Day: April 13, 2023

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday announced that its five-member advisory group is almost done with the screening of third-level officials for their possible involvement in illegal drugs. “Today, the advisory group is on the final stretch of the review and evaluation of the documents of 3rd Level Officers of the PNP,” said PNP Public Information Office chief, Col. Redrico Maranan, in a press statement. Maranan added that the advisory body would complete the screening process ahead of the retirement of PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., who is one of its members. Azurin will retire from the service upon reaching the mandatory age of 56 on April 24. A member of the Philippine Military Academy ‘Makatao’ Class of 1989, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. appointed Azurin as the country’s 28th top cop in August last year. Azurin, who has been in the police service for over 38 years, is the first PNP chief of the Marcos administration. Other members of the advisory body — retired police general and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs Undersecretary Isagani Nerez, former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and retired Court of Appeals Justice Melchor Sadang — were present in the meeting and has a unified commitment to end the evaluation process and exerting all efforts to finish the proceedings. Maranan said the committee is bound to prepare their report to Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. for his subsequent endorsement to the President once they have completed the screening. ‘As they have ended the proceedings for today, the advisory group has conveyed that they will accomplish their tasks efficiently and uncompromisingly without any bias. Until the end of the process, they remained to be a body cloaked with the highest integrity expected of them and have been judicious in all their past undertakings,’ said Maranan. Based on the agreement, officials whose resignations would be accepted would be forced to retire, regardless of how long they are supposed to still stay in the PNP. The mandatory retirement age of uniformed personnel of the PNP is 56 and those who were asked to resign include generals and police colonels, some of whom still have at least eight years in the service. On Jan. 4, Abalos called for the courtesy resignation of 955 police colonels and generals to cleanse the ranks of those involved in illegal drug activities. Abalos said the committee would thoroughly vet police officials and submit the names of those whose resignations are accepted to the Napolcom for another round of verification before submitting their recommendation to the president. The move aims to cleanse the ranks of officers in the police organization from possible influence or connivance with drug syndicates.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Hundreds of experts, investors and representatives from investment funds and start-up support organisations of Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) gathered at the festival for innovative startups (TECHFEST) in Seoul on April 13.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Van Tung, and Minister Counsellor and Deputy Head of Vietnam Representative Office in the RoK Nguyen Viet Anh attended the event, which marks the resumption of international connection activities for Vietnam’s innovative startup ecosystem, contributing to bringing more Vietnamese startups to the global playing field.

The event offered a good chance for innovative startups that have won prizes at a contest looking for startup talents in the framework of TECHFEST Vietnam to present their projects to more than 30 Korean venture capital funds, including Gostream, FINA and Sobanhang.

According to Deputy Minister Tran Van Tung, there is great potential for Vietnam and the RoK to expand cooperation in the field of start-ups and innovation.

Vietnam can learn from the RoK’s experience in developing a startup ecosystem, support policies from the government, he said, adding that the Korean side said it is willing to share and cooperate with Vietnam.

Addressing the event, Kim Seon-il from the RoK Ministry of Science and Technology said Vietnam’s start-up sector has developed quite rapidly, attracting increasing investment.

The National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development (NATEC) and the National Startup Support Centre (NSCC) of Vietnam has signed cooperation programmes with RoK partners and set up a representative office at Seoul Startup Hub of the RoK.

On this occasion, NSSC will also sign cooperation agreements with Korean investment funds and start-up support organisations to improve the technology and market development ability for Vietnamese innovative start-ups operating in the RoK.

Deputy Minister Tung is leading a delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology on a working visit to the RoK in the framework of the Knowledge Sharing Programme (KSP) on developing innovative startup ecosystem, funded by non-refundable aid of the RoK government./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) strongly condemned on Thursday Myanmar’s deadly air attack in Pazigyi believed to have killed more than 100 villagers, including children. ‘All forms of violence must end immediately, particularly the use of force against civilians,’ the bloc said in a statement. ‘This would be the only way to create a conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue to find a sustainable peaceful solution in Myanmar,’ it added. Meanwhile, it reiterated its commitment to continue assisting Myanmar in seeking a ‘workable and durable solution to the ongoing crisis through promoting the full implementation of the Five-Point Consensus.’ The Myanmar Armed Forces reportedly carried out the attack on Tuesday during a civilian gathering on the remote Pa Zi Gyi Village in the Kanbalu Township of Myanmar’s Sagaing Region. Myanmar-based Irrawaddy news outlet said the death toll has already topped 110 as of Wednesday afternoon and is expected to increase ‘as relatives and locals continue to recover charred bodies and limbs of the victims.’ The news site said the air raid involved two bombs dropped on a house where a housewarming ceremony was being held. ‘After the bomb attack, an Mi-35 combat helicopter sprayed the area with gunfire, inflicting further casualties and hindering the rescue operation. In the evening, a junta jet fighter conducted another air strike while locals were still collecting bodies from the morning attack,’ Irrawaddy reported

Source: Philippines News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on April 13 expressed his belief and wish that Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., of the Republic of Korea (RoK) will maintain its important role in enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries with many new strategic projects.

At a reception in Hanoi for Park Hark Kyu, Head of Corporate Management Office at DX Division of Samsung Electronics, PM Chinh commended operations of Samsung companies in Vietnam and their contributions to economic restructuring, boosting exports and growth, promoting supporting industries and creating jobs in the Southeast Asian country.

He stressed that Vietnam and the RoK upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership on December 15, 2022, opening up new cooperation opportunities for the two countries in general and their businesses in particular.

The PM suggested Samsung expand its investment and set higher targets for 2023 and the coming years.

The Vietnamese government will continue to accompany and hold dialogues with foreign investors, including those from the RoK, and remove their obstacles in a timely manner, facilitating their effective and sustainable business in Vietnam with the view of “harmonised interests and shared risks,” PM Chinh pledged.

In reply, Park thanked the government, the PM and localities of Vietnam for their support, and spoke highly of the domestic business and investment environment.

Samsung will further contribute to Vietnam’s socio-economic development, he said, noting that the group regards the Southeast Asian nation as a global production hub and aims to turn Vietnam into a “centre of its research and development centres” globally.

The group will also make efforts to enable more Vietnamese people to join in the leadership of Samsung Vietnam, raise the localisation rate, and step up cooperation with the Vietnam National Innovation Centre, he said, informing his host that more than 2,000 engineers are working for Samsung’s R&D centre in Hanoi.

Park raised some proposals to the PM on encouraging the use of made-in-Vietnam products, which were highly valued by the host.

Samsung is the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam, with its major projects located in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen, and Ho Chi Minh City, and worth some 20 billion USD in total.

Samsung’s phone production in Vietnam accounts for about half of its global output. As of November 2022, Samsung companies in the country had employed nearly 100,000 people./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The first international cross-border passenger train services between Laos and China officially began on April 13, with one train per day in each direction making the border crossing.

The trains operate between China’s Kunming station and Vientiane, Laos, taking 10 hours and 30 minutes, including two stops for customs and immigration checks on both sides of the border. The border crossing also entails crossing a time zone, with the time in Laos being one hour earlier than the time in adjacent Yunnan.

The Laos-China train services departed Kunming South as Train D887 at 08.08 China time. The services in the opposite direction departed Vientiane as Train D888 at 08.08 Laos time – with the number 8 being given such prominence as it is seen as being particularly auspicious in both countries, especially in China.

Tickets for the services, which went on sale from April 11, are available both on the China Railway website and on the Laos-China Railway mobile phone app. In China, tickets can be bought at Kunming Main, Kunming South, Pu’er, Xishuangbanna and Mohan stations, while in Laos they can be obtained at Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang and Boten stations.

First class tickets for the full journey are available for 760 CNY (110.57 USD) while second-class tickets are priced at 470 CNY.

Both a passport and paper ticket/printout will be required to cross the border, and passengers are also advised to check visa and COVID-19 vaccination requirements, with the border stations being at Mohan in China and Boten in Laos.

On the first day, the train served more than 200 passengers departing from China’s Kunming station to Laos.

The Chinese and Lao governments hoped that the cross-border train services will create favorable conditions for people of the two countries to visit and travel by rail while promoting tourism development and other industries as well as economic and trade exchanges between the two countries./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Trade Office at the Vietnamese Embassy in India, in collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board, held an online conference on April 12 on opportunities for business and investment cooperation between Vietnam and the Indian state.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai said that Vietnam’s total export revenue recorded a year-on-year increase of 9.5% to 732.5 billion USD last year. In addition, the country is considered an attractive destination for foreign investment thanks to its stable macro-economy and good inflation capacity.

The Indian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Madan Mohan Sethi, assessed that Vietnamese regions and localities are developing and gaining many significant economic achievements.

According to him, there are currently about 300 Indian companies operating and doing business in Ho Chi Minh City – a strategic economic and financial centre of Vietnam.

Deputy Director of Can Tho’s Investment Promotion Centre Nguyen Kim Ngoc introduced participants to development potential of the city – the centre of the Mekong Delta region. She affirmed that Can Tho will be a safe destination for Indian investors.

Valarmathi Valaven, special chief secretary to the Government of Andhra Pradesh, said that the state government always creates favourable conditions for foreign investors and businessmen.

He proposed the two sides’ governments and people exert efforts to support enterprises in connectivity activities, thus helping generate more jobs and improve income for labourers.

Andhra Pradesh has been one of the most dynamic states in India over the past five years. It has potential to cooperate with Vietnam in the fields of fisheries, agricultural products, garment and textiles, information technology, as well as seaports and logistics./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency