Funding sought to clear unexploded ordnance

Vietnam needs more funding to clear unexploded ordnance (UXO) from hundreds of thousands of hectares of land, and will continue to seek it from local and international sources, a senior official has said.

Col Vu Ngoc Diem of the Technology Centre for Bomb and Mine Disposal under the Engineering Command told the Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People’s Army) newspaper that US soldiers dropped 15.35 million tonnes of bombs and mines during the American War, and current UXO volume was estimated at 800,000 tonnes.

The centre estimates that about US$10 billion is needed to clear the remaining UXOs.

According to an official survey done in 2002, the area contaminated by bombs and mines nationwide was about 6.6 million ha, accounting for 21.12 percent of country’s total area.

From 1964 in the northern part of the country and from 1975 in the south until 2000, 42,135 people have been killed and 62,163 injured by UXOs. Most of the victims are farmers and their children.

The UXOs are a major hindrance to socio-economic development because people living in contaminated areas refrain from farming and other activities for fear of losing their lives and limbs.

To deal with the post-war consequences of bombs and mines, the country needed to spend hundreds of billions of dong, Diem said.

Last year, the Government developed a national action plan until 2025 to deal with the UXOs left behind by the war.

The plan expects to make people more aware of the danger of the UXOs and to attract local and international assistance for removing them and rehabilitating affected citizens.

23 localities in Hanoi likely to flood this rainy season

Hanoi Construction Department has identified 23 flood black spots in the city during this rainy season.

The department said the city’s waterways and sewerage system have become choked with rubbish and silt, which exacerbates the risk of flooding in the rainy season.

When rainfall exceeds 100mm, officials said they expect major intersections in the centre of the city such as Tran Hung Dao and Phan Chu Trinh, Ly Thuong Kiet and Phan Boi Chau, and Ba Trieu and Nguyen Du to flood.

Officials from the department said they hope ongoing sewerage projects to be completed before the monsoon season. When completed, the drainage system would be able to cope with rainfall of 310mm over a two-day period, they said.

Hanoi has 56 lakes that help to relieve flooding. The city also has access to pumps, the largest of which can drain 90 cu m of water per second.

Nguyen Dynasty cannon balls found in Hue city

Construction workers building an embankment along the An Cuu River in the central city of Hue Tuesday discovered 52 cannon balls left over from the time of the Nguyen Dynasty under the soil.

Forty three of them weighed 20 kg and the rest were smaller at 3 kg.

Nguyen Phuoc Hai Trung, director of Hue Royal Fine Arts Museum, said they were made by Nguyen Dynasty rulers but it is hard to pin down their exact age.

The museum has plans for an exhibition of Nguyen Dynasty cannons and bullets.

The Nguyen kings ruled from 1802 until the feudal system was overthrown in Vietnam in 1945.

Khmer in Soc Trang, Can Tho enjoy New Year

Khmer people in the southern province of Soc Trang on April 12 met in a get-together to celebrate their New Year festival, Chol Chnam Thmay.

Addressing the event, Duong Sa Kham, Head of the provincial Committee for Ethnic Affairs said the Party and State’s policies have created favourable conditions for the local ethnic community to improve their lives both materially and spiritually.

He cited that last year 5,028 Khmer households escaped from poverty, reducing the rate of poor households in the province to 14.26 percent. In addition, 72 percent of Khmer households had access to electricity and 76.8 percent had clean water.

The same day, authorities of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho visited and sent Chol Chnam Thmay wishes to monks and nuns of Munirensay and Vien Quang pagodas in the locality.

Earlier, the municipal People’s Committee donated gifts to about 500 poor Khmer households, each worth 200,000-300,000 VND to help them enjoy their traditional new year festival.

More than 1,760 Khmer students from Can Tho University and Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy joined a music gala night with a contest to find out about ethnic groups of Kinh, Khmer, Cham, Hoa in the Mekong Delta region as well as folk games.

Farmers cash in on shrimp prices

Despite the recent hikes in the prices of inputs, shrimp farmers in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta have been doing rather well for themselves as shrimp prices too have shot up.

Last month, feed manufactures including CP, Viet Thang, Cargill, UP and others decided to increase prices by VND150 to VND300 per kilogramme.

Nguyen Quang Huu, a shrimp breeder in Tien Giang Province’s Tan Phu Dong District, said the price of a juvenile had increased by 10 to 30 dong compared to the same period last year.

At the new rates, the cost of farming a kilogramme of black tiger prawn comes to around to VND105,000 while they fetch around VND205,000, or a profit of VND100,000 per kilogramme.

One ha yields profits of at least VND500 million per crop while for white-leg shrimp it is VND300 million. Farmers harvest a maximum of four times a year.

According to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first quarter of this year, both varieties were farmed in more than 300 ha of ponds, 54 per cent up from last year in the case of black tiger prawn and 99 per cent up in the case of white-leg shrimp.

Farmers in Ca Mau Province’s Dam Doi, Nam Can and Cai Nuoc districts also had good crops this year, harvesting six tonnes of shrimp per ha on average.

The Viet Nam Association of Seacooking Exporters and Producers (VASEP) reported that last year shrimp exports were worth more than US$2 billion, a 20 per cent rise year-on-year and the highest ever value achieved by the country. Around 240,000 tonnes were exported, a 15 per cent increase in volume.

Viet Nam exported to 92 markets, most of which increased their purchases. Japan was the biggest buyer, accounting for 27.8 per cent, followed by the US (26.9 per cent), and the EU (16.2 per cent).

Mainland China and South Korea were also promising markets, according to VASEP.

115 dead in traffic accidents during holiday

115 people were killed and 95 were injured in 133 traffic accidents that occurred countrywide during the national Hung Kings’ Death Anniversary holiday from April 10-12.

On April 10, in Cam Ranh City in the southern central province of Khanh Hoa, a truck driven by 38-year old Nguyen Van Khanh hit a coach, killing 4 and injuring 9. Of the 13 passengers in the coach, 11 are Chinese.

On April 12, an ambulance carrying five people and a coffin hit a truck in Tinh Gia Town in the northern central province of Thanh Hoa. 4 were killed and 2 were injured in this accident.

During the national holiday, the traffic police also handled 42,000 cases of traffic violation, withheld 192 driver’s licenses, took into custody 6,300 motorbikes and collected VND10 billion (US$480,000) in fines.

Ministry seeks candidates for Russian scholarships

The Vietnamese Ministry of Eucation and Training is seeking candidates for 330 Russian state scholarships for undergraduate and graduate programs.

The scholarships cover tuition, passport and visa fees, personal expenses, health insurance, airfares, and others.

After learning Russian for a year, students will study for at least four years for a bachelor’s degree and five to six years for a master’s degree, depending on the program.

Applicants must be full-time freshmen with good records in high-school and the university entrance exam.

The deadline for application is May 30 and more details are available at http://www.moet.gov.vn/?page=1.3&view=3330.

Selected candidates will begin their courses in Russia in September.

Cigarettes smuggled into Ho Chi Minh City by bus

Thousands of packs of cigarettes are smuggled into Ho Chi Minh City from Cambodia every day by bus from Long An.

They are slipped in through the Duc Hue border in Long An in black plastic bags and loaded on bus No. 627 at Hau Nghia station headed for HCMC.

The number of packs per trip sometimes reaches 5,000.

The bus staff use cell phones to keep in touch together and even ignore passengers to focus on delivering the cigarettes.

Tuoi Tre discovered that two of the main drop-off points in HCMC are provincial road No. 10 in Binh Tan District and Xom Voi Street in District 5.

The rest of the cargo continues on to Cho Lon Bus Station from where motorcyclists deliver them to resellers on Hoc Lac Street, District 5 (See video clip).

When Tuoi Tre filmed one such bus crew involved in the smuggling, the cigarettes that were delivered were Jet, a brand banned in Vietnam.

For transporting them 30 kilometers from Long An to HCMC, the transport staff get VND500 to VND700 per pack.

Policeman shoots civilian, fires multiple shots

Tran Thanh Chuong, 29, a worker from Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Zone in Dong Nai province Wednesday had one bullet removed from his belly. One is still lodged inside his left hipbone.

However, according to the shooter – a police sergeant, he shot three shots at Chuong, not two.

Chuong’s bowels were punctured, said doctors in Bien Hoa.

But his health is now stable. He can talk.

However, according to Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper, Chuong has been transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City in critical condition.

On April 12, Chuong was hospitalized at 9:50 pm with four wounds: near the navel, one on the left foot, and two wounds on the left hand.

At the hospital, Chuong said he was sitting with a group on the night of April 12 in front of Long Binh Primary School when three plain-clothed men came and asked them to disperse, leading to an argument.

A man who introduced himself as a ward policeman then took out a gun and shot at him.

The shooter is identified as Nguyen Hoai Tan, 22, a local police sergeant in Long Binh ward who was coming with two friends when they met Chuong’s group.

Tan allegedly took out a K54 gun and fired many shots.

Locals heard the shots.Thinking Tan was an armed robber, they jumped in to help and attacked Tan. Tan was also injured and had to be hospitalized.

Dan Tri reported that Tan fired 4 shots into Chuong.

After taking Chuong down, Tan still held onto the gun and refused to let locals take Chuong to hospital, reported Dan Tri.

At the hospital Tan said he only fired the shots into the air but “when they resisted, I fired three shots into one of the guys. After the shots, I was attacked by a group and had to be hospitalized”.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Bui Huu Danh, head of Bien Hoa city police told Tuoi Tre that he had ordered an investigation and that time will tell who is right and wrong.

Worker indicted after kids die buried under sand

Police Wednesday sought indictment against a construction worker for irresponsibility leading to the death of three kids who were suffocated after sinking into a sand dune in Can Tho city.

Truong Van Tho, 26, was operating a sand pump to serve construction project in Thoi Thuan Ward, Thot Not district when three kids came to play and were buried under sand on April 3.

The victims are Nguyen Thanh Huy, Nguyen Hoang Thai, both 9 years old, third graders and 10-year-old Nguyen Van Dat.

Workers discovered and feverously dug up the area but it was too late.

The construction project is owned by Hiep Thanh Shareholding Company trading in rice and fish.

Police are expanding investigation.

Headmistress transferred over sex scandal

Can Tho City’s Ninh Kieu District People’s Committee Wednesday issued a decision to transfer the headmistress of Ngo Quyen Primary School to a different position after she was caught having an extramarital affair.

Can Tho City’s Ninh Kieu District People’s Committee today issued a decision to transfer Nguyen Thi Anh Dao, headmistress of Ngo Quyen Primary School, to a different position after she was caught having an extramarital affair.

According to the decision, Nguyen Thi Anh Dao would be given a post at the district’s education department.

Last year, Ngo Quyen Primary’s former headmistress cum Communist Party secretary was accused of having an affair with the chairman of the school’s Parents’ Association.

After the man’s wife lodged a complaint, the man and Dao herself confessed.

Dao was afterwards fired by the Party Committee at the ward and district levels.

The latest decision from the district’s People’s Committee made Dao’s removal from her post official.

Judge’s house robbed, three injured

A masked man broke into the house of Ho Thanh Hong, a judge of the Vinh Long Provincial People’s Court today, stole jewelries and money and stabbed the judge, and his wife and mother in law.

Hong’s wife, who was less seriously injured, managed to run out and call for help. The neighbors rushed to the scene to bar the man’s escape.

It took the police more than one hour to catch the man, who held his ground inside the house.

The man was identified as Nguyen Dinh Chau Duc Tai, who lives near the judge’s house in Tan Ngai Commune, Vinh Long City.

According to Vinh Long General Hospital, Hong was stabbed on the head, right shoulder and left wrist. His wife was stabbed on the face and his mother-in-law was injured on the right shoulder and forehead.

Truck caught fire in Binh Dinh

A truck suddenly caught fire while on the National Highway 1A in Dieu Tri town, Binh Dinh province at 1:10pm today (Wednesday).

The truck was transporting 75 electric rice cookers and 18 cartons of electronic goods from Hanoi.

Driver Nguyen Huu Lanh and his assistant used a fire extinguisher but failed.

The fire was only put out by 1:45pm when three fire trucks were mobilized to the scene.

Estimated damage is put at nearly VND200 million.

The fire caused a traffic jam for nearly half an hour.

On Monday, at 5pm, a 16-seat passenger car suddenly caught fire in Hanoi while traveling on Tran Phu Street and was burnt to bare bones. Luckily all 12 exited the vehicle in time.

The car was transporting pilgrims from the Huong Pagoda Festival to Bac Giang province.

Man bombs 14-year-old girlfriend’s house, 2 dead

Early evening Monday, a loud explosion came from the residence of 45-year-old Vu Bien Thuy and echoed through the surrounding commune 1, Buon Don district in Dak Lac province.

When the smoke finally vanished, neighbors found the charred bodies of 20-year-old Nguyen Van Cong and Thuy’s daughter, 14-year-old Vu Thi Thuy Trang.

Lying motionlessly nearby were Thuy and a 22-year-old neighbor Vu Thi Yen, both suffering from severe injuries. They were then rushed to Dak Lak General Hospital.

The explosion has blown away a large part of the house’s ceiling and floor.

More physically mature than most of her peers, 8th grader Trang, the victim, was a beautiful girl that captured the hearts of many young men in the area, including Cong, who she never had any feelings for.

Prior to the murder, he used to warn if he could not love Trang, no one else could, one of Trang’s family members said.

On that day, he came to Trang’s house carrying along a glass bottle which sparked suspicions in her family.

Nguyen Thi Hong Van, her mother called for help from Yen, Trang’s close friend living next-door.

When she just made it into the house, and before Trang had a chance to stay away from Cong, he grabbed hold of her and dropped the glass bottle containing dynamite.

Despite surviving the explosion, Trang’s dad has since then lapsed into unconsciousness due to serious multiple facial injuries while Yen may lose her left eyesight permanently.

According to police, Cong was a worker at a nearby hard rock mining site where he may have stolen the dynamite.

They have carried out an urgent search at Cong’s house following the incident.

The case is under further investigation.

Garment workers forced to work around the clock

Mai Lan Anh Garment and Trading Co., Ltd., located in Thao Dien Ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, was caught forcing its workers to work around the clock.

From relevant information provided by Tuoi Tre, the city Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the local authorities conducted an inspection at the company yesterday afternoon and found evidence of the forced extra work there.

Earlier, in the morning, readers called Tuoi Tre, reporting that the company locked its gate and forced workers to work overtime.

The inspectors found a female worker sleeping on some stools behind her sewing machine in the company’s garment factory.

As shown in the workers’ timesheets, 20 workers left the company Tuesday morning after working all the day before.

Meanwhile, 23 workers entered the company in Monday morning and had not left by the time of the inspection.

The company’s security guards’ logbook also recorded that workers had worked overnight.

The inspectors requested the company to let workers who had worked since the day before leave the company.

A representative from the company was also requested to explain about forcing workers to do overtime.

However, while the inspectors were making a report of their findings, the representative got out and left.