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Vietnam finds European’s human right resolution unacceptable

Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga Vietnam was “very disappointed” with the European Parliament’s recent resolution about its human rights and religious freedom status, foreign affairs department’s spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga said last Friday.

The resolution, which was passed on Thursday, makes “absolutely wrong judgments about Vietnam’s real status without goodwill and objectiveness,” Nga said. “Human beings are the target as well as the driving force of Vietnam’s establishment and development.” Nga said approving the solution was an act against the benefits of the relationship between Vietnam and the European Union and has displeased Vietnamese citizens. While the European Committee’s representatives are in Hanoi for negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement, the European Parliament has proposed a binding clause on human rights and democracy be incorporated into current discussions on new cooperation agreements with Vietnam. Source: Tuoi Tre

Doctors, nurses rebuked for pronouncing live baby dead

The general hospital in Ninh Thuan Province on Tuesday cut a doctor’s salary, reprimanded another doctor and two nurses who last month falsely informed that a baby was born dead.

Doctor Tran Thi Hong Hoa, head of the night shift on Nov.11 at the hospital’s Obstetrics Department, had her payment cut while doctor Nguyen Thi Thanh Xuan and nurses Le Thi Hong Van, Nguyen Thi Tuyet received warning notes. The hospital didn’t specify how much will be cut from Hoa’s salary. Tran Phuc, director of the hospital in the south central province, said a baby was born prematurely on that night with low weight and slow heart beat. Phuc blamed the team on duty for being “ignorant and irresponsible” as they “hastily” concluded that the baby was dead. The family had brought the baby home to hold its funeral, but found that it was still alive. The baby was taken to Ho Chi Minh City’s Pediatric Hospital No.1 for treatment and is reportedly getting better. Reported by Thien Nhan

US soldiers’ remains repatriated

A ceremony to send back the remains of four US soldiers was held at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport on Tuesday, the 112th repatriation of its kind since 1973, according to the US Embassy.

The remains and their relics, which were sent in four coffins, were found during a cooperative search conducted between this October and November and were handed in by local people. Initial autopsies by the two countries’ experts showed that the remnants might belong to US soldiers who were lost in the Vietnam War. However, they were sent to Hawaii State for further examination. Speaking at the handing-over ceremony, the US Government’s representative expressed gratitude and appreciation for Vietnam’s human and goodwill policy as well as its effective cooperation in the search during the past years. Also on Tuesday a mass grave together with soldiers’ belongings was discovered during excavation work at the construction site of a drainage system in the central province of Quang Ngai. Nguyen Trong Luyen, head of Quang Ngai Town’s Army Steering Committee, said they are yet to identify the remains as also estimate their number. But local agencies suspect it was the grave of Vietnamese soldiers who died in an attack on Quang Ngai Prison under the US army’s control in 1968, according to Luyen. An excavation was planned on Wednesday to carry out further tests. Reported by Huong Giang – Hien Cu

Int’l donors pledge $8.06 bln for Vietnam

Foreign donors guaranteed Vietnam official development assistance of more than US$8 billion at a meeting Friday, a sharp increase from the figure pledged a year ago.

The annual pledge was announced at the Consultative Group meeting on Vietnam, which included Vietnam’s top donors such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, Japan and EU, concluded a two day meeting in Hanoi. The Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds will help Vietnam stabilize its macro-economy, regain growth and further reduce poverty, the Consultative Group said in a statement. Foreign donors began offering development assistance to Vietnam in 1993. Their pledges have totaled $42.5 billion since then, more than half which has been disbursed, according to the government. Last December the group announced $5 billion in aid. The figure was later revised to $5.85 billion by the government after Japan resumed aid this year. This year’s disbursement is expected to reach $3 billion. During the meeting, foreign donors and government officials discussed various issues including economic stability and poverty reduction. ADB Country Director for Vietnam, Ayumi Konishi, lauded the government’s efforts to manage the adverse impact of the global economic crisis. “Risks are growing and we appreciate the government’s recognition that stabilization is the essential prerequisite for rapid and sustainable growth,” he said. World Bank representative in Vietnam Victoria Kwakwa said a key theme was improving business competitiveness and reinvigorating state-owned enterprise reform. “I think the message from donors to government is to really move forward on this and to move forward in a bold way,” she said. The increased ODA comes with Vietnam’s economy on track to grow around 5 percent this year, according to government figures. Middle income status Vietnam is also likely to cross the middle income threshold of having average annual per capita income of at least $1,000 next year, which will have an affect on the composition of future aid and is likely to impact the total volume. The World Bank and other development partners were already beginning to discuss how the annual Consultative Group meeting should change as middle income status alters Vietnam’s eligibility for certain types of assistance, Kwakwa said. “We don’t expect that there will be a major cut-off, just like that. I think that it will be more gradual and in a way that responds to the needs that the country still has,” Kwakwa said. Mark Kent, the British ambassador, said this Consultative Group had already begun looking at those challenges. “While obviously keeping the focus on poverty reduction is going to be important still, increasingly we are going to be looking at other challenges if Vietnam wants to keep on moving up the value chain – things like dealing with corruption, dealing with infrastructure,” he said. Climate change figured prominently this year, and a United Nations official said earlier in the week that future soft loans and other development aid to Vietnam could be dominated by climate change-related projects. Vietnam is recognized by international organizations as one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels. Source: Thanh Nien, Reuters

Hanoi makes it easy to establish a new business

A new business can be established with a maximum of nine days in Hanoi from Tuesday (November 17, 2009), instead of the 30 days it takes at present.

The announcement was made Monday by the deputy director of the capital city’s Department of Planning and Investment, Nguyen Van Tu. Under a decision recently issued by the Hanoi People’s Committee, selected staff from the planning and investment department, tax agency and the police will gather at the department’s business registration office to deal with applications for establishing a new business. With this arrangement, businesses don’t have to spend time running around to complete all necessary procedures, Tu told Thanh Nien. The department has also proposed adequate compensation for the staff so that they do not solicit bribes or engage in other actions that cause difficulties to businesses, he added. The government is making several efforts to streamline administrative procedures that have been criticized as time-consuming and too complicated. However, many failings found in the 2001-2010 administrative reform program has prompted the National Assembly to directly oversee it next year. Reported by An Nguyen