Crochet addicts dutch

FrieslandCampina Viet Nam’s Dutch Lady, Yomost and Frisco brands have donated 35,500 glasses of milk worth VND420 million (US$18,250) to the Hai Duong Children’s Hospital and quarantine centres in the province. — Photo courtesy of FrieslandCampina Viet Nam

FrieslandCampina’s Dutch Lady, Yomost and Frisco brands have donated 35,500 glasses of milk worth VND420 million (US$18,250) to the Hai Duong Children’s Hospital and quarantine centres in the province, the country’s COVID-19 epicentre.

Ta Thuy Ha, marketing director of FrieslandCampina Vietnam, said the gift would help improve frontline medical staff and quarantined people’s resistance against the virus.

The Viet Nam Women’s Union said people in quarantine, especially elderly people and children, are vulnerable both physically and mentally, and the gift would be meaningful for them.

The donation is part of the ‘Better Nutrition For The World, We Care We Share’ programme the company launched last year when the pandemic broke out in Viet Nam to express its gratitude to the community.

FrieslandCampina Viet Nam’s Dutch Lady, Yomost and Frisco brands have donated 35,500 glasses of milk worth VND420 million (US$18,250) to the Hai Duong Children’s Hospital and quarantine centres in the province. — Photo courtesy of FrieslandCampina Viet Nam

Earlier Dutch Lady and Yomost donated 42,000 glasses of milk worth VND320 million ($13,900) to frontline medical staff in the northern province of Quang Ninh, where too there is an outbreak.

Social distancing measures have been imposed since February 16, according to the Hai Duong Centre for Disease Control.

The province has recorded nearly 600 cases as of Saturday morning (Feb 20) since the outbreak began in late January, the centre said. — VNS

A teenage game addict from Vietnam’s Mekong Delta has been arrested for perpetrating a murder-robbery on his ‘friend.’

The Department of Public Security in An Giang Province confirmed on Thursday morning that it had apprehended Bui Trong Nghia, 16, a resident of Chau Phu B Ward, Chau Doc City, for murder and robbery.

The victim is Thai Quang Minh, 28, also a resident of Chau Phu B Ward.

At the police station, Nghia claimed to be a game addict and admitted that he had pawned two of his family’s motorbikes for gaming money.

As the boy needed to claim back the two vehicles, he planned on robbing Minh.

Nghia said he had been friends with Minh and noticed that the latter often wear valuable accessories.

At around 7:00 pm on Tuesday, Minh picked up Nghia on a motorbike and the two traveled to a local eatery.

After they finished their meal at about 10:30 pm, Nghia asked Minh to take him to a new urban area in Chau Doc City.

After reaching a secluded location, Nghia told Minh to pull over.

He then threated Minh with a knife and forced him to hand over his gold necklace.

Minh resisted and screamed for help, prompting Nghia to stab him in the neck.

The victim tried to run away but was chased by Nghia, who stabbed him to death.

Nghia took Minh’s necklace, motorbike, and VND500,000 (US$21.6) before hiding the body and the murder weapon.

He rode the motorbike to Vinh Chau Commune and pushed the vehicle into a canal.

The following morning, Nghia sold the gold necklace for VND34 million ($1,470).

Local residents found Minh’s motorbike with multiple blood stains the same day and reported the case to police officers.

Following a brief investigation, officers arrested Nghia and found the victim’s body and the murder weapon.

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AMSTERDAM — Twenty years ago, Dutch couple Gert Kasteel and Dolf Pasker made history when they tied the knot in the world’s first legally-recognised same-sex wedding in the Netherlands.

They were among four gay couples – three male and one female – to be married shortly after midnight by the mayor of Amsterdam on April 1, 2001.

On Thursday, they celebrated their 20th anniversaries in small groups or at home due to COVID-19 social distancing rules that prevented large gatherings.

“It’s nicer to say to other people ‘he’s my husband, he’s my man’,” said Dolf, sitting next to Gert as they flipped through an album of photos and newspaper clippings of the wedding, which made headlines worldwide. “It has helped me to accept myself.”

All four gay marriages have passed the test of time. One of the men, Frank Wittebrood, died of a heart attack in 2011 at 55.

Those who participated looked back with pride at having made legal history.

“People told me that the Netherlands would be the first and the last country (to pass same-sex marriages), the rest of the world won’t follow you,” said Henk Krol, a lawmaker who supported the bill when it passed the Dutch parliament in 2000.

“Almost 30 countries in the world followed the Dutch example,” he said.

Most European Union countries, Britain, the United States, Australia, Mexico and South Africa are among 29 nations to have legalised same-sex marriage since 2001.

“I’m very proud that it’s possible,” said Gert, who before he could complete his sentence had Dolf jump in and finish it: “that we could play a little part of it. We made history.”

“After six miscarriages, my mother gave birth to me, her only child. That’s why I was pampered from a young age. It was part of the reason I fell into drug addiction when I began attending college in Hanoi,” the 45-year-old said, recalling his darkest days.

Knowing his parents would never dare reprimand him, the boy from northern Ha Nam Province publicly admitted his dependency on drugs.

Many times, Tuan told his mother: “Give me the money just this last time.”

Seeing her son struggle, Luong Thi Van swallowed her tears and shoved money in her child’s hand. After using up all of his mother’s money, Tuan turned to tricking his sister. When there was nothing left in the house for him to take, Tuan “drifted” to Hanoi to take on the role of killer-for-hire and bouncer, among others to satisfy his increasing addiction.

Due to her son’s reputation, Tuan’s mother returned home from the market on multiple occasions without being served.

Le Van Thuy, Tuan’s father, had to resign from his position as the commune’s vice chairman of Vietnam Veterans Association after other members criticized him for not being “reputable enough.”

The first time Tuan tried quitting, he asked his father to lock him in a room, chain his feet to the floor and throw the key into the pond. But after only three days, his body raked with withdrawal symptoms, he broke down the doors, pulled the concrete plate attached to the chain from the floor and rushed off to feed his addiction. That day, after returning home more subdued, Tuan knelt in front his mother’s feet and said: “This time, I promise to quit drugs.”

A determined Tuan asked his mother to shave his head before digging an impassably deep trench around his 200-square-meter home.

Thuy told his wife: “Tuan’s digging like during wartime.”

About a month after uttering his promise, Tuan felt his craving for drugs recede, even gaining a few kilograms and appearing healthier. Everyone admired Tuan’s determination.

Seeing him “transformed”, one of his drug-addict friends came to seek his advice on how to quit. But after sharing a few stories, a sudden urge saw Tuan delve back into the abyss.

This time, he was taken to a rehab center where he fought with his caregivers and became the “leader” of gang.

Once, spotting his mother carrying a bag en route to visit him, a tormented Tuan asked his “juniors” to tattoo the word “happiness” below the soles of his feet. “Me and all other addicts at this center have stepped on and crushed our families’ happiness,” he explained.

However, the first thing Tuan did after exiting rehab was get lit.

This vicious cycle continued until Tuan’s wife requested a divorce, prompting him to overdose since he felt he had “nothing else to lose.” For seven hours, Tuan failed to regain consciousness, with villagers deliberating whether to place him in a coffin or not.

At 6 a.m., he opened his eyes, found himself dressed in new clothes, with his hands and feet bound in preparation for a funeral ceremony. Terrified and praying, Tuan’s mother watched him rise from the coffin.

“If I can’t die, I must live with dignity and be a better human,” a teary Tuan stated.

In front of everyone, he once again promised to quit his addiction. Overhearing his words, a neighbor joked: “I would get beheaded if you fulfilled your promise.”

For three days in a row, Tuan soaked himself in a water tank to endure his withdrawal symptoms, his worried father keeping him company all the while, even rubbing his head for encouragement.

After staying home for half a month, Tuan again felt his craving recede. In 2001, Pham Thi Bang, a woman seven years his junior living in the next village, dared to accompany him on a date despite her parents’ objections.

The couple borrowed money to start a business by raising ducks. Once, attending a wedding in the next village, Tuan was lured into a cemetery by an old acquaintance who persuaded him to get high. Recalling the faces of his wife and newborn daughter, he jabbed a needle into his thigh, hoping the pain would drown out his urge. That night, revealing his bloody leg to his wife, the couple rejoiced in Tuan’s ability to beat his addiction.

After his duck-raising business floundered, Tuan and his wife took on a series of jobs, including trading old motorbikes and real estate. He then used this savings to open a taxi firm in Hung Yen Province and a truck transportation company in Dak Nong Province.

With both ventures operating smoothly, Tuan was informed a former rehab friend had been executed for murder. “I think if he got help, maybe he wouldn’t have followed that path. So I decided to do something to help others like me rebuild their lives,” Tuan said.

Tuan (L) shows delegates at the Institute of Psychological Studies and Support for Drug Users the displayed pieces of equipment for drug usage in Hanoi, March 2021. Photo courtesy of PSD.

He subsequently sold all his property and relocated to Hanoi with his family. Here, with accumulated knowledge and support from experts, Tuan established a rehab center now known as the Institute of Psychological Studies and Support for Drug Users (PSD) in Hanoi. Addicts admitted here are typically supported with psychological treatment, physical rehabilitation and reintegration.

Tuan and the PSD staff were selected by Colombo Plan, a regional organization of 27 economies designed to strengthen economic and social development of members in the Asia-Pacific region, to receive support in drug use prevention training.

Kim Tuan, a 31 years old patient at PSD who suffered from a nine-year addiction, said here he is respected, unlike at other centers.

“In particular, I learned meaningful life lessons from Tuan. He and I have many things in common – like we were raised in a family of educated parents and had had the chance to go to school but later fell into addiction. If he can stand up and rebuild his life, I can do it too!” said Kim Tuan, now a psychiatrist at PSD.

PSD has helped more than 230 drug addicts to date. In addition to supporting drug addicts, Tuan has built a connection with multidisciplinary corporations in fisheries, real estate, media and other industries so people who complete their treatment can access career opportunities to restart their lives.

Nguyen Xuan Quy, 38, and four others are being investigated for allegedly storing, buying and using drugs, Hanoi police said Wednesday.

Quy has received treatment at the National Mental Hospital since November 2018.

During his term at the hospital, Quy has escaped numerous times. In January, he was arrested by police in Hai Ba Trung District, but released back to the hospital due to his condition.

Quy has formed close relationships with certain hospital staff, who afforded him privileges regarding accommodation and travel, among others. Using this to his advantage, Quy soundproofed his room, equipping it with loudspeakers and strobe lights for recreational purposes.

On March 20, Hanoi police raided several hospital rooms, including Quy’s, seizing around 6.1 kilograms of ketamine, meth and MDMA. They also found bongs, DJ tables, laptops and hundreds of plastic bags.

Police later discovered Quy, besides takings drugs, had also sold some to other patients and staff.

Vuong Van Tinh, hospital director, said the facility did not know about Quy’s wrongdoing, and that it was waiting on further police information.

Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Minister of Health, on Tuesday said the incident was “unacceptable” and those involved would be strictly punished.

Besides Quy, Nguyen Anh Vu, a technician at the hospital who had tested positive for drug use, has also been detained for not informing authorities of Quy’s crimes.

Patients have methadone at a supply station in Noong Bua Ward, Điện Biên Phủ City in Điện Biên Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Tư

ĐIỆN BIÊN — Opioid addicts will be able to pick up several days supply of methadone for use at home after an event that was held yesterday in the northern mountainous province of Điện Biên.

The event was held by the Việt Nam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) under the Ministry of Health (MoH), the World Health Organization (WHO) in Việt Nam and the provincial Department of Health.

The MoH said methadone has been used to treat opioid addicts in Việt Nam since 2008.

Currently, more than 52,000 people receiving methadone treatment in 330 treatment facilities in all 63 provinces and cities.

The coverage of the programme has reached 28 per cent of the total number of addicts, with the six-month period for medicine adherence rate at 83 per cent, above the world average of is 80 per cent.

Điện Biên Province has recorded more than 9,000 drug addicts and currently, more than 2,400 are undergoing methadone treatment at the province’s 35 methadone dispensing facilities.

Hoàng Đình Cảnh, deputy director of the VAAC, said after more than 12 years of implementation, the treatment of opioid addiction with methadone has revealed a number of limitations.

They included low access to treatment and very different regional adherence to treatment. The rate of treatment dropout accounts for more than 50 per cent, mostly in mountainous provinces.

One of the main reasons leading to discontinuation of treatment is patients having to receive treatment at a medical facility.

To tackle the problem, different countries around the world have allowed some patients to bring methadone to use at home.

Providing patients with methadone for many days will reduce travel time, travel-related costs and create favourable conditions for patients to access, maintain and comply with treatment.

This helps to improve treatment for patients, improve quality of life and increase patient and family satisfaction with methadone treatment facilities.

Cảnh said Điện Biên was one of three localities, along with Lai Châu and Hải Phòng City, to run the pilot programme, because Điện Biên was a mountainous province which is difficult to travel in.

Many patients have to travel tens of kilometres to get to treatment facilities for their daily medicine. Methadone dispensing points have been deployed in some commune health stations but still cannot meet the needs of patients because the villages are too far away and the roads to medical facilities and dispensers are very high in mountainous areas.

This is also a very active locality that has achieved good results in methadone treatment in recent years.

The successful pilot implementation of this programme in the three localities would serve as the basis for a nationwide expansion, he said. — VNS