4,500 tons of wildlife smuggled through
Vietnam annually
Environmental police on Wednesday said an estimated 4,000-4,500 tons of wild
animals and their body parts are smuggled through Vietnam every year from
Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.
According to the Department of Environmental Police, primates, bears, anteaters,
turtles, snakes, elephant tasks and rhino horns are transported to Vietnam
before heading to China.
A small percentage stays inside Vietnam to be consumed domestically, it said.
The General Customs Office since 2005 has discovered 14 illegal imports of
wildlife, seizing 13.5 tons of ivory and more than 30 tons of turtles and turtle
parts from the Hai Phong Port.
In Vietnam, wild animals are highly sought as demands for bush meats in homes
and restaurants are rising from their overrated health properties.
Police said there are more than 200 restaurants serving bush meat in Hanoi
alone.
No evidence found in alleged child abuse
Police in the southern province of Dong Nai said they found no evidence to prove
the four children who ran away from a local orphanage to Ho Chi Minh City last
month were abused.
Nguyen Van Be Hai, 13, Diep Tuan Khoa, 6, Le Gia Huy, 5, and Diep Hieu Trung, 4,
were found wandering on HCMC’s Hung Vuong Street Nov 8 with multiple bruises on
their bodies.
Police took them to the HCMC Social Sponsoring Center, where they said they had
run away from the Dong Nai Open Home, a charity center for orphans and abandoned
children.
Khoa and Huy were taken to the Children’s Hospital No.1 to treat a broken arm
and several wounds.
Hai told the police they had been tortured by Le Thi Thanh Lan, deputy chief of
the Dong Nai Open Home, and her husband Le An Thanh.
Police then opened investigations into the alleged beating but they announced
Tuesday no evidence was found.
They said Hai, the oldest boy, disliked Lan because she kept yelling at him for
being too mischievous, so he talked other boys into running away with him.
The wounds on the kids’ bodies are not the results of torture, but just a fall
when they climbed up a two-meter wall in the dark to escape, according to
police.
Khoa and Trung, two brothers, have been brought back to their home to live with
their grandmother, while the two others have been sent back to another orphanage
in the capital Bien Hoa City.
2 foreigners drown near Phan Thiet, 1 saved
Two tourists, a Russian and a French, died while snorkeling in the central
province of Binh Thuan Monday, local police said. A Russian man was rescued by
fishermen.
The dead have been identified as Philippe Bousseau, 47, of France and Alexander
Nikolav, 42.
The rescued man, Pavel, who was found by fishermen off Cu Lao Cau beach in Tuy
Phong District, was pulled ashore for first aid.
He told them the other two were underwater, but by the time the fishermen
reached them, they were already dead.
The three had been staying in different hotels in the resort city of Phan Thiet
some 110 km away.
The bodies were sent to the Binh Thuan General Hospital. Autopsies will be done
today in the presence of consular officials to identify the cause of death.
Vietnam Airlines to fly direct between Can Tho and Taipei (China)
Vietnam Airlines plans non stop flights between Can Tho and Taipei (China) to
meet travel demands of passengers during the Lunar New Year 2011. C
The airlines celebrated the inauguration of Can Tho International Airport in
December. The first inaugural flight departed from Can Tho at 1.55 on December
20 and arrived in Taipei at 6.15. The return flight left Taipei at 7.40 and
arrived in Can Tho at 10.10.
The forthcoming flights are scheduled on December 29, January 12,19,21,29, 30
and February 5, 7,9,12.
In the first phase of renovation the airport was upgraded to receive domestic
flights in 2008 and international flights in 2009. The total cost of the project
from 2007 to 2025 is expected to exceed VND11, 000 billion.
The renovation will upgrade the airport to Grade 4E ICAO (International Civil
Aviation Organization) standards allowing landings by larger aircrafts including
the B777 and B747-400 normally used for international flights. The new
facilities will also improve on the passengers checking time.
Bus operator skyrockets bus fares for Tet
Taking advantage of the ticket scarcity in the coming Tet holidays, the bus
operator Hoang Long Transport Ltd Company has stiffened bus fares at Mien Dong
Bus Station, in Ho Chi Minh City.
On Tuesday morning, many people gathered in front of the ticket stalls of Mai
Linh, Chin Nghia, Binh Tam and Hoang Long. However, many hopeful passengers
failed to get a ticket.
The companies operating the routes from HCMC to central provinces have doubled
their fares. One of the companies that has continuously manipulated the fare is
Hoang Long.
Specifically, on December 5, it increased the fare on the HCMC to Hanoi route
from VND650, 000 to VND720, 000.
Three days later, it rose the price again to VND850,000 and then to VND1,
190,000.
In addition to Tet tickets, the company has charged passengers a 60 percent
increase in current prices.
Furthermore, Hoang Long was found to be selling Tet tickets; although it had not
displayed any price of a ticket, on the notice board.
This was at the Mien Dong Bus Station’s on December 21.The company also broke
other regulations by selling tickets with higher price than that was stated on
the notice board and by giving out no invoices.
Thuong Thanh Hai, director of the Mien Dong Bus Station said that the station
has been reported to the relevant authority and shortly they will handle the
case.
With regard to the current regulations, the bus operators have rights to
increase or decrease their prices as long as they inform the bus station and
Departments of Transport, Finance and Taxation, about the new prices increases,
Hai added.
Vietnam tests ‘Chinese satay’ after revelation of toxic cancer-causing
substance
Following revelations made by the Chinese media, who stated that their satay
might contain a toxic cancer-causing substance, Vietnamese authorities on
December 21 took samples from some markets in the North for testing.
The Vietnam Food Administration and the Ministry of Health investigated markets
in Hanoi and the northern provinces in order to collect cooking samples of the
Chinese satay (or pot-au-feu spices).
The revelation has caused fear in Vietnam as many people have used these spices
for years.
In Dong Xuan market, the biggest wholesale market in Hanoi, Chinese products are
displayed besides locally-made satay and other spices. China’s satay is sold at
VND10, 000 a pack.
In addition, Chinese products have no expiry date on their packaging and no
Vietnamese language labeling.
Nguyen Thanh Phong, deputy head of the administration, said Chinese companies
have not announced the quality of these products in Vietnam. Furthermore, the
display of these products in this country violates Vietnam’s food hygiene and
safety regulations.
Phong warned Vietnamese customers to be careful in selecting and buying products
that have no clear indications of its origin.

PV