Trade union called to protect migrant workers’ rights

– An International Labour Organization (ILO) official has urged Vietnamese trade unions to prioritise the protection of migrant workers’ rights and benefits.

The call comes as labour migration rises both inside and outside the country.

ILO Senior Specialist on Workers’ Activities in the Asia-Pacific region, Elsa Ramos, made the suggestion at a seminar on migrant workers and the role of trade unions in Hanoi on August 7.

The ILO official said that in the current situation, there are often infringements on migrant workers’ rights and conditions.

According to the vice chairman of the Vietnam General Labour Confederation, Mai Duc Chinh, there are three main flows of migrant workers in Vietnam, including those moving around rural areas, those travelling from rural to urban areas, and those working abroad.

Chinh said migrant workers play a significant role in accelerating the shift of economic structure, filling in the shortage of workers and reducing poverty, but at the same time they also cause socio-economic problems.

He said Vietnamese trade unionists will get updated information on new trends of worker migration and human trafficking arising from the move and will work out practical solutions to protect the rights and legitimate interests of those vulnerable workers.-

Vietnam proud of contributions to ASEAN: Deputy PM

Vietnam is proud of its remarkable and impressive contributions to ASEAN cooperation and development orientation as well as the grouping’s major policies, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem wrote.

In his article marking ASEAN’s 41 st founding anniversary (August 8), Khiem said Vietnam ’s efforts have helped encourage solidarity and cooperation as well as increase the association’s international prestige.

He added other ASEAN members and outside partners have all recognised Vietnam as an active member and its important contributions to the growth of the grouping.

“In return, Vietnam has gained numerous fruitful and practical benefits from the country’s ASEAN experiences in favour of the goals for national security and development as well as increasing the country’s international prestige,” Khiem said.

He reiterated Vietnam ’s stand in favour of an ASEAN of close alliance, solidarity and great unity with a high international prestige.

He said the orientation of ASEAN development has met the major and long-term goal of Vietnam , an integral part of Southeast Asia .

ASEAN has always had an important position in Vietnam ’s external policy which calls for independence, self-determination, diversification and international and regional integration, he said.

Khiem called for greater efforts in joining with other member countries to build an ASEAN Community by 2015 and make the ASEAN charter a reality.

“We should be more active, take initiative and bear greater responsibility in relations with ASEAN,” he said.

He urged participating agencies to further reform and renew their structure, work style and staff quality so as to increase the efficiency of cooperation within ASEAN.

Khiem emphasised the need to clearly identify responsibilities as well as foster close coordination among relevant ministries and agencies, especially the Foreign Ministry’s coordinating role, when participating in ASEAN operations.

Campaigns to raise public awareness on ASEAN and the country’s role were also of primary importance, according to the Deputy Prime Minister.

He also called for immediate preparations for the country to be sworn into the ASEAN chairmanship by 2010, that would include the convention of the ASEAN Summit and numerous ministerial meetings.
ASEAN has been the leading factor in maintaining an environment of peace, security and cooperation in Southeast Asia and efficiently supporting security and development objectives of each member country as well as the whole association, Khiem stressed.

He attributed ASEAN’s successes over the past 41 years to the sharing of basic benefits as well as vision and strong political determination and tireless efforts by member countries.

“The fact shows that ASEAN is a regional cooperation organisation that is full of vitality and adaptable to changes in the world situation,” he noted.

The Deputy PM went on to say that despite many difficulties and challenges, ASEAN still eyes favourable premises to successfully implement its community building goal.

“That is the result of the regional cooperation over the past four decades and member countries’ common vision and strong political determination in line with the association’s sound decisions and roadmap,” he emphasised.

The ASEAN Charter will bring in a remarkable change in the association’s organisational apparatus and modality of operation, helping improve the quality and effectiveness of ASEAN cooperation.

“We have good reason to believe that ASEAN will achieve its great objectives set for the new stage of development,” Khiem said.-

New Zealand ready to share experiences with Vietnam

Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force says his country is ready to share with Vietnam its experiences in joining the United Nations’ peace-keeping forces.

While meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem in Hanoi on August 7, Lieutenant-General Jeremiah Mateparae said his visit aims to strengthen the cooperation and friendship between the two countries’ armies and people.

He also spoke highly of Vietnam ’s role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council as well as its experiences in humanitarian relief work.

Deputy PM Khiem welcomed the New Zealand Defence Chief’s visit and praised cooperation between the two countries’ defence forces in English training, military medicine and rescue work as well as the sharing of experiences in preventing terrorism and participating in UN peace-keeping forces.

He added that the cooperation will help foster the solidarity and mutual understanding between Vietnam and New Zealand ’s armed forces and people for peace, cooperation and friendship.-

Int’l Olympic Committee’s session opens in Beijing

– The 120th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) opened in Beijing on August 8, attracting the participation of 1,600 international delegates.

Speaking at the session which will last till August 7, Chinese President Hu Jintao pledged to host a high-level Olympic Games in the Chinese capital.

The Chinese President said that China hoped the Beijing Games would further promote the development of the Olympic Movement, further spread the Olympic spirit, and further enhance the cooperation in sports and other fields between China and other countries and regions.

IOC President Jacques Rogge expressed his belief that the Beijing Games are already a “landmark event for the Olympic Movement,” saying “the mere fact that the Olympic Games are coming to China – home to nearly 20 percent of the world’s population – is significant.”

The annual IOC session was convened just four days before the opening ceremony of the 29th summer Olympic Games, scheduled to be staged in the National Stadium in north Beijing in the evening of August 8.-

Macao to invest nearly 300 mil USD on bridge

Beijing (VNA) - Macao will contribute 1.98 billion yuan (289 million USD) to the building the Hong Kong- Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government announced on August 5.

The construction of the bridge has been agreed “in principle” by the central government, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Macao SAR government’s press statement.

The bridge will connect Zhuhai, a mainland coastal city neighboring Macao, to the rest of the Pearl River Delta area and will slash travel times to the two SARs. Currently only ferries connect Zhuhai and Macao with Hong Kong .

The construction of the bridge can be started no later than 2010, the SAR government said. In addition to Macao’s investment, Hong Kong will invest 6.75 billion yuan (985 million USD) while the Chinese mainland will invest up to 7 billion yuan (1.02 billion USD) on the project, according to the statement.

The rest will be paid through a financing arrangement jointly worked out by the three governments.-

East Asia studies road map for regional oil stockpile

– Senior officials from 13 East Asian nations agreed on August 5 to draw up a road map for a regional oil stockpile in the next two years, Kyodo news quoted a senior Thai official as saying.

The idea of drawing up a regional road map was proposed by Japan and accepted by other 12 countries at a meeting on August 5 of the ASEAN-Plus-Three, comprising the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

At the end of the meeting, Thai Energy Ministry spokesman Twarath Sutabutr told a news conference that an expert working group to be set up will convene its first meeting in November in Manila to discuss the proposed road map.

The spokesman said it was too early to predict the shape of the road map even though there have been some feasibility studies on stockpiles for the region.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.–

RoK President appoints three new ministers

Seoul (VNA) – President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Myung-bak on August 6 appointed three new ministers of education, welfare and agriculture, Yonhap news agency reported.

The partial cabinet reshuffle, carried out five months after President Lee took office, comes amid continuing public outcry over some of the administration’s unpopular policies, including its agreement in April to lift a five-year ban on US beef imports.

The President went ahead with the appointment of the new ministers, bypassing parliamentary confirmation hearings by citing the fact that legislators had missed a July 30 deadline to examine the candidates.

Ahn Byong-man, a presidential advisor for state future planning, will succeed Kim Do-yeon as the education minister.

Chang Tae-pyong, a veteran economic bureaucrat and former secretary general of a state anti-corruption panel, will serve as agriculture minister, replacing the outgoing Chung Woo-chan.

Jeon Jae-hee, a female lawmaker with the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), will succeed Kim Soung-yee as the heath minister.-

Australia hosts multinational military exercise

– Australia is hosting multinational military exercises, called Kakadu 9, in the northern city of Darwin, local media said.

New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan and Thailand are taking part, while observers have been sent from India, the Philippines and Indonesia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The Australian defence force says the exercise will improve co-operation in maritime security operations between regional nations, the ABC added.-

Malaysia, China to lead regional travel growth

– New survey results predict China and Malaysia will lead tourism industry growth in the Asia-Pacific during the second half of this year.

The survey by credit card firm MasterCard expect travellers in the Asia-Pacific to make 88.3 million trips – for business and leisure – in the second half of 2008, with Malaysia and China accounting for more than half of the departures, according to news reports.

Malaysian travellers are seen making 25.2 million departures in the July-December period, the highest number of the 12 regional markets surveyed. In second place was China with an estimated 24.4 million trips.

Outbound trips from Singapore, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Thailand are also expected to see double-digit growth as travel demand remains robust despite rising inflation and higher fuel prices, it said.

Singapore is forecast to register the biggest year-on-year jump with an expected four million outbound trips during the period, up 23 percent over last year.

In Southeast Asia, travellers from Indonesia are seen making 2.7 million trips, the Philippines 1.0 million and Thailand 2.1 million.-

Cambodia: CPP to offer gov’t posts to FUNCINPEC

– The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) will offer five high-level posts and some lower level positions for the FUNCINPEC party in the upcoming coalition government, Prime Minister Hun Sen has said.

The high-level posts will belong to FUNCINPEC General Secretary Nhiek Bun Chhay, Health Minister Nuth Sokhum, Public Works and Transportation Minister Sun Chanthol, Education, Youth and Sports Minister Kol Pheng, and Culture and Fine Arts Minister Veng Sereyvuth, PM Hun Sen revealed.

All decisions of the new government will be made by the CPP, he stressed.

According to preliminary results, the CPP has won the country’s July 27 general election with 90 seats in the 123-member National Assembly. –