Over 5,000 inmates to be set free; PetroVietnam urged to become powerful group; Vietnam, Australia hold regional security dialogue; Vietnam condemns Baghdad terrorist attacks; Vietnam, UK exchange documents on prisoner transfer

Mr Trong praised council members and the working groups of relevant agencies for their hard work during recent months to ensure the appraisal of dossiers was carried out in an open, fair and lawful manner.

He said the State President’s decision to grant a second round of paroles this year demonstrates the humanitarian and lenient policy of the Party and State to those who have repented of their offence and want to become useful citizens again. He said the first round of paroles this year, which took place on the occasion of Southern Liberation and National Unification Day (April 30) and May Day, gained heartfelt appreciation from the public.

Mr Trong asked the council to quickly finalise a list of 5,410 eligible inmates for submission to the State President so that a decision can be announced before August 31 as scheduled.

At the conference, council members also considered a number of special cases at the request of authorised agencies.

PetroVietnam urged to become powerful group

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh asked the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) to maintain its leading role and turn itself into a powerful international corporation.

The Party leader made the request during a reception for those individuals and units of the energy group who have achieved outstanding results in the campaign “Studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s moral examples” in Hanoi on August 20.

He spoke highly of PetroVietnam’s efforts to combine the implementation of the drive with its production and business activities, thus forming emulation movements within the sector.

PetroVietnam has successfully upheld its role as the country’s driving economic force, maintaining steady production and business growth, ensuring social security, and serving as a tool to manage the macro-economy and help protect Vietnam’s sovereignty over territorial waters, he said.

Leaders of PetroVietnam reported that the group has already completed ahead of schedule a number of key national oil and gas projects thanks to emulation drives initiated by the movement.

They cited the commercial operations of the power plants Ca Mau 1 and 2 and Nhon Trach 1 as examples, noting that the Dung Quat oil refinery - a symbol of the country’s petro-chemistry industry – produced the first batch of commercial products on schedule.

In addition, other major projects such as the Nghi Son and the southern oil refinery complexes have got off to a good start, they said.

Vietnam, Australia hold regional security dialogue

Vietnam and Australia have agreed to increase the exchange of information and experience to meet challenges to regional and international security, including terrorism, human trafficking and trans-national crime.

The agreement was reached during the 5th regional security dialogue between the two countries in Hanoi on August 21.

Both sides expressed pleasure at the recent development of Vietnam-Australia relations in politics, economics, trade, investment, security, national defence, education, culture and tourism.

They exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, including their close cooperation in multilateral forums such as the United Nations.

The dialogue was co-chaired by Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign Minister Dao Viet Trung and Australia’s Deputy Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Miles Kupa.

It was also attended by officials from relevant Vietnamese ministries and the DFAT.

Vietnam condemns Baghdad terrorist attacks

Vietnam strongly condemns terrorist attacks in Baghdad on August 19, which left nearly 100 civilians dead and hundreds of others injured, said Nguyen Phuong Nga, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on August 21.

“We would like to extend our condolences to the Iraqi government, people and the victims’ families, and believe that the government and people of Iraq will soon stabilise the situation and successfully carry out the national reconstruction process,” said Ms Nga.

Vietnam, UK exchange documents on prisoner transfer

Vietnam and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on August 21 exchanged documents ratifying a government-level agreement on the transfer of prisoners.

The agreement, signed in Hanoi on September 12, 2008, aims to increase judicial cooperation and marks a new step towards closer cooperation between the two countries in crime prevention and control.

Argentina-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group holds meeting

The Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina held a meeting on August 20 with the Argentina-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, recently established in Argentina’s Lower House.

The Group is the first friendship organisation linking Argentina’s National Assembly with a South-East Asian nation.

Addressing the meeting, Vietnamese ambassador to Argentina Thai Van Lung congratulated the founding of the group and called it an important step forward in bilateral relations.

Julia Perie, Chairwoman of the Group, said the group will strengthen the friendship between the two countries by promoting cultural exchanges and trade cooperation.

To date, Argentina’s Lower House has founded 28 friendship parliamentarians’ groups, including 9 in Asia, and it is scheduled to establish 6 more groups on this continent.

The Argentina-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group was founded in the spirit of developing bilateral relations. Last year, the turnover of bilateral trade reached a record US$339 million. In just the first six months of this year, it already exceeded that number.

NZ ambassador awarded Vietnam’s friendship insignia

New Zealand ambassador to Vietnam, James Kember, has been awarded Vietnam’s insignia “For Peace and Friendship among Nations” in recognition of his contributions to promoting friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and New Zealand.

Vu Xuan Hong, president of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Associations (VUFO) conferred the honour on the outgoing ambassador at a ceremony in Hanoi on August 21.

During his three-year term, cooperative ties between the two countries have developed well in all areas, including politics, diplomacy, economics and trade. Currently, New Zealand ranks 38th among foreign investors in Vietnam.

Indonesian Speaker wraps up Vietnam visit

Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Agung Laksono Soemono and his delegation left Hanoi on August 20, concluding an official three-day visit to Vietnam.

During his stay in Vietnam, Speaker Agung held talks with NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong and paid courtesy visits to State President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

During talks, the two sides expressed their wish to further develop their traditional friendship and cooperation, especially in economics, trade, investment, and education and training, thus bringing practical benefits to both countries and contributing to peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world as well.

They discussed measures to boost exchanges and cooperation between the two parliaments, particularly in legislative work, helping further each country’s socio-economic development.

State sends condolences to ROK on ex-president death

State President Nguyen Minh Triet on August 20 sent condolences on the death of former President Kim Dae-jung of the Republic of Korea to RoK President Lee Myung-bak and the bereaved family.

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem shared condolences with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son led a delegation to the RoK Embassy in Hanoi to pay tribute and signed the visitors’ book.

Vietnamese in Laos mark National Day

Overseas Vietnamese in Laos gathered at a music gala night to celebrate the 64th anniversary of Vietnam’s August Revolution and National Day (September 2).

The event, held on August 19 by the Laos-based Vietnamese General Association in Laos and the Vietnam Cultural Centre, received a warm response from Lao Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and representatives of the Lao National Construction Front and local authorities of Bolikhamsay province.

The music gala night was replete with singing voices and musical performances in praise of late President Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam’s land and people as well as Vietnam-Laos solidarity and their special relationship.

The Vietnamese community in Laos is expected to organise a series of cultural and sports activities to mark the two big events from now through September 2.

PM Dung receives outgoing NZ ambassador

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on August 20 received New Zealand ambassador Jammes Kember who paid a farewell visit to Mr Dung before ending his working term in Vietnam.

Mr Dung acknowledged ambassador Kember’s role in promoting bilateral cooperation in politics, economics, trade, investment, education and training. He noted that two-way trade between Vietnam and New Zealand has increased considerably in recent years, reaching more than US$300 million last year.

The two countries have also signed a number of agreements and deals, including those on economic and trade cooperation, investment protection and promotion, and aviation.

Mr Dung said that both countries should increase their comprehensive cooperation to match their potential. He also proposed that New Zealand continue to provide official development assistance to Vietnam and increase scholarships to Vietnamese students.

Ambassador Bember said he was impressed by the Vietnamese government’s economic management, steering the national economy out of the global financial turbulence. He affirmed that he will continue to make a further contribution to promoting relations between the two countries.

VFF encouraged to promote national unity

State President Nguyen Minh Triet has praised the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) for its 15-year-old campaign “People unite to build a new cultural lifestyle in residential areas”, encouraging them to strengthen the bloc of great national unity.

Addressing a conference in Hanoi on August 20, Mr Triet noted that the campaign has received solid support from large sections of the population.

The campaign has had a positive impact on all aspects of life, from economics to politics, national security and social affairs, and has recently helped the Party and State prevent an economic slowdown, maintain steady economic growth and ensure social welfare, said Mr Triet.

However, he added that several Party organisations and administrations have not responded well to the campaign due to their poor awareness, inconsistent coordination and a lack of incentives to encourage local officials to get involved in the campaign. As a result, people living in remote areas and many ethnic people are still living hard lives.

Mr Triet asked the VFF to regularly review the campaign to discover and replicate role models across the country, and to work closely with other agencies to improve efficiency.

In a report delivered at the event, Huynh Dam, President of the VFF Central Committee, said the campaign has improved the quality and efficiency of the VFF chapters’ operations aimed at strengthening the bloc of great national unity in the new era.

Theoretical council discusses new approaches to crisis

The Central Theoretical Council opened its 9th session in Hanoi on August 20 to shed light on the global economic crisis, its adverse impact on Vietnam and development orientations for the country.

Delegates agreed that the crisis has had a substantial impact on all economies, which could be compared to that of the Great Depression in 1929-1933. They speculated about whether the crisis is the result of globalisation, and if so, this requires policymakers and economists to pinpoint the specific cause and propose solutions to fix it.

Dr Dinh Van An, director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, maintained that globalisation and international economic integration are an irreversible trend in which the market economy stimulates creativity and allocation of resources effectively and proportionally. Despite its downside, the global financial crunch has offered a lot of opportunities to economies, he said.

Vietnam - a developing country actively integrating into the world economy – should introduce measures and policies to seize opportunities and overcome challenges, he said.

To this end, he suggested that policymakers keep abreast of developments inside and outside the country, especially from big economies, big financial institutions and Vietnam’s important partners, so as to come up with timely and appropriate responses.

Prof. Nguyen Van Nam, rector of Vietnam National University of Economics, presented new theories on the financial crisis and proposed adding these theories to Vietnam’s banking and financial system.

Other delegates presented reports on new economic theories and lessons drawn from the crisis.

The session will continue through August 21.

Vietnam attends naval show in Indonesia

A delegation of senior Vietnamese naval officers led by Lieutenant General and Vice Admiral of the Vietnamese Navy, Tran Thanh Huyen, attended a naval show in Indonesia on August 19 to mark the 64th anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day (August 17).

During its visit from August 16-20, the delegation also attended a seminar to discuss measures to reinforce naval security in Southeast Asia.

The delegation is scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono before leaving for home.

The two-day show involved hundreds of sailing boats and 33 war ships and many military officers from the US, China, France and the UK.

PV