Vietnam and Cambodia combat drug crime together

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong assured Cambodia of stronger links to combat drug-related crimes during a meeting with the country’s senior narcotics squad in HCM City on June 9.

Trong told Ke Kim Yan, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and President of the National Committee for Drug Control, that the two countries should enhance their channels of information as well as provide each other with regular assistance in drug control, drug detox facilities, rehabilitation and in the management of former drug addicts.

“ Vietnam has recorded some achievements in the fight, including successful models of detoxification centres and community-based and voluntary detoxification, vocational training and job placements for former drug users,” said Trong.

In response, the Cambodian Deputy PM sounded satisfied with the assistance Vietnam was providing in the fight against drug lords. He said Cambodia was looking for more information and help from Vietnam to train up its drug squads and open drug detoxification centres as well as joint initiatives in the fight against cross-border drug crime.

The same day, Yan, who is leading the senior delegation from the Cambodian Committee for Drug Control met with senior Police officials from the Ministry of Public Security.

Major General Lam Minh Chien, Deputy General Director of the Police Department, briefed his guest on drug crimes in Vietnam, focusing on drug dealers and traffickers from overseas and the country’s experience of breaking and tracking down drug gangs.

He also shared Vietnam ’s experiences in raising the public’s awareness of the dangers of growing addictive plants and drug education in schools.

The Cambodian guests are scheduled to visit several detoxification centres in HCM City and leave Vietnam on June 12.

Vietnam to host high-level meeting on drug control

Vietnam will host a meeting of senior officials to discuss a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on drug control amongst countries in the Mekong Delta sub-region in 2010.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong on June 8 asked the Ministry of Public Security to work with the relevant ministries and departments, which are members of the National Committee for AIDS, Drug and Prostitution Prevention and Control, MOU member countries and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to prepare for the event.

Initiated by the UNODC, a cooperation framework among Greater Mekong sub-region countries was formed in 1993 with its first members including China , Myanmar , Thailand and Laos , to deal with the complex problem of drug production and use in the region.

Since joining the MOU in 1995, Vietnam has become an active member of the organisation. Thanks to joint co-operation mechanisms, Vietnam has also worked with other member countries to address common problems such as destroying poppy fields and developing other crops whilst cracking down on drug cartels.

Vietnam supports efforts to sustain peace in Sierra Leone

Viet Nam continues to support the efforts of Sierra Leone to sustain peace and stability, address the root causes of the conflict, promote national reconciliation and unity, and strengthen its international integration process.

At the June 8 meeting of the UN Security Council on “the situation in Sierra Leone, Ambassador Le Luong Minh, Permanent representative of Vietnam at the UNSC also called upon the UN, the Peacebuilding Commission, the AU, ECOWAS and the international community at large to continue to assist the Government of Sierra Leone in these endeavours.

The diplomat welcomed the signing of the April 2 Joint Communiqué in which the parties in Sierra Leone committed to a cessation of all acts of political intolerance and violence and agreed upon a bipartisan consensus on important national institutions and policies.

“We take positive note of the strengthened cooperation between Sierra Leone and the UN Country Team, the Peacebuilding Commission and other development partners to strengthen areas of focus and principles of national ownership, mutual accountability and sustained engagement as contained in the UN’s Peacebuilding Strategy for Sierra Leone and the Joint Vision of the UN Family for Sierra Leone,” he said.

While commending the efforts by the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) in carrying out its new mandate stipulated in Security Council resolution 1829 (2008), the Vietnamese ambassador said well-coordinated and integrated cooperation among UN agencies, regional organisations and international donors remains essential so as to ensure maximal use of resources, avoid duplication of work and help serve the best interests of Sierra Leone in each particular phase of development.

Gov’t religious affairs delegation visits Cambodia
The Chairman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, Nguyen The Doanh, is leading a senior-level delegation to Cambodia from June 8-12.

During a meeting with Minister of Cambodia’s Cults and Religious Affairs Min Khin, both parties informed each other of their positions on religion and shared experience in implementing religious policies in their respective countries.

They agreed that increased religious cooperation between the two countries will contribute to enhancing Vietnam and Cambodia ’s traditional relationship.

Minister Min Khin thanked the Vietnamese government and its people for their support and sacrifices during the fight against the Khmer Rouge atrocities in Cambodia .

He also spoke highly of the cooperation shown by the committee in helping Cambodia implement its religious policy to win the hearts of the people in every walk of life for peace and socio-economic development.

During his stay in Cambodia , Chairman Doanh and his delegation were received by Senate President Chea Sim, Chairman of the National Assembly Heng Samrin and Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The delegation will also visit Battambang and Siem Reap provinces to study their religious activities.

President honours banking sector for wartime achievements

State President Nguyen Minh Triet has awarded two arms of the State Bank of Vietnam with the title “People’s Armed Forces Heroes” for their contributions during the past wars of resistance against American imperialists.

The awards ceremony was held for the Special Financial Service under the Central Committee for South Vietnam and the Special Fund in Hanoi on June 9.

The Special Fund (B29) was a special payment unit responsible for mobilizing sources of foreign currencies to support southern Vietnam and working out different ways of providing financial assistance to battlefields in the south before submitting them for approval by the Party’s Central Committee.

B29 also held responsibility for ensuring the supply of foreign currencies to the frontlines in any circumstances, protecting and converting its foreign reserves into different currencies in a way to avoid losses due to currency devaluation and resorting to every means to gain a higher interest to increase the State’s foreign reserves.

The Special Financial Service (N2638) was entrusted with receiving budget allocations and changing the money into other currencies such as those circulated under the Saigon regime and Cambodian Riels to fund underground organisations. N2638 also served as the Central Committee for South Vietnam ’s coffers in service of the prolonged war of resistance.

The two units operated for 10 years from 1965 to 1975 and made an enormous contribution to the final victory.

In his speech, State President Triet called on the banking sector to uphold patriotic traditions from the past to serve the country’s current national development.

On the occasion, the State Bank of Vietnam posthumously presented the Independence Order and the Labour Order to its former leaders for their long-term contributions to the system’s founding and development.

National ethnic minorities congress to open in 2010

A national congress of Vietnamese ethnic minorities will be held in the middle of May next year.

According to a plan approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on June 8, the congress aims to review ethnic affairs and affirm the Party and State’s consistent policy on ethnic and great national unity issues.

The event will honour the ethnic minorities’ great contributions to defending and building the country through different periods.

In preparation for the national congress, districts and provinces nationwide are to hold their congresses in the third and fourth quarters this year.

A steering committee will be set up with a Deputy Prime Minister acting as its head.

VietNamNet/VNA