Month: May 2023

The Republic of Korea’s conglomerate DB Group announced on May 30 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on business cooperation with Vietnam’s T&T Group.

The two have agreed to share their infrastructure and know-how in Vietnam, and to enhance mutual synergy through various collaborations.

T&T Group, established in 1993, is a leading Vietnamese company engaged in various businesses including financial services, energy, trade and real estate. It has over 200 subsidiaries and employs around 80,000 people.

DB Group’s Vietnam business is led by DB Insurance, its property and casualty insurance unit established in 1984. DB Insurance made a leap forward in Vietnam’s market by acquiring PTI Insurance in 2015, becoming the third-largest insurance company in terms of market share in the Southeast Asian country./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Nearly 400,000 children aging from 6-35 months in Hanoi will receive vitamin A during a campaign from June 1 – 2, according to the municipal Department of Health.

The campaign aims to give vitamin A to 99.8 percent of its children from 6-35 months old in two phases in June and December this year.

Additionally, over 95% of children under five years old will be weighed and measured to assess the prevalence of underweight, stunting, emaciation and overweight/obesity.

Vice Director of the department Vu Cao Cuong has asked for careful preparation for the campaign, stressing the importance to conduct screening before administering doses of vitamin A to children.

Medical staff giving vitamin A to children must ensure they follow the correct technique, and administer it to the appropriate target group with prescribed dosage, Cuong said.

Inspection teams will be established to assess the preparation and implementation of the campaign activities within the Micronutrient Day (June 1-2) in the city, he added./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

In efforts to persuade the European Commission to lift the “yellow card” warning, localities in the Mekong Delta have been taking strong and concerted measures to eradicate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and help the fisheries sector develop sustainably.

In Soc Trang province, the Sub-department of Fisheries said it has coordinated with the provincial Department of Information and Communications to step up checking vessel monitoring systems (VMS) installed on fishing boats and asked VMS suppliers to make timely repair if there are any breakdowns.

So far, all fishing vessels over 15m long in Soc Trang have been equipped with smoothly operating VMS.

The province’s Border Guard Command has also ordered local border guard posts to intensify the dissemination of the 2017 Law on Fisheries and others to fishermen. As a result, 368 vessels operating in deep-sea areas have signed commitments not to violating foreign waters as well as anti-IUU fishing regulations. Vessels departing from or arriving at fishing ports have also properly complied with the declaration and logbook-related rules.

Meanwhile, to join hands with all-level authorities and sectors to curb and put an end to IUU fishing, the information and education board of the Kien Giang provincial Party Committee has coordinated with the Naval Region 4 Command to boost law communications to local officials, Party members, and fishermen.

In Phu Quoc city of Kien Giang, the local administration issued a plan on coordination with other district-level localities in this province and the provincial fisheries sub-department to conduct patrols, examination, and settlement of violating vessels.

Doan Van Tien, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said Phu Quoc will press on with popularising legal regulations, including the Law on Fisheries and related issues, in the public, especially vessel owners, captains, and fishermen, so as to strongly fight IUU fishing.

The administration will continue to require forces, organisations, Party committees, and authorities to carry out strong and concerted actions to prevent fishing vessels and fishermen from infringing foreign waters, including ramping up patrols, stringently dealing with violations, and enhancing management of vessels, particularly those operating in deep-sea areas.

In Ca Mau, the chairperson of the provincial People’s Committee also requested departments, sectors, and localities to promote communications about anti-IUU fishing rules while increasing patrol and examination to detect and handle violations, especially those related to VMS installation and foreign waters.

Relevant parties were told to deal with the cadres failing to fulfill their duties in this regard and thoroughly prepare statistics and documents as well as personnel to serve coming meetings with the EC inspection delegation.

Performing duties on the southwestern waters of Vietnam, Naval Region 5 has worked closely with the border guard, fisheries resources surveillance, coast guard forces, fisheries sub-departments of localities, along with communal-level People’s Committees to encourage vessel owners seriously adhere to legal regulations on fisheries.

Rear Admiral Nguyen Dang Tien, Political Commissar of Naval Region 5, said the naval region will maintain close coordination with relevant localities to boost law dissemination in the community, especially fishermen, adding that its officers and soldiers will make the most practical contributions to the combat against IUU fishing in the southwestern waters./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Tasik Kenyir, in the Hulu Terengganu district, has been declared a National Geopark and will be known as the Kenyir Geopark.

Terengganu Tourism, Culture and Digital Technology Committee chairman Ariffin Deraman said this recognition was announced by the National Geopark Committee in a meeting chaired by Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry (NRECC) deputy secretary-general Abdul Wahid Abu Salim in Putrajaya yesterday.

Ariffin said the recognition was one of the best achievements of the state government, which has long been trying to establish Kenyir as a geopark as contained in the Terengganu Sejahtera Master Plan (PITAS 2030).

“Efforts to make Kenyir a geopark began in 2015, however, various obstacles had to be overcome before obtaining today’s recognition.

“The NRECC meeting also fixed 2027 for a reassessment of Kenyir’s status as a geopark,” he said in a media statement today.

Ariffin said this recognition will open up a new dimension for the Tasik Kenyir tourism sector, which is already a major tourist attraction.

He said it will also create various job and economic opportunities that will further develop the socioeconomics of the local community.

The Kenyir Geopark, occupying 244,900 hectares, comprises Tasik Kenyir, 340 islands, and 15 geosites including Bewah Cave, Gunung Gagau Tower, Batu Bersurat (Inscription Stone Memorial) and Taat Cave as well as the discovery of dinosaur footprints and fossils.

The important discovery has also opened up the potential of Bewah Cave as a national geoarchaeological site through the discovery of ‘Bewah Man’, the oldest known skeleton found in the country which is estimated to be 16,000 years old and a giant shell fossil, Shikamaia Sp estimated to be 250 million years old around the cave walls.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

LDA Holdings Sdn Bhd, the management company for Labuan International Ferry Terminal, is working closely with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and Marine Department in ensuring full compliance with maritime laws.

LDA Holdings executive chairman Noor Halim Zaini said a briefing for coast guards from Sabah and Labuan MMEA and Marine Department officials was held during their visit to the company recently.

“We will give our full commitment to the coast guards in ensuring passengers using the sea transport of passenger boats via our terminal fully comply with the maritime laws.

“The maritime laws of standard operating procedures (SOPs) on operating sea transport as well as passenger safety must not be compromised as it involves human lives,” he told Bernama today.

Noor Halim said more than 20 passenger boats operate from the Labuan International Ferry Terminal to Sipitang and Menumbok, Sabah; and Limbang, Sarawak.

“Constant checks by coastguards at the ferry terminal are needed to ensure full compliance among the passenger boat operators and passengers.

“We want to ensure there are no illegal disembarkments of passengers at the illegal jetty,” he said.

Noor Halim said the Labuan International Ferry Terminal recorded more than 100,000 passengers yearly.

“We must be thankful to the passenger boat operators for their full commitment in ensuring the safety of passengers from Labuan to their destinations, as we have recorded zero accidents the past years,” he said.

He said LDA Holdings would continue to improve services in the terminal by providing better facilities.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

The Ministry of Local Government Development (KPKT) is taking proactive steps to improve the planning permission application process, especially involving the industrial sector, in an effort to facilitate business.

Its Minister Nga Kor Ming said among the things given priority is a study to reduce the period of the planning permission application process set in OSC 3.0 Plus, including the proposed amendment of the time frame for development.

He said the reduction of protocols and approval procedures for planning permission will not affect the quality of government services to the people, and at the same time will comply with all relevant legislation.

“Among the initiatives considered to speed up the authorisation application process is the implementation of a more organised and integrated Prerequisite, Pre-consultation and Technical Review process.

“It is implemented online through a new module, which will be improved into the OSC 3.0 Plus Online System, before submitting an official application to the OSC,” he said in a statement issued by KPKT, here today.

In addition, the Self-Regulation initiative was also introduced, with the Principal Submitting Person (PSP) being empowered and responsible to confirm that all the rules and technical requirements of an application have been complied with, specifically for modification work and applications in the planning permission category Small.

At the same time, he said the local authorities (PBT) also implemented measures to facilitate the approval process for development plan and construction permit applications, including through the E10 initiative introduced by the Kulim Municipal Council, and the Kulai Fast Lane (KFL) by the Kulai Municipal Council.

It is a pilot effort in expediting the construction permit approval process in areas which have been reserved as industrial zones.

“The initiative aims to facilitate the investment and business process through early planning, as well as providing a more efficient interaction platform between investors and local authorities. Once it is refined, this initiative will be standardised and used as a method to expand its implementation by other PBT,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Prof Dr Azlinda Azman has been appointed as the new Higher Education director-general effective today until May 30, 2025, the Higher Education Ministry (KPT) announced.

Azlinda, 55, who was previously Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) deputy vice-chancellor (Student Development Affairs and Alumni) replaces Prof Datuk Dr Husaini Omar who went on mandatory retirement on March 10.

KPT, in a statement today, said Azlinda is a respected academic and researcher in the field of social work at the national and international levels.

The National Joint Council Committee on Social Work Education Malaysia chairman and Convenor of the AIDS Action and Research Group (AARG), USM since 2011 was awarded the Social Work Academic Icon by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development in 2021.

Azlinda is also one of the few individuals selected and awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue doctoral studies in Clinical Social Work at New York University (NYU) in the United States.

“With a record of leadership and excellent educational achievements, the ministry is confident that Azlinda’s appointment will be able to boost the performance of the Higher Education Department to a higher level and also strengthen the higher education ecosystem centred on excellence,” the statement read.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency