VNA Singapore President ends visit Singapore's President S R Nathan and his wife and entourage left Ho Chi Minh City yesterday concluding a five-day official friendship visit to Vietnam. While here, President Nathan paid a courtesy visit to General Secretary Le Kha Phieu, held talks with President Tran Duc Luong, and met with Prime Minister Phan Van Khai. The two Parties agreed to accelerate Vietnam-Singapore multifaceted co-operation, particularly economic, commercial, and investment ties, for the benefits of the two countries, and for ASEAN's unity and co-operation. The Singaporean president and his entourage laid a wreath at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and visited the Temple of Literature, the Army Museum and the Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi. President Nathan, his wife and entourage visited Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong southern province from February 9-11. The Singaporean delegation was received and feted by Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Chairman Vo Viet Thanh. President Nathan met with representatives of the Singaporean community living and working in Ho Chi Minh City. He visited the Saigon Trade Centre, a lacquer company and some cultural and historical relic sites in Ho Chi Minh City. President Nathan visited the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) and the Vietnam-Singapore Training Centre in Binh Duong province. Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Ho Minh Phuong received and informed President Nathan of the situation of socio-economic development and foreign investment in the province and its administrative reform and infrastructure construction to facilitate the operation of local and foreign businesses. President Nathan expressed his pleasure at the effectiveness of Singaporean businesses in Binh Duong, stressing the significance of enhancing economic and commercial co-operation in the two countries' friendship and comprehensive co-operation. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Protestants adopt new charter The Federation of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam in the south passed a new charter during a two-day congress that ended on February 9 in Ho Chi Minh City. The new charter, which includes ten chapters with 79 articles, stipulates the guideline, purpose, orientation of activities, dogma and organisation of the religious society aims to giving guideline to Protestant dignitaries and believers to live a good religious life and to join the religious and social activities under the guideline ŚLiving of the gospel, for God, motherland and nation¹. The new charter also calls on Protestant dignitaries and followers, together with other people of all strata throughout the country, to contribute to promoting the national great unity for rich people, a strong country and a just, democratic and civilised society. The congress elected a new 23 member executive board for the federation in the 2001-2005 period with Pastor Pham Xuan Thieu as the head. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Central Highlands Army Corps helps remote areas The Central Highlands Army Corps of B20 has helped people in remote and far-flung areas in the Central Highlands develop economy over the past ten years. The B20 corps has contributed tens of thousands of working days to building irrigation and hydroelectric works, roads and thousands of metres of canal and helped 750 households resettle. They have also opened anti-illiteracy classes for 300 people, given free medical check ups and treatment to about 2,500 people, built 57 houses and repaired 170 for priority policy beneficiaries. They have also presented gifts and saving books to families of war invalids and martyrs, contributed to the locality¹s ŚGratitude Fund¹ and helped collect more than 300 war martyrs¹ remains. They have provided people with information on building a new lifestyle and eradicating backward habits. With assistance of the army corps, two villages of Yadom commune, Duc Co districts have built new residential areas. Yadom has become a exemplary commune in economical, cultural and social fields. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Foreign food-poisoned crewmen saved Three Korean crewmen were saved from food poisoning on February 7. Eight crewmen of the Korean KANG SONG ship suffered from food poisoning near the Vietnamese sea on their way home from Singapore. Five of them died, said the ship's captain. The rest were taken to the Vung Tau port for medical treatment and survived. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Young volunteers to improve traffic safety Ho Chi Minh City's Youth Union will launch a young volunteers' month for traffic safety from March 11 - April 11 in response to the 'Year of Urban Order.' The movement is expected to draw the participation of a great majority of students and young people, in co-ordination with the city's police forces, to work on 60 routes where traffic jams often occur. The volunteers will disseminate information on traffic safety, guide people to drive in the right way and make pavements clean. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Haiti leaders wish to boost ties with Vietnam Haiti's top leaders have expressed their desire to boost friendship and co-operation with Vietnam, particularly in trading of food and consumer goods. They were speaking during their meeting with Vietnam's Ambassador Thai Van Lung, who was in Port-au-Prince for the coronation of President Jean Bertran Aristide. The Vietnamese ambassador had meetings on separate occasions with the president, the prime minister and the foreign minister of Haiti. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Government affirms pledge to Samoa guest workers Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh has affirmed the government's intention to protect the legitimate rights of Vietnamese guest workers with labour contract difficulties in Samoa. The Vietnam Government was doing this by ensuring their security and creating conditions for all to return home, Ms Thanh told Vietnam News Agency on February 10. In this way, they would be able to resume to normal life as soon as possible. (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] __________________________________________________
