Domestic news highlights last week

(Baonghean.vn) - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presided over the 50th anniversary of ASEAN; the Secretariat proposed to dismiss Deputy Minister Ho Thi Kim Thoa; the 13th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee opened; Mr. Trinh Xuan Thanh was detained;... are the outstanding news in the country last week.

1. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired the ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN's founding.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the ceremony. Photo: VNA.

On the evening of August 8, at Melia Hotel, Hanoi, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his wife chaired the ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN's founding and 22 years of Vietnam's participation in ASEAN.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc reviewed ASEAN's achievements over the past half century of development.

The Prime Minister emphasized that ASEAN is in control of its own destiny and plays a leading role in the evolving regional structure. He said that ASEAN needs to strengthen solidarity and unity, promote internal strength, bring connectivity to a higher level, build a Community that operates according to rules, has broad participation of the people and brings practical benefits to the people.

2. The Secretariat proposed to dismiss Deputy Minister Ho Thi Kim Thoa.

Ms. Ho Thi Kim Thoa. Photo: Viet Chung

On August 8, the Secretariat met to consider the proposal of the Central Inspection Committee and relevant units on disciplining Ms. Ho Thi Kim Thoa - Member of the Party Committee, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade.

Accordingly, the Secretariat decided to dismiss Ms. Ho Thi Kim Thoa from the position of Member of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and proposed the Prime Minister to dismiss her from the position of Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade.

According to the conclusion of the 16th session of the Central Inspection Committee, this agency has disciplined Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ho Thi Kim Thoa with a warning, and at the same time recommended that competent authorities consider dismissing Ms. Thoa from her current positions.

3. Opening of the 13th Session, National Assembly Standing Committee

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan chaired and delivered the opening speech at the 13th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee. Photo: VNA

On the morning of August 10, at the National Assembly House, the 14th National Assembly Standing Committee opened its 13th Session. In her opening speech, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said that at this Session, the National Assembly Standing Committee will consider and give opinions on a number of issues with different opinions of the 4 draft laws that National Assembly deputies gave their opinions on for the first time at the 3rd Session, including:

Law on Forest Protection and Development (amended), Law on Fisheries (amended), Law on Public Debt Management (amended), Law on Denunciation (amended); giving opinions on 5 draft laws expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for first comments at the 4th Session, including: Law on National Defense (amended), Law on Protection of State Secrets, Law on Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Representative Agencies of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Abroad, Law on Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Judicial Records and the Law on Public Administration.

The 13th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee is scheduled to take place over 7 working days, from August 10-11 and August 14-18.

4. Mr. Trinh Xuan Thanh was detained.

Mr. Trinh Xuan Thanh appeared on television on August 3 after returning to Vietnam to surrender.

On August 7, the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency issued an order to temporarily detain suspect Trinh Xuan Thanh (51 years old, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Oil and Gas Construction Joint Stock Corporation, former Vice Chairman of Hau Giang Provincial People's Committee) to investigate the acts of intentionally violating State regulations on economic management causing serious consequences and embezzlement of property.

The preventive measures were applied by the police against the accused Thanh to clarify his role in the case of causing a loss of nearly 3,300 billion VND at the Vietnam Oil and Gas Construction Joint Stock Corporation and the case of property embezzlement that occurred at the Thanh Ha - Cienco 5 Land Project.

5. 14 former officials who committed land violations in Dong Tam commune received sentences.

The defendants in court.

On the afternoon of August 9, after nearly 2 days of trial, the People's Court of My Duc district sentenced 14 defendants, former officials of Dong Tam commune, My Duc district, related to land violations in Dong Tam commune.

After deliberation, the Chief Judge of the trial proceeded to pronounce the verdict. Accordingly, the Trial Panel found that the indictment against the defendants was correct in terms of the right person, the right crime, and the law. In this case, the Valuation Panel followed the correct procedures in accordance with the law, so there was no need to summon them to court.

The Trial Panel found sufficient grounds to conclude that from 2002 to 2013, due to lax State management of land in Dong Tam commune (My Duc district, Hanoi), Nguyen Van Bot, Nguyen Van Son, Le Dinh Thuan, Nguyen Xuan Truong, Nguyen Tien Trien and a number of former key officials of the commune, for personal gain, granted and assigned land beyond their authority and legalized encroached land for a number of households in violation of regulations.

6. Prosecution and temporary detention of female journalist who blackmailed businesses in Can Tho

Reporter Pham Le Hoang Uyen. Photo provided by the Police

On the evening of August 9, Colonel Tran Ngoc Hanh - Director of Can Tho City Police said that Can Tho Police are consolidating the case file to prepare to prosecute the case, prosecute the accused and are currently detaining Pham Le Hoang Uyen, 41 years old, for extorting money from businesses.

Pham Le Hoang Uyen is the Head of the Southern Representative Office of Career Guidance and Integration Magazine - under the Vietnam Association of Enterprises of War Invalids and People with Disabilities.

At the investigation agency, Hoang Uyen said that she had known the leaders of the two companies, Uoc Mo Viet International Joint Stock Company and Cao Thang Real Estate Joint Stock Company, before. Uyen admitted to extorting money from these two companies by promising to remove published articles related to these two companies; and also admitted that she had others assisting her. Currently, the investigation agency is continuing to summon individuals involved in colluding with Uyen to extort money from the companies.

7. Dengue fever is breaking out across the country.

Spraying insecticide to prevent epidemics. Illustration photo: Internet

Dengue fever is breaking out across the country, with the North alone seeing a 763% increase compared to the same period last year.

On July 20, at the conference to strengthen dengue fever prevention, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that the number of people with dengue fever nationwide has increased to a record of nearly 5,000 patients. Specifically, there were 57,492 cases, of which 15 people died, an increase of nearly 10% compared to the same period in 2016.

Mr. Tran Dac Phu - Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine also noted that dengue fever cases in the northern provinces this year increased by 763% compared to the same period last year. Although this is not the highest number in the first 6 months of the year compared to other localities, such a record-breaking increase in the North has made health experts extremely concerned and considered it unusual.

Peace

(Synthetic)