A resettlement zone in Muong Lay District, Son La Province.

Re-settlement of the displaced residents was an important, complex task that would change the lives of thousands of people, he said.

Many of the participants attending the first day of the Standing Committee’s 19th session echoed the chairman’s sentiments as they reviewed the assembly’s Re-settlement Supervisory Group’s report.

The report says re-settlement of people in northern Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces is still behind schedule and this will add pressure for the remainder of the mountain project’s life.

It will also affect the lives of the people.

The report says 12,500 or 62 per cent of households have been resettled.

More than 5,000ha of arable land has been allocated to 4,000 of these households but this was only about 40 per cent of the amount scheduled, said Resettlement Supervisory Group chairman Ksor Phuoc.

The progress of public works such as roads, water, electric and schools in the re-settlement zones was slow, he said.

It meant that children had to travel to their former schools far from their new houses.

Most of the displaced understood their loss had been much greater than the State’s compensation, he said.

But they were willing to sacrifice their own interest for the country’s electricity. Now they were insecure because they had not seen any plans to ensure future production.

The Supervisory Groups report says most of the displaced live from State compensation.

It says hundreds of households have been resettled in new zones for two years but are still not sure of what to produce or how to do business.

Their new residences did not match their lifestyle and there were no help for them to develop farming and raise livestock.

The report says that although the policies to support displaced people were well implemented, they have not met people’s expectations.

It says 1,850 households have received VND26 billion (US$1.4 million) for production support and 11,991 VND757 billion ($42 million) to build houses.

The assessment of property compensation has been slow.

Compensation was confined to tangible property with income, work and cultural life not taken into account.

Post-resettlement

Many of the deputies agreed with the supervisory group’s view that helping people adapt to a new environment; new production methods and customs cannot be achieved in a few years.

They also agreed with the Supervisory Group’s proposal for post-resettlement policies with the priority to the building of infrastructure for production and people’s daily life.

The group suggested the need for employment policies and vocational training for farm labourers shifting from agriculture to other occupations.

The construction of re-settlement zones must also preserve the cultural identity of minority people.

Economic Committee Chairman Ha Van Hien said the foremost task was to make people fully understand the State’s policies.

The task of the policy- makers was to scrutinise their policies and make the appropriate changes.

National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong emphasised the role of Communist Party chapters and local officials to promote the process.

Deputy Prime Minister and Son La Project Steering Committee Chairman Hoang Trung Hai said the re-settlement of 19,000 households would be finished to deadline, July 2010.

The Government would ensure enough capital and remove any policy obstacles, he said.

The Government had asked all local authorities to examine and ensure all displaced people received compensation.

The Son La hydro-power plant is Viet Nam’s major electricity project with a capacity of 2,400MW.

Fees, costs in lawsuits

Lawmakers also heard reports on a draft ordinance that would assign costs and fees in civil litigation and administrative actions, before calling on the drafting committee to do further work on the proposed legislation.

As part of the ongoing 19th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th National Assembly in Ha Noi, the draft Ordinance on Appraisal and Assignment of Costs and Fees in Civil and Administrative Actions yesterday rose to the top of the agenda.

According to a report from the National Assembly Judiciary Committee, fixing and determining liability for costs and fees were a central element in reaching and executing judgments in civil cases.

But, to date, Viet Nam lacked any law or regulation to determine how such costs and fees would be assessed and how liability for them would be determined, in either civil and administrative cases.

Committee chairwoman Le Thi Thu Ba proposed the National Assembly Standing Committee issue an annex attached to the ordinance, listing types and specific levels of costs that could be levied in civil or administrative judgments.

National Assembly vice chairman Nguyen Van Kien asked why the ordinance drafting board did not include costs for criminal proceedings, avoiding dispersion to other laws or legal documents.

Deputy Chief Judge of the People’s Supreme Court Tu Van Nhu responded that criminal costs would be paid by the procedural agency to prove a suspect’s guilt, while, in civil procedure, the parties to the case have to prove their legitimate rights.

The two types of expense were distinct, Nhu said, so that the draft ordinance’s relevant content should be kept intact.

Disagreeing with Nhu’s explanation, the director of the National Assembly People’s Aspiration Committee, Tran The Vuong, proposed the drafting committee clarify this distinction, as there were many cases involving both civil and criminal liability.

For example, Vuong said, when assessing the level of damages, if the criminal assessment were that a person were responsible for over 11 per cent of damages, the person concerned would face trial, but, if below 11 per cent, the case could still be brought as a civil action seeking compensation for victims.

National Assembly vice chairman Uong Chu Luu acknowledged that this was a new issue and further debate would be required. He urged drafting agencies to strengthen co-operation and seek ideas to amend the draft ordinance for submission to the Standing Committee at the next meeting.

The Standing Committee’s 19th session will end next Tuesday.

Draft laws and ordinance to be discussed include the Housing and Land Laws; Cultural Heritage and Telecommunications.

VietNamNet/VNS