President affirms close Vietnam-Cambodia ties

Vietnam attaches importance to strengthening the ties of fine neighbourliness, traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia, State President Truong Tan Sang has said.

Sang made the commitment at a grand meeting in Hanoi on January 5, marking the 35th anniversary of the southwest border defence war victory as well as the shared triumph over the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime (January 7).

In his address, he recalled the January 7, 1979 victory, saying after 1975, both Vietnamese and Cambodian people desired to live in peace to shore up national reconstruction in their countries.

Vietnamese State President Truong Tan Sang highlighted the significance of the January 7, 1979 victory in history of Vietnam and Cambodia

But Pol Pot and his henchmen betrayed the Cambodian people and sabotaged traditional friendship and solidarity between the two peoples, carrying out the genocidal policy in Cambodia and encroaching upon Vietnam’s south-western area bordering Cambodia.

In response to Cambodian people’s appeal and with international support, the Party, State, people and army of Vietnam exercised their self-defence rights, driving invaders away and helping Cambodia overthrow the genocidal regime on January 7, 1979.

The victory ushered Cambodia out of one of the darkest periods in history and opened up a new era of independence, freedom, peace, neutralisation, and development in the country, Sang said.

He expressed his deep gratitude to Vietnamese and Cambodian war martyrs who laid down their lives for independence and freedom of each country and for the common destiny, friendship and solidarity between the two peoples, and for peace, stability and development in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.

The Party, State and people of Vietnam forever remember the great contributions by volunteer Vietnamese experts and soldiers who overcome numerous hardships and even sacrificed themselves in a just struggle to defend Vietnam’s south-western border and topple the genocidal regime in Cambodia, fulfilling the lofty international mission.

He confirmed the pure solidarity and combative spirit between the two peoples will forever go down in history which cannot be distorted by any forces.

Sang congratulated Cambodia on its comprehensive, tremendous achievements over the past 35 years, noting the country has achieved high economic growth for many consecutive years and joined many regional and international organisations.

He expressed his belief under the reign of King Norodom Sihamoni, and the leadership of the Cambodian People’s Party, Senate, National Assembly and Royal Government, Cambodian people will reap greater success in national development and construction.

Visiting Cambodian National Assembly Chairman Heng Samrin expressed Cambodian people’s debt of gratitude to volunteer Vietnamese experts and soldiers for carrying out a lofty international mission, liberating Cambodia from the genocidal regime.

He stressed Cambodia has made drastic changes since the 1979 victory. In addition, Cambodia and Vietnam have spared no effort to build ties of traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation, while strongly supporting each other at international forums.

Cambodia and Vietnam have signed a land border agreement and other economic cooperation agreements, on the basis of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other.

Cambodia considers the traditional friendship and special solidarity between the two countries a valuable asset which should be preserved and developed for future generations, he said.

The ceremony was attended by senior Vietnamese and Cambodia leaders, generals, international friends, representatives of war martyrs, and former volunteer Vietnamese experts and soldiers who joined the international mission in Cambodia.

Chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly Heng Samrin has affirmed that without the great sacrifice by Vietnamese soldiers, his nation would not have an opportunity to triumph over the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime.

The top Cambodian legislator made the statement while delivering a speech at a ceremony held in Hanoi on January 5 to mark the 35th anniversary of Vietnam’s victory in the southwest border defence war and the joint victory of Vietnam and Cambodia over the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime.

NA Chairman Heng Samrin expressed his pleasure to attend the meeting to recall the days when Vietnamese volunteer soldiers exercised their lofty mission in helping Cambodian people escape from the most brutal genocidal regime and gain victory on January 7, 1979.

He also said that Cambodian people celebrate the victory every year to reminisce about bitter memories with an eternal gratitude for the people who have saved the country and its people from the genocidal disaster.

Cambodian people will keep in mind the great merit and remember in its history to remind younger generations of the assistance, he said, adding that without the help by the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Cambodian people would not have their name in the world.

Monument dedicated to Vietnamese voluntary soldiers in Cambodia. (Source: VNA)

The Cambodian legislative leader went on to say that since the victory in 1979, Cambodia has seen various changes in many fields.

Vietnam and Cambodia have always made great efforts to develop the fine bilateral relations and comprehensive cooperation, and supported each other at international forums, he said.

Under the leadership of the current governments, Cambodia and Vietnam have signed an agreement on land borderline and boosted economic development on the basis of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the Cambodian official.

Cambodia always considers the special friendship and solidarity between the two countries under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Cambodia People’s Party as an invaluable asset, which requires it to do its utmost to preserve, he noted.

Nearly three million Cambodian civilians were killed during the brutal rule of the  Khmer Rouge genocidal regime from 1975-1979.

Cambodian NA Chairman wraps up Vietnam visit

Chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly (NA) Heng Samrin wrapped up his two-day visit to Vietnam on January 5.

While in the country, the Cambodian legislative leader attended a ceremony to mark the 35th anniversary of the victory of the southwest border defence war and the joint victory of Vietnam and Cambodia over the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime.

He was welcomed by his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Sinh Hung and held courtesy meetings with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Truong Tan Sang.

At the meetings, Chairman Heng Samrin recalled the days when the two countries stood shoulder by shoulder in the fight against the Khmer Rouge and gained victory over the most brutal genocidal regime in the history of mankind.

He underscored the great sacrifice by Vietnamese volunteer soldiers for independence and freedom of the Cambodian people and expressed gratitude to the Vietnamese Party, State and people for saving his country from the genocidal disaster and helping it in national restoration and reconstruction.

The leaders agreed that both Cambodia and Vietnam will hold a ceremony on January 7 every year to pay tribute to Vietnamese and Cambodian fallen combatants who sacrificed their life for independence and freedom of each country as well as the common destiny of both nations.

He held that pure solidarity between the two countries will forever be remembered in the history of both countries and can be erased by any forces.

The two sides affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance and gives top priority to bolstering the good neighbourliness, long-standing amity and long-term comprehensive links with Cambodia, considering it as a common invaluable asset that should be preserved and passed on to younger generations.

NA Chairman Heng Samrin, who is also President of the National Council of the Solidarity Front for the Development of the Cambodian Motherland met with representatives from the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association.

PM Dung pays working visit to Tra Vinh

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh to expand its infrastructure investments and fuel local socio-economic development.

Meeting with key provincial leaders on January 3, PM Dung noted Tra Vinh’s numerous difficulties include a high proportion of poor households and outdated and insufficient infrastructure particularly regarding transport.

He asked the province to harness the advantages of its potential in aquaculture to boost growth and raise living standards.

Tra Vinh should focus on proliferating larger-scale rice field models and applying scientific and technological advances capable of improving productivity, quality, and competitiveness.

The locality should also encourage enterprises to invest more in rural areas, helping rural economic structural transformations and creating more jobs for local labourers, he said.

The PM asked Tra Vinh to devote more efforts to social welfare. Provincial authorities should unite to rapidly reduce poverty in a sustainable way.

Healthcare and cultural and educational development are imperative to improving the spiritual and material lives of locals.

Bettering social security, safety, and order is especially apposite ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, he said.

The Tra Vinh People’s Committee has reported a number of socio-economic achievements in 2013.

The province’s GDP grew 10.53%. The ratio of poor households decreased 2.64%, while all 85 communes implemented the new rural area construction programme.

In 2014, the province is aiming for a minimum GDP growth rate of 11% and a 3% reduction in the number of poor households. The locality will also strive to create additional 22,000 jobs

Tra Vinh will pursue these goals in accordance with its 2013–2020 economic restructuring plan, including a special focus on aquaculture.

It will also strengthen trade promotion and raise the quality of its human resources, while fine-tuning ethnic minority and religious policies.

PM Dung reserved time to inspect the progress of a project enabling larger capacity vessels to enter the Hau River.

The constructed passage hopes to welcome an annual 21–22 million tonnes of goods and 450,000–500,000 TEU containers by 2020.

The PM also toured the ongoing Duyen Hai power centre project, consisting of four power plants with capacity of more than 4,200 MW.

Congratulations on Myanmar’s Independence Day

President Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on January 3 sent messages of congratulation to President Thein Sein on Myanmar’s Independence Day.

The same day, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also cabled a message of congratulation to his Myanmar counterpart Wunna Maung Lwin.

Revised Land Law features important new contents

The revised Land Law, which was adopted by the 13th National Assembly at its 6th session on November 29, 2013, features a number of important new points that draw great public concern.

According to Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Minh Quang, this is an important law that has wide and deep impacts on the country’s political and socio-economic situation.

He said the revised law has 14 chapters with 212 articles, up 7 chapters and 66 articles compared to the 2003 law.

It specifies a number of cases regarding the recovery of land for defence and security purposes, socio-economic development serving national and public interests, and for disaster prevention.

Under the law, the Government will specify procedures for compelling land recovery as this is a complicated issue affecting the rights and interests of citizens, he said.

The law also states that compelled recovery of land must be conducted publicly and democratically, ensuring public order and safety, he added.

Chairpersons of provincial- or communal-level People’s Committees must set up councils to measure damage suffered by land owners and decide on compensations to be paid based on the councils’ conclusions.

Compensation will be paid once and directly to land owners within 30 days after the land recovery.

The law has supplementary provisions stating that provincial-level People’s Committees are responsible for offering vocational training to persons who have agricultural land recovered and providing support for them until they find jobs.

It also has additional provisions on the levels of compensation for non-agricultural land owned by residential communities and religious institutions.

Under the law, the Government will come up with a land price bracket every five years while provincial-level People’s Committees make calculations in each specific case.

The law also requires a land pricing advisory agency to join the land price appraisal council to ensure fairness in land valuation. It encourages greater public involvement in devising and implementing land use plans as well as compensation, support and resettlement plans.

The revised land law will help handle shortcomings and difficulties that had led to complaints and denunciations in the past years, said the minister.

The law will offer equal opportunities for Vietnamese and foreign investors, enabling foreign investors to get involved in housing projects for residence, lease or sale, Quang said, adding that it will also provide many choices for foreign investors to pay land rents in short or long periods.

The 2013 revised Land Law will enter into force on July 1, 2014. To help the law’s new provisions soon come to life, Quang said his ministry has urgently coordinated with other ministries, agencies and localities in building documents guiding the implementation of the law, in order to further improve the efficiency of State management on land as well as promote land resources for the country’s socio-economic development towards the industrialisation and modernisation.-

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum yesterday (Jan 5) to use its natural resources to reduce poverty.

Meeting with provincial leaders yesterday to assess socio-economic development work in 2013 and plans for 2014, Dung stressed that the poverty level — nearly 20 per cent — remained high. He instructed the leaders to focus on growing crops that could generate higher revenue, such as rubber, coffee, corn and local specialities, and increasing the use of technology in production.

He also emphasised the necessity of concrete policies to attract businesses to invest in rural areas.

Ha Ban, provincial party committee secretary, said Kon Tum managed economic growth of 12.4 per cent in 2013 and progress was made in healthcare, education and new rural areas.

In 2014, he said, the province hoped to raise its GDP to 13 per cent, focus on higher-added value products such as rubber and coffee, increase investment in livestock breeding and improve management of land, minerals and natural resources.

In addition, the province would continue maintaining border security and fostering cooperation with bordering provinces in Cambodia and Laos.

VFF encourages more Buddhism contributions

Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee President Nguyen Thien Nhan has praised Buddhist monks, nuns and followers for their positive contributions to Buddhism development and the great national unity bloc.

“The VFF believes the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) will continue upholding the Buddhist tradition over the past 2,000 years . . ."- Photo: VOV

 “The VFF believes the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) will continue upholding the Buddhist tradition over the past 2,000 years to stand side by side with the nation and realise resolutions of the recent 7th National Buddhism Congress,” said Nhan at a VBS conference in Ho Chi Minh City on January 4.

He called on the VBS to work closely together with the VFF to encourage Vietnamese nationals abroad to turn their hearts and minds to the fatherland, helping fulfil national development and international integration tasks.

It was reported at the conference, in 2013 the VBS promulgated its revised Charter, celebrated Buddha’s 2557th birth anniversary and Most Venerable Thich Quang Duc’s self-immolation, and organised requiems for victims of traffic accidents.

It paid special attention to social charity to support victims of natural disasters, assist the poor, and improve the living standard of residents in remote areas and former resistance war bases.

Last year, millions of Buddhist monks, nuns and followers raised more than VND1,238 billion for charity purposes.

In 2014 the VBS will ordain several dignitaries, build Thich Quang Duc Tower, and organise 2014 United Nations Day of Vesak in May.

Viet Nam, Cambodia join hands to fight crime

The Tay Ninh provincial People's Court and the Court of First Instance of Cambodia's Kompong Cham Province will step up co-operation in a bid to strengthen the fight against cross-border crime.

Under an agreement signed on January 3, the two sides will share skills and knowledge in addition to strengthening existing arrangements established in a joint statement issued in October 2012 by courts of border provinces from Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia.

According to Nguyen Hoa Hiep, Chief Judge of the Tay Ninh People's Court, the border line of more than 240 kilometres had significantly complicated the operations of the court and relevant agencies.

He also highlighted an urgent need for Viet Nam and Cambodia to accelerate the completion of their legal obligations, build bilateral and multilateral treaties on joint efforts to reduce crime and provide judicial support.

VOV/VNS/VNA