VNA PM works with Tra Vinh, Vinh Long leaders Prime Minister Phan Van Khai paid working visits to Vinh Long and Tra Vinh provinces on August 5 and 6. This is part of his tour to some southern provinces. During a working session on August 6 with leaders of Tra Vinh, the poorest province in the Mekong river delta, Prime Minister Khai praised the local leaders and people for their efforts to overcome many difficulties to gain some achievements in construction investment, agricultural production, industry and security and national defence. He also said that, as a poor province with a lot of Khmer ethnic minority people, the State, ministries and branches were responsible to help Tra Vinh develop. He asked the province not to rely on others but exploit the local potentials for development. In order to develop, he added, the province should shift its economic structure and define clearly how much cultivated land was needed for each kind of crop. While there, the prime minister called on Ong Met Pagoda. Superior Buddhist Monk Tran Danh who is head of the Tra Vinh province's Association for Solidarity of Patriotic Bonzes and Khmer Buddhism Association promised to promote the tradition of the Khmer bonzes which is to follow the Party and State in the past fights against foreign invaders and national construction in peace time. Earlier, during another working session with Vinh Long province's authorities, Prime Minister Khai expressed his satisfaction at the province's crop restructuring, reserving part of land under rice for high-yield fruit trees. He praised the local people's efforts to overcome difficulties of last year's flood and consecutive lowering price of farm produce to record marked socio-economic achievements in the first months of this year. Although hunger elimination and poverty reduction is not a burning issue of the province, he asked the local leaders to help the poor households escape poverty so that there will be no more hungry and poor households in the province by the end of 2003. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam, Lao front presidents hold talks Mr Pham The Duyet (right) welcomes Mr Sisavath Keobounphanh. President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Presidium, Pham The Duyet, and the president of the Lao Front for National Construction, Sisavath Keobounphanh have discussed issues relating to religious affairs and nationalities. In their talks held in Hanoi on August 6, the two delegations also exchanged views on the activities of their fronts. The Lao front president began a week-long friendship visit to Vietnam on August 6. Mr Duyet expressed delight at the great achievements obtained by the Lao people of all nationalities in national construction and defence. He spoke of Vietnam's achievements in the first six months of this year and the Fatherland Front's programmes to bring into full play people's democracy, the maintenance of social order, and the development of solidarity between people from all walks of life and the Party and the State. For his part, Mr Sisavath noted with satisfaction the further consolidation and development of the special friendship and comprehensive co-operation between the two countries and two front organisations. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Coastal downpour, whirlwind leave 29 missing Heavy rain together with strong wind and whirlwind suddenly hit several coastal communes in Tran Van Thoi and U Minh districts of the southernmost province of Ca Mau on August 5, sinking 92 vessels. As of the next day, 226 people were rescued but 29 other people were still missing. These ships and boats were sunk while they were 3-5 kilometres off the coast. The provincial authorities have deployed rescue forces and used lifeboats for rescue activities. They have given money to heavily affected households. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam, Lao NA committees boost co-operation Talks held between the two NA delegations. The chairmen of the National Assembly's Committees for External Relations of Vietnam and Laos have exchanged relevant experiences and reviewed the implementation of bilateral co-operation in the past period. The two chairmen, Do Van Tai of Vietnam and Saysomphone Phomvihane of Laos, had a working session in Hanoi on August 6. Mr Saysomphone and his party have been in Hanoi since August 2 for a working visit to Vietnam. The Lao delegation was informed of Vietnam's foreign policy and assured of Vietnam's determination to constantly consolidate and develop the friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive co-operation with the National Assembly and people of Laos. The two delegations compared notes on issues relating to the coming ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Organisations General Assembly and the conference of the Inter-parliamentary Union. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Meeting on Vietnam-Laos border closes Minutes of the 11th meeting on the Vietnam - Laos border were signed in Hanoi on August 5 at the end of the meeting which was opened on August 2. The minutes focused on major issues relating to co-operation in managing border lines, milestones, and travels through the border; illegal fleeing across the border; free emigration and marriages without certificates in border areas; development of border gates; management of border markets; and setting up of a Vietnam-Laos border map. Settlement of issues relating to 18 sections which were not agreed upon after previous border delineations was also included in the minutes. Signatories were Tran Cong Truc, director of the Vietnamese government's Border Committee, and Phongsavat Buppha, deputy foreign minister and director of the Laos-Vietnam Border Committee. Lao ambassador to Vietnam, Vilayvanh Phomke, also witnessed the signing ceremony. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Myanmar, Vietnam should strengthen ties: Myanmar chairman Myanmar and Vietnam should strengthen co-operation in economy and commerce bilaterally and co-operation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said Senior General Than Shwe, chairman of the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council. General Than Shwe was speaking to Vietnamese ambassador to Myanmar, Pham Quang Khon, who presented credentials to him on August 3. He asked the ambassador to convey his best regards to the Vietnamese Party, State, and government leaders. He stressed that Myanmar and Vietnam had supported and assisted each other in the struggles for national independence and construction and that their traditional friendship has seen fine development. The new Vietnamese ambassador affirmed Vietnam's policy to attach importance to traditional relations with Myanmar and to closely co-operate with Myanmar in consolidating and developing bilateral comprehensive co-operation. (VNA) _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
