33 workers hospitalized from gas leakage

Dozens of workers were sent to hospital after they inhaled gas leaked from a storage room at the Vietnam Livestock Corporation in the southern Dong Nai province 1:00 pm Wednesday.

Many workers told Tuoi Tre they tried to run away after they sniffed in the gas leaked from the company’s freezing room during lunchtime.

However, after running for only few minutes, they felt nauseous and dizzy and some fainted.

According to Dr. Hoang Van Hoa, director of Trang Bom General Hospital, all victims suffered from dizziness, nausea, respiratory problems, dry throats, and watery eyes.

By late noon the same day, some victims were still dizzy and needed oxygen supply.

HCM City sets up regional centre of expertise

A Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) on education for sustainable development has been established at the International University under Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City.

A certificate to the effect was granted by representative of the UN University Prof. Mario Tabucanon on February 23.

The Director of the HCM City International University, Ho Thanh Phong, said the RCE will carry out educational assistance and research projects for sustainable development of southern provinces in Vietnam.

It is expected to improve the quality of educational research in the Mekong delta in particular and the country in general, Phong said.

With the establishment of the RCE, Vietnam will officially become a member of a network of existing formal, non-formal and informal education organisations.

At present, there are 85 RCE in the world, including 10 in Southeast Asia.

Thai police rescue 14 Vietnam surrogate mothers

Thailand’s police Wednesday afternoon rescued 14 Vietnamese women hailing from Mekong Delta provinces after they busted a transnational ring offering surrogate services in Bangkok’s suburbs.

At a private house No. 246, Soi 150, in Thararong, four Vietnamese girls T.T.M.P., M.T.H., L.T.N.H, and T.B, aged from 19 to 26, said they were moved here from southern provinces of Ca Mau and Bac Lieu four months ago.

They added they are not provided with good jobs as promised. Instead, they were put under ‘house arrest’.

All of the women’s passports have been seized by their owner, probably a Taiwanese.

Two of them are pregnant.

At a nearby house No. 79/86, nine other Vietnamese women hailing from Bac Lieu, An Giang, Hau Giang, and Ca Mau provinces were replying to police’s question.

Some victims told police they were paid US$5,000 for each child delivery (They would be prepaid $1,000, the rest would be transferred to their family upon a successful delivery).

By late noon the same day, all of them have been sent to Thailand Immigration Bureau to make some necessary procedures before returning to their hometowns.

Four young men, probably Taiwanese, were also questioned.

According to a source, the owners would take the sperms of some ‘famous people’ and then implanted them into the chosen surrogate mothers.

Taxi driver indicted in freak train crash

Prosecutors in the southern Dong Nai Province on Wednesday laid charges of “hindering railway traffic” against a taxi driver in connection with a train crash on the Ghenh Bridge that killed two on February 6.

Nguyen Minh Chau, 44, was charged with causing the traffic jam in the first place that triggered the accident.

He reportedly argued with another driver over who should give way first.

The argument caused a traffic jam on the bridge, along which a railway track runs.

A train then ploughed into the six cars stuck on the track.

Another taxi driver, Nguyen Hung Quoc, has been released after two-week detention as the prosecutors did not find enough evidence to prove he caused the traffic jam on the bridge.

Previously, seven railway workers were detained for further investigations into the accident.

Four employees responsible for the train crossing barrier and another in charge of traffic signal were accused of “irresponsibility causing serious consequences” while chief driver Nguyen Van Tuy and assistant driver Nguyen Xuan Phu are facing charges of “infringing on railway regulations.”

On Feb 6, a father and son in a truck died on the spot and 26 others were injured when the S2 train heading for Hanoi smashed into six vehicles being stuck on the railway track that runs along the Ghenh Bridge in Bien Hoa City near Ho Chi Minh City.

Passengers stuck in the traffic jam started to scramble out of their vehicles as the train moved forward while others screamed and ran away.

According to local police, it is the worst railway accident ever in Bien Hoa - the capital city of Dong Nai Province.

Polluting Vedan compensates Can Gio farmers

One Can Gio farmer receives the second compensation from Vedan on February 23 197 fishing households in Ho Chi Minh City’s Can Gio District today received their second compensation from Vedan Vietnam for losses caused by the firm’s polluting the Thi Vai River over two years ago.

The compensation payment, also the final one to those households, was jointly conducted this morning by the local Farmers’ Association and the State Treasury in Can Gio District.

The households received about VND44 million (US$2,100) each. In the first payment on January 24, 2011, each household was paid VND43 million (US$2,060).

The district bank will begin distributing the second compensation tomorrow to 200-250 local households engaged in fishing and farming.

The bank expects to complete the payment by February 28.

In September 2008, Taiwanese MSG marker Vedan Vietnam was found discharging untreated wastewater to the Thi Vai River in southern Dong Nai province, causing a serious pollution to the river and its tributaries in HCM City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

Workers demand pay as Taiwan boss flees

More than 300 workers of a Taiwanese-owned company in Ho Chi Minh City surrounded the company’s warehouse Tuesday after hearing the general director had absconded with all their salaries.

The workers of the Magnicon Wool Weaving and Exporting Company in District 12 gathered around the warehouse upon hearing that Lai Chun Nam could not be reached via telephone.

They suspected he may have fled the country as the company is owing VND1 billion (US$47,800) as January’s salary to workers.

The workers added they were forced to work extra-time until they were exhausted last month.

The director board delayed paying them twice.

Heart nearly split in two successful mended

A man from the northern Hai Duong province is recovering from a complex 5-hour surgery on his heart which was almost broken in two pieces in an industrial accident.

Nguyen Van H., 32, lost consciousness after being hit on his chest by a heavy machine last week and was hospitalized at Hai Duong provincial hospital.

Upon being transferred to Hanoi’s Viet Duc general hospital later, he suffered from cyanosis, breathing difficulty, and low blood pressure.

Nguyen Huu Uoc, the cardiologist in charge of the patient said upon operation, his heart was found to be almost cut apart in two pieces, although previous ultrasound results and other tests had not shown such a fatal condition.

His heart suffered from tremendous force from outside, badly damaging many vital cardio structures, which would normally lead to death, the doctor said.

But after a 5-hour surgery to mend perforations, the patient’s heart beat again.

It is the first rare case with such complexity and severity that has ever been successful in Vietnam, taking into consideration the patient was hospitalized quite late, the doctor said.

Every year, there are about 3-5 cases with serious heart-related injuries admitted to Viet Duc general hospital but all have been much less severe.

The patient is now awake and has been placed under close watch.

Nation to lack 1.78 bln kWh amid record fee hike

While the power price in Vietnam is about to rise a record 15.28% as of this March, the Electricity Moderation Department reported a total shortage of about 1.78 billion kWh from March to June.

In a report submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the department said the total demand in the next four month is estimated at 55.48 billion kWh, while the supply is just 53.7 billion kWh.

The shortage will increase over time, with 333 million kWh in March, 432 million kWh in April, 472 million kWh in May and 538 million kWh in June.

The lack of power is mainly caused by ongoing repairs at Phu My 3 Power Plant in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, Hai Phong Power Plant in northern Hai Phong City, and the Son Dong Power Plant in northern Bac Giang Province, the department said.

6 Vietnamese fishermen missing in Paracel Islands

6 Vietnamese fishermen from central Quang Ngai province have gone missing in Paracel Islands after a three-week sail in the area.

The fishermen from Ly Son District of Quang Ngai set sail for Paracel Islands area last December 22 to collect edible seaweed, but have lost contact with their families since January 23.

On Monday, provincial government of Quang Ngai requested higher authority to carry out an intensive search for the missing men.

The boat in question carries a QNg-66192-TS number plate with 5 crew members under Captain Le Minh Tan.

Notably, among the missing crew is 66-year-old Nguyen Dang who was captured by foreign ships in 2001 and lost his own boat since then.

The man was taken captive again for one month last year while working on his friend’s boat and had just been released last October.

’We don’t know why they are missing,’ said Nguyen Van Le, a senior official of Ly Son District’s People’s Committee.

Health Minister pledges comprehensive reforms

The Health Minister has announced a plan to issue policies to encourage medical workers in disadvantaged rural and mountainous areas in the Ministry of Health’s 2011 plan, a response to Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan’s call for comprehensive reforms.

At a meeting in Hanoi on Feb. 21, Minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu said in celebration of Vietnam Physicians’ Day (February 27) that the medical sector will upgrade the national network for monitoring cooking quality, hygiene and safety.

The ministry will also intensify investment in scientific research and technological application while developing the domestic pharmaceutical industry, especially essential drug production, in order to meet public demand for medical treatment.

Other targets include expansion of international cooperation, stronger foreign aid attraction and better use of foreign aid to the medical sector, and speeding up the relevant policy-making process.

Also at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Nhan called on the Health Ministry to reform its management mechanism in order to ensure good supply of quality medicines and increase equality in medical checks and treatment among the population, especially the poor, and children and families subject to social welfare policy.

“The Ministry should take the initiative in forecasting epidemics, in an effort to prevent them from breaking out,” Nhan said.

The Health Ministry reported that average Vietnamese lifespan was now at 73 years, while preventive medicine was strengthened, thus containing epidemic outbreaks.

Beds in public hospitals can accommodate 20.5 in every 10,000 citizens and health insurance covered over 60 percent of the national population, including over 16 percent of the poor having access to free medical insurance cards.

16 million poor people granted health insurance cards

A policy supporting poor people and vulnerable groups in medical check-ups and treatment has seen progresses with some 16 million poor people being provided with health insurance cards so far.

According to the Ministry of Health (MoH), 60 percent of the country’s population had possessed health insurance cards by early 2011.

The MoH said it has suggested health insurance payment policy for all traffic accident patients regardless of their violations of traffic laws or not.

Under its proposal to the Ministry of Finance, the MoH said once approved, the policy will help solve difficulties for traffic accident victims in proving their eligibility to health insurance interests.