VNA
Poorest northern provinces set ambitious growth target Six poorest northern provinces have set a target of obtaining a 9.9% gross domestic product growth rate as against the country's average of 7.5% by 2005. The target was revealed at a conference on socio-economic development of six northern provinces of Son La, Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Cao Bang and Bac Can for the 2001-2005 period. The six provinces also plan to build roads, expand the telephone network to all communes, provide safe water to 70% of their population, reduce the poverty rate to below 17%, and double last year's figure of well-off families. Participants at the two-day conference, which began in Hanoi on September 24 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and his deputy Nguyen Cong Tan, focused their discussion on defining prioritised investment fields and mapping out mechanisms, policies and breakthrough solutions to boost socio-economic development in those localities. According to reports presented at the conference, under the on-going government programme on socio-economic development in mountainous and remote areas known as Programme 135, those six provinces received VND 493,085 million (US $32.9 million) from the State budget for the implementation of 2,075 infrastructure development projects in the 1999-2000 period. Those projects have been put into operation and brought about effective results, the conference was told. The programme on developing centres for clusters of communes in remote localities received investment worth VND 125,970 million (US $8.4 million) from both State and local funds over the past four years. It was reported that more than 60,000 families were provided with financial assistance to improve their living standards and 35,000 others received support to develop production over the past eight years. The conference was also told that a total fund of VND 292,034 million was channelled to the implementation of the government policy on subsidising part of transportation fees for kerosene, medicine, notebooks, plant strains, pesticide and coal to northern highlanders over the past six years. The six provinces registered an annual growth rate of six percent in agricultural production in the past five years. They have shifted their self-sufficient agriculture to a commodity production by zoning off vast areas for the cultivation of tea, fruit trees, maize and soya beans. Earnings from animal breeding made up 23% of their total agricultural production value. Last year, total area under food crops of the six localities was 450,000 hectares with a combined food output in rice equivalence of 1.11 million tonnes and per capita food share of 314 kilograms per year. Those localities have helped 125,000 ethnic households settle down for production, reclaim 1,000 hectares of rice fields, tend 107,000 hectares of forest, and plant trees on 4,700 hectares. As a result, the living standards of local people have been improved and the poverty rate dropped to 19% in 2000 from 31% in 1998. However, those provinces are yet to fully tap their potential for industrial production, which has so far been restricted to construction material production and farm produce processing only. Total industrial production value was registered at nearly VND 1,025 billion last year. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam boosts co-operation with African countries Vietnam always attaches great importance to the development of friendship and co-operation with African countries, particularly Angola, Tanzania, and Sudan, says Assistant to the Foreign Minister, Nguyen Phu Binh. Mr Binh, during his visit to Angola, Tanzania, and Sudan from September 12-21, expressed his thanks to African countries for supporting Vietnam's past struggles for national independence and reunification as well as its present efforts at national construction and defence. Meeting with senior officials of the three countries, Mr Binh informed them of Vietnam's external policy of diversification and multilateralisation. Hosts and guest also discussed measures for further bilateral co-operation in agriculture, trade, investment, public health, education, tourism, and energy-petroleum. The three countries' senior officials expressed their admiration at Vietnam's achievements in the current renovation process. Special Advisor to Tanzanian President Kinggange affirmed that the Vietnamese people recorded the achievements thanks to the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). He also expressed his wish for further co-operation between the CPV and the Tanzanian Revolutionary Party. The three African countries said that they want to learn from Vietnam's experiences in economic development especially in agriculture, health care, fisheries, and infrastructure construction. They asserted that they will create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to invest in their countries. Angola, Tanzania, and Sudan handed over to Vietnam their draft agreements on co-operation with Vietnam in agriculture and fisheries. Vietnam and the three countries unanimously condemned the recent terrorist attacks in the US and other places in the world. They reiterated that the basic principles of international relations are to respect national sovereignty, independence, equal co-operation for mutual benefits, and non interference into a nation's internal affairs. During his stop-over in Cairo on the way home, Mr Binh met and exchanged views with an Egyptian deputy foreign minister. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Protests against Human Rights Act * The Vietnam Studies Encouragement Association's Executive Board on September 21 released a statement protesting against the Vietnam Human Rights Act passed by the US House of Representatives on September 6. The association consists of almost one million political and social activists, scientists, and educators who pledged to devote their lives to the educational development of Vietnam. The statement made it clear that the Vietnamese people demand that the United States should respect their human rights and not become involved in creating a Human Rights Act against Vietnam. It pointed out that the United States had waged a brutal war against the Vietnamese people, killing more than three million, injuring around 600,000 others, and leaving 300,000 unaccounted for. US bombings and toxic chemicals have still left heavy consequences on the nation until today. The act runs counter not only to human morality, but also to the United Nations Charter as well as international law's basic principles. It violates the sovereignty of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and insults its people's national pride, the statement said. It also said the act runs counter to the current development of the Vietnam-US relations and the trend to look forwards to the future of the two peoples. "We strongly denounce this wrongful act of the US House of Representatives and demand that it be repealed immediately. The document has distorted the reality in Vietnam and blatantly interferes into the internal affairs of a sovereign nation," concluded the statement in the name of those who struggle for national independence, people's rights, and people's education in Vietnam. * Hue city held a meeting to protest against the Act on September 24.The delegates at the meeting called upon people of all strata in Hue to bring into full play the people�s unity block, resolve to protect Vietnam�s revolutionary achievements and strive for national independence and socialism and the target of �a rich people, strong country, equitable, democratic and civilised society.� Hue people, along with people in the whole country, called on peace and justice-loving people all over the world, including Americans to protest against and reject the act. * Over 100 delegates of the Haiphong city�s Committee for Catholic Solidarity issued a statement to protest the so-called �Vietnam Human Rights Act.� The Vietnam Human Rights Act has distorted the reality in Vietnam and brazenly interfered with Vietnam's internal affairs, it said. Haiphong catholics strongly condemn and call on the abolition of the act for the sake of friendly relations and legitimate interests of the Vietnamese and American people. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Italian naval ship docks in HCM City San Giusto ship of the Italian Navy with 400 officers and non-commissioned officers on board has arrived in Ho Chi Minh City during its Asian journey. Captain Paolo Sandalli and his encourage paid a courtesy visit to vice chairman of the city People's Committee, Le Minh Nhut on September 21. The delegation also laid a wreath at the Ho Chi Minh Monument, and called at the Military Zone 7 and the Naval Command in Ho Chi Minh City. San Giusto, the second Italian naval ship to visit Vietnam, will leave Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow. The first Italian naval ship to visit the country entered Saigon port in 1996. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Anti-flood and rescue drills conducted The Ministry of Defence and the Military Zone 9 have conducted anti-flood and rescue operation drills in Hong Ngu district, Dong Thap Mekong delta province. Major General Nguyen Huy Hieu, deputy defence minister, commanded the operations. All the units practised the search and rescue of people in flood-hit areas to safer places, using helicopters to distribute relief goods to people in isolated areas, rescuing vessels in big rivers and repairing damaged dyke sections in case of emergency. The southern province of An Giang has set up 510 rescue forces including 4,542 local policemen, border guards and militiamen. Since the beginning of the flood season, these forces have saved 102 people swept away by the flood. More than 100 staff of Navy Unit of Military Zone 9 have kept round-the-clock stand-by duty andprepared two ships to rescue people in case of emergency. Since late August, they have rescued 11 vessels and 36 people from drowning in the Tien and Hau rivers. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
