Politics
-- At a reception given by Cambodian NA Chairman Heng Samrin in Phnom Penh on March 30, visiting National Assembly Vice Chairman Huynh Ngoc Son expressed the belief that placement of markers along the Vietnam-Cambodia border will be completed as scheduled, to turn the two countries’ border into the border of friendship and cooperation. He also said he hopes Vietnam will receive further assistance from Cambodia in repatriating the remains of Vietnamese soldiers and experts, who laid down their lives in Cambodia.
Society
--Tropical storm Pakhar, packing winds of 75-102 kph, is moving at 5-10 kph in the East Sea and will lay 150 km east-southeast of Binh Thuan and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provinces at 4 pm today. If its route and speed remain unchanged, the storm may hit Binh Thuan Province this evening, the national hydro-meteorological forecasting center warns, calling for urgent actions to be taken to cope with the storm.
-- The Supreme People’s Court yesterday maintained the 18-year sentence for underage Le Van Luyen, who killed three people in the Ngoc Bich jewelry shop in Bac Giang Province in April 2011. The supreme court confirmed the first instance court’s conclusion of that Luyen had acted alone in the murder, but ordered him to pay an additional damages of VND30 million to the victims’ family. Discontent with the judgments, lawyer Pham Van Huynh, who defends the family’s rights and interest, said he would advise the family to appeal the case.
-- Two South Korean men, Son Yongin, 34, and Jung Sung Kyoon, 52, drowned when they were bathing in the sea at Nghinh Phong beach in Thang Tam Ward, southern Vung Tau city yesterday, authorities reported. Local rescuers found Jung’s body yesterday evening and have been trying to recover the body of the other victim.
-- Worrying about possible dangers from the leaking dam of the Song Tranh 2 hydropower plant Bac Tra My District in Quang Nam Province, the district authorities have asked the provincial People’s Committee to conduct a comprehensive examination of the dam to identify causes and seek effective remedies. The water leakage from the dam has lasted for more than 10 days.
-- All hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City are required to carry out drills of examination and treatment procedures for the A/H5N1 avian flu, which will enter its peak in April-May, said Phan Van Bau, deputy director of the city Health Department. The drills are aimed at improving the timeliness, quality and effectiveness of treatment to patients, he said.
Business
-- The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association has demanded that the National Assembly Standing Committee and the Government not approve traffic fees proposed by the Transport Ministry for personal vehicles and vehicles that enter cities' downtown in rush hour. The association said car users have already paid many taxes and fees related to registration and use of cars.
-- Many unlicensed providers of small cylinders of LPG, which are used for small gas cookers, have been found out in a survey conducted by Tuoi Tre in Ho Chi Minh City during the past several days. These providers bought 12-kg cylinders of gas and then extracted the fuel from them into small ones in unsafe conditions. An illegal small-scale producer can launch into the market 1,000 small cylinders of gas every day, earning a profit of VND1 million ($48) per day.
Lifestyle
-- At 7:30 pm today Tuoi Tre will live broascast the music show that is organized to mark the 10th death anniversary of music composer Trinh Cong Son. The show, which involves many famous singers, is part of the program to honor the late well-known composer at the Ho Ban Nguyet Park in the Phu My Hung New Urban Area in District 7, HCMC.