VietNam Society: 11/14/10

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Former project executive rejects bribery charges

Huynh Ngoc Si pictured at the trial on October 15, 2010

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Ho Chi Minh City People's Court opened Friday the trial of Huynh Ngoc Si, former deputy director of the HCMC Transport Department and director of the Japan-funded East-West Highway and Water Environment projects.

According to the indictment, Si took bribes worth US$262,000 from officials of the Japanese company Pacific Consultants International (PCI).

More than 30 reporters of press agencies were arranged to a room to watch the trial broadcast live.

"I did not take bribes"

After the court asked what he commented about the bribery charges laid against him, Si shook his head: "I totally reject the indictment. The charges against me were based solely on the testimonies of PCI officials, which are totally unfounded."

He repeatedly said "The testimony is not right” and “I did not do wrong" when he was questioned by the jury.

According to the indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, PCI officials agreed to pay bribes in order to win a bidding package for supervision and consulting services of the East-West Highway project.

The sum was determined based on the percentage of contract value. PCI officials acknowledged that Si was the main “target” of their bribery.

Si told the trial he did not negotiate the “commission” with PCI officials when he was asked about the bribery sum.

The court heard the testimonies of Sakano Tsuneo, PCI chief representative in Vietnam, and Sakashita Haruo, PCI director of East-West Highway project, which were declared in documents issued by Japanese procurators and then handed over to the Vietnamese prosecution agency.

When he was asked to comment about the testimonies of PCI officials, Si said: "They are not true. I repeatedly asked to confront the PCI officials but was always turned down."

He rejected any personal contact with Japanese officials, but then added he met some officials at the Norfolk hotel in HCMC but did not remember clearly.

According to the testimonies of PCI officials, after they reached an agreement about the bribery sum, Si gave them a report of the criteria to win the contract, and PCI won the contract.

The indictment says PCI officials agreed to pay Si $1.7 million, or 11 percent of the contract value, in exchange for the supervision and consulting package.

It says PCI had paid Si seven times, including the time that they gave him $262,000 on May 28, 2003.

Only six of 13 summoned witnesses showed up at the trial. Among them was Le Qua, former deputy director of East -West Highway and Water Environment projects.

Last year, Qua was sentenced to five year in prison for conniving with Si to pocket money from renting a public house in District 3 to PCI executives.

Si and Qua were arrested on February 11 last year after the Ministry of Public Security began an investigation into the two infrastructure projects, estimated to cost US$930.9 million.

They were accused of renting state offices to PCI between 2001 and 2002 for a total of US$80,000 but not including the money in official accounts.

The two officials deducted VND350 million for "receptions", divided the rest among dozens of employees and managers, while each pocketed about VND53 million themselves.

The court will continue on until Monday.

Floods threaten central provinces, again

Water level rises in Ngan Pho river in the central Ha Tinh province on Friday

Photo: Tuoi Tre

No sooner had they recovered after the floods earlier this month, the central provinces are coping with heavy rains, with floods already slamming into several areas, threatening Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien - Hue.

In Ha Tinh, flash floods occured in Huong Son district, leaving one dead and more than 1,500 houses flooded. Heavy rains and steep hills have triggered floods, according to Nguyen Duy Trinh, chairman of Huong Son district.

The district currently has more than 410 ha of rice and 1,200 ha of maize, which were left after the recent floods, now submerged in flood waters.

In Quang Binh, heavy rains cause by a cold wave, appeared on Thursday and Friday. In Tan Hoa commune, the area which has experienced the recent history flooding, heavy rains have raised water levels in rivers and streams by 0.5 meters.

Nguyen Ngoc Giai, director of Quang Binh Bureau of Dyke and Flood Prevention, said it is forecast water may rise to alert levels, especially in big river as Kien Giang, Gianh and Nhat Le, from now until next Wednesday.

In Quang Tri, heavy rains accompanied by strong winds on Thursday raised water levels in many rivers in mountainous districts such as Dakrong and Huong Hoa. Heavy downpours also occurred in the lowlands.

Water level on the Ben Hai River in Gia Voong is 42 cm more then the normal level. Heavy rains have been non-stop as of Friday evening.

In Thua Thien - Hue, a tornado left one dead, four students and a teacher seriously injured, and dozens of houses damaged in Ha Long village, Phong My commune.

The village is now being isolated, and only boats can travel there. The village’s population is mainly ethnic minorities, with 83 households of about 300 people.

"The roof of my house was blown up, and dozens of kilograms of stored rice are now totally wet," Ho Thi Dao, a Pa Hy ethnic woman, said in tears.

The tornado killed Tran Ngoc Me, an 80-year-old resident whose house was completely collapsed.

In Quang Binh, the Ho Chi Minh City Road section that goes through the districts of Tuyen Hoa, Quang Ninh and Le Thuy was severely eroded.

The road that goes through Truong Son commune was half eroded, causing traffic jams. According to the 483 Limited Company, which is repairing damaged roads, there are more than 98 landslide-affected spots in the 45-km road section that goes through the two districts of Quang Ninh and Le Thuy.

Another section of the Ho Chi Minh Road is badly eroded in A Dot - A Tep, the area from A Luoi district of Thua Thien - Hue province to Tay Giang district of Quang Nam province.

A storm is approaching the East Sea

On Friday, international meteorological forecast centers warned that a powerful storm called Megi which formed on the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean is approaching the East Sea.

Typhoon Megi was moving west-northwest at 17 kilometers per hour and is forecast to reach Luzon, the Philippines’ most populous island, within four days.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds were blowing at 167 kph and may strengthen to 250 kph as it approaches the northern part of Luzon, the centers said.

That would make it a Category 5 storm, the strongest, on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind scale and capable of “catastrophic damage,” according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Waves in the vicinity of the storm’s eye were 6.7 meters (22 feet) high.

Megi is the name of a catfish in South Korea and is related to the feeling of getting wet, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, which lists names assigned to storms in the northwest Pacific.

According to the Central Hydrometeorology Forecast Center, heavy rains occurred over the last two days in the central provinces from Nghe An to Quang Nam, with the average rainfall of 100-150mm, and 150-200mm in the provinces from Ha Tinh to Quang Nam.

Currently the waters in Kien Giang, Vu Gia, and Gianh rivers are on alarming levels.

It is forecast flood waters in Quang Binh and Thua Thien - Hue rivers may rise to alert level 3; in Ha Tinh, Quang Tri and Quang Nam alert level 2; and in Ca River in Nghe An alert level 1.

Ha Long luxury train fails to get enough custom

HA NOI — The luxury Ha Long Express train service has been discontinued just one year after opening due to lack of demand.

The Ha Noi Railway Company was contracted by South Korean firm Dongrim to operate the service and had a total investment of almost US$1 million. The six-carriage train could seat 310 passengers in leather upholstered luxury, and was equipped with bars and 29 inch-LCD televisions. It was air-conditioned throughout.

The service, which ran from Gia Lam station in Long Bien District of Ha Noi to Ha Long City in northeastern Quang Ninh Province, was launched in April 2009.

Dongrim said the service targeted tourists heading for Ha Long Bay. However, due to lack of demand, the train service was losing money hand over fist – despite the fact that tickets were reasonably priced at between $15 (for tourists) and $5 (local passengers), the company said.

"There were times when there were just five or six customers travelling on the train," said Nguyen Van Dung, a member of staff at Gia Lam station.

Le Hai Long, who is in charge of Dongrim's marketing in Viet Nam, said the infrequency of trains and the unsociable time table had proved unpopular with customers. The Ha Long Express travelled between Ha Noi and Ha Long just once a day, departing the capital at 7am and returning from the port city at 3pm.

"Tourists only counted for a small number of customers. We had to rely on regular domestic commuters, most of whom preferred to take the bus, which runs every fifteen minutes and is quicker," Long said.

Despite its name, the Ha Long Express took five hours to travel from Ha Noi to Ha Long City – a journey a bus can do in 3 and a half hours.

The rail operator blamed the track. "The rail track that Viet Nam often uses is one metre wide, but this train uses 1.435-metre wide rails. So it has to follow the route where the track is wide enough, which entails travelling farther," Long said.

Nguyen Van Binh, vice director of the Ha Noi Railway Company, said greater investment was needed to make the luxury service more attractive to customers.

"We tried to attract foreign investment in order to get better use of the railroad and station facilities but the business was run independently by Dongrim."

The train's carriages were originally used to transport passengers on the Seoul underground. Binh's company was hired to refurbish the carriages for use in Viet Nam.

Binh said his company had tried and failed to get Dongrim to reopen the service.

"At the moment, the Viet Nam Railway Company does not plan to broaden the railroad to 1,435-metre-wide to meet the needs of the Ha Long Express," he said.

Dongrim's Long however said the company would try to reopen the service next February. "We are also thinking of opening another route to the central regions but will have to consider the plan carefully to ensure we can attract enough customers," he said. — VNS

Overseas Vietnamese on drug charges

HCM CITY — HCM City's Drugs Crime Investigation Police Department recommended yesterday that the Supreme People's Procuracy prosecute two overseas Vietnamese for drugs trafficking.

Southern Tay Ninh Province border guards arrested To Van Nam, 46, a Vietnamese American and Le Van Buoc, 54, a Vietnamese Australian, for allegedly transporting one kilo of drugs through the Moc Bai Border Gate in June.

Police also alleged a Chinese suspect carried the drugs from Cambodia to HCM City before handing them to Buoc who was claimed of planning to take the drugs by sea to Australia.

Driver falls asleep at wheel killing student

HA TINH — A crane crashed into four female students, killing one on the spot and injuring the others on National Highway 1A in Cam Xuyen District in central Ha Tinh Province yesterday.

Police alleged the truck driver, Bui Van Cuong, 36, from Kien Xuong District in northern Thai Binh Province, felll asleep at the wheel.

Two arrested for chopping down tree

HA NOI — Ha Noi Police arrested two people for allegedly cutting down a sua (dalbergia tonkinensis) tree on Thursday in Ha Noi's Ba Dinh District.

Two others escaped.

Trinh Van Vinh, 33, from central Thanh Hoa Province, and Nguyen Van Thai, 17, of Dong Anh District in Ha Noi, are in detention. Police seized a tree trunk measuring 30cm in diameter and 4.5m in length.

Rare sua trees are listed in Viet Nam Red Book. -VNS

Upcoming events

* October 15 (Friday): Eurocham Business Luncheon - Influenza in The Working Environment – will be held from 11:45 to 13:30 at Sofitel Plaza Saigon, Diamond Hall, 17 Le Duan Boulevard, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Guest speaker: Professor Tran Tinh Hien, director of clinical research (Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Vietnam) and Dr. Le Ngoc Dien, MD MPH, medical director of Sanofi Pasteur. Fee: VND400,000 for members and VND600,000 for nonmembers. For further information or registration, contact Ms. Thuy via events-hcmc@eurochamvn.org or phone (08) 3 827 2715.

* October 15 (Friday): Italian pianist Gabriele Carcano and the Vietnam National Opera & Ballet Orchestra will perform at the Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien Street. Tickets cost VND500,000, 350,000, 250,000 and 150,000. For ticket delivery, contact 0913 489 858 (Mr. Do Phuong) or 0983 067 996. Gabriele Carcano, born in Turin in 1985, successfully performed in Hanoi last November to an audience that included President Nguyen Minh Triet.

* October 15 to 19 (Friday To Tuesday): Lee Kirby, an Englishman who sings Vietnamese songs, will go on tour in HCMC. He and Thai Trinh, Thuy Hoang Diem and Ai Phuong will perform at Tamaya Wine Cellar, 198 Tran Quoc Thao Street, District 3, on October 15. On October 16 to 17, he will perform together with singer Anh Tuyet at ATB Cabaret, 197/7 Nguyen Van Troi Street, Ward 10, Phu Nhuan District. Guests will be charged an extra fee of VND150,000, excluding drinks starting at VND30,000. On October 18, Kirby takes the stage at Yen Café, 9A Pham Dinh Toai Street, District 3 and will wrap up his tour at Cooku’s Nest Café,13 Tu Xuong Street, District 3 on October 19. Price for the two shows: VND100,000/one drink, no extra fee.

* October 20 (Wednesday): Beer for Books charity program will be held at Le Pub, 9 Xuan Dieu Street, Hanoi. For every Tiger draught sold between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., the proceeds will be donated to the Room to Read literacy program in the Vietnamese capital. “Beers for Books” is an initiative that, since February 2009, has bought over 80,000 books for children in developing countries via Room to Read. Visit www.beerforbooks.posterous.com for more information.

* October 21 (Thursday): Dr. Stephen R. Covey, named one of America’s 25 most influential people by Time magazine, will discuss the fundamentals of his world-renowned book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” at Crystal I, White Palace Convention Center, 194 Hoang Van Thu Street, Ward 9, Phu Nhuan District, HCMC. Time: From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Between a sinkhole and a soft place

Two died recently as a result of poor construction and site management. Meanwhile, experts worry that Ho Chi Minh City’s rapid urbanization will lead the city to collapse on itself

A container truck tumbled onto the street while driving down Hoang Dieu 2 Street in Thu Duc District on Tuesday (October 12) after a section of road collapsed three meters into the ground

Two people were killed in separate accidents related to poor sewer coverage last week in Ho Chi Minh City.

On Sunday (October 10), 53- year-old Vu Hong Thai, a security guard for a private real estate company in District 2, drowned in a manhole on Thu Duc District’s To Ngoc Van Street.

His brother-in-law, Vo Ai Quoc, told the Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper that Thai was on his way to work when he decided to head back home, due to heavy rain and severe flooding. The man and his bike were wading along a flooded sidewalk when he fell into an open sewer and drowned.

Due to the rushing water, passers-by were unable to rescue the victim and his body was only salvaged half an hour after the incident, witnesses said.

A day earlier, a 42-year-old woman was killed in a traffic accident in Thu Duc District’s Kha Van Can Street when she fell off her motorbike after running into a shoddily-constructed sewer cover. She was then crushed by a passing truck. The victim, Ha Thi Tuyet Mai, was taking her son back from school. Luckily, the boy survived.

A number of similar death traps have been discovered on streets around the city after contractors working on a citywide sewerage project failed to properly cover the street following sewer excavations. Thanh Nien found dozens of manholes on Nguyen Van Luong Street in District 6 which jutted ten centimeters out of the street.

Meanwhile, city agencies are scrambling to pass the buck.

Do Tan Long, an official at the HCMC Anti-flood Program Management Center [which manages the drainage system on Kha Van Can Street] said his agency would have been responsible for the death of Mai, the female victim, if the manhole had been left uncovered. He shifted the blame on the municipal drainage company – who invested in the drainage system.

In Thai’s case which occurred last Sunday, the sewage system is managed by the Saigon Railway Company. Le Hong Phuc, the company’s deputy director, accepted that his company is in charge of maintaining and managing the manhole Thai died in. But Phuc stressed that the accident was merely an “unfortunate case” and the company is not responsible.

Lawyer Phan Trung Hoai of the HCMC Bar Association, said involved agencies can’t shift the blame onto each other. He advised police to conduct a thorough investigation into all involved parties from the project investors down to the local authorities.

Dangerous streets

On Tuesday a container truck tumbled onto the street while driving down Hoang Dieu 2 Street in Thu Duc District after a section of road collapsed three meters into the ground. Luckily, the driver suffered only minor injuries and no one else was hurt in the incident.

At least eight similar sinkholes have emerged in recent months causing numerous traffic accidents, the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

Phan Phung Sanh, vice chairman of the HCMC Association for Construction Science and Technology, attributed the accidents to sloppy paving following excavations that were carried out as part of the massive sewer project.

“They have dug more than ten meters deep,” Sanh said. “If the refilling process was not properly executed, the street will collapse under the weight of traffic.”

Tran The Ky, deputy director of the HCMC Transport Department, admitted that contractors had not properly repaved the streets.

“It is clearly that the contractors that are responsible,” he told Tuoi Tre. “They have to compensate the victims of these accidents and take responsibility as the laws require.”

He also said his department would call a meeting of all the concerned parties soon to demand strict supervision of street construction.

“The investor and contract supervisors are responsible for preventing street collapses,” he said.

...ON A SINKING SHIP

Rapid urbanization and improper zoning have led to widespread sinkage and flooding in Ho Chi Minh City, scientists said.

Dr. Le Van Trung, director of the Geomatics Center at the Vietnam National UniversityHCMC, said the sinkage began damaging traffic infrastructure and buildings years ago. In 2003, sinkage damaged 42 homes in Hoc Mon District. A year later, 30 sinkholes appeared in a four-hectare section of District 9.

The sinking also struck the outlying districts of Binh Tan, Binh Chanh and Nha Be. Evidence of sinking in Binh Tan District became glaring when tubewells in the Tan Tao Industrial Park were found jutting 30 centimeters out of the ground.

Trung attributed the sinking to rapid urbanization of the city, the exhaustion of underground water resources and the development of concrete structures on the surface.

Hoang Ngoc Ky, who holds a PhD in geology, said that a layer of sediment 30 to 40 meters deep forms the weak bedrock of HCMC.

Meanwhile, Dr. Le Huy Ba of the Institute of Science, Technology and Environment Management blamed poor zoning for serious floods and sinkage. He said the areas in District 7, Can Gio and Nha Be districts have weak foundations and low altitude but were still included in the city zoning plan.

“A moderate rise in the sea level would flood Nha Be District’s Hiep Phuoc Commune and District 7. The construction of Hiep Phuoc Urban Zone and expansion of Phu My Hung would worsen the sinking and flooding. Meanwhile, the urbanization of District 2 will change the course of the [Saigon] River toward District 1.”

DEATH TRAPS

October 10: A car fell into a sinkhole caused by shoddy construction work at a crossroads between Vo Thi Sau and Hai Ba Trung streets in District 1

October 8: A large hole appears on a section of Hai Ba Trung Street near Kieu Bridge in District 1.

October 7: A two-meter wide hole appeared on Phan Van Tri Street in Binh Thanh District.

October 5: A section of Binh Thanh District’s Le Quang Dinh Street swelled abnormally, threatening traffic safety.

September 14: A seven-seater taxi fell into a three-meter-deep and fourmeter-wide hole on Le Van Sy Street in District 3.

September 13: A hole one meter deep and two meters wide appeared on Vo Van Van Street in Binh Chanh District.

August 28: A hole three meters deep and six meters wide appeared in an alley off Le Van Sy Street in District 3.

Between a sinkhole and a soft place

Two died recently as a result of poor construction and site management. Meanwhile, experts worry that Ho Chi Minh City’s rapid urbanization will lead the city to collapse on itself

A container truck tumbled onto the street while driving down Hoang Dieu 2 Street in Thu Duc District on Tuesday (October 12) after a section of road collapsed three meters into the ground

Two people were killed in separate accidents related to poor sewer coverage last week in Ho Chi Minh City.

On Sunday (October 10), 53- year-old Vu Hong Thai, a security guard for a private real estate company in District 2, drowned in a manhole on Thu Duc District’s To Ngoc Van Street.

Due to the rushing water, passers-by were unable to rescue the victim and his body was only salvaged half an hour after the incident, witnesses said.

Meanwhile, city agencies are scrambling to pass the buck.

Dangerous streets

At least eight similar sinkholes have emerged in recent months causing numerous traffic accidents, the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

“They have dug more than ten meters deep,” Sanh said. “If the refilling process was not properly executed, the street will collapse under the weight of traffic.”

Tran The Ky, deputy director of the HCMC Transport Department, admitted that contractors had not properly repaved the streets.

“It is clearly that the contractors that are responsible,” he told Tuoi Tre. “They have to compensate the victims of these accidents and take responsibility as the laws require.”

He also said his department would call a meeting of all the concerned parties soon to demand strict supervision of street construction.

“The investor and contract supervisors are responsible for preventing street collapses,” he said.

...ON A SINKING SHIP

Rapid urbanization and improper zoning have led to widespread sinkage and flooding in Ho Chi Minh City, scientists said.

Trung attributed the sinking to rapid urbanization of the city, the exhaustion of underground water resources and the development of concrete structures on the surface.

Hoang Ngoc Ky, who holds a PhD in geology, said that a layer of sediment 30 to 40 meters deep forms the weak bedrock of HCMC.

DEATH TRAPS

October 10: A car fell into a sinkhole caused by shoddy construction work at a crossroads between Vo Thi Sau and Hai Ba Trung streets in District 1

October 8: A large hole appears on a section of Hai Ba Trung Street near Kieu Bridge in District 1.

October 7: A two-meter wide hole appeared on Phan Van Tri Street in Binh Thanh District.

October 5: A section of Binh Thanh District’s Le Quang Dinh Street swelled abnormally, threatening traffic safety.

September 14: A seven-seater taxi fell into a three-meter-deep and fourmeter-wide hole on Le Van Sy Street in District 3.

September 13: A hole one meter deep and two meters wide appeared on Vo Van Van Street in Binh Chanh District.

August 28: A hole three meters deep and six meters wide appeared in an alley off Le Van Sy Street in District 3.

NGOs call on Laos to scrap Mekong dam project

NGOs call on Laos to scrap Mekong dam project A coalition of NGOs and local groups has called for the cancellation of a planned hydropower dam plan on the lower Mekong River.

In a letter dated October 13 to the Mekong River Commission (MRC), a river basin management organization directed by the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, Save the Mekong called on the region’s governments to cancel the Xayaboury Dam project in Laos.

The coalition also urged for a halt to the project’s Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA) process, a requirement under the 1995 Mekong Agreement for countries to jointly review any dam proposed for the Mekong mainstream that is coordinated through the MRC.

“We write to convey our complete disagreement with the initiation of the PNPCA process for the Xayaboury dam on the Mekong River’s mainstream,” Save the

Mekong wrote in the letter co-signed by 24 civil society and people’s networks and NGOs from the Mekong region and internationally.

In response to Thanh Nien Weekly’s request for comments, MRC spokesman Khy Lim only said: “We are preparing a response to Save the Mekong. And we will get back to you as soon as we have it.”

“Abundant evidence produced by the MRC itself has already demonstrated the Xayaboury dam to be exceptionally destructive, and a project that should not go ahead,” the letter said.

The Xayaboury dam would have been the first dam to be built on the lower Mekong Mainstream. It would submerge the homes of 2,130 people from 10 villages in Laos and a further 200,000 people located near the dam in Laos and Thailand would suffer impacts to their livelihoods, income and food security.

The dam would also harm the river’s ecosystem, blocking fish migration along the river’s upper reaches with consequences that would be felt throughout the Mekong River basin. Up to 41 fish species would be at risk of extinction, including the critically endangered and iconic Mekong Giant Catfish, the coalition said.

The coalition criticized the MRC for “a complete failure of transparency” because the intergovernmental body has not made the dam’s project documents available to the general public. It further accused the MRC’s PNPCA process of being ambiguous and having no commitment to consult with the public.

China claims release of fishermen who remain at large

China claims release of fishermen who remain at large Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Chinese Fishing Patrol Force released nine Vietnamese fishermen on Monday (October 11), a month after they were seized in Vietnamese waters.

“We were informed that fishing boat QNg 66478TS and nine fishermen were released on the afternoon of October 11,” Nguyen Phuong Nga, the Ministry spokeswoman, said in a statement issued Tuesday. “The boat and its crew are expected to be home tonight [October 12].”

On September 11, Captain Mai Phung Luu of Quang Ngai Province’s Ly Son District and eight crew members were detained by a Chinese patrol while fishing in Vietnamese waters off the coast of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has demanded that China release the fishermen and their boat unconditionally. The demands were made through diplomatic channels at different levels in Hanoi and Beijing, the ministry said in a statement.

Colonel Bui Phu Phu, deputy head of the Quang Ngai Province’s Border Security Force, said that China had demanded a ransom of 70,000 yuan (US$10,461) for the release.

Authorities in the province’s Ly Son District said the detained fishermen had not yet returned home by late Wednesday.

Duong Thanh Vinh, a Ly Son fisherman who was detained by the Chinese in June 2009, said that they confiscated all of his fishing and communications equipment. During his release, he was left with just enough fuel to travel home.

“They only left me a compass,” he told the Tuoi Tre newspaper. “A fisherman could easily get lost if he is not an experienced seaman.”

Vinh added that he still owes VND250 million ($412,823) due to losses incurred as a result of his detention.

Lieutenant General Tran Quang Khue, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnamese People’s Army, told the paper that he has instructed the Vietnamese Coast Guard to attempt to establish communication with the returning boat.

TheNationalSteering Committee for Search and Rescue said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not provided them any additional information on the current communication capacities or general condition of Capt. Luu’s boat.

Khue said it would be very dangerous to send fishing boat out into open water without any communications equipment.

As of press time, the fishermen’s families were still awaiting their return in Quang Ngai.

Friday, November 19, 2010

40th UPU letter writing contest gets underway

A ceremony was held in the central city of Da Nang on October 15 to mark the 136 th World Post Day and to launch the 2011 Universal Postal Union (UPU) International Letter Writing Contest.

The annual contest for children up to 15 years old, hosted by the UPU, aims to develop children’s creative writing skills and help to strengthen friendship amongst nations, whilst giving young people an understanding of the postal sectors role in social development.

The 40 th contest has the theme, “imagine you are a tree in a forest, then write a letter explaining why it is important to protect forests” in response to the 2011 International Year of Forest.

The contest has been held in Vietnam 21 times since 1987, with eight school children winning international prizes, including a first prize awarded to Ho Thi Hieu Hien from the Tay Son Secondary School in Da Nang’s Hai Chau district at the 39 th competition in 2010 and a second prize pocketed by Nguyen Dac Xuan Thao, from the Nguyen Hue Secondary School also in Hai Chau district at the 38 th competition in 2009.

It is jointly organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC), the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU) and the Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Group (VNPT), the pioneer newspaper and other ministries and branches.

At the ceremony, Ho Thi Hieu Hien, who won first prize winner at the 39 th contest received a certificate of merit and awards from the UPU, MoET, the Health Ministry and the HCMCYU./.

EU assists Vietnam to reduce risk of disasters

The European Union (EU) will provide 1.8 million EUR to help reduce the risk of disasters in 21 provinces and cities in Vietnam by the end of next year.

The EU delegation to Vietnam said in a press release that the funding, which was approved by the European Commission in June 2010, is part of the Disaster Preparedness (DIPECHO) programme under the EC’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO).

Head of the EU’s delegation to Vietnam , Ambassador Sean Doyle, said that the support includes capacity building for local authorities and establishing local early warning systems and public information campaigns at local level.

The projects that reduce the risk of disasters involve a number of international and non-governmental organisations, including Save the Children, the Netherlands Red Cross, the Spanish Red Cross, the United Nations Development Programme, the Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation, World Vision in Vietnam , Oxfam, Action Aid and the World Health Organisation.

The EU has supported 48 projects in this field in Vietnam with a total funding of 11 million EUR since 1998./.

Electric cars ferry tourists around city's Old Quarter

Environmentally friendly battery-powered cars have begun offering tourists a new way to take in the sights in Hanoi 's Old Quarter.

Each car carries seven passengers, and the 30-minute tours begin every fifteen minutes between 7am to 9.30pm daily. Passengers can board at two terminals: across the street from the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre on Dinh Tien Hoang street and in front of Dong Xuan Market. Tickets cost 15,000 VND (0.75 USD).

The cars are operated by Dong Xuan Joint Stock Co, which began offering two tours in July. But, after two months, the cars now follow only one route, making brief stops at 13 iconic cultural and historical spots in the Old Quarter.

"It's fun, it's cheap and it is a very quick way to browse through all of the many streets of the Old Quarter," said Mark Geller, an Australian tourist.

"Foreign travellers, who were the target customers for the tours, have only accounted for 20 percent of ticket sales," said Pham Tuan Long, an official of the Old Quarter management department.

"This tour not only gives us a quick view of all the major streets and cultural spots in the Old Quarter but also an experience with greener technology," said Pham Thanh Thuy, 27, a tourist from HCM City . "I really like this car – it runs very quietly. It's the perfect way to travel around the Old Quarter."

"I very much adore this," says Tran Van Hung, 67, a Hang Buom Street resident. "I get on these cars three or four times a week. I love to take my grandchildren with me."

Among the stops on the tour are the house in which President Ho Chi Minh wrote the nation's Declaration of Independence, now a museum in which visitors can learn about the history of Vietnam; Cau Dong Pagoda, which was originally built during the Ly dynasty beside a stone bridge that spanned To Lich River; and Hang Luoc street, which follows what used to be the banks of the river. Early in the 19th century, the river was filled in to broaden the street. Hang Luoc street is also the location of the annual Tet flower market, an annual tradition that has been going on for centuries. Each year, the best blossoms from all over the country are gathered here for the nation's biggest holiday.

The tour also visits O Quan Chuong (Quan Chuong Gate), which has long been an inspiration for artists, representing the spirit of Hanoi 's historic architecture. The gate was first built out of clay in 1749 but was rebuilt in brick in 1881. The gate used to lie near the Red River , but the city gradually encroached on the river as it expanded.

The tour moves on to Dong Xuan Market, the mother of all Hanoi markets. It has absolutely everything you might need, from jewelry, clothing and footwear, to household appliances and dried and fresh food. Surrounding the market are many restaurants, which have been famous for their delicious treats for years. Many of these eateries have received rave reviews from gastronomic writers such as Nguyen Tuan or Vu Bang.

Nguyen Thu Huong, deputy head of business planning for the Dong Xuan Joint Stock Co, says the company has been very pleased with the success of the battery car services.

"It's been so successful that we are thinking of expanding the tours to other tourist spots in Hanoi , such as West Lake ," Huong said./.

HCMC transport official stand trial for bribery

Huynh Ngoc Si is former deputy director of HCMC Department of Transport

Photo: VNA

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court began Friday a four-day trial of a former city official who was involved in a corruption case that led to the Japanese government suspending aid to Vietnam in 2008.

Huynh Ngoc Si, the former deputy director of the HCMC Transport Department, was charged with taking bribes totaling US$262,000 from a Japanese consulting company in exchange for the provision of consultancy services for a Japan-funded project.

Si, who doubles as the former director of the Japan-funded East-West Highway and the Water Environment Improvement projects in HCMC, was sentenced to three years in prison with “abuse of power” charges by the HCMC People’s Court after a two-day trial on September 25 last year.

Si’s ex-deputy, Le Qua, received two-year sentence with similar charges.

Si and Qua rented a house in HCMC’s District 3 to executives from Japan’s Pacific Consultants International (PCI), who paid US$5,000 a month to use the property as an office.

PCI officials paid a total $80,000 in rent in 2001 and 2002.

The house was owned by the project, but the executives were found guilty of pocketing the ‘rent money’ instead of passing it on to the project management board.

Four months after the trial, the Ministry of Security announced they laid “taking bribes” charges against Si under Article 279 of the Criminal Code.

A conviction on the charge can result in a jail sentence of seven years to death penalty.

The new trial was held at the request of the HCMC People’s Procuracy, which said the sentences given to the two officials were too lenient.

In December 2008, the Ministry of Public Security began a corruption investigation into the two infrastructure projects, estimated to cost $760 million, after an official request by the Tokyo prosecution agency.

According to the agency, PCI executives admitted in a Tokyo court they had given $820,000 between 2003 and 2006 to the former director of the projects to win consulting contracts.

At Vietnam’s request, Japan sent 3,050 pages of document regarding the PCI case to the Supreme People’s Procuracy in both English and Japanese late last year.

But it wasn’t until recently that the Vietnamese procurators announced they had finished the translation.

According to Vietnamese investigators, they found evidences that Si accepted $262,000 from PCI in May 2003, so they decided to lay “taking bribes” charges against him.

Si, who oversaw the two projects in his capacity of deputy director of HCMC Transport Department, was suspended from his post and all Party activities by the department’s Party Committee after the scandal.

In December 2008, Japan suspended its aid funding to Vietnam until the government took "meaningful" steps to eliminate corruption in public works programs.

Japan’s ODA program to Vietnam was resumed in early April last year.

At the new trial, 13 witnesses have been summoned, of which 10 are former officers of the East-West highway project. The three others are former officers of PCI.

Around 40 local and foreign reporters attended the trial.

Australian broadcaster to help boost media links

Vietnam News Agency general director Tran Mai Huong shakes hands with Chief Executive Officer of Radio Australia Mike McCluskey after the signing of a memorandum of understanding to facilitate co-operation between both sides. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Quang

SYDNEY — A memorandum of understanding to facilitate bilateral co-operation in multimedia between the Vietnam News Agency and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation was signed in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday.

Under the document, the two sides agreed to study co-operation methods such as sharing development experiences, multimedia information exchange, programme production, consulting and management sharing, as well as exchanging reporters.

Also on Wednesday, VNA general director Tran Mai Huong discussed specific measures to realise the potential for co-operation with Chief Executive of Australia Network Bruce Dover, Chief Executive Officer of Radio Australia Mike McCluskey and ABC's corporate strategy and international co-operation director Julia Thoener.

During his five-day working visit to Australia, which will end on Sunday, Huong will also visit and discuss co-operation possibilities with the Australian Associated Press (AAP) news agency. — VNS

Online gamers adapt to curfew

Young gamers play online computer games. Online games are growing in popularity in urban areas. Online game addicts have found ways to get around a new curfew. — VNS Photo Truong Vi

HA NOI — Gamers are using creative measures to dodge an online games curfew such as switching to offline games or playing in secret behind closed doors.

The curfew, set by the Ministry of Information and Communications, has been in effect since the beginning of last month. It requires online game shops and host computers to close between 11pm and 6am the next morning.

In fact, internet shops do close and turn their lights off during the curfew, but behind closed doors, many young players are still immersed in a world of virtual fighting, according to a report in the local Tien Phong Daily.

Guards are employed to stand watch in front of these shops. Their job is to alert shop owners and players at the first sight of law enforcement officials.

Internet shops also maintain their clandestine activities by keeping noise to a minimum at night.

These methods are used by internet shops in the capital and HCM City to facilitate their night time operations.

Even when internet service providers suspend online game servers during the night, players can still satisfy their craving for gaming by turning to widely available offline games like Call of Duty, Black Ops, Red Alert, Commandos, Left 4 Dead and Warcraft.

Most of the games are violent.

"There are always alternatives," wrote many online game addicts on an online forum when the curfew was announced.

"We usually sign in using proxy servers based in Japan," said Le Anh Minh, a player in Ha Noi who is a big fan of the Korea-made Alliance of Valliant Arms. "Thousands of Vietnamese players are attracted to these games."

"I like to play freely until I'm tired or fed up without worrying about a time limit," he added, noting that foreign-based games are always more interesting because they are not censored.

The curfew was issued following complaints about the negative effects online games were having on youth, including addiction and rising school violence.

According to a recent survey of female students at Tran Phu Secondary School in District 10 and Nguyen Huu Huan Secondary School in Thu Duc District conducted by Van Hien University, up to 25 per cent of them played violent games in their leisure time and more than 50 per cent were indifferent about violence among school girls.

The Ministry of Education and Training asked its provincial departments as well as universities and colleges across the country distribute a pre-designed survey on the effects of online games on pupils and students from now until next Wednesday. — VNS

Light of hope for 20,000 street children

Nurses take care of newly-born babies with defects in Thanh Hoa Province. MOLISA has planned to set up and expand community-based groups to support children with special circumstances. — VNA/VNS Photo Duong Ngoc

HA NOI — By the age of 15, Nguyen Thi Thuy from Vu Xa Commune in northern Hung Yen Province's Kim Dong District already understood the hardships that over 20,000 street children have to endure in Viet Nam, trying to earn a living on the streets of big cities.

These difficulties helped her understand what true happiness was after she returned home and started attending school again with other children of her own age. She also started a special class where she and about 70 other disadvantaged children were taught to sew beads and make craft products to support their families.

Since 2003, Thuy is just one of thousands of beneficiaries of a project to help street children reintegrate into their communities.

The project, funded by the European Commission, was implemented in 10 cities and provinces by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

During its first phase from 2004-07, about 7,000 children were given access to healthcare, education and employment, and around 3,000 children returned home self sufficient, said Hoang Van Tien, deputy head of the ministry's Department of Child Care and Protection and also the project manager.

The project's achievements proved the effectiveness of the joint efforts of different sectors in the community including the families, social workers and enterprises.

Volunteers in particular played an important role in communication and raising public awareness while encouraging parents to ask their children to return home.

The project also created favourable conditions for families to improve their incomes by offering loans and job training courses for the children and their families.

The ministry has planned to set up and expand community-based models to support children in special circumstances, thought to be 1.53 million, accounting for 6 per cent of Viet Nam's child population.

The project is expected to help 80 per cent of disabled children access education, healthcare and other public services; 100 per cent of children abandoned or orphaned by HIV-infected parents get alternative care; and reduce child abuse and violence towards children as well as juvenile offenders.

This is one of the six projects included in a draft national programme by the ministry on child protection for the 2011-15 period.

Viet Nam had run programmes for children in the sectors of education and healthcare in the past, that helped effectively realise objectives set out in the National Action Plan for Children 2001-10, but did not have a child protection programme at the national level, said Nguyen Hai Huu, head of the ministry's Child Care and Protection Department.

The country needed a national programme to protect children because the issues of child abuse, child maltreatment, violence against children, child trafficking, child labour and children with HIV/AIDS were becoming more and more complicated. It would be a struggle to achieve the targets set out for child protection in the national action plan this year, said Huu.

He said the programme would solve the problems that Viet Nam had faced in the past, including the shortage of a comprehensive legal framework, poor awareness on the issue, staff shortages and poor social services.

He added that there was currently a huge shortage of professional social workers. There were about 160,000 volunteers working in hamlets in 2007 but that figure dropped to just 7,000 following the closure of the Committee for Population, Family and Children. The committee had been responsible for child protection but its role was taken over by the ministry. At higher levels, staff working in this field were forced to take on additional responsibilities in other fields, increasing their workload.

In terms of child protection services, Viet Nam has developed out-of-home care services including about 400 social centres that care for about 20,000 disadvantaged children while in-home-care services including consultations, supervision and early interventions are in the process of being developed.

The programme consists of six major projects on communication; improving staff; supervision and assessment of the implementation of children's rights; building child protection supply services; developing child protection support models; and adjusting the legal system accordingly.

The VND1,700 billion (US$87 million) programme will be implemented nationwide, covering children under the age of 16 with priorities given to poor children, children with special circumstances and victims of child abuse, along with the families and adults who are responsible for taking care of them.

It is aimed at creating an environment where all children, especially disadvantaged ones, are protected and have equal development opportunities, preventing and reducing the threat to children.

In detail, the programme is expected to reduce the rate of children with special circumstances from 6 per cent at present to 5.5 per cent in the next five years. 80 per cent of them would receive Government and community support and a further 70 per cent of vulnerable children would also be helped. Efficient child protection systems would also be set up across half of the nation's provinces and cities.

The draft programme has been studied by relevant ministries and agencies including the ministries of Education and Training, Finance, Public Security and Justice and Home Affairs, before being submitted to the Prime Minister by the end of this year. — VNS

Tien Phong journalist arrested for bribery

Phan Ha Binh was caught red-handed while receiving bribes at a restaurant in HCMC

Ministry of Public Security police arrested Thursday Phan Ha Binh, a journalist of Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, for receiving bribes.

Binh, whose pen name is Ha Phan, was caught red-handed while receiving VND220 million (US$11,282) from a representative of the Saigon-Tan Ky Cement Joint Stock Company at a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.

Police said 41-year-old Binh, who is the deputy managing editor of Tien Phong newspaper, used a news report to blackmail the company.

Tien Phong newspaper on September 18 ran a story written by Binh about a project of the company, in which there is some sensitive information that would affect the company’s reputation.

Binh repeatedly demanded the company to give him money, otherwise he would write more stories about it, according to police.

A company representative was handling VND220 million to him on Thursday when the police arrived and arrested him.

Police also search his house and the rep office of Tien Phong newspaper on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street in District 3.

Nguyen Xuan Mung, deputy chief of Ministry of Public Security’s Investigation Agency, said police are investigating more suspects related to the case.

Tien Phong journalist arrested for bribery

Phan Ha Binh was caught red-handed while receiving bribes at a restaurant in HCMC

Ministry of Public Security police arrested Thursday Phan Ha Binh, a journalist of Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, for receiving bribes.

Police said 41-year-old Binh, who is the deputy managing editor of Tien Phong newspaper, used a news report to blackmail the company.

Tien Phong newspaper on September 18 ran a story written by Binh about a project of the company, in which there is some sensitive information that would affect the company’s reputation.

Binh repeatedly demanded the company to give him money, otherwise he would write more stories about it, according to police.

A company representative was handling VND220 million to him on Thursday when the police arrived and arrested him.

Police also search his house and the rep office of Tien Phong newspaper on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street in District 3.

Nguyen Xuan Mung, deputy chief of Ministry of Public Security’s Investigation Agency, said police are investigating more suspects related to the case.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

NGO wants to scrap dam project

Save the Mekong coalition on Wednesday called on the Mekong region’s governments to cancel the Xayabouri dam planned for the Mekong River’s mainstream in Xayabouri province, Laos.

In a letter sent to Jeremy Bird, CEO of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), the Save the Mekong coalition also called for a halt to the project’s Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA) process that is coordinated through the MRC.

The PNPCA process commenced when the Lao government submitted the Xayabouri dam’s project documents to the MRC on September 22, initiating a review process between the lower Mekong basin’s governments.

The PNPCA process has been initiated despite the final report of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) previously commission by the MRC not having been published.

Its reports released to date have indicated the considerable anticipated impacts and high risks associated with building dams on the Mekong River’s mainstream.

The Save the Mekong letter states that the PNPCA process is poorly prepared, fails in commitments to transparency, contains no commitment to consultation with the public, and in reality does nothing but pave the way for the Xayaboury dam’s construction.

Rather than advising the MRC member governments that the SEA report is still incomplete and that a clear and credible PNPCA process does not exist, the MRC Secretariat has opened the way and even encouraged the PNPCA process in a rushed manner.

In doing so, the MRC Secretariat has failed in its responsibility to both the MRC member governments and to the Mekong Region’s wider public.

Despite the fact that numerous letters from the Save the Mekong coalition and other civil society groups, together with a more than 23,000 signature petition, have called on the MRC’s member governments to cancel the Xayabouri Dam project, in June, Thailand’s electricity utility, EGAT, signed an initial agreement with Ch. Karnchang to purchase over 95 percent of the Xayaburi dam’s electricity.

The Xayabouri dam is a 1,280 MW project proposed to be built on the Mekong River’s mainstream at the Kaeng Luang rapids in Xayabouri province, Laos, by the Thai construction company Ch Karnchang.

There is abundant evidence - produced by the MRC itself – that already demonstrates the Xayaboury dam to be exceptionally destructive. The dam would submerge the homes of 2,130 people from 10 villages in Laos.

A further 200,000 people located near the Xayaboury dam in Laos and Thailand would suffer impacts to their livelihoods, income and food security.

The dam would decimate the river’s ecosystem, blocking fish migrations along the river’s upper reaches as far upstream as Chiang Saen in Thailand, with consequences that would bee felt throughout the Mekong river basin.

Up to 41 fish species would be at risk of extinction, including the critically endangered and iconic Mekong giant catfish.

UN, Vietnam talk about social protection floor

High-ranking talks on the Social Protection Floor (SPF) between the United Nations (UN) and the Vietnamese government took place in Hanoi on October 14.

Attending the talks were Michelle Bachelet, former Chilean President and Chair of the UN Social Protection Floor Advisory Group, Vietnamese Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and John Hendra, UN Permanent Coordinator in Vietnam .

Speaking at the event, the MoLISA Minister welcomed Michelle Bachelet’s visit to Vietnam to prepare for the implementation of the UN Initiative on Social Protection Floor.

Affirming Vietnam ’s consistent policy of ensuring and developing social security, Ngan shared the overall objective of the country’s 2011-2020 socio-economic development strategy in which Vietnam strives to become a middle-income country with the harmony of economic growth, social progress and equity, with continuously improving living standards and a diversified social protection system.

The talks offered a chance for Vietnam to access the basic contents of the UN Social Protection Floor Initiative, in order to share experiences and strengthen cooperation between Vietnam and the UN in the process of building and implementing the country’s 2011-2020 Social Security Strategy and the Social Security Project for 2011-2015, she added.

Michelle Bachelet said her visit aims to collect ideas for the compilation of a global report on social protection and Vietnam -- with its recent experiences in extending health insurance to more beneficiaries and readiness to implement its social security strategy -- will be a good example to be described in the report.

The UN official expressed her belief that the SPF will be an useful tool for Vietnam to reach the goals anticipated in the national social security strategy. She also said that the UN is ready to support the Vietnamese government in this field.

According to the UN, the SPF is a basic set of rights and transfers that enables and empowers all members of a society to access a minimum of goods and services in the fields of health, safe water and sanitation, education, food, housing, and asset/saving information.

The SPF emphasises the implementation of a comprehensive social security policy to ensure minimum services and income transfers for people, especially vulnerable groups, during their lives./.

Vietnam pays attention to social equality, says PM

Vietnam, through its development strategy, planned to boost economic development while ensuring social equality and environmental protection.

The statement was made by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at a reception for the Chair of the UN Social Protection Floor Advisory Group, Michelle Bachelet, who was the former Chilean President, in Hanoi on October 14.

According to the PM, together with economic development programmes, Vietnam was also implementing 40 social security programmes. Thanks to its sustainable development strategy, Vietnam has maintained its growth rate of nearly 7 percent during the 2006-2010 period despite impacts from the global economic crisis, he said.

However, PM Dung noted that Vietnam remained a low-income, developing country, so investment for education and health care as well as improving living standards and incomes was still a major challenge for the country.

The Government leader also suggested UN organisations continue cooperation and support for Vietnam in order to help the country better implement its social security programmes.

He affirmed that Vietnam would stand side by side with UN organisations, especially in developing people-centred goals.

At the meeting, PM Dung said he was pleased with the developing relationship between Vietnam and the UN in all aspects, including effective cooperation between Vietnamese agencies and UN bodies, especially a pilot “One-UN” programme in Vietnam .

He also spoke highly of the Initiative on the Social Protection Floor, saying that it was an initiative of humanity that represented the UN’s common goal of peace, cooperation and development for countries and peoples.

Michelle Bachelet expressed her admiration at Vietnam ’s social security achievements, saying that the country’s big success in this area should be mutiplied.

She said that the UN Initiative on Social Protection Floor, initiated and implemented by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), aimed to help countries avoid a collapse following the global economic crisis.

She affirmed that she would keep close watch on significant developments in Vietnam and would try her best to promote development of the country.

With its strong development in recent years, the UN official expressed her belief that Vietnam was well placed to cope with major global challenges./.

VNA signs media deal with Australian partner

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Oct. 13 signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in multimedia.

The MoU aimed to formalise a non-exclusive framework of cooperation and facilitate collaboration between the parties to promote programmes and projects that fostered bilateral cooperation in multimedia.

Under the MoU, the two sides will exchange experiences and know-how in the multimedia area, provide advisory services in content production and management of multimedia production, and explore possibilities for promotion and collaboration on staff exchange programme.

The same day, VNA General Director Tran Mai Huong had discussions on cooperation prospects with Director of the Australia Network Bruce Dover, Managing Director of Radio Australia Mike McCluskey and ABC International Relations Manager Julia Thoener.

During the working visit to Australia from Oct. 13-17, the high-level VNA delegation also had a working session on cooperation prospects with the Australian Associated Press (AAP)./.

Authorities use relief funds for unauthorized expenses

Senior resident Nguyen Thi De, 83, in Hamlet 3 of Huong Do Commune in Ha Tinh central province received VND70,000 on October 12, 2010 instead of VND120,000 after VND50,000 were deducted for decorative work on the village entry gate

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Aid relief sent to flood victims in the central region by philanthropists across the nation was allegedly appropriated by local authorities to support non-urgent and unauthorized renovations.

A Ho Chi Minh City based charitable organization Tuesday donated VND12.5 million (US$640) to 104 flooded households in Hamlet 3 of Huong Do Commune in Huong Khe District in Ha Tinh Province.

Instead of allocating VND120,000 ($6) to each of the households as formerly agreed, the hamlet’s management board handed each of them VND70,000 ($3.6) setting the remainder aside to cover decorative work on the village entry gate.

Pursuant to Vietnamese law, relief assistance must be handed over to local authorities, who will later distribute it to affected community members.

“Though money for food is still an urgent priority, VND50,000 ($2.5) were deducted from our allowances to cover decorative expenses for the gate,” a local Cao Thi Lai resident said angrily.

“We were also told that it is mandatory we all participate in the gate’s renovation work” another local resident, Nguyen Thi Vi, told Tuoi Tre.

When asked by a Tuoi Tre reporter, Bui Duc Do, chief of Hamlet 3, insisted the deduction was not unauthorized.

“They previously agreed to pay VND50,000 each to build the village gate so we just deducted it from the relief assistance and gave them the remainder,” he told Tuoi Tre.

Dinh Lam, chairman of the people’s committee of Huong Do Commune -- comprising many smaller hamlets, assured he would send investigators to the hamlets to verify the report.

“All of relief assistance must be equally distributed to the aid recipients,” he confirmed. “Local authorities are banned from using it for other expenses.”

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Huynh Ngoc Si pictured at the trial on October 15, 2010

Photo: Tuoi Tre

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Friday, November 19, 2010

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Huynh Ngoc Si is former deputy director of HCMC Department of Transport

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Thursday, November 18, 2010

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Senior resident Nguyen Thi De, 83, in Hamlet 3 of Huong Do Commune in Ha Tinh central province received VND70,000 on October 12, 2010 instead of VND120,000 after VND50,000 were deducted for decorative work on the village entry gate

Photo: Tuoi Tre

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