VNA Party chief congratulates Lao Party chairmanGeneral Secretary Le Kha Phieu of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) sent a message of congratulations to Khamtay Siphandon on March 14 on his re-election as chairman of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP). The message said: "I believe that under the leadership of the seventh Central Committee of the LPRP headed by you, the fraternal Lao people will continue to gain bigger achievements in the renovation process, and successfully build Laos into a country of peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity, contributing to the common struggle for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress." Mr Phieu expressed his wish for a constant development of the friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive co-operation between Vietnam and Laos. He also wished Khamtay Siphandon good health and success in his noble mission. (VNA) **** Vietnam to be more attractive for investorsDeputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has affirmed the Vietnamese government would try to remove all difficulties and obstacles to make Vietnam a more attractive and successful place for foreign investors. At a conference titled, 'Heading to Success - Vietnam, the Destination of Foreign Investors' held in Singapore by the Vietnam Ministry of Planning and Investment on March 15, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed the Vietnam government would carry out positive and effective solutions to make the investment environment in Vietnam more attractive and more competitive. He said the Vietnamese government knew that objective factors including the regional economic crisis and growing regional competition in attracting foreign investment were the main reasons for the decrease of foreign investment in Vietnam over recent years. However, the weakness of Vietnam's investment environment was another factor. Therefore, he said, during recent years, the Vietnamese government had taken measures to further improve the economic and legal environment and together with foreign investors remove obstacles for businesses. Mr Dung reiterated that the Vietnamese government had always paid attention to and exchanged experience of success as well as loss with foreign-invested enterprises. Since Vietnam promulgated the Foreign Investment Law in 1987, more than 3,260 foreign-direct-investment projects with a total registered investment capital of US $44 billion have been licensed. They include 2,600 valid projects with a total registered capital of US $36 billion. Almost US $20 billion or 44.5% of the total registered capital has been disbursed, including US $18 billion as foreign investment. In recent years, the FDI sector's contributions made up more than 12% of the country's GDP, more than 34% of its industrial production value, and almost 7% of the State budget revenue. FDI projects employ 350,000 workers. Through FDI project Vietnam has accessed modern technology, gained managerial experience and created several new industries. The conference - considered the biggest event yet organised by Vietnam abroad to promote investment - was attended by Singapore's acting Trade and Industry Ministry Seter Chen and 150 representatives from foreign companies and international organisations. (VNA) **** Religious followers accuse priest Ly of violating law Nhan Dan newspaper received many letters from readers accusing the wrongful voice and action and the sham face of priest Nguyen Van Ly in his statement to US the Congress dated February 13. Following are some of the letters: Mr Le Van Cang, a Christian follower at the Mai Phop diocese, Vinh Trung commune, Trung Hieu village, Vung Liem district, Vinh Long province "Priest Nguyen Van Ly was probably insane since there is no such suppression of religion as he wrote in the statement to the US Congress. It is Mr Ly¹s insane intention to overthrow the socialist system in Vietnam. Before April 30, 1975, the Saigon regime, despite their powerful and modern weapons, failed since they lost the people¹s hearts for them. The people were then fed up with the corrupted regime. The people in the country are now busy doing business to compensate for the years of the aggressive war waged by the United States that ravaged our country, leaving the people with a legacy of unexploded ordnance and Agent Orange. If Mr Ly were a normal Vietnamese, he would have to call for the responsibility of the United States in solving the problems left over by the war. I would like to request law enforcement agencies to deal appropriately with Mr Nguyen Van Ly under the current laws and regulations of Vietnam." Priest Le Van Quy, Ha Giang hamlet's temple, Phu Lang village, Que Vo district, northern Bac Ninh province "The Party and State of Vietnam have always paid attention to the life of the whole people in general and of different religions in particular. Since the day when the Party was established, the country gained independence and was reunified, the Party and State have had good policies and lines to make religions prosper. The Party and State's policy and line on freedom of religion and belief are clear. It is respectable and worthy of pride to be dignitaries and followers of different religions and also being members of the community of nationalities, being able to exist and develop in a country of independence and democracy. It is true that life is more beautiful with religion and how can religion exist without life? In return for the concern of the Party and State, each religious dignitary and each follower should bear responsibility towards the country. It is obligatory that they observe the law. And this also conforms with the objectives of religions. I should think, for the sake of the existence and development of religious beliefs, for the benefit of all the national community, no one, nor any religious dignitary or follower, is allowed to take advantages of religions to violate the law. It is necessary that those people must be treated strictly to maintain the laws of the land." War veteran Chau Kim Nam from Thuan Trach village, Le Thuy district, Quang Binh province "It is clear that the actions of priest Nguyen Van Ly were not to respect God or make good things for the society and religion but to publicly oppose the people and religious regulations and betray his fatherland. People of different works of life in my region, from the old to the young, felt indignant at the actions of priest Nguyen Van Ly. We witnessed the angry attitudes towards priest Nguyen Van Ly's illegal actions appearing in schools, meetings, markets, roads and fields in recent days. We think that the State should take drastic measures to punish the betrayal of priest Nguyen Van Ly so as to preserve the strictness of the law and implement equality, democracy and justice before the law for every citizen." Lawyer Hoang Van Quyen from Hanoi "As an intellectual and a Catholic follower in Ha Nam province, I feel indignant at the thought and behaviour of priest Nguyen Van Ly who sent documents abroad, defaming the Vietnamese Communist Party and Uncle Ho. I was born and have grown up in a Catholic family in Phu Ly diocese in Ha Nam northern province. I have experienced the immeasurable bitterness of colonialism. When the August Revolution in 1945 ushered in a new page of the nation¹s history, Vietnamese religious followers and priests in Vietnam were very happy about winning national independence and freedom with the beloved name of Vietnam and ardent to join the Catholic Association for National Salvation. But soon there appeared priests who followed foreign countries to fight against Vietnam. While we were holding a wedding anniversary for our nephew in Phu Ly town, French colonialists bombed, killing tens of our relatives. Three hundred people in Do market near the town were also killed by French colonialists. Under the US - Diem and US - Thieu rule, the US bombs razed Phu Ly town to the ground and destroyed the town¹s church. Several pieces of evidence between the national liberation communists, Vietnam Church liberation and the above-said crimes of colonialism and imperialism prove that Ly has played a doubled-faced role and brought the enemy home. Apart from the violation to the Vietnamese Constitution, Ly also provided internal information to a foreign country in a bid to fight against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Nguyen Van Ly severely violated the Constitution and Criminal Code and he does not deserve to hold the position of priest in the Church of Vietnam. I propose to strip his Seven Saint posts and Thua Thien-Hue¹s law agencies sue Ly at court for his illegal acts." **** VND 34 billion to be spent on technological-scientific research The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science, Technology and Environment will spend VND 34.5 billion for its operations in 2001. This is decided by Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on capital and the list of technological and scientific research subjects for 2001. Of the sum, VND 26 billion will be spent on 19 applied scientific research programmes and the remaining VND 8.5 billion is for a information technology project. The businesses' modernisation programme will receive the largest sum of money of the 19 applied scientific research programmes with VND 4.3 billion, and the second largest is the project to deploy technology and science with VND 2.8 billion. Besides, there are over 300 applied research subjects. Each subject receives an average of VND 100 million. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
