Fatal coach accident in northern province

QUANG NINH — A truck and a coach collided on Wednesday, killing the coach's driver on spot and injuring 10 passengers, on National Highway No 18A in Dam Ha District in Quang Ninh Province.

The crash was occurred after the truck's driver lost control of his vehicle. The injured were treated in Quang Ninh General Hospital.

Ship causes oil slick in Vung Ro Port

PHU YEN — Viet Tin 01 Ship caused an oil spill in Vung Ro Port in Phu Yen Province's Dong Hoa District on Wednesday, said Nguyen Dang Vu, a representative from Quy Nhon Port Authority.

The ship docked at the port to deliver oil to a fuel storehouse.

The incident happened after a malfunction occurred during the transfer of oil. The company's workers had cleaned up the spilled oil, said Vu.

13-month-old baby takes ecstasy tablet

HCM CITY — A 13-month-old boy was taken to HCM City's Hospital for Children No 2 on Wednesday after accidentally consuming half of an ecstasy tablet. The baby immediately went into an overactive state and began to suffer from a high temperature and dilated pupils.

The boy is now in normal condition.

His mother said he took the drug accidentally at an acquaintance's house who uses ecstasy.

Untreated waste water found next to IZ

BINH DUONG — Binh Duong Province's Environment Police found 1,000cu.m of untreated waste water in a rain-water drainage system that had been discharged from Dong An 1 Industrial Zone in Thuan An District on Wednesday.

Authorities took samples to test the water's pollution level.

The zone investor, Hung Thinh Joint Stocks Co, will submit a document about the presence of waste water in the rain drainage system.

Drunk father arrested for beating son

BAC GIANG — Nguyen Van Dong, 40, of Dong Phuc Commune, Yen Dung District in Bac Giang Province, was arrested on Wednesday for abusing his son.

Dong admitted to police that on September 21 he beat his son with sticks and rubber sandals.

Commune authorities warned Dong about his behaviour many times, but he kept abusing his son, usually when he was drunk. — VNS

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Flood death toll reaches 48

Thai Thi Duong, 82, is rescued by a soldier in Quang Binh's Minh Hoa District. More than 3,400 homes in the district are still deep under water. — VNA/VNS Photo Duy Hung-Manh Thanh

HA NOI — The number of deaths caused by the recent floods and landslides in the central region has increased to 48, reports the National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control.

In this region, 19 people were injured and 18 are still missing. Quang Binh Province is the hardest hit area with 33 deaths, 11 missing and 11 injured.

The river water levels from Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces continue to subside but 35 communes in six districts of Ha Tinh, 106 communes in six districts of Quang Binh and 1,450 houses in Thua Thien-Hue remain flooded.

As many as 41 ships with 260 fishermen aboard sank or were damaged.

Border guards at these localities informed more than 45,100 vessels and rafts with 203,414 people aboard, but failed to contact 29 boats with 204 fishermen aboard in Quang Binh province.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai (first left) visits flood victims in Ha Tinh Province's Phuong My Commune and hands out relief aid. — VNA/VNS Photo Cong Tuong

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat visited Ha Tinh Province yesterday to guide works to ease flood damage after visiting Quang Binh Province on Wednesday.

They urged local authorities to mobilise all available resources to aid the victims and ensure that no one was without food.

The province should focus on providing food and water for people in affected areas and take measures to clean the environment and treat diseases brought on by the floods, Hai said.

Around 900 houses in mountainous areas and valleys in Minh Hoa and Tuyen Hoa districts of Quang Binh remained submerged with thousands of people calling for help from their rooftops, said head of Air Force Division No 372's Regiment No C54 Nguyen Viet Hung.

So far 9,000 households in Ha Tinh, 5,000 in Quang Tri and 550 in Thua Thien-Hue have been relocated to safer areas.

A range of emergency aid measures are being undertaken. The Government has provided Ha Tinh with VND100 billion (US$5.1 million) in aid and 1,000 tonnes of rice.

The Ministry of National Defence sent seven helicopters carrying tonnes of goods, including instant noodles and clean water, for people in isolated areas in Quang Binh and transported people out of flooded areas. The ministry also sent two naval boats to search for missing vessels.

The Ministry of Health supplied provinces from Nghe An to Thua Thien-Hue with medicine and life-jackets. The Viet Nam Fatherland Front planned to provide VND1.5 billion ($76,500) in aid for the provinces from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien-Hue. The National Centre for Clean Water and Rural Sanitation has provided chemicals to help affected provinces treat contaminated water.

The Ministry of Transport quickly repaired damaged roads and National Highway 1A was completely cleared, leaving only two areas of the Ho Chi Minh Road that crosses Quang Binh blocked.

Yesterday, Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, former Party General Secretaries Do Muoi and Le Kha Phieu and leaders and officials of the Party Central Committee Office raised funds to help flood victims.

President Nguyen Minh Triet, former President Tran Duc Luong, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan and former Vice President Truong My Hoa and leaders and officers of the President's Office also worked to raise funds on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Deputy Prime Ministers Nguyen Sinh Hung, Truong Vinh Trong and Pham Gia Khiem and leaders and officers of the Government Office did the same yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan attended the launch of a fundraising campaign held by the Ministry of Education and Training yesterday.

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union raised VND116 million for flood victims. — VNS

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Can Tho importer slaughters dangerous turtles

Cantho Import-Export Seafood JSC (Caseamex) last Wednesday killed 17,900 of 18,400 red eared sliders pursuant to an official document from the Vinh Long province’s People Committee.

Caseamex imported thirty tons of red eared sliders from the US to their factory in Phu Thanh Village, Tra On District in Vinh Long province to be processed for consumption last April.

Commonly referred to as sliders, the Trachemys scripta elegans, in their scientific name, are said by scientists to carry the salmonella virus that causes typhoid to human. They are listed in the IUCN Red list of threatened species as near-threatened and described as a potentially invasive species once in a non- native environment which could lead to ecological imbalance.

Sliders have been banned in several countries in the world but are one of few species approved to be imported in Vietnam.

During the first two weeks, four tons of sliders died. Although Caseamex buried them, they released an unpleasant smell, causing disruption for nearby residents. People were also afraid that sliders would escape to the natural environment and compete with indigenous species for food and basking sites.

A search for the remaining red eared turtles in the area will be supervised by the People Committee of Phu Thanh village (Vinh Long), veterinaries and fisheries’ representatives in Vinh Long province and Can Tho City, said Lieu Cam Hien, vice president of Vinh Long’s department of Cultural and Rural Development.

Once all sliders have been killed, water will be pumped out, ponds will be sterilized and sewage will be processed.

Slider’s meat is usually frozen and preserved in cold storages in Can Tho City. It is then processed for food consumption and supplied to domestic consumers or export outlets. Shells are detached and dried for animal consumption. Blood and organs are disposed and processed on the spot.

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Can Tho importer slaughters dangerous turtles

Cantho Import-Export Seafood JSC (Caseamex) last Wednesday killed 17,900 of 18,400 red eared sliders pursuant to an official document from the Vinh Long province’s People Committee.

Caseamex imported thirty tons of red eared sliders from the US to their factory in Phu Thanh Village, Tra On District in Vinh Long province to be processed for consumption last April.

Commonly referred to as sliders, the Trachemys scripta elegans, in their scientific name, are said by scientists to carry the salmonella virus that causes typhoid to human. They are listed in the IUCN Red list of threatened species as near-threatened and described as a potentially invasive species once in a non- native environment which could lead to ecological imbalance.

Sliders have been banned in several countries in the world but are one of few species approved to be imported in Vietnam.

During the first two weeks, four tons of sliders died. Although Caseamex buried them, they released an unpleasant smell, causing disruption for nearby residents. People were also afraid that sliders would escape to the natural environment and compete with indigenous species for food and basking sites.

A search for the remaining red eared turtles in the area will be supervised by the People Committee of Phu Thanh village (Vinh Long), veterinaries and fisheries’ representatives in Vinh Long province and Can Tho City, said Lieu Cam Hien, vice president of Vinh Long’s department of Cultural and Rural Development.

Once all sliders have been killed, water will be pumped out, ponds will be sterilized and sewage will be processed.

Slider’s meat is usually frozen and preserved in cold storages in Can Tho City. It is then processed for food consumption and supplied to domestic consumers or export outlets. Shells are detached and dried for animal consumption. Blood and organs are disposed and processed on the spot.

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145 new species discovered in Greater Mekong region

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has announced the list of 145 new species discovered in the Mekong River region since 2009 as a proof for the “biological treasure” of the river.

Among newly-recorded plants, three were in Cambodia , including a carnivorous plant named Nepenthes Bokorensis in the Cambodian southern province of Kampot . It has a climbing length of up to seven meters, with insect-trapping pitchers that can grow to 25 cm and roots can be used as concoction to ease body pain.

According to the WWF, scientists are making proposals to include the carnivorous plant in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The other species discovered in the country were a tropical herb in Ratanakkiri province and a yellow-flowered plant in northern Cambodia. The latter was also found in Southeastern Thailand.

In Vietnam, a frog that sounds like a cricket was found in the central province of Quang Nam while a fish, measuring up to 17mm, with fangs at the front of each jaw was found in a small stream in Myanmar.

Other 58 species were also discovered in Thailand.

From 1997 to 2008, 1,231 new species were found in the Mekong river basin, however, biodiversity of the basin is seriously threatened, the WWF said.

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Environmental project starts in Ha Long Bay

Photo: Tuoi Tre

A project on environmental protection in Ha Long Bay was officially put into operation on Thursday.

The project started in April and will be implemented for three years, with a budget of approximately US$3.8 million borne by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its technical cooperation scheme.

Inscribed into the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1994, the aesthetically-endowed Ha Long Bay of Quang Ninh province has recently welcomed almost 5 million domestic and international visitors annually.

However, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has recently identified five main issues potentially threatening the World Heritage value of Ha Long Bay including population growth, increased tourism pressure and development, urban and industrial development, lack of financial and technical resources, and absence of an integrated planning approach.

The project aims to enhance capacity for environmental management of the Ha Long area for related provincial organizations in environmental monitoring and inspection, land use management, sustainable tourism planning and environmental education.

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Environmental project starts in Ha Long Bay

Photo: Tuoi Tre

A project on environmental protection in Ha Long Bay was officially put into operation on Thursday.

The project started in April and will be implemented for three years, with a budget of approximately US$3.8 million borne by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its technical cooperation scheme.

Inscribed into the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1994, the aesthetically-endowed Ha Long Bay of Quang Ninh province has recently welcomed almost 5 million domestic and international visitors annually.

However, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has recently identified five main issues potentially threatening the World Heritage value of Ha Long Bay including population growth, increased tourism pressure and development, urban and industrial development, lack of financial and technical resources, and absence of an integrated planning approach.

The project aims to enhance capacity for environmental management of the Ha Long area for related provincial organizations in environmental monitoring and inspection, land use management, sustainable tourism planning and environmental education.

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