VNA
Memorial to General Nguyen Chi Thanh inaugurated A ceremony was held in Niem Pho village, Quang Tho commune, Quang Dien district, central Thua Thien-Hue province on January 2 to inaugurate the Memorial to late General Nguyen Chi Thanh. This was to mark the general's 88th birthday (January 1, 1914 - January 1, 2002.) Present at the event were representatives from Thue Thien-Hue province; branches, sectors and organisations of Quang Dien, Phong Dien and Huong Tra districts; revolutionary veterans; Heroes of Armed Forces; People's Army; Military Zone 4; Military Museum; the general's family and others. The Memorial includes a showroom about the life and cause of General Nguyen Chi Thanh, gardens, walks and other items. **** Australia businesses believe in investment opportunities in Vietnam The chairman of the Vietnam-New South Wales Commerce Chamber believed that more Australian investors would pour money in Vietnam this year because of the country's better conditions for trade operations. Chairman Laurence Strano noted in an interview with the Sydney-based Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondent that the better conditions are created by the Communist Party of Vietnam's new policy and the implementation of the Bilateral Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the US. He also cited the upgrade of infrastructure facilities in the country, which, he said, would make Vietnam more attractive to foreign investors. He expressed his belief that Vietnam would become a pedal for foreign investors to approach to other markets in the region, and that Australia's Export Finance and Insurance Corporation would raise Vietnam's position in assessing investment safety. He explained his belief by citing to the fact that the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy had considered Vietnam a safer place than anywhere else in the Asia-Pacific region in 2001. (VNA) **** Israel wants to boost commercial co-operation with Vietnam Israel hopes to increase trade with Vietnam in the coming years as the current two-way trade value between the two countries is only US $40 million per year, said Avraham Israeli in charge of the Israeli Export Institute's Environmental Technology and Agriculture Department. Avraham Israeli was speaking in an interview with Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper while attending the International Green Week-Vietnam held in Ho Chi Minh City from December 15-20, 2001. He said that his participation in the Green Week aimed to boost comprehensive commercial co-operation between Israel and Vietnam. Ways and requirements for bilateral co-operation would be discussed in detail between the two countries' businessmen, he added. First and foremost, Avraham Israeli said, Israel will take part in environmental projects funded by the World Bank and other international organisations in Vietnam. "We want to seek Vietnamese partners through Lao Dong newspaper to bid for such projects," he noted. Israel may need some technologies that Vietnam have and can transfer its advanced environmental technologies to Vietnam, the Israeli official said, adding that with Israel's advanced technologies and Vietnam's working capacity and intellect, the co-operation would bring benefits to both nations, ie creating products for domestic consumption and exports to Asian countries. Avraham Israeli introduced to the paper his country's environmental technologies, including treatment and re-use of waste water for agriculture, removing pollutants from exhaust emissions, turning agricultural waste into protein-rich feed for animals, treating oil spills and urban solid waste, and rearing ecological fish. He said Israel's technologies on environmental supervision and protection as well as its treatment and re-use of waste water would play a practical role in Vietnam's environmental protection. (VNA) **** VND 1,870 billion spent on poverty reduction The government spent VND 1,870 billion (over US $120 million), including VND 1,570 billion from the State's budget and VND 300 billion from the localities' budgets for the programme on hunger elimination and poverty reduction last year. By the fund, nearly 4,000 public infrastructure works were built in communes of special difficulties; 25,000 local officials were trained to work for the hunger eradication and poverty alleviation programme and 37,000 households of ethnic minority groups received assistances to settle their living and farm production. Besides, the Bank for the Poor has also granted loans with preferential interest for 780,000 households to help them develop their production. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
