Cambodian prime minister hun sen

Authorities in Kien Giang told an online meeting with the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on Friday there had been days when the province had received up to 10 people returning from Cambodia, with all testing positive for the new coronavirus.

Now, medical centers across the province no longer have the capacity to handle more Covid-19 patients.

The province shares a borderline of 56 kilometers (34.8 miles) and 62,000 square kilometers of sea area with Cambodia.

Daily, thousands of fishing vessels and boats trading oil and seafood operate across this maritime area, with managing entry a hard task, a provincial representative stated.

With the ongoing outbreak in Cambodia, the province suggested the Ministry of Health establishes a field hospital for Covid-19 treatment in the beach town of Ha Tien, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reported.

In response to the proposal, Nguyen Trong Khoa, deputy head of the Medical Examination and Treatment Management Department under the Ministry of Health, told the province to set up field hospitals using schools, dormitories or sports centers.

Cambodia imposed a coronavirus lockdown on its capital Phnom Penh on Thursday in a bid to contain a spike in cases. The country recorded 291 new infections on Saturday, pushing its tally to 5,771.

In a voice message posted on his official Facebook page, Prime Minister Hun Sen warned Cambodia was on the brink of “death valley” and urged people to work together to avoid calamity.

Heath Minister Nguyen Thanh Long told an online meeting Friday the border area with Cambodia, including Mekong Delta provinces, are now “major hotspots” at high risk of possible Covid-19 outbreaks.

Vietnam’s border with Cambodia spans 1,137 kilometers, including the four Mekong Delta provinces An Giang, Dong Thap, Kien Giang and Long An. Other Vietnamese provinces bordering Cambodia are Binh Phuoc and Tay Ninh which are near Ho Chi Minh City, and Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Dak Nong in the Central Highlands.

On Tuesday, border guards in An Giang Province detected a man and woman breaking into Vietnam illegally from Cambodia.

Both later tested positive, prompting authorities to track down all those that had come into contact with the pair since they set foot in Vietnam.

By Saturday morning, it has been confirmed 12 people who had direct contact with them have tested negative.

Last month, Vietnam had suffered a spate of infections after a group of Vietnamese returned home illegally from Cambodia on a boat trip to Kien Giang’s Phu Quoc Island.

Many Vietnamese reside and do business in Cambodia, with many found infected with the novel coronavirus here over the past months.

While Vietnam has sealed its borders, there are occasional illegal entrants who evade checkpoints to avoid mandatory quarantine.

As per Health Ministry protocol, all those entering the nation from abroad must be quarantined for 14 days, during which they will be tested at least twice.

Vietnam has gone over two months without community transmissions.

Myanmar police tightened security in Hlaingthaya, Yangon in March 2021. — AFP/VNA Photo

JAKARTA — Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will convene a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 24 to discuss efforts in building the ASEAN Community, external relations and regional issues, including the crisis in Myanmar.

Plans for the meeting have been in the works. Earlier on April 16, regional news sources revealed that leaders of 10 ASEAN members, including Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services of Myanmar Sen. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, are to attend the meeting.

The meeting was advocated by host Indonesia and its Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi in the past few weeks, with support from Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and the Philippines.

Cambodian AKP news agency on April 16 reported that Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen has confirmed his attendance.

Brunei, which currently holds the rotating Chairmanship of ASEAN, showed its support for the meeting to discuss the situation in Myanmar.

According to a joint statement issued following a meeting between Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah and Prime Minister of Malaysia Muhyiddin Yassin, ministers and high-ranking officials of the two countries have been asked to prepare for the meeting held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.

The statement also expressed concern for the deteriorating situation inside the country, and “urged all parties to refrain from instigating further violence, and for all sides to immediately exercise utmost restraint and flexibility.” — VNS

At the third consultative conference, the Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee approved a list of 205 qualified people from central agencies, organizations and units who were nominated for the election of the 15th National Assembly.

The list is divided into groups, with 11 candidates in the Party agencies, three in the assistant agencies to the State President, 15 in government agencies, 130 in National Assembly-related agencies, 14 in the armed force, 29 in agencies under the Vietnam Fatherland Front and social unions. Among them, there are 16 members in the Politburo and 4 members in the Central Party Committee’s Secretariat.

At the third consultative conference, the Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee approved a list of 205 qualified people from central agencies, organizations and units who were nominated for the election of the 15th National Assembly. Photo: Minh Dat

The 16 Politburo members include:

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue

Standing member of the Central Party Committee’s Secretariat Vo Van Thuong

Standing Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh

Head of the Central Organizing Committee Truong Thi Mai

Head of the Central Economic Commission Tran Tuan Anh

Head of the Central Committee for Internal Affairs Phan Dinh Trac

General To Lam, Minister of Public Security

Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense

Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh

General Luong Cuong, Chairman of the General Department of Politics of the People’s Army of Vietnam

Director of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council Nguyen Xuan Thang

The four members of the Secretariat include:

Do Van Chien, Chairman of Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee

The 15 candidates from government agencies:

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien

Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung

Senior Lieutenant General, Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung

General, Minister of Public Security To Lam

Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh

Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son

Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra

Thu Hang

* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on the world’s leading mayors to take urgent climate action.

* More than 187.36 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of Friday, the National Health Commission said Saturday.

* The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday announced a series of retaliatory measures, including expulsions of diplomats and entry bans, in response to the recent “hostile actions” of the United States. Russia will ask 10 US diplomats and five Polish ones to leave the country, the ministry said in a statement.

* US President Joe Biden and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday voiced commitment to further strengthening the two countries’ alliance to address regional and global challenges.

* The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) reported on Saturday 11,101 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total cases in the Southeast Asian country to 926,052. The death toll climbed to 15,810 after 72 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

* India registered 234,692 new COVID-19 cases, the third consecutive day that the country reported over 200,000 new cases, taking the total tally to 14,526,609, said the data released by the federal health ministry on Saturday. Besides, as many as 1,341 people died since Friday morning, as the total death toll rose to 175,649.

* Thailand registered 1,547 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, raising the total number in the country to 40,585, the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said Saturday.

* The Philippines’ gross international reserves (GIR) level settled at US$104.82 billion as of end of March, compared to US$105.16 billion a month earlier, according to data from the Philippine central bank.

* The Republic of Korea reported 658 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Friday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 113,444. The daily caseload was down from 673 in the previous day, but it stayed above 600 for four straight days.

* Two Russian warships on Saturday passed through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul towards the Black Sea, local media reported.

* Russia confirmed 9,321 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 4,693,469, the official monitoring and response center said Saturday. The national COVID-19 death toll rose by 398 to 105,193 in the past day, while the number of the country’s recoveries grew by 8,832 to 4,319,389.

* Italy’s imports and exports improved in February compared to the previous month, the country’s National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) reported on Friday.

* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg discussed a series of regional issues over the phone, Turkey’s presidential office announced on Friday.

* Argentina reported on Friday a record daily COVID-19 infections of 29,472 and 160 more deaths, bringing the national tallies to 2,658,628 and 59,084 respectively, said the Health Ministry. The previous most daily cases were recorded at 27,001 on Tuesday.

* Brazil on Thursday reported 3,560 deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, raising its pandemic death toll to 365,444. According to the Ministry of Health, during the same period, tests detected 73,174 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections to 13,746,681.

* Chile’s Ministry of Health on Thursday said 50 percent of the target population have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Some 7,600,908 people, or half of the 15 million people considered enough to create herd immunity in a country of around 19 million inhabitants, have been inoculated, Health Minister Enrique Paris said at a press conference.

* Omani authorities announced on Friday that the country is lifting the entry restrictions that had come into effect on April 8, noting all visa holders would now be allowed to enter the sultanate, the Oman News Agency reported.

* Morocco registered 587 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking the tally of confirmed cases in the North African country to 504,847, the health ministry said in a statement. The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 490,921 after 555 new ones were added.

Speaking at the Theoretical Council’s meeting in Hanoi, the Party leader highly valued the council’s work during 2016-2021, noting that it has continually reformed the operational model and methodology, gathered more scientists, institutes, academies, and universities, and built on the attainments and experiences gained in the previous terms to fulfill its functions and tasks, thereby contributing to common successes of the Party and the country.

He also suggested some issues needing attention in the time ahead and asked for thorough understanding of the requirements in the political theoretical work in the new period. The council’s role in providing consultations in terms of viewpoints, strategies and theoretical guidelines remains limited, the Party chief said, adding that many issues in the country’s 35-year Doi Moi (renewal) cause and 30-year implementation of the 1991 Platform, as well as newly emerging issues in reality in Vietnam and the world, have not been analysed and clarified.

The 13th National Party Congress identified the strategic vision as well as a detailed road map and steps to develop the country in the next five, 10, and 25 years. The international context and the demand for breakthrough development in the new period require that the Party continue reforming its development mindset in a way that fully taps into Vietnam’s potential, stature and conditions and matches development trends in the world and of the era, he pointed out.

The leader told the council to study new theoretical issues in the world, experiences of developed countries, along with scientific – technological revolutions.

General Secretary Trong also asked the council to improve the quality and effectiveness of political theory-related advice to help the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat direct national development and defence efforts.

It should also proactively coordinate with ministries, sectors, central agencies, local Party committees, and political theory researchers nationwide in reality analysis and theoretical research, he said, adding that during the 25 years of operations, the council has established itself in the system of central agencies.

On this occasion, the Theoretical Council was granted a merit certificate from the Prime Minister in recognition of its contributions to the compilation of the documents of the 13th National Party Congress, the fight to protect the Party’s ideological foundation, and theoretical research.

Speaking at the handover conference on April 15, Deputy PM Khai congratulated Phong on his new role and expressed his belief that Phong will put his full potential into service so as to ensure the Government Inspectorate will function effectively.

Khai asked the new chief inspector to accelerate the inspection plan for 2021 while strengthening the discipline of inspection officials while performing their duty.

For his part, Government Inspector General Phong vowed to be impartial and strive to effectively carry out the duties assigned by the Party, State and people.

Doan Hong Phong was elected as chief of the Government Inspectorate at the 11th plenary session of the 14th National Assembly, replacing Le Minh Khai, who has been elected as Deputy Prime Minister.