Subject: Vietnam News Jan 8
Party Central Committee opens 11th plenum
The Vietnam Communist Party Central Committee held a plenary
meeting on January 6 to discuss and receive opinions contributed by Party
Committees at all levels, organisations and scientific institutes in order
to revise one more time the draft documents to be presented at the ninth
Party Congress and have its initial opinion about the personnel issue of the
Party Central Committee.
General Secretary Le Kha Phieu delivered an opening speech at
the meeting.
Advisors to the Party Central Committee Do Muoi, Le Duc Anh and
Vo Van Kiet also attended.
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Indian PM arrives today
The Indian prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, arrives in
Hanoi today, beginning an official friendly visit to Vietnam.
The visit is being made at the invitation of Prime Minister Phan
Van Khai.
The Indian Prime Minister is accompanied by Minister of State
for External Affairs Ajit Kumar Panja; Minister of State for Commerce and
Industry Omar Abdullah; National Security Advisor and Principle Secretary to
the Prime Minister Brajesh Mishra; Vice Minister for Tourism M P Bezbaruah;
Vice Minister for External Affairs S T Devare; Vice Minister for Atomic
Energy Anil Kakodkar and Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Saurabh Kumar.
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India, Vietnam expand bilateral co-operation: India's PM
The India-Vietnam relationship is marked by complete trust and
understanding and the two countries have been continuously strengthening and
expanding bilateral co-operation in various areas, says India's Prime
Minister Atal Behari Vapayee.
The prime minister granted an interview to Vietnam News Agency
on January 6.
Following is the full text of the interview:
Q: India is a great friend of Vietnam, and it is a good omen
that you are the first world leader to visit Vietnam right after the start
of the New Year, New Century and New Millennium. Could you please give us
your brief assessment of relations between India and Vietnam?
A: The bonds of close friendship between India and Vietnam are
ancient. Vietnam evokes in India strong feelings of affinity and affection
born out of our common struggle against foreign oppression and a shared
desire for freedom in thought and action. We have great admiration for the
courage, determination and dedication with which President Ho Chi Minh led
your country first to independence, and then to re-unification. Successive
generations of leaders of both countries have enjoyed a close understanding.
Our relationship is marked by complete trust and understanding. We have been
continuously strengthening and expanding our co-operation in various areas.
Both India and Vietnam are engaged in the process of economic reforms. In
the last few years, we have vastly expanded co-operation in trade and
investment, agriculture, science and technology. Recognising that human
resource development is the key to future growth, we are working to expand
our co-operation to areas such as information technology, atomic energy,
oceanography and biotechnology.
The investment by Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) in the
Vietnamese gas exploration project is the single largest investment by ONGC
anywhere abroad. The Defence Minister, during his visit to Vietnam, had
useful discussions on security of the seas, piracy and hydrology. As you
know, we are also engaged in a wider multilateral framework on security
discussions through the mechanism of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
Q: Your upcoming visit to Vietnam will surely be of great
importance in our good relations. Leaders of Vietnam and India have paid
official visits to each country. Would you kindly speak of your vision on
the future of the two countries' ties?
A: The foundation of the friendly relations between our
governments and people was laid by our first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal
Nehru, and your first President Ho Chi Minh. The recent visit of President
Tran Duc Luong to India was the last in the line of regular exchanges of
high level visits which we have had for over five decades. I look forward to
exploring ways and means to transform our relations in tune with the new
world realities.
India and Vietnam are both achieving economic liberalisation
through reforms. With the advent of the worldwide web, political frontiers
are gradually crumbling. At the same time, we have the emerging problem of a
digital divide whereby the developing world is in danger of getting left
behind in the new technological race. While we cannot escape globalisation,
we have certain social responsibilities and need to maintain a balance. The
challenge which India and Vietnam have to confront is to maximise economic
growth even while minimising the socio-economic inequities spawned by this
growth. The importance of co-operation between countries of the South for
this cannot be over emphasised, particularly countries with complementaries
and synergies like our countries.
Q: Our trade and economic co-operation has been developed and
expanded since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1972
and now is on the rise. Our trade turnover is about US $140 million. It is
not a large amount from India's perspective. Why can't our two countries
increase it to US $500 million? What are the new fields of co-operation the
two countries can establish after your visit?
A: I agree entirely that the present trade turnover between the
two countries is totally incommensurate with the potential. It is not
difficult to reach a figure of US $500 million or more in our bilateral
trade. But for that we should diversify our trade basket. We have initiated
some measures to try to remedy the imbalance in our trade with Vietnam
through possible bulk imports of some selected items like crude oil,
phosphates and forestry products. The one major thrust area is to improve
the awareness within the business community and the bureaucracy in each
country of the possibilities in the other. I consider the bridging of the
"awareness gap" the most important need to take our bilateral trade into a
new order of magnitude.
The future of our economic relationship really lies in sound
tie-ups for long term co-operation in selected sectors that have been
accorded priority by both sides in their respective national plans. For
example, exploration of new oil and gas fields, oceanographic surveys, deep
sea mining, etc. India has experience in all these fields and it is ready to
share it with Vietnam. These are areas with promise for investments.
Q: You are known in Vietnam as distinguished, respected
politician now-a-days in India. You were a Foreign Minister under Prime
Minister Morarji Desai in the seventies and now are the Prime Minister of
India. Could you speak of the state of the world today? What role can India
and Vietnam play for world peace?
A: The world today is vastly different from what it used to be,
say, even tens years ago. The advances in technology, especially in the
field of communications and the internet, have shrunk the world into a
global village. The other significant development is the collapse of the
bipolar world order supported by the Cold War. This should, in theory, have
enabled nations of the world to concentrate on economic issues.
However, the multi-polar global structure promised by the end of
the Cold War has not yet emerged. The opportunity for significant progress
on nuclear disarmament has also been frittered away. Meanwhile, the past
decade has seen the emergence of the frightening menace of international and
cross-border terrorism, which threatens the security of democratic
societies; particularly in Asia. A pressing imperative for Asian states,
therefore, is to work in concert against international terrorism, towards
elimination of nuclear weapons and for a strong security architecture. We
feel that India and Vietnam are strong allies in this.
Q: India is considered as a potential power in the world. India
has great manpower, big number of scientists, large economic potential. What
are the main challenges for India in that direction?
A: During the last five decades we have made tremendous progress
in all fields. Yet total eradication of poverty and illiteracy, and assuming
basic minimum services to all our citizens are challenges we continue to
face and which we are addressing through a phased programme of economic
liberalisation initiated a decade ago. Our scientific research and
technological development has been channelised developmental objectives. We
are tackling the challenge of adapting to globalisation through economic
liberalisation tempered with pragmatic measures to minimise socio-economic
disparities and to promote social justice.
Q: What are the greatest changes in India since independence?
How do you visualise India after 20-50 years?
A: It is difficult to summarise in a few words the progress
achieved by a country as vast as India over 50 years. However, I can say
with confidence that India has registered an overall balanced growth in
almost all spheres. In the last decade India has maintained a steady GDP
rate of about six percent. We are now one of the top 10 leading economies
and we aspire for a growth rate of 9 % in order to double the per capita
income of Indian citizens in the next ten years. Another achievement is that
we are not only self-sufficient but are net exporters of food grains. We
have the third largest work force of technical personnel and have achieved
many successes in science and technology. we have made tremendous technical
progress in nuclear energy, space and telecommunications on our own strength
and sometimes against heavy odds. India is also the world's leading supplier
of software. We are now focusing on biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
As a government, we are committed to rapid building of
infrastructure, both social and physical. I am sure that the India of 2020
will be totally different from what we now are, just as we are not the same
as we were in 1950, when our Republic was proclaimed.
Q: Our mass media, including Vietnam News Agency, keep writing
favourably about India on all occasions, not only because India is a friend
of Vietnam. What is your message to the Vietnamese people for the new era?
A: We value the bonds of friendship between our two countries.
My message to the Vietnamese people would be to strengthen those bonds
further by constantly enhancing co-operation in all fields for the mutual
benefit of our two peoples. Let us march together into the new millennium,
building on our traditional friendship to upgrade and renovate our relations
so that retain their relevance in a globalising world and a technological
age. (VNA)
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Memorial services for Most Venerable
Ma Ha Thach Sa Ray
The Sangha Association, Vietnam Buddhist Executive Board,
Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front, Tra Vinh provincial committee
of Fatherland Front, executive Buddhist Executive Board, Association of
Patriotic Monks, relatives and disciples held memorial services for the late
Most Venerable Ma Ha Thach Sa Ray in O Rang Pagoda in Long Son commune, Cau
Ngang district, Tra Vinh province on January 5.
Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu, President Tran Duc Luong,
National Assembly Chairman Nong Duc Manh, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and
President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Pham The
Duyet sent wreaths and condolences.
Head of the government’s Religion Board, Le Quang Vinh, Party
secretary of Tra Vinh province, Nguyen Thai Binh and leaders of the
province’s People’s Committee, People’s Council and Fatherland Front, nearly
100 representatives from other localities’ Buddhist associations, relatives
and thousands of disciples attended the memorial services.
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Cambodian people's liberation marked
A meeting was held in Hanoi on January 6, to mark the 22nd
anniversary of the Cambodian people's liberation from the genocidal Polpot
regime (January 7).
Prominent among the participants were Vu Mao, member of the
Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, Director of the National
Assembly Office, and President of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship
Association, Tran Trong Khanh, General Secretary of the Vietnam Union of
Friendship Organisations and Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam Sim Samreth.
Vietnamese veteran experts and volunteers who fought side by
side with the Cambodian people to overthrow the genocidal Polpot regime, and
many other Vietnamese and Cambodian representatives recalled the struggle
against the two nations' common enemy.
The participants expressed their pleasure at the fine
development of the traditional friendship and solidarity between the two
countries. They affirmed their determination to further develop
Vietnam-Cambodia friendship and multi-faceted co-operation in the new
century. (VNA)
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Southern province returns rescued Indonesian, Taiwanese sailors
The Foreign Service Department of southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau
province on January 6, returned 16 Indonesian and two Taiwanese sailors to
the Ho Chi Minh City-based Indonesian Consul General, Tubagus Bastaman.
The sailors were rescued by the Vietnam Oil and Gas Company
vessel, Seabulk Petrel, after their ship capsized in international waters on
Christmas Day.
At the hand-over ceremony held in the province today, the
Indonesian Consul thanked the province for the rescue and care of the
sailors. (VNA)
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