Highlights of domestic news this past week
(Baonghean.vn) - The Prime Minister attends the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Summit; Mr. Dinh La Thang and 21 defendants appear in court; the 20th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee;... are some of the prominent domestic news stories of the past week.
1. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Summit.
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| Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the Mekong-Lancang Summit. Photo: VGP/Quang Hieu |
On January 10th, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the 2nd Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Summit in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
With the theme "Our River of Peace and Sustainable Development," the Conference reviewed the progress of cooperation since the first Mekong-Lancang Summit (March 2016) and discussed future directions for cooperation.
2.ODinh La Thang and 21 other defendants appear in court.
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| Mr. Dinh La Thang and Trinh Xuan Thanh at the trial. |
On January 8th, the Hanoi People's Court began the trial of Mr. Dinh La Thang and 21 other defendants on charges of intentionally violating regulations and embezzlement of assets.This is a case of intentionally violating state regulations on economic management causing serious consequences, and embezzlement of assets occurring at the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN) and the Vietnam Oil and Gas Construction Joint Stock Company (PVC).The trial is scheduled to last until January 21st.
In their closing arguments, the representative of the Hanoi People's Procuracy proposed that the court sentence defendant Dinh La Thang to 14-15 years in prison for the crime of "Intentionally acting against regulations..."; Trinh Xuan Thanh to 13-14 years in prison for the crime of "Intentionally acting against regulations...", and life imprisonment for the crime of "Embezzlement of assets", with a total sentence of life imprisonment.
3. 20th Session of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly
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| National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan presided over and delivered the closing remarks at the 20th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee. Photo: Phuong Hoa/TTXVN |
On the morning of January 10th, at the National Assembly building, under the chairmanship of National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly opened its 20th session.
After 1.5 days of intensive work, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly completed the agenda of its 20th session, focusing on three draft laws, one draft resolution, and other matters. Specific conclusions have been reached on these matters and will be communicated to relevant agencies and organizations.
4. Mr. Doan Ngoc Hai has resigned.
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| In 2017, Mr. Doan Ngoc Hai repeatedly went directly to supervise the handling of violations related to sidewalk encroachment. |
On January 8th, Mr. Doan Ngoc Hai, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of District 1 (Ho Chi Minh City), unexpectedly submitted his resignation. Previously, Mr. Hai had declared that if he could not reclaim the sidewalks in the central area of District 1 for pedestrians, he would "retire and return to his garden."
Previously, on February 20, 2017, Mr. Doan Ngoc Hai, along with a task force addressing urban order violations, declared: "If I can't accomplish this by the end of the year, I will resign and retire to my garden. I'm not doing this just for the sake of doing something superficially or for the sake of fame."
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| The police are working with Son. |
On January 12th, the Investigation Police Department of Hau Giang province announced that they had served the decision to initiate a criminal case, indict the suspect, and issue a 4-month temporary detention order against Luong Hong Son (39 years old, residing in Hoa An commune, Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province) to investigate the crime of "murder".
Previously, on January 8th, Son discovered that his wife, Lien, had gone to Hau Giang to bring their 13-year-old eldest daughter to Saigon. Son called Lien and asked her to bring their daughter back home. However, Lien refused and said she would continue to bring the remaining three children to live in Saigon.
Angry, Son went to the market to buy pesticide and mixed it with cereal powder for his three children to drink. Afterwards, Son also drank it.
6.Ammunition depot explodes in Gia Lai.
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| The explosion caused damage to warehouses and some structures in the ammunition depot area. |
The explosion lasted from 10:05 PM on January 10th to 3:45 AM on January 11th at the 273rd Armored Brigade (3rd Corps, stationed in Dak Doa District, Gia Lai Province). The depot contained 61 tons of various types of ammunition.
At the scene, numerous fragments of shrapnel of various sizes were scattered around, and the ammunition depot suffered extensive damage. Fortunately, the location of the depot where the explosion occurred was far from residential areas, thus minimizing damage. Several soldiers guarding the depot also managed to escape in time, so there were no casualties.
The explosion shook a wide area. Many people within a radius of more than 20 kilometers from the explosion also heard the blast. Houses nearby felt the tremors.
The explosion caused extensive damage, destroying the warehouse and damaging many other structures. Currently, the assessment of the damage (estimated at billions of dong) and the investigation into the cause of the ammunition depot explosion are still underway.
