Protestant missionaries granted with certificates

Dak Nong (VNA) – As many as 128 Protestant missionaries from central highlands Dak Nong province were granted with certificates on August 27 after finishing a training course held by t he Bible Theological Institute of the Southern Vietnam Federal Protestant Church.

This was the first training course held by the Institute in coordination with the local administration.

During the past four years, the students sat for 15 days every year to learn different subjects, including the church’s history and missionary work. They also studied the State’s laws and policies related to religions and belief freedom.

Dak Nong province has over recent years paid attention to socio-economic development in the ethnic minority area. Thus the material and spiritual life of over 40,000 Protestants, most of them being ethnic minority people, has been improved.-

Land in dispute to be seized for public projects

Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi authorities have asked relevant agencies to confiscate the whole acreage in dispute in Dong Da district for building public projects.

In accordance to a document signed by the municipal People’s Committee Vice Chairman on August 27, the area, which is used by the Chien Thang Garment Joint Stock Company and the Cement Transport Company, will be entrusted to the municipal Natural Resources and Environment Department and the Dong Da People’s Committee to work out plans to build public works for the local population.

The municipal People’s Committee also requested relevant agencies to track down organisations and individuals who had mismanaged the piece of land, and recommend appropriate reprimand or punishment.

Earlier, the Hanoi authorities assigned the Construction Department and the Dong Da People’s Committee to work out a project to build a street run alongside the area in order to facilitate the travel and living of the locals, including parishioners.

The project must be completed right in 2008, the authorities asked.

According to the Dong Da police, hundreds of people on August 15 occupied the area to pitch tents and hold prayers. The local police on the same day started legal proceedings against the public order disturbing case.-

VN-Laos gov’t special work committees meet

Vientiane (VNA) – The special work committees of the Vietnamses and Lao governments held their 13th session in Vientiane on Aug. 26.

The Vietnamese delegation was headed by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Duoc, Deputy Defence Minister and Chairman of the Vietnamese committee; and the Lao delegation, by Lieutenant General Chanthamon Chanthalath, Chairman of the Lao committee.

The two sides reviewed their cooperation in searching for remains of Vietnamese volunteer combatants and experts in Laos in the 2007-08 dry season.

They appreciated the joint efforts of the governmental special work committees of the two countries and the Lao authorities and people’s cooperation and assistance in the work, particularly their provision of valuable information.

The two sides approved a working programme for the 2008-09 dry season and signed a memorandum of understanding on the cooperation in the next year.

During its stay in Laos, the Vietnamese delegation was received by Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh and Deputy Prime Minister cum Defence Minister Douangchai Phichit.-

HCM Politics Institute’s officials honoured by Laos

Hanoi (VNA) – Bouthong Chitmani, Head of the Organisational Department of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee presented his country’s Freedom Order (Itsala), first class, to Vietnamese professors and officials of the Ho Chi Minh Politics Institute in Hanoi on August 27.

Recipients included To Huy Rua, secretary of the Vietnam Communist Party’s Central Committee and also chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, the institute’s director Le Huu Nghia, former director Nguyen Van Sau and 56 other officials and professors.

Speaking at the award ceremony, the Lao official said that his Party and government attached importance to the development of the two countries’ multi-faceted cooperation.

The institute has since 1975 helped train Laos cadres. Since 2005 up to now, as many as 947 Laos officials have graduated from the institute.-

Vietnam-Malaysia cooperation fruitfully continues

HCM City (VNA) – Malaysian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Khairi Omar stated that Malaysia was willing to boost economic, trade and investment cooperation with Vietnam , particularly HCM City .

The Malaysian diplomat made the statement at a ceremony to mark the 51st National Day of his country and the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries held in HCM City on August 27.

Addressing the event, Le Quoc Hung, President of the HCM City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO), expressed his wish that as ASEAN members, the two countries would continue consolidate to make ASEAN an organisation of comprehensive cooperation, a dynamic region and an important factor to boost dialogue and cooperation in Asia and the Pacific.

The Malaysian Consul General and the HUFO President agreed that the Vietnam-Malaysia joint declaration on comprehensive cooperation signed in 2004 have been carried out effectively, particularly in economy, trade, investment, transport, oil and gas, defence, science and industry.

They said the establishment of the Vietnam-Malaysia Friendship Organisation would help the two countries to strengthen cooperation in tourism, education, culture, as well as labour.

The two-way trade turnover reached 4.35 billion USD in 2007.-

Condolences over Kyrgyz plane crash

Hanoi (VNA) – State President Nguyen Minh Triet has sent a message of condolences to his Kyrgyz counterpart, Kurmanbek Bakiev, over losses in humans in a plane crash on August 24.

The Iran-bound Boeing 737 plane of Kyrgyzstan’s private company Itek-Air crashed shortly after takeoff from the Bishkek capital’s Manas airport, killing 65 people and leaving 25 others injured.-

PM hails flourishing Vietnam-Australia relations

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam-Australia cooperation continued to blossom in various fields, especially bringing about a sharp increase in trade, investment and official development assistance (ODA).

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the remark while receiving former Australian PM Paul Keating in Hanoi on August 27.
Australia is now among Vietnam ’s 10 biggest trade partners, and it has 174 direct investment projects worth over 1 billion USD in total in the country.

The cooperation in labour, education also made progress with more than 9,000 Vietnamese students and trainees sent to Australia .

The government leader cited the My Thuan Bridge – Australia ’s largest ever development assistance infrastructure project – as a symbol of the two countries’ relations.

The PM thanked the Australian government and people for their effective assistance to Vietnam , as well as to the community of 200,000 overseas Vietnamese residing and doing business in Australia .

He also thanked the former PM for his great contributions to the development of Vietnam-Australian multifaceted cooperation.

PM Dung asserted that the Vietnamese government would provide favourable conditions to Australian investors, and wished that the former Australian PM would further contribute to the two countries’ cooperation, particularly in ODA, and human resource training.

Former PM Keating said the development of Vietnam-Australia relations over the recent years has brought sweet fruits to both sides.

He also shared experiences in master plan design and macro-economy management.-