Day: April 9, 2023

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State President’s Laos visit to further consolidate, develop special bilateral ties

State President Vo Van Thuong will pay an official visit to Laos from April 10-11 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith.

This marks the President’s first overseas trip, and Laos is the first country he will visit in his new position. The visit takes place in the context of the continued development of the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Over the past years, cooperation and political ties between Vietnam and Laos have seen fine developments. It is noteworthy that the two sides have joined hands to successfully hold the Vietnam – Laos and Laos – Vietnam Year of Solidarity and Friendship, with a focus being the ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties and the 45th anniversary of the signing of the friendship and cooperation treaty between the two countries.

Cooperation on national defence and security have continued to be consolidated, and that on economy, trade and investment maintained. Last year, the two sides launched and completed a number of projects using Vietnam’s assistance to Laos.

Also in 2022, Vietnam’s investment in Laos saw five new projects and four others adding a total of 70 million USD in their capitals, while two-way trade value reached nearly 1.7 billion USD, an increase of more than 25%. Meanwhile, cooperation on education and culture continued to enjoy attention, evidenced by Vietnam’s provision of 1,155 scholarships to Laos and the figure of about 14,000 Lao students studying in Vietnam.

Besides, cooperation between the two countries’ localities, especially those sharing the borderline, also continued to be strengthened.

The two sides have been closely coordinating and providing mutual support to each other at regional and international cooperation forums, especially within the framework of ASEAN, the UN and sub-regional mechanism.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung said President Thuong’s visit to Laos shortly after his election by the National Assembly once more demonstrates special attention and sentiments from leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State to Laos, as well as their firm determination and commitment to nurturing the relations between the two countries.

Within the framework of the visit, President Thuong and his entourage are scheduled to take a series of important activities such as talks with the top Lao leader, meetings with Lao Prime Minister and Chairman of the Lao National Assembly.

In the context of the fine development of the Vietnam – Laos relations, the visit is believed to create a new push for the bilateral cooperation and relations through all the channels and in all fields, helping realise the high-level agreements between the two Parties and countries and unceasingly consolidate and develop the relations of great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Malaysia busts Planetrade investment scam

Malaysian police have busted the Planetrade investment fraud scheme with the arrest of three men and six women, including a director of the company who operated the scheme.

Royal Malaysia Police secretary Datuk Noorsiah Mohd Saaduddin was quoted by local media as saying that the mastermind of the scheme was charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code and Section 137(1) of the Financial Services Act 2013, while the director of the company was charged under Section 109, read together with Section 420 of the Penal Code.

Some of the suspects, who were investors, were victims of the scheme, who had acted as authorised introducers, meaning they received a commission for bringing in an investor, she said.

She said that since January 2021 to date, the Commercial Crime Investigation Department of Malaysia had received 92 police reports related to the investment fraud scheme involving losses of 17.5 million RM (nearly 4 million USD).

Noorsiah said the police had also frozen assets including 27 bank accounts with a total value of 700 million RM (more than 159 million USD), seized six vehicles estimated to be worth over 1.1 million RM, and 11 million shares in four related companies./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Football: Vietnam affirm target of SEA Games gold

Vietnam seeks to win a gold medal in football at the 32nd SEA Games while head coach Philippe Troussier said his team will be ready after the men’s football draw was held on April 5 in Phnom Penh.

Defending champions Vietnam are placed in Group B with Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Laos.

“Personally, I am not surprised with the draw result. Our coaching board has predicted and prepared for all situations,” said Troussier.

“All ASEAN teams are familiar with Vi?t Nam as we often meet in regional tournaments. I respect all four squads in Group B and will work on each match to have the best result.

“Whatever the draw result is and who are our rivals, we will step in the tournament as reigning champion and our target is to defend our place.”

The Frenchman said when his team is back for training, they will focus on fixing problems and strengthening weaknesses that were revealed in Vietnam’s poor results at the recent Doha Cup.

“Matches in Qatar gave us valuable experience as players faced quality rivals who were at a higher level. I believe that they would not have this experience if playing locally,” Troussier said.

Troussier, when signing his contract with the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), was asked to lead Vietnam to the SEA Games final.

However, after the April 5 draw, his task has lifted up to defending the title.

“VFF has anticipated difficulties for the team at the 32nd SEA Games. We have prepared and given all the best for them towards the Games,” said VFF General Secretary Duong Nghiep Khoi.

“The recent Doha Cup’s result was not good, but like Troussier said, it was a good lesson for both coaches and players in preparation for the SEA Games. We trust him. He will have suitable plans for different rivals at the Games. We all confirmed to do all the best to complete the mission.”

Men’s football will kick off on April 29, six days before the Games’ opening ceremony.

The two best teams of each group will advance to the semi-finals on May 13, and the final will be held on May 16./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Policies needed to boost production linkage, localisation rate: insiders

Policies are needed to boost the number of domestic enterprises participating in the supply chain of multinational companies, and a boost is necessary in the localisation rate of the processing and manufacturing industry, which now remain modest, insiders said.

According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), local industry led in attracting foreign investment last year, with a combined registered capital exceeding 14.96 billion USD and accounting for 59.5% of Vietnam’s total FDI. So far, 107 countries and territories have invested in the industrial sector.

Deputy head of the MoIT’s Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency Le Hoang Tai called processing and manufacturing a magnet to foreign investors, including multinational conglomerates like Samsung, Toyota, Honda, and LG. The sector’s key units, such as telecommunications, electronics-IT, steel and cement production, and garment-textiles, are the most attractive, he noted.

However, just over 300 Vietnamese enterprises have been able to participate in the supply chains of these multinational corporations.

Vice Chairwoman and Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Supporting Industries (VASI) Truong Thi Chi Binh said connecting with multinational companies is the shortest way for Vietnamese enterprises to participate in the global supply chain, but not many of them succeed. According to a VASI study, support activities have only successfully linked about 3.2 enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City and 2.7 in Hanoi to foreign businesses on an annual basis.

The reason behind the assessment is the small scale of Vietnamese firms, as well as low competitiveness, and shortage of financial resources. These shortcomings conspire to cause Vietnamese firms to be unable to meet requirements of giant partners. Vietnam currently houses approximately 500 companies capable of supplying foreign groups.

Binh said the key for Vietnamese supporting enterprises to develop and participate more deeply in the chain of super-manufacturers is to cut production costs.

They need better access to credit, land, production premises, and factory building procedures, she said, adding that it is also necessary to increase their size and form clusters of enterprises and ecosystems serving the production of complete assemblies.

The official also recommended promoting localisation by preferential policies on tax, labour, and research and development (R&D)./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Moroccan News Agency exec passes away

Moroccan News Agency (MAP) Director General Khalil Hachimi Idrissi died Saturday morning at the age of 67 following a long illness. The late Khalil Hachimi will be buried Sunday after the prayer of Addohr in the cemetery Achouhada in Rabat. Born on Aug. 14, 1956 in Casablanca, Khalil Hachimi was involved very early in developing media and was one of the actors of the creation and development of intercultural and community communication in France where he worked in several radio stations. A graduate of the Institute of Geography at the University of Paris I-Pantheon-Sorbonne, he was a columnist, reporter and then Editor-in-Chief for many years of the weekly newspaper “Maroc Hebdo international” before creating “Aujourd’hui Le Maroc”, a generalist French-speaking daily, in 2000. In 2007, he was President of the Jury of the Grand National Press Prize before being elected in 2008 President of the FMEJ (Moroccan Federation of Newspaper Publishers), a position to which he was re-elected in 2011. Khalil Hachimi Idrissi has to his credit several publications including “Billets Bleus” Moroccan chronicles 1994-2000. In 2011, he was appointed Director General of MAP by HM King Mohammed VI. During the era of Khalil Hachimi, the Moroccan News Agency has experienced a great expansion by becoming a public news pole. ‘We commiserate and are saddened with the passing of a great man well loved by his colleagues and the officers and personnel of our esteemed partner agency MAP,’ said Luis A. Morente, deputy executive editor of the Philippine News Agency.

Source: Philippines News Agency

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Heightened alert still up despite end of Lent

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Easter Sunday remains on heightened alert as millions head back home after the Lenten break. Police officers are deployed in bus terminals, airports and seaports, and major roads leading to the National Capital Region as early as Sunday morning, according to PNP Public Information chief Col. Redrico Maranan. There are also policemen in areas of convergence such as major thoroughfares, transportation hubs, terminals, commercial areas, and places of worship. ‘As instructed by our Chief PNP, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., our commanders were instructed to continue the security measures from roads to places of convergence until the end of the Holy Week,’ Maranan said. Part of the security measures, according to Maranan, are Assistance Hubs and Police Assistance Desks to assist the public and promptly address complaints. The PNP’s “Ligtas Sumvac (Summer Vacation) 2023″ also covers the month of Ramadan that will culminate on April 22. More than 74,114 police officers are tasked to secure both Christian and Muslim religious celebrations. So far, Maranan said they have not monitored serious security-related incidents except for reports of drowning incidents. Meanwhile, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Edgar Allan Okubo urged the public to follow safety measures provided by the PNP to ensure a smooth journey. ‘Ang paghahanda ng NCRPO ay hanggang sa buwan ng May. We are ready din sa pagbabalik ng mga vacationers nitong summer. Police visibility will continue. ‘Yung mga deployment sa mga PADs (police assistance desks) will continue as the time na makabalik na lahat sa safety ‘yung mga residents sa kanya kanyang mga bahay (The NCRPO’s preparations would extend until May. We are also ready for the return of vacationers from their summer break. Police visibility will continue, the deployment to the police assistance desks will continue until everyone returns to the safety of their homes),’ Okubo said. 35 volunteer divers commended Meanwhile, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. commended 35 volunteer divers for joining him in the successful underwater search and rescue operation for the Ati chieftain who went missing on April 5 after his fishing boat collided with a resort-operated speed boat off the Malay and Boracay channel. ‘More than 30 Boracay dive shop operators with local and foreign divers participated in the search with just a short notice last night (April 7). Maraming, maraming salamat po sa mabilis ninyong pagtugon sa aming panawagan, sa inyong tulong at pagmamalasakit (Thank you very much for your immediate response to our call, and to your assistance and compassion),” Abalos said in a statement on Saturday. The body of Coching, 64, was found shortly before noon. His companion, Ricky Valencia, 37, was rescued right after the accident and is recuperating

Source: Philippines News Agency