic change from an aid recipient into a trade and investment partner of the Netherlands. He said the two countries will continue realising their leaders’ common conception and expanding cooperation, especially in their potential areas such as maritime transport, and water and energy management.

President offers sympathy to Brazil over fire tragedy

President Truong Tan Sang on January 29 sent condolences to his Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff, the Brazilian people and victims’ families over the fire tragedy in Santa Maria.

The January 27 inferno at a nightclub in Santa Maria city of Rio Grande do Sul state killed more than 230 people and injured many others.

National target programme assists northern poor

National target poverty reduction programme and State investments have enabled 12 northern provinces, which all together shape the poorest area in the country, to reduce the number of poor households to 24.68 percent in 2012.

The number of households living above the poverty line was kept at 10.83 percent, it was reported at a symposium held in Yen Bai province on January 28 to review policies to combat poverty and provide social welfare and job training for ethnic minorities in the north.

The national vocational training and job placement programme earmarked 379.3 billion VND and the national sustainable poverty programme poured more than 2.4 trillion VND into these localities in 2012.

As a result, around 111,500 people in the localities, or 7.3 percent of the country’s workforce, landed jobs. Almost 5,000 people were sent to work abroad under labour contracts.

However, only 39.3 percent of the region’s workforce was trained.

Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen has underscored the results of poverty reduction and social relief policies for northern mountainous ethnic people.

She, however, said these policies need to be adjusted and State management over the implementation be renewed to suit reality in the region, where poor ethnic minority people are residing mostly in remote, mountainous areas.

Chuyen said her ministry will report to the Government the results of the policy in order to make it better and further improve these localities’ short-term vocational training capacity.

The 12 provinces include Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Son La, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Bac Kan and Lang Son.

Vietnam, Cambodia localities build common peace border

Leaders of the two Central Highland provinces of Dac Nong and Dak Lak and the Cambodian province of Mondulkiri held an exchange on January 28 to build a common border of friendship, peace and development.

They shared the view that over the years the three provinces have made every effort to boost comprehensive cooperation, bringing practical benefits to their people.

They have boosted cultural and people-to-people exchanges to share experience in economic development and better defend national sovereignty and security along the common border.

Le Dien, Chairman of the Dak Nong provincial People’s Committee, assured that his province is willing to boost socio-economic development in Moldulkiri and work closely with the Cambodian province in land border demarcation and marker planting.

En Bud Hien, Chairman of the Mondulkiri provincial people’s council, confirmed that the administration and people of Mondulkiri want to cooperate with Dak Nong and Dak Lak in diplomacy, economic development, culture, social affairs, national defence and security.

Both Dak Nong and Dak Lak share a total of more than 200km of border with Mondulkiri.

VNN/VOV/VNA