Unlicensed gas
stations remain open in city

Sixty one gas stations in Ho Chi Minh City remain open despite being
ordered to shut down in 2006 for lack of a license, according to the city
Department of Industry and Commerce.

One of them, at 622 Binh Long Street, Tan Phu District,
ostensibly shut down December 22. But a few days later it was discovered to be
selling gasoline clandestinely.

A district official said the city people’s committee would
force the unlicensed gas stations to close.

One hundred and eight others were granted temporary licenses
to operate from 2007 to 2010, subject to further extension, since their
facilities were not up to standard.

There are around 500 service stations in the city.

Recently, a video clip on Tuoi Tre Online showed some
employees at two Vietnam National Petroleum Corp gas stations in the city
fleecing customers by tampering with the pumps. They were fired by the company.

Last month the city Market Management Board said seven other
gas stations were found supplying low-quality gasoline and using illegal
electronic chips to cheat customers.

Fear of toxic
additives in cooking

Medical experts believe one of the causes of cancer in the
world is the rampant use of harmful chemicals and additives in food.

As Tet (lunar New Year) holiday approaches, wholesale
markets such as Binh Tay, Ben Thanh, An Dong and Kim Bien begin selling jams
and dry fruits without labels, giving no indication of their origin and
manufacturing base.

Shop assistants claim these dry fruits and jams are imported
from China
but it is not clear whether these foods have been certified by health
authorities. These dry fruits could contain toxic substances and are being sold
to innocent customers who favor their taste.

Last year the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health (DOH)
did a random test of six dry fruit samples from three vendors at the Binh Tay
wholesale market in District 6.

The authorities found five samples to contain lead and a
banned artificial sweetener, Cyclamate. Tests also showed that melon seeds and
chilli powder contained Rhodamine B, a harmful dye suspected of being
carcinogenic.

Medics believe that eating food contaminated with lead over
a long period of time can cause damage to the nervous system, impair brain
function, cause kidney failure and in extreme cases even lead to death.

However, these products continue to sell in markets heedless
of their harmful affects on health. Customers are lured by their eye catching
and colorful appearance and packaging.

The city DOH has ordered the district 5 People’s Committee
to monitor Kim Bien market and identify shops that sell toxic foods, but there
has been little success in that area. Besides, chefs preparing food items are
not aware of the harmful affects of such chemicals and therefore use them in
excess.

Medical experts stress that it is now very important to
control the inflow of smuggled chemicals and also prevent banned additives from
being imported into the country.

Tonnes of farm fish
found dead

More than 150 tonnes of red tilapias have died en masse in
the past week in Cao Lanh District in the southern province of Dong Thap,
resulting in losses of VND35 billion (US$1.7 million) for aquaculture farmers.

Red tilapias are the world’s most popular farmed fish. They
are fast growing and low in mercury.

The dead fish were being raised by 41 households along the
Can Lo River. It was the first time such a disaster has occurred.

“Tests on the fish and water samples reveal the deaths
were caused by frequent ebb tides and the high densities of fish kept caged in
pens,” said Vu Thi Nhung, head of the provincial Department of Natural
Resources and Environment’s Environmental Protection Division.

The tests were conducted by the department and Can Tho
University. Nhung added that ebb tides created high amounts of organic
substances in the water, which helped make oxygen levels below regulated
levels.

The density of the fish in pens was 130-200 per square
metre, much higher than the 90-150.

“The more organic substances deposited, the less oxygen
in the water. This is what killed them,” said Nhung.

She added that the department did not have any plan to
support local farmers who lost their fish. But it will hold training courses to
make sure farmers understand the proper technology for raising the fish.

Two passengers killed
as truck smashes bus in Dak Nong

At least two people died and 14 others were seriously
injured when a truck crashed into a passenger bus which then tumbled down a
cliff in the Central Highlands province
of Dak Nong early
Thursday.

The truck traveling along the National Highway No 14 hit the
32-seat bus on its side, causing the bus to overturn and fall off a cliff.

Two passengers died on the spot, including a three-month-old
baby boy. Fourteen other people, including the bus driver, were seriously
injured.

The truck continued to hit another passenger bus, damaging
its back; luckily, its 30 passengers were unharmed.

Local police arrived at the scene to take the injured
passengers to hospital.

The truck was driven by Nguyen Ngoc My, 34, hailing from the
southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

Four-legged ‘snake’
found in An Giang

A man in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang
said Wednesday he had caught a strange-looking reptile that looks like a snake
with four legs.

Curious crowds have rushed to the house of Nguyen Ngoc Huynh
of Chau Thanh District to see the 15-cm “snake.”

The reptile is as big as a chopstick, with yellow and shiny
skin.

Huynh said it can move and swim with its four legs.

Local residents said it may be a rare lizard species called
Lygosoma angeli found in Vietnam.

The species is commonly known as angel’s writhing skink,
which refers to the way these stubby-legged animals move, snake-like but slower
and more awkward.

Fire destroys HCMC
plastic plant

A fire burned down 900 square meters of warehouse and
consumed 30 tones of plastic pellets at a plant belonging to the Thai Hoa
Limited Company in Ho Chi Minh City’s
Binh Chanh district at 2:15 PM yesterday.

It is estimated to cause a loss of VND2 billion ($100,000).
Luckily no human casualty was reported.

The flame, thought to spread to 2,500 square meters in just
a minute, was extinguished after two hours after 9 firefighting trucks and 70
firemen arrived.

The factory experienced another fire back in 2006.

Two hours earlier on the same day, another fire also
occurred to a small lubricant oil production and recycling facility in Hoc Mon
district in the city.

People in the neighborhood freaked out when some oil
containers blew off causing big explosions.

But the blaze was controlled after an hour and no one was
hurt.

The causes of the two fires are under investigation.

Travel club debuts
for Thai tourists

A club of 30 travel companies, mostly in central Vietnam
that cater to Thai travelers, made debut in Danang city Tuesday.

Its mission is to strengthen cooperation among member
companies to improve services, prevent price undercutting, and boost tourism
promotion targeting Thai visitors to the country.

The members will contribute funds to promotional programs
aimed at presenting a common voice against unfair competition and bettering
service standards for Thai tourists travelling to the country via border gates
in the central region like Cau Treo, Cha Lo, Lao Bao and Nam Can.

Member companies will set the minimum prices for three
popular overland tours tailored for Thai tourists in the central region, whose
number has seen an upsurge in recent years.

The price frame will take effect on January, 1.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT)
estimated 200,000 Thai tourists will arrive in the country this year.

One more of sunken
Van Don 02 saved, 11 still missing

Another man from the cargo vessel Van Don 02, which sank on
the southern part of East
Sea on December 28, has
been saved. This now takes the rescued crewmembers to 12. However, another 11
people from the ship are still missing.

Do Thanh Tu, 26, from Hai Phong City was saved by fishing
boat number 95690 on December 29, said Do Trieu Quang, the owner of the Van Don
02.

Mr Quang, director of the Quang Ninh Sea Transport, Import
and Export Joint Stock Company, also added that Tu’s health is still rather
weak.

Earlier on December 28, 11 members of the vessel were saved
by two fishing boats from the southern province of Kien Giang.

Pham Xuan Thuy, deputy director of the company said that the
sinking incident might have been caused by a tornado, triggered by a
low-pressure system.

The remaining crewmembers that were lost at sea have been
identified and they are mainly from Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Ha Noi
and Ha Nam.

PV