VietNam Society: 8/22/10

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Former district head sentenced to 26 years in jail

Former district head sentenced to 26 years in jail A court in Ho Chi Minh City Friday handed down a 26-year-jail term to the former head of Hoc Mon District for accepting VND1.4-billion (US$71,942) in bribes and abusing power to approve two infrastructure projects.

Nguyen Van Khoe was also found guilty of abusing his official capacity to influence others and appropriate property.

Previously prosecutors had said the former of Hoc Mon People’s Committee may face the death sentence for the charges filed against him.

Khoe was convicted of receiving bribes from Tran Thi Ha, former director of Thanh Phat Company and her deputy Ha Van Hoa to approve a housing estate and an industrial zone in the district’s Dong Thanh Commune in late 2002 and early 2003.

He also asked them for cash and gifts worth a total of $15,000 and VND780 million ($40,082) to bribe other officials to secure the approval, despite the fact that Thinh Phat didn’t have the financial capability to build them, the trial heard.

Tran Van Te, former chairman of Dong Thanh People’s Committee, was sentenced to 13 years in prison also for power abuse and receiving bribes.

Duong Minh Trung, former chief of Hoc Mon District Division of Planning and Investment, and Nguyen Van Do, another former official from Dong Thanh Commune, were given seven year imprisonment and three year suspended sentence respectively for abuse of power.

Dang Cong Danh, former director of Danh Khoa Company, meanwhile, received eight years for brokering bribes between Khoe and the husband and wife team of Ha and Hoa.

According to the court, with approval for the two projects, Ha and Hoa also secured loans of 3,000 taels (approximate 3,600 ounces) of gold and VND18 billion from the Cho Lon Branch of the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank).

The scheme was a scam with the bank as the victim, the HCMC People’s Court said, sentencing the married couple to life for “offering bribes” and “committing fraud to appropriate properties.”

Ha and Hoa were ordered to pay back the loans as compensation to Agribank, but as the bank didn’t claim the compensation at the trial, the gold and money would be transferred to the state budget, the court said.

The court also handed down a 12-year jail term to Tran Van Tuyen, former director of the bank’s branch for violating lending regulations.

Tuyen’s subordinate, Luu Thi Minh Hieu, was given 10 years on the same charges, while Nguyen Cong Dinh, a bank employee, was sentenced to seven years in prison for receiving bribes.

New bauxite reserves found in Binh Phuoc

New bauxite reserves found in Binh Phuoc Bauxite reserves of nearly one billion tons have been detected in the southern province of Binh Phuoc, the National Institute of Mining – Metallurgy Science and Technology said Friday.

Located in two mines in Bu Dang District, the new reserves are the third largest after those found in the central highlands provinces of Dak Nong and Lam Dong, according to the institute under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Lam Dong was estimated to have some 1.2 billion tons of bauxite reserves, and Dak Nong, 3.4 billion tons. Bauxite is refined into alumina, which is then smelted into aluminum metal.

The newly-discovered reserves will meet the demand of the ministry’s plan to build an aluminum plant in Binh Phuoc in 2016, the institute said.

Vietnam’s first aluminum plant is being constructed in Lam Dong and expected to start production this year with the capacity of producing 650,000 tons of alumina annually. Another plant also broke ground in Dak Nong early this year.

Vietnam has 5.4 billion tons of bauxite reserves, the world’s largest after Guinea and Australia, according to a US Geological Survey report published last year.

Hanoi anniversary: no hi-tech interventions to keep rain at bay

Hanoi anniversary: no hi-tech interventions to keep rain at bay Hanoi will not employ foreign cloud-seeding technologies to keep it from raining during the 1,000th anniversary celebrations to be held this October, the government’s website reported Friday.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung, who is at helm of organizing the ten-day (October 1-10) anniversary celebrations, announced the decision after Hanoi authorities proposed that the costly technologies proposed by some experts are not deployed.

It would cost billions of dollars to deploy the technology that can help stop rains for three days, the government said.

Instead, the government ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to strictly observe and keep track of weather happenings and send advance reports to the capital. Reports have to be submitted during the events as well, the ministry was told.

In their proposal to the government, Hanoi’s authorities suggested moving celebration outdoor activities to the Vietnam National Convention Center in case of heavy rain.

Previously the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Protection had forecast that the city is likely to face flooding between August and October on the same scale as the one that killed 17 people in 2008.

Politburo continues with congress preparation

The Party Politburo has pushed provinces and cities in the central region and Central Highlands and central-level agencies to speed up preparations for the National Party Congress scheduled for early next year.

Truong Tan Sang, Politburo member and permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Secretariat, and several other Politburo members heard elites from Binh Dinh, Dac Lac and Lam Dong provinces and Danang city and central-level agencies report draft resolutions of their Party committees and personnel designation for the next Party term in 2010-15 at separate meetings in Hanoi recently.

Sang praised the four localities for their success in recording double-digit economic growth last year despite global economic challenges.

Along with economic success, these provinces and cities have made great changes for better in social and cultural areas, improving the human resources and reducing the poverty rates, Sang added.

He also lauded their efforts in strengthening the political system, safeguarding the national security and broadening foreign relations.

He reminded the central province of Binh Dinh to take care of agricultural production and rural living conditions and paying attention to resettlements for farmers and narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor.

He advised the coastal province to better tap its maritime economy, intensifying investment in seafood exports and providing support for fishermen operating offshore.

In a working session with Dac Lac province, Sang pointed out its geological advantage as heart of the Central Highlands with great potential in natural resources.

The Party official called on the provincial party committee to make greater efforts in development of party members, recruiting more young, female and ethnic minority members.

The provincial Party committee should uphold the revolutionary vigilance and ensure ideological security in the new stage of development, he urged.

In regard to the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, where the superb French-styled Dalat mountain resort is located, Sang urged it to tap its advantages to develop tourism. He also called on the province to take care of the environment, especially for the Dong Nai river.

He praised the province for having a good composition of young and female Party members in the local Party leadership. Sang advised the provincial Party committee to expand the Party development to rural areas and enterprise circles.

In a working session with the central city of Danang, Sang urged the municipal Party committee to further improve its personnel capacity to meet an increasing demand for high quality human resources in the next five years.

He asked the city to resort to all means in human resource development to ensure professional, competent and ethical personnel.

“Firm measures should be taken to reform working styles and administrative procedures of the Party in an effort to improve the Party work quality,” Sang emphasised.

The Party secretary asked the Party committee of the central-level agencies to continue fulfilling the role of an advisor on the Party strategy and help Party Central Committee and the State institutionalise the Party resolutions.

He called on the Party organisation to better organise training courses and research in Party resolution.

Jailed transport official faces bribery charges in graft case

Jailed transport official faces bribery charges in graft case Vietnamese investigators last week charged a former transportation official with accepting US$262,000 in bribes from a Tokyo-based company seeking contracts in a major Ho Chi Minh City roadway project.

From October 2000 to November 2008, Huynh Ngoc Si served as head of the East-West Highway Project in HCMC as well as vice director of the city’s Department of Transport.

In March of this year, Si was convicted of “abuse of power” and sentenced to six years in prison. The court found that Si had illegally leased office space to the Tokyo-based Pacific Consultants International (PCI) firm from August 2001 to November 2002. The court estimated that Si had pocketed VND1.2 billion (currently $62,959) from the agreement.

On August 12, the investigators of the Ministry of Public Security charged Si with accepting bribes from PCI in 2003 to help the company win contracts inside Vietnam.

Si has denied the allegations, according to investigators.

The accusations against Si were first made on November 11, 2008 as PCI leaders stood trial in Tokyo for violations of the Unfair Competition Prevention Law, which prohibits the bribing of foreign government officials.

Japan later prosecuted the officials for offering $820,000 in bribes.

The scandal led Tokyo to temporarily suspend official development assistance (ODA) loans to Vietnam in December of the same year. They resumed the loans three months later.

The Vietnamese investigation was launched in December 2008 after four former PCI executives claimed, in an open Japanese court, that they gave Si $2.43 million in bribes to secure contracts.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs forwarded 3,050 pages of testimony given in the Tokyo District Court to Vietnamese authorities. The handoff was accomplished through diplomatic channels as the two countries have not yet reached an agreement on bilateral judicial assistance. Testimony offered in the transcripts alleged that officials at PCI had been determined to bribe Vietnamese officials to win contracts.

After reviewing the testimony, Vietnamese investigators alleged that Sakashita Haruo, a PCI board member, conspired with Sakano Tsuneo, head of PCI’s office in Vietnam, to use bribery to secure contracts inside the country. The two officials asked Nguyen Thanh Hoang, general director of Norfolk Hotel, where they often rented rooms, to arrange a meeting with Si.

Hoang and Si often golfed together.

At their meeting in February 2001, Si declined to respond to the shady offer in Hoang’s presence, according to the Vietnamese allegations. Following the rendezvous, Si called the PCI officials for another meeting at a karaoke lounge where they allegedly negotiated a deal. Si asked for 20 percent of the contract and after several subsequent negotiations, the deal was lowered to 10 percent.

PCI won the $9-million contract in June 2001.

Investigators here have alleged that PCI paid Si a total of $900,000 on separate occasions—citing information discovered in the Japanese trial.

Si was also accused of receiving $1.7 million from PCI officials in exchange for his efforts to secure an inspection consultant position on the East West Highway project.

The central government had initially indicated that the Highway’s project management unit (PMU) would put the sizeable contract out to bid. However, on March 18 in 2002, Si formally requested that the HCMC administration seek government approval in awarding PCI the lucrative consultant position.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security has claimed that it sought bribery charges against Si in connection with a payment of $262,000 because they had the evidence in hand. Investigators here say they continue to cooperate with the Japanese authorities in exploring further allegations against Si. The disgraced PCI executives claimed to have bribed Si on six additional occasions.

If true, Vietnamese authorities say, the claims could spark further charges.

THE CASE FILE

On June 25, 2008, Japan's Yomiuri newspaper reported that authorities were investigating Tokyo-based Pacific Consultants International (PCI) following allegations that the firm had bribed Southeast Asian officials to secure contracts for official development assistance (ODA) funded projects. The allegations included assertions that the authorities had paid $200,000 to a Vietnamese official.

Three days later, Yomiuri reported that the PCI executives had identified the recipient of the bribes, saying that the person was responsible for Ho Chi Minh City's East-West Highway Project.

In early July 2008, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee asked the project management unit (PMU) of the East-West Highway Project to report on the charges. The unit denied any wrongdoings.

On August 25, 2008 four PCI executives were prosecuted for offering bribes of $820,000 to PMU head, Huynh Ngoc Si, in 2003 and 2006.

On November 12, 2008 the Yomiuri newspaper reported that four former PCI executives – former president Masayoshi Taga, former managing director Kunio Takasu, former board member Sakashita Haruo and former Hanoi office chief Sakano Tsuneo – had pled guilty to bribery charges during a trial in a Tokyo District Court.

On November 19, 2008 Si was suspended by the HCMC government pending further investigation.

On December 8, 2008 the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security announced a criminal investigation into the allegations.

On January 29, 2009 a Tokyo district court sentenced three PCI officials including Sakashita Haruo, Takasu Kunio, and Sakano Tsuneo to two years, 20 months and 18 months in prison, respectively. All were given three-year suspended sentences.

On February 9, 2009, Si and his deputy Le Qua were arrested on charges of abuse of power.

On September 25, 2009, the HCMC People's Court sentenced Si and Qua to three and two years in jail respectively.

In January 2010, the Ministry of Public Security announced it would launch an official investigation focusing on the graft charges against Si.

In March 2010, HCMC Supreme People’s Court doubled jail terms against Si and increased the sentence against Qua to five years after prosecutors appealed for a more stringent punishment.

Vietnam seizes 13 foreigners on suspicion of fraud

Vietnam seizes 13 foreigners on suspicion of fraud Vietnamese police have arrested 13 foreigners in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho for allegedly cheating businesses in Taiwan and mainland China with hi-tech supported tricks.

According to investigators, the suspects were part of a ring with 200 members, 99 of whom were nabbed in Ho Chi Minh City last month.

Initial investigations showed that the smaller ring, led by Taiwanese Chen-Wei-Wen, used Internet-based voice communication services to call businesses, posing as Chinese or Taiwanese police and telling the latter that their bank accounts had been used by money launderers.

The targeted businesses would be asked to press number 9 to contact police who were in charge of the case, and would hear fake voices of police talking and sounds of typing, investigators said.

The businesses were then convinced to transfer money from their account to one said to belong to the police as a security measure.

Another trick was to inform businesses they had huge outstanding phone bills and ask them to contact the police in charge also by pressing number 9, according to investigators, adding that the businesses would be asked to transfer money to pay the bills.

Chen-Wei-Wen told the police for each successful case, his ring would receive 60-80 percent of the cheated money.

He said they had rented a house on the outskirts of Can Tho. They had just set up the Internet and were yet to conduct any scam when they were arrested last Friday (August 13).

Police from the Ministry of Public Security and Can Tho City confiscated laptops, phones and 50 scripts for ring members to use when they posed as Vietnamese agencies like the police, banks and prosecutors’ offices, from the house, investigators said, adding that the ring tried to stop them with tear gas during their raid.

HCMC police previously said the organization's ringleaders were based in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asian countries, and employed various fraudulent tricks.

According to Interpol, these types of criminals first appeared in Taiwan several years ago. They stole hundreds of thousands to a million dollars in each case.

Vietnam seizes 13 foreigners on suspicion of fraud

According to investigators, the suspects were part of a ring with 200 members, 99 of whom were nabbed in Ho Chi Minh City last month.

The targeted businesses would be asked to press number 9 to contact police who were in charge of the case, and would hear fake voices of police talking and sounds of typing, investigators said.

The businesses were then convinced to transfer money from their account to one said to belong to the police as a security measure.

Chen-Wei-Wen told the police for each successful case, his ring would receive 60-80 percent of the cheated money.

He said they had rented a house on the outskirts of Can Tho. They had just set up the Internet and were yet to conduct any scam when they were arrested last Friday (August 13).

HCMC police previously said the organization's ringleaders were based in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asian countries, and employed various fraudulent tricks.

According to Interpol, these types of criminals first appeared in Taiwan several years ago. They stole hundreds of thousands to a million dollars in each case.

National Assembly congratulates prize-winning professor

Prof. Ngo Bao Chau

The National Assembly Standing Committee has congratulated Professor Ngo Bao Chau, a young Vietnamese mathematician, on his 2010 Fields Medal for his proof of the Fundamental Lemma in the theory of automorphic forms, by introducing new algebro-geometric methods.

The congratulation was made at the opening of the 33rd session of the NA Standing Committee in Hanoi on Friday.

This award brings happiness and pride for not only Prof. Chau but also the mathematician’s circle, Vietnamese scientists and for us all, stressed NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong.

The NA Standing Committee took the occasion to thank Chau’s teachers and the good working environment in France for facilitating him in gaining such an exalted award.

Trong demanded the creation of favorable legal, policy and environmental conditions for mathematicians, physicists and musicians and other scientists in their work.

This is the first time Vietnam has won such an award and Vietnam is the second nation in Asia after Japan to have a citizen awarded the Fields Medal.

Orbis Flying Eye Hospital finishes mission in Danang

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital – the world’s only airborne ophthalmic surgical and training facility – concluded its ophthalmic surgical techniques transfer and training program for Vietnam’s central coastal city of Danang on Friday.

During the two-week program, 13 leading ophthalmic experts gave direct lectures to 46 ophthalmologists, nurses and technicians at Danang Eye Hospital.

Under the program, 109 Vietnamese and 10 Lao and Cambodian ophthalmologists received online lectures from the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital’s surgery ward and hands-on instruction.

In addition, the two hospitals’ experts performed surgery and provided laser treatment to 56 retina and glaucoma patients. They also provided medical check-ups and treatment to 163 disadvantaged patients, mostly children.

Additionally, the Orbis hospital’s staff joined their colleagues from the Hue Eye Hospital in offering eye examinations to more than 200 children and old people at the Medical Centre in Phu Loc District of the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

Another 30 cataract patients will receive operations and treatment from Danang Eye Hospital doctors in September under the sponsorship of Orbis.

Founded in 1982, the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital has conducted 269 programs in 87 nations. It landed in Vietnam for the first time at Danang Airport in October 2006 and this is the fourth time it has returned to the Southeast Asian nation and the third time to Danang City.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Labour exports may miss target

Jobseekers discuss employment opportunities at a jobs fair organised by the HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. — VNA/VNS Photo The Anh

HCM CITY — The country is unlikely to meet the target of sending 85,000 guest workers abroad this year due to several problems facing the labour market, including reducing demand, the Department of Overseas Labour has said.

Only 37,068 workers went overseas in the first half of the year, or 43 per cent of the year's target, it said.

It included just 1,500 to South Korea, the country's most reliable market, compared to nearly 4,300 in the same period last year.

Labour recruitment companies said the global recession, labour policy changes in export markets, and risks involved in recruiting guest workers had all taken a toll on business.

The large amount of security they had to deposit as guarantee to enable workers to borrow from banks was also affecting their activities, company officials said.

Nguyen Xuan Vui, director of recruiter Air Services Supply Joint Stock Company (Airserco), said most banks demanded a deposit of 5-10 per cent of the loan amount.

Only in the central province of Thanh Hoa didn't banks have this requirement, he said.

Out of 40 countries and territories that have so far taken in Vietnamese guest workers, the companies are only focusing on nine markets now: South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Macau, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Libya.

If prompt remedial measures are not taken, the target cannot be reached this year or next, the companies have warned.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thanh Hoa promised comprehensive solutions for the problems.

The ministry would hold consultations on sending guest workers to the Middle East in the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands, he said. — VNS

Ministry tightens up on road regulations

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) is determined to tighten the enforcement of traffic violations as Traffic Safety Month and Hanoi's millennium celebrations approach.

The ministry released data showing a decrease in both the number of accidents as well as the numbers of deaths and injuries in the first six months of the year.

It reported 6,559 accidents, 18 less than the same period last year, while traffic fatalities totaled 5,610, a 4 percent drop.

However, the department said illegal motorbike racing and other violations causing traffic congestion and accidents has worsened in Hanoi and HCM City.

In the six-month period, the Traffic Police Department and the municipal security authorities stopped and punished 455,000 violators with total fines of VND70 billion ($3.8 million).

Minister of Transport Ho Nghia Dung asked the National Traffic Safety Committee in collaboration with Traffic Safety Department to establish interdisciplinary delegations in localities.

Nguyen Nhat Huy, head of the Hanoi municipal Transport Department's Urban Management Office said they had been rushing to implement solutions to ensure traffic safety during the one-month long campaign planned for next month, ahead of the anniversary.

"We will strictly punish those caught speeding, motorbike racing, drink driving and driving without helmets," Huy said.

He said authorities will review parking sites on pavements to abolish illegal parking that caused traffic jams.

In the coming time, the department will define streets forbidden from parking and invest in some parking sites in Tran Nhat Duat and Tran Quang Khai streets.

He added that it will also strengthen inspections of taxis, buses and trucks in the capital and stop their operation if they do not meet traffic safety requirements.

"We will construct traffic control posts at key traffic sites in the city which have policemen on duty 24 hours a day," he said.

He said camera systems will also be installed to supervise traffic at key routes. The department wants to ensure smooth traffic flows along notoriously bad routes, including Nguyen Trai-Tay Son-Nguyen Luong Bang-Ton Duc Thang, Giai Phong-Le Duan, Le Van Luong-Lang Ha-Giang Vo, Cau Giay-Kim Ma-Nguyen Thai Hoc.

To ease traffic congestion on belt roads, the department would segregate lanes.

Parking sites would also be arranged at Ly Thai To street, Ba Dinh Square and My Dinh National Stadium which will all host activities celebrating the anniversary.

"Bus services will be improved and special routes will operate for tourists during the event," he said.

City business couple get life for bribery, bank fraud

HCM CITY — The HCM City People's Court has given life sentences to a business couple for bribery and cheating a bank, and 26 years' imprisonment to a former district chairman for abuse of power.

Following a two-week trial, Tran Thi Ha, former director of Thanh Phat Company, and her deputy, Ha Van Hoa, yesterday received life terms for "cheating to usurp other people's property" and "paying bribes."

Nguyen Van Khoe, former chairman of the Hoc Mon District People's Committee, got 26 years on several counts like taking bribes from the two and abusing his official capacity to influence others and appropriate property.

In 2002, Hoa and his wife Ha registered a new company claiming it was worth VND5 billion (US$250,000) when it was not even worth VND1 billion, according to the prosecution. They later falsified more documents to show it to be worth VND50 billion and secured approval to build a housing complex and industrial zone in the district's Dong Thanh Commune by bribing Khoe and other officials.

Khoe took VND1.4 billion ($72,000) and half a rhino horn worth $10,000 from the couple.

In return, he ensured that their projects were ratified by his subordinates. The court concluded that he had accepted bribes to approve the projects.

With the approvals secured, Ha and Hoa borrowed 3,000 taels of gold worth VND87 billion (US$4.3 million) at current prices and VND18 billion ($920,000) from the Cho Lon branch of the Viet Nam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, or Agribank, this time by bribing bank officials.

They did not repay the loan.

Nguyen Cong Dinh of the bank's credit department was sentenced to seven years in jail for bribery. Tran Van Tuyen, former director of the branch, and Luu Thi Minh Hien, head of the credit office, got 12 and 10 years for violating banking rules.

Also convicted was former director of the District 12-based Danh Khoa Company, Dang Cong Danh, who got eight years' imprisonment for acting as a go-between between the couple and the district officials.

Tran Van Te, former leader of Dong Thanh Commune, got 13 years for abuse of power. Duong Minh Trung, former head of the district's Planning, Finance and Investment Unit, got seven years. — VNS

Golf courses probed for environmental effects

HCM CITY — Inspectors from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on Wednesday began appraising golf courses in HCM City for their use of land and effect on the environment and water resources.

There are five courses and their inspection will last a month.

In 2008 HCM City was considering licensing 13 golf courses which required thousands of ha of land.

But following the ministry's inspection end of last year, only seven, with an area of 725ha, were licensed.

New centre for testing medicines, cosmetics

CAN THO — Construction of a state-of-the-art centre for testing medicines, cosmetics and food began on Tuesday in Can Tho City.

The centre, invested in by the Can Tho City Department of Health, costs VND218 billion (US$11.4 million), including VND102 billion for construction and VND77 billion for equipment.

Covering a total area of 5,000 sq. metres in Ninh Kieu District's An Khanh Commune, the centre will have five storeys and will open after 18 months of construction.

The centre is expected to meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2005, a certificate of standards for testing and calibration laboratories and the Ministry of Health's Good Laboratory Practice standards.

Tran Thanh Man, chairman of the Can Tho City People's Committee, said the centre would be the most modern of its kind in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta. — VNS

Audit officials probed for accepting bribes

Police in the central province of Quang Ngai Monday said they have arrested four State Audit officials for allegedly taking bribes.

Nguyen Van Quyen, Nguyen Quang Dang, Nguyen Quang Thanh, and Ngo Hong Minh, were caught red-handed accepting VND290 million (US$15,187) from contractors working on the Di Lang – Tra Trung Street project Saturday, police said.

Initial information showed that the officials asked the contractors to pay them VND500 million ($26,184) to ignore mistakes discovered in their audit of the government bond-funded project.

Police say the contractors and investors felt that the findings of the audit were unreasonable.

The four Hanoi officials tasked with auditing projects in Quang Ngai were also accused of hitting up investors and contractors from other projects for money, prompting some victims to contact police.

During their raid of the four officials’ rooms at the Hung Vuong Hotel, police say they confiscated over VND600 million ($31,421) in cash.

A leader from Vietnam's State Audit Office said the officials will be suspended, and the findings of their audits of related projects will be deemed void.

Police say their investigation is still underway.

Hanoi argues against admin center's move

Hanoi argues against admin center's move Hanoi authorities have requested that the prime minister not move the national administrative center to Ba Vi Mountain, 60 kilometers from the city’s center, VnExpress reported.

Ba Vi's inclement weather conditions, poor traffic access and less than ideal connection to surrounding areas caused the Hanoi’s People’s Committee to argue against the proposed plan in its latest letter to the government.

They further cautioned that such a relocation would probably affect ecologically Ba Vi, which was dubbed Hanoi's "green lungs," the news website quoted the committee as saying.

The People's Committee questioned the wisdom of separating Hanoi's administrative center from its political center.

Under the zoning plan, the National Assembly and the Communist Party offices will remain in the city's Ba Dinh District.

The authorities suggested that the governmental offices be relocated to the west of West Lake or My Dinh – Me Tri area in Tu Liem District.

If the government agrees to halt the relocation, the establishment of a thoroughfare connecting the capital’s center and Ba Vi Mountain won’t be necessary anymore, Duong Duc Tuan, vice director of Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture, told VnExpress.

Since its announcement early this year, the plan to relocate the administrative center and bulid a road leading to its new location has provoked criticism from the public and lawmakers alike.

The roadmap, known as the General Zoning Plan for developing the capital through 2030, was authored in a collaboration between the US-South Korea consultant joint-venture PPJ, and the Vietnam Institute of Architecture, Urban and Rural Planning.

The plan is expected to be approved by the prime minister before Hanoi’s 1,000^th anniversary this October, according to the news source.

Hanoi argues against admin center's move

They further cautioned that such a relocation would probably affect ecologically Ba Vi, which was dubbed Hanoi's "green lungs," the news website quoted the committee as saying.

The People's Committee questioned the wisdom of separating Hanoi's administrative center from its political center.

Under the zoning plan, the National Assembly and the Communist Party offices will remain in the city's Ba Dinh District.

The authorities suggested that the governmental offices be relocated to the west of West Lake or My Dinh – Me Tri area in Tu Liem District.

Since its announcement early this year, the plan to relocate the administrative center and bulid a road leading to its new location has provoked criticism from the public and lawmakers alike.

The plan is expected to be approved by the prime minister before Hanoi’s 1,000^th anniversary this October, according to the news source.

National Assembly congratulates Prof. Chau

The congratulation was made at the opening of the 33 rd session of the NA Standing Committee in Hanoi on August 20.

This award brings happiness and pride for not only Prof. Chau but also the mathematician’s circle, Vietnamese scientists and for us all, stressed NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong.

The NA Standing Committee took the occasion to thank Chau’s teachers and the good working environment in France for facilitating him in gaining such an exalted award.

Trong demanded the creation of favourable legal, policy and environmental conditions for mathematicians, physicists and musicians and other scientists in their work.

This is the first time Vietnam has won such an award and Vietnam is the second nation in Asia after Japan to have a citizen awarded the Fields Medal./.

Reception for Ngo Bao Chau held in India

A reception was held in Hyderabad on August 19 to congratulate Professor Ngo Bao Chau, who has just been awarded the Fields Medal, the most prestigious global award for mathematicians.

Laszlo Lovasz, president of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), Rajat Tandon, head of the Organising Committee of the 26th International Congress of Mathematicians, Bui Van Ga, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Education and Training, and Nguyen Hoanh Son, Minister Counsellor of the Vietnamese Embassy in India, were among others at the event, jointly held by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Vietnamese Embassy in India.

Deputy Minister Bui Van Ga congratulated Prof. Chau and wished him further success in his research and contributions to development of the country’s mathematics.

Prof. Chau expressed his thanks for the Party and State’s due attention. He said he hoped the Fields Medal would offer him opportunities to call for support from mathematicians in the world for development of Vietnam’s mathematics./.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Orbis Flying Eye Hospital finishes mission in Da Nang

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital – the world’s only airborne ophthalmic surgical and training facility – concluded its ophthalmic surgical techniques transfer and training programme for Vietnam’s central coastal city of Da Nang on August 20.

During the two-week programme, 13 leading ophthalmic experts gave direct lectures to 46 ophthalmologists, nurses and technicians at Da Nang Eye Hospital .

Under the programme, 109 Vietnamese and 10 Lao and Cambodian ophthalmologists received online lectures from the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital ’s surgery ward and hands-on instruction.

Additionally, the Orbis hospital’s staff joined their colleagues from the Hue Eye Hospital in offering eye examinations to more than 200 children and old people at the Medical Centre in Phu Loc district of the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

Another 30 cataract patients will receive operations and treatment from Da Nang Eye Hospital doctors in September under the sponsorship of ORBIS.

Founded in 1982, the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital has conducted 269 programmes in 87 nations. It landed in Vietnam for the first time at Da Nang Airport in October 2006 and this is the fourth time it has returned to the Southeast Asian nation and the third time to Da Nang city./.

Vietnamese in Laos celebrate major anniversaries

The General Association of overseas Vietnamese in Laos (GA) on August 19 held a meeting to celebrate the country’s National Day and the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

At the meeting, attended by the Laotian Minister of Education Phankham Viphavan, Vietnamese Ambassador in Laos Ta Minh Chau and other senior Lao officials, the GA’s chairman Hoang Dieu highlighted the association’s achievements over the past year.

The GA donated 50 million VND to help flood-hit victims from the storm Kestina, 20 million kip for the Bolikhamsay provincial Party Committee, 1,000 USD for flood victims in Atopu province, 20,000 USD to build schools for Vietnamese children in Laos as well as two charity houses worth 12,000 USD.

The association, along with the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos and the Lao Ministry of Education, have provided 14 scholarships for Vietnamese students in Laos to attend university in Vietnam as well as opened Vietnamese language classes for overseas children.

The GA has also worked with a number of artists to help organise various kinds of performances during major celebrations and has requested the Lao state to present orders and medals to 59 overseas Vietnamese for their great services to the Lao revolution.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Chau asked the Vietnamese community to uphold their traditional unity and carry out pertinent activities when celebrating the country’s major anniversaries./.

Hanoi to host competition for young inventors

For the first time ever, Vietnam will host the 7th international exhibition and competition for young inventors in science and technology, to be held in Hanoi from December 16-18.

As many as 700 inventors and 200 stands from 40 different countries and organizations will take part in the event, announced the Vietnam Fund for Supporting Technological Creations (VIFOTEC) at a press briefing on Thursday.

The young Vietnamese inventors, aged between 6-19, will compete from September 21-26.

They will present their inventions in one of five areas, including learning aids, software, children’s toys, environmental protection and energy saving measures.

According to Le Xuan Thao, VIFOTEC’s permanent deputy chairman, Vietnam needs to encourage its young people to become more creative if the country wants to turn itself into an industrialized nation.

He said that previous competitions had revealed that Vietnamese children have a lot of potential and abilities compared with other nations. He also called on support from both international and domestic organizations and businesses to make the event a success.

Doi Moi economist passes away

Prof. Dang Phong

Professor Dang Phong, a leading expert on the Doi Moi (Renovation) period in Vietnam, passed away Friday in Hanoi.

Economist Phong, 73, struggled with cancer for a long time, according to his family.

Phong was regarded as one of the few economic and historical researchers in Vietnam, particularly on the renovation period when Vietnam was transferred from the centralized to market-oriented economy.

He had worked for years at the Vietnam Economic Institute, and once held the leadership of the Economic Faculty in the Hanoi Business and Technology University.

With his wide knowledge on the Vietnamese economy, Prof. Phong was invited to lecture at many renowned universities and research institutes in the world.

He wrote a huge number of books about Vietnamese economy, including A comparison between Vietnamese renovation and Chinese economic reforms (2003), The history of Vietnamese economy between 1955-1975 (2005), Southern economy between 1954-1975 (2004), The history of Vietnamese economy between 1945-1954 (2002), 21 years of US aids in Vietnam (1991), and Vietnam’s primeval economy (1970).

He also wrote books about the history of Thang Long-Hanoi while he was in hospital for treatment.

He graduated from the history faculty of the Hanoi University in 1960 and the National Economy University in 1964, and finished an advanced training course at the Montpellier Institute, France, in 1991.

Farmers withdraw suits against Vedan

More than 1,250 lawsuits filed by farmers in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province against Taiwanese MSG-maker Vedan Vietnam have been withdrawn after Vedan paid compensation to the farmers on Wednesday.

The lawsuits were filed to collect compensation for damage to farmland caused by the company's illegal discharge of untreated waste water into the Thi Vai River.

Nguyen Thanh Ngoc, the lawyer representing farmers in the province's Tan Thanh district, withdrew the lawsuits after Vedan paid VND26.8 billion to 1,255 local farmers affected.

Tran Van Cuong, deputy head of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the company on Tuesday transferred half of the total VND53.6 billion ($2.8 million) compensation for Tan Thanh district's farmers.

The company also paid VND500 million ($26,000) to cover costs of calculating the losses by Tan Thanh district authorities.

Cuong said the provincial People's Committee would entrust Tan Thanh District authorities to draw up a list of names of farmers and the payment amounts. The disbursement would then be conducted within the next five days.

In addition, Vedan on Tuesday transferred VND22.9 billion to the bank accounts of farmers in HCMC's Can Gio District, the only area in the city affected by the pollution.

They also gave VND500 million ($26,000) to Can Gio district authorities to cover the costs of calculating the losses.

In Dong Nai, farmers have yet to agree on the amount of compensation and they continue to file lawsuits against Vedan with more than 4,000 applications.

Dong Nai Province People's Committee has ordered the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to visit the affected areas to talk to farmers and calculate the amount of financial losses and measure the land area affected by the pollution.

Vietnamese brothers win Australian science award

Profs Vo Ba Ngu and Vo Ba Tuong get the 2010 Eureka prize in Sydney. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Two ethnic Vietnamese mathematicians at the University of Western Australia have won this year’s Eureka Prize for their mathematical innovation to determine how to measure the margin of error in systems tracking multiple targets.

Profs Vo Ba Ngu and Vo Ba Tuong, also brothers, along with Prof Antonio Cantoni won a cash award of AUD10,000 (US$9,000) along with the prize given annually by Australia’s Defense Science and Technology Organization (DSTO).

Prof Robert Clark of Australia’s defense ministry said the team led by Ngu has helped significantly improve the ability to trace multiple incoming projectiles while using less computer power compared with previous methods.

In urban areas, the invention will help protect military vehicles, he said, adding it will be a great contribution to Australian defense and security by improving the identification of long-range objects.

The invention can also be used in traffic management, monitoring crowd behavior, sports analysis, and medical research.

The Eureka Prize is awarded in the fields of scientific research and innovation, science leadership, science communication and journalism, and school science.

The DSTO is the lead agency charged with applying science and technology to defend Australia.

Ministry tightens up on road hoons

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) is determined to tighten the enforcement of traffic violations as Traffic Safety Month and Hanoi's millennium celebrations approach.

The ministry released data showing a decrease in both the number of accidents as well as the numbers of deaths and injuries in the first six months of the year.

It reported 6,559 accidents, 18 less than the same period last year, while traffic fatalities totalled 5,610, a 4 percent drop.

However, the department said illegal motorbike racing and other violations causing traffic congestion and accidents has worsened in Hanoi and HCM City.

In the six-month period, the Traffic Police Department and the municipal security authorities stopped and punished 455,000 violators with total fines of 70 billion VND (3.8 million USD).