The death sentence

A man posthumously tested negative for the novel coronavirus after being found dead at a hotel in Tam Dao Town, a popular tourist destination in the northern Vietnamese province of Vinh Phuc.

The deceased man has been identified as Nguyen The D., a 46-year-old resident of Hanoi, Nguyen Thanh Hai, director of the Vinh Phuc Department of Health, confirmed to Tuoi Tre ( Youth) newspaper on Saturday afternoon.

D. was discovered dead in his hotel room in Tam Dao Town on the early morning of the same day.

Police officers and health workers later arrived to probe the scene and collect his samples for COVID-19 testing.

All residents and visitors were not allowed to enter or exit Tam Dao Town following the discovery of his death.

Local authorities also asked all tourists and employees of local hotels, restaurants, and karaoke parlors to fill out health declaration forms at the town’s medical center.

The temporary lockdown was lifted after D.’s test result came back negative for the novel coronavirus on Saturday afternoon.

According to preliminary information, D. previously traveled to Tam Dao with his wife and child.

Prior to his death, the man had consumed a lot of alcohol.

He had a history of high blood pressure and might have died from a stroke, according to officers.

Further investigation is ongoing.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The trial of a Japanese man accused of killing a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl will start in three months time, a Japanese court said on Monday.

Yasumasa Shibuya, 46, has been charged with murder and abandoning the girl’s body, the Chiba District Court said, as cited by Japanese media reports.

Prosecutors allege that Shibuya strangled the third-grader to death and left her body near a drainage ditch after abducting her on the morning of March 24, 2017, the Japan Times reported.

Shibuya has refused to speak since his arrest in April, it said.

Media reports did not mention rape charges, although autopsy results suggested the girl had been sexually abused.

The victim, Le Thi Nhat Linh, went missing after she left home for school in Matsudo City, one hour northeast of Tokyo, on March 24. Her body was discovered two days later. Shibuya was her neighbor and head of the parents’ association at her school at the time.

The case had shocked both the Japanese and Vietnamese public.

Linh’s parents have been gathering tens of thousands of signatures from both countries, hoping that public pressure will prompt prosecutors to call for Shibuya to be sentenced to death.

In Japan, murder can be punished with death sentence and executions are carried out by hanging. The punishment is usually imposed in cases of multiple murders, though some single murderers have also been hanged when their crime was considered serious.

Editor’s Note: Greig Craft is the American founder and chairman of Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, a nonprofit founded to combat the growing traffic crisis in Southeast Asia. Craft has lived in Vietnam for 25 years. Tuoitrenews recently talked to him about road accidents in Vietnam and the use of crash helmets on the road.

Vietnam has yet to develop a so-called “culture of safety” because many people still opt for substandard helmets, the man complained.

He suggested that those who use fake protective headgear, along with its producers and dealers, should be fined as they are committing “a crime against the nation,” whereas Vietnamese authorities have just overturned a law that punished passengers for wearing substandard helmets.

The country should teach children on road safety from a very early age and make it an inherent part of the school curriculum if road accidents are to be tackled.

Vietnam ranks 13^th worldwide by population (with 87 million people). It is a country of young people with a third of its population aged ten to 24 (according to UNFPA in 2011). Thirty million people use motorcycles for daily transportation. How important are helmets to a young country like this? 

Road casualties are preventable by the simple act of wearing a helmet. Certified helmets are proven to reduce the risk of death by 42 percent and severe injury by 69% in the event of a crash. From a human perspective, it is a great tragedy of personal loss and heartbreak when a loved one is lost in the blink of an eye because they did not wear a helmet. The economic cost is alarming, with Vietnam losing 2.9% of GDP every year due to road traffic crashes. This affects everything from poverty reduction to public health and to the overall well-being of the whole country. So protecting our citizens and family must be the highest priority.    

Wearing a helmet is a good way to ensure safety; however, Vietnamese people still underestimate its role and tend to buy cheap headwear, which does not protect them well. What do you think about this? 

As Vietnam has become increasingly modern and motorized, it has not developed a corresponding ‘culture of safety,’ knowledge and values which must be taught from the youngest ages. Not wearing helmets, driving aggressively, not paying respect to pedestrians, drinking and driving, and reckless driving are considered unacceptable in most nations. By incorporating road safety education into the school curriculum, beginning with the youngest students, we will see Vietnam adopt customs and habits that contribute to a ‘culture of safety.’

The average cost of a certified helmet in Vietnam is about VND150,000-300,000 (US$7-15). Do you think this price is suitable for the people here? What is the average price of helmets in other developed countries? 

This price is very affordable and reasonable. Similar quality helmets in other countries can be two to three times more expensive. Considering that most people invest millions of dong in their motorcycle, a 200,000 dong helmet is a cheap “vaccine” to save your life.  

The Vietnamese government suggested punishing those using fake helmets. This rule had triggered an outburst of anger before it was nullified. In your opinion, is this rule reasonable? 

This rule is very reasonable and the public anger was misdirected. The government planned to launch a multi-faced approach to regulate helmet standards and to punish importers, dealers, and manufacturers of substandard helmets. It is reasonable to also punish those who do not follow the law. Wearing a fake helmet has the same dangerous implications as wearing no helmet. What if people knowingly buy fake medicine and give it to their children? What if their children die as a result? They, and the sellers, and manufacturers should be seriously punished. I see victims of road traffic crashes all the time in hospitals; I understand the consequences of not wearing helmets. It is especially heartbreaking to see the youngest among us suffering from this ultimately preventable ill. More people should visit a hospital emergency room for one hour and see the horror, the blood, and the wasted lives.  

Vietnam’s traffic infrastructure has been deteriorated, with some seriously downgraded without any fixing. Moreover, highways in Vietnam have only two lanes (while in Western countries there are four lanes) which are too narrow for vehicles. Last but not least, ‘nail traps’ are the biggest fear for local people. Many have died because of the above reasons. Do you have any comment on this? How does your country manage this? 

The issue of appropriate road infrastructure is a global problem, not only in Vietnam. With rapid modernization, and the resulting exploding motorization, it is imperative that proper roads be constructed, as well as existing ones to be carefully maintained. The use of fake and substandard materials must be stopped. This is a crime against the nation, and such companies must be severely punished. We must also accept the limitations of 2-lane roads, and authorities should take stronger action to keep sidewalks cleared, while better monitoring traffic flows on such streets. Progressive ideas such as making some roads ‘one way’ are often used, even in developed countries. These provide substantial improvements. Along with construction and maintenance, there must also be adequate funding allocated to road safety education in the school system, as well as professional Public Awareness Campaigns aired regularly in all forms of media.  

The matter of scattering nails is a typical problem that shows the lack of a ‘safety culture’ in Vietnam. It is no more dangerous than running red lights, colliding into pedestrians, drinking and driving, speeding, and not wearing helmets it is symptomatic of a society that does not have good priorities. The answer in the West that has proven most successful? Strict enforcement of all rules and regulations, and severe penalties and fines. Scattering nails, for example, would be a criminal offence in any developed nation, and it should be the same here.  

Some long-distance bus drivers in Vietnam prove to be drug addicts, their health and awareness of traffic safety are not inspected carefully. Does this happen in your country?

Inspections, licensing, frequent and random testing, and education and training could quickly help moderate this growing crisis. There is no other magic ‘cure’. Even in the West there are exceptions, where a driver is guilty of drug use or alcohol abuse, but it is rare. And the penalties are swift and severe for offenders, often involving long prison sentences. Along with a culture of safety, Vietnam must also enhance its regulatory system, especially licensing and special training for bus and truck drivers, as well as enhanced inspections of all vehicles. This can be accomplished in a relatively short period of time if proper resources can be allocated to the problem. To my knowledge, most of these regulations already exist in Vietnam, but the question that must be raised is how seriously are they regulated, implemented and enforced?

What is the responsibility of the government and the citizens themselves in using helmets? How did your country educate/encourage people to use helmets? 

All societies, no matter how developed, have a basic obligation to ensure that people are well taken of. If the system fails, then all of society suffers the consequences. Protecting ourselves is a moral and ethical obligation each of us has. Why should only part of society obey laws and some not?  

In countries where helmet compliance is high, success is always built on two essential initiatives: education and public awareness, teaching people why a law is necessary; and the enforcement of laws. Sadly, not everyone will comply except when they understand helmets’ importance, so it is necessary to punish those who do not obey the law.

A gunman massacred at least 26 worshipers and wounded 20 others at a white-steepled church in southeast Texas on Sunday, carrying out the latest in a series of mass shootings that have plagued the United States, authorities said.

The lone suspect, wearing black tactical gear and a ballistic vest and carrying an assault rifle, opened fire after entering the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs in Wilson County, about 40 miles (65 km) east of San Antonio.

The victims ranged in age from 5 to 72 years old, law enforcement officials said at a news conference.

After the shooting, the gunman, described as a white man in his 20s, was fired on by a local resident. He fled in his vehicle and was later found dead in neighboring Guadalupe County.

It was not immediately clear if the suspect killed himself or he was hit by gunfire by the resident, authorities said.

“We are dealing with the largest mass shooting in our state’s history,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at the news conference. “The tragedy of course is worsened by the fact that it occurred in a church, a place of worship where these people were innocently gunned down.”

Neither the suspect’s identity nor motive were disclosed by authorities.

But law enforcement officials who were not identified have said the gunman was Devin P. Kelley, describe as a white, 26-year-old man, the New York Times and other media reported.

First responders are at the scene of shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, U.S., November 5, 2017. Photo by Reuters/Joe Mitchell

The 14-year-old daughter of pastor Frank Pomeroy was killed, the family told several television stations.

Jeff Forrest, a 36-year-old military veteran who lives a block away from the church, said what sounded like high-caliber, semi-automatic gunfire triggered memories of his four combat deployments with the Marine Corps.

“I was on the porch, I heard 10 rounds go off and then my ears just started ringing,” Forrest said. “I hit the deck and I just lay there.”

The massacre comes just weeks after a sniper killed 58 people at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The shootings have stirred a years-long national debate over whether easy access to firearms was contributing to the trend.

President Donald Trump said he was monitoring the situation while in Japan on a 12-day Asian trip.

“May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. The FBI & law enforcement are on the scene,” he said on Twitter.

According to the witnesses, about 20 shots rang out at 11:30 a.m. (1730 GMT) during the church services, according to media reports. It was unclear how many worshippers were inside at the time.

After the shooting, the suspect sped away in a car and was soon cornered by sheriff’s deputies just outside of Wilson County in Guadalupe County, Wiley told Reuters. He did not know if the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot or was killed by deputies.

Connally Memorial Medical Center in Floresville received eight patients, the hospital said in a statement, while Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston received another eight.

At Connally, three people were treated and released, one is in critical condition and four were transferred to the University Hospital in San Antonio for a higher level of care.

The First Baptist Church is one of two houses of worship in Sutherland Springs, an area that is home to fewer than 900 residents, according the 2010 Census. There are also two gas stations and a Dollar General store in town.

The white-painted, one-story structure features a small steeple and a single front door. On Sunday, the Lone Star flag of Texas was flying alongside the U.S. flag and a third, unidentified banner.

Inside there is a small raised platform on which members sang worship songs to guitar music and the pastor delivered a weekly sermon, according to videos posted on YouTube. In one of the clips, a few dozen people, including young children, can be seen sitting in the wooden pews.

The shooting occurred on the eighth anniversary of the Nov. 5, 2009 massacre of 13 people at the Fort Hood Army base in central Texas. A U.S. Army Medical Corps psychiatrist convicted of the killings is now awaiting execution.

In 2015, a white gunman killed nine black parishioners at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The gunman was sentenced to death for the racially motivated attack.

In September, a gunman killed a woman in the parking lot of a Tennessee church on Sunday morning and wounded six worshipers inside the building before shooting himself in a scuffle with an usher who rushed to stop the attack.