Blue-ear pig disease hits 13 provinces; HCM City Police arrest three counterfeiters; Post office van used to smuggle cigarettes; Police bust gang with fake war-medal seals; Higher education reforms proposed

Blue-ear pig disease hits 13 provinces

The Veterinary Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed on July 30 that a new outbreak of blue-ear disease in pigs has been detected in Hoa Khuong and Hoa Lien communes in Hoa Vang district of Da Nang city.

All samples taken from 92 sick pigs in the two communes tested positive for the PRRS (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome) virus.

In the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, the epidemic was found in 76 households in An Thai Trung commune in the Cai Be district, Thach Tri commune in the Go Cong Tay district and Tan Thoi commune in the Tan Phu Dong district. In total, 644 out of about 1,500 pigs in the three communes were infected by the deadly virus. So far, 93 communes in 9 districts of Tien Giang province have been struck by blue-ear disease, nearly half of which have died.

Earlier, the epidemic struck Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc provinces, bringing the total number of infected provinces to 13, namely Nghe An, Cao Bang, Soc Trang, Quang Tri, Tien Giang, Lao Cai, Long An, Binh Duong, Bac Lieu, Quang Nam, Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc and Da Nang.

The disease is being gradually contained in the north, but continues to spread in the south.

HCM City Police arrest three counterfeiters

HCM City Police arrested three members of a counterfeiting ring on Thursday in District 7.

The police seized two fake seals, six forged automobile driving licences and other fake documents.

Quach Trong Nam, the ring leader, who lives in Binh Duong District, escaped.

Police are still investigating the case.

Post office van used to smuggle cigarettes

The economic investigation police and Quang Nam Province’s traffic police discovered a post office van carrying contraband cigarettes and liquor in the central province on Thursday.

About 15,000 packages of Jet cigarettes and 144 bottles of Chivas Regal without regular invoices were uncovered while being transported from Quang Tri Province to HCM City.

According to the police, the use of official transport vehicles has become a new smuggling method.

Police bust gang with fake war-medal seals

Police in Yen Thanh District, in the central province of Nghe An, arrested four people on Monday for counterfeiting Government agency seals to produce fake medals, including Resistance War medals.

The police seized 19 fake first-class Resistance War medals, 16 fake degree certificates and cash.

The criminals admitted to 38 charges of creating fake medals, receiving VND500,000-600,000 ($26-$31) per medal.

Higher education reforms proposed

Higher education institutions should be separated into three kinds of tertiary-level institutions, depending on their function, educators have recommended.

The classification would help improve educational quality in the country, according to Dr Do Huy Thinh, head of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Regional Training Centre in Viet Nam.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the centre in HCM City on Thursday, Thinh said tertiary-level institutions should comprise research universities that offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees; universities that grant bachelor’s and master’s degrees; and colleges that offer diplomas after two-three years of study.

The seminar attracted more than 100 local and foreign experts as well as leaders of universities and colleges.

To serve the educational needs of the local population, colleges should be located in every province, Thinh said.

Higher education in Viet Nam is still for the elite, with only 15 per cent of young people studying at universities.

“Stratification in higher education in Viet Nam will be a basis for the country’s future education in the next five or 10 years when higher education becomes more common,” Thinh said.

Stratification would also help increase institutional autonomy as well as accreditation, he added.

Global education has witnessed remarkable growth and, in particular, a change in higher education, according to the seminar organiser, the SEAMEO centre.

There is increasing competition in the global arena among higher education institutions in terms of training quality.

SEAMEO invited educators and other professionals to the seminar to discuss a variety of issues, including organisation and structure, curriculum improvement, student recruitment, personnel development, evaluation and resource allocation.

Financial autonomy, which has been granted to tertiary-level institutions in Viet Nam, has helped them become more independent and accountable.

In addition, they have diversified external and internal resources for institutional development, which has helped to decentralise higher education. International co-operation with other institutions was also critical for universities, participants said.

Former Politburo member dies at 91

Nguyen Duc Tam, former Politburo member and former head of the Organisation Commission of the Communist Party of Viet Nam’s Central Committee, died on Thursday at the age of 91.

Tam, whose birth name was Nguyen Duc Kiem, was also former Secretary of Thai Binh and Bac Kan provincial Party committees.

He made major contribution to the Party and the people’s revolutionary struggle and had been awarded with the Gold Star Order, Ho Chi Minh Order, Insignia for 60 years of Party membership and a range of other prestigious orders and medals.

An announcement issued by the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly, the President, the Government, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee, and the Organisation Commission tomorrow of the CPV’s Central Committee confirmed that the deceased would be given a State funeral.

The memorial service will begin at 8.15am tomorrow at the State Funeral Hall at 5 Tran Thanh Tong Street, Ha Noi.

He will be buried in the capital’s Mai Dich National Cemetery.

Natural disasters caused heavy losses in life and property

The first and second tropical storms in July, Conson and Chanthu, caused great losses of human lives and resources, and seriously impacted production and the daily lives of the local people.

The General Statistics Office (GSO) says that the natural disasters have left 40 dead and missing and caused a total of VND1,300 billion in property damage. The northern port city of Hai Phong suffered most, with a material loss of about VND1,200 billion.

According to a preliminary report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), more than 100 houses collapsed and about 1,900 more were partially damaged, while nearly 13,000 hectares of rice and other crops were damaged or washed away.

Each year, about 750 people are killed or go missing in Vietnam due to natural disasters, and an estimated 1.5 percent of the nation’s GDP in property is lost. Functional agencies need to increase their forecasting and warning capacity for floods and storms and make more joint efforts in responding to natural disasters.

The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and the National Committee for Search and Rescue should draw up flexible plans to help local people cope with natural calamities to minimise human and material losses.

Capital honoured in live TV programme

Overseas Vietnamese have made great contributions to their nation’s defence and construction process, said Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan during a live TV broadcast linking Hanoi, Vientiane, Paris and UNESCO on July 31.

The programme, called “Cultural Harmony- Aspiration for Peace”, featured Lao Deputy Prime Minister Thoonglun Sisulith, and representatives of France’s Montroi City, UNESCO, and overseas Vietnamese communities.

The broadcast event was a combined salute to Hanoi’s 1000th anniversary and late President Ho Chi Minh’s 120th birthday.

Mrs. Doan asked overseas Vietnamese to join hands with their countrymen back home to uphold Vietnam’s united spirit, and strive for a more prosperous country.

The Vice President said she hoped the programme would help overseas Vietnamese and international friends get better acquainted with a dynamic Vietnam which is rapidly integrating into the global economy and building the powerful nation President Ho Chi Minh envisioned.

Vietnam wants to form reliable partnership with all countries and will do its best to ensure peace and prosperity in the region and in the world, said Mrs. Doan, adding that the country hopes to receive more support from the international community.

The broadcast, organised by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee, VTC Television, the Vietnam Buddhist Shangha, and HTV Telecommunications Company, sampled the cultures of Vietnam, Laos, and France.

Poor people in Mekong delta enjoy better healthcare services

Tens of thousands of poor people in An Giang province have access to reasonably-priced health services thanks to a medical support project in the Mekong delta.

Thank to the project, which is conducted by the Health Ministry, 59,505 people living under or just at the poverty line have received free health insurance and access to healthcare consultancy services. Heart surgeries have been carried out for many children under six years old and the elderly.

The project has also supported the management and treatment for psychopaths in the eight communes of An Phu, Tinh Bien, Tri Ton and Thoai Son districts.

As part of the project, 115 medical workers have been supported to undertake tertiary education and specialised training courses. In addition, the provincial polyclinic and the An Giang preventive medical centre have been provided with modern equipment to improve their diagnosis and treatment capacity.

Apart from An Giang, the project has also provided assistance to the other 12 cities and provinces in the Mekong delta.

Kicked off in September 2006 and expected to complete by the end of 2011, the project has a total investment of US$85 million, taken from the official development assistance (ODA) commitment to Vietnam.

The funding allocated to An Giang is more than US$6.4 million, of which the majority or over US$4.96 million has been disbursed in 2010.

Nation pays tribute to fallen martyrs

Thousands monks and people gathered at the Thang Long Royal Citadel on July 31 to attend the requiem ceremony for fallen soldiers, presided by Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue, Head of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Hanoi.

The requiem ceremony was held according to Buddhist services to show the country’s gratitude to those who fought and died for the cause of national liberation.

There will be a live international TV programme called “Hanoi, Vientiane and Paris/UNESCO for cultural harmony and peace” to welcome the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Vietnam, RoK ratify convict transfer agreement

Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son and Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Park Suk-hwan on July 30 exchanged documents ratifying an agreement on the transfer of convicts between the two countries.

The agreement, to be come into effect on August 30, will help increase cooperation between judicial bodies of the two countries, and mark a development in bilateral cooperation on crime prevention and fighting.

The agreement was signed in Seoul on May 29, 2009.

Dengue fever on the rise

Dengue fever has spread out rapidly in several southern, central and central highland provinces. The number of infected people hospitalized has increased sharply.

In southern Kien Giang province, nearly 800 cases of dengue fever – 3 of them fatal- have been reported with children comprising half of the total. In July alone, there were 155 diagnosed patients, 23 more than in June.

In central highland Kon Tum province, 322 people have contracted the disease in 36 communes and districts. July’s infection rate is three times what it was a year ago. The provincial preventive health centre said that the rainy season will boost populations of mosquitoes, which are the main carriers of the disease.

In central Quang Tri province, although no fatalities have been reported for the past few days, the number of infections has increased sharply. In July, 32 were confirmed, more than the total number of cases in the first half of the year.

Quang Tri province’s preventive health centre sent doctors to halt local outbreaks and co-ordinate with local authorities to eradicate mosquito larvae and conduct mosquito survey in areas reporting infections.

According to health experts, the increase in the number of dengue fever cases can be attributed to local negligence in carrying out preventive measures.

UAE to boost tourism cooperation with Vietnam

Many travel agents from the United Arabia Emirates (UAE) have visited Vietnam to seek out business opportunities in the field of tourism.

More than 20 major travel agents from the UAE attended a seminar jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE, Vietnam Airlines, the Sharaf Travel Agency and Etihad Airways in the capital Abu Dhabi on July 29 to introduce Vietnam’s tourism potential.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Quang Khai highlighted the achievements Vietnam’s tourism sector has made in recent years.

He stated that, despite a drop in numbers caused by the global economic crisis, Vietnam’s tourism sector still welcomed 2.6 million foreign tourists in the first six months of this year. In the second half of the year, the country is expecting to receive 6.2-6.5 million international arrivals as it is celebrating many significant events, such as the 65th anniversary of National Day and the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

If this goal is achieved, the sector will earn US$4.5-5 billion, accounting for 20 percent of the nation’s GDP. Vietnam is striving to become one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the region by 2015 and among the top ten destinations in the world.

Mr Khai said that the Vietnamese Embassy will create the best possible conditions to help UAE businesses invest more in Vietnam.

PV