A conference to deploy Decision 738/Q?-TTg issued on May 13th by the Prime Minister on the Plan to implement the National Action Program on overcoming the aftermath of bombs and mines left by the war to 2015 took place on May 24th in Hanoi. The conference held by the State Steering Committee for the National Action Program on overcoming the aftermath of bombs and mines left by the war (Committee 504) was chaired by Deputy Chairman of the Committee’s Standing Board, General Phung Quang Thanh, Defense Minister. The conference also drew the participation of Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and Deputy Chairman of Committee 504, Pham Thi Hai Chuyen; Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of the Standing Office of Committee 504, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh; Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and Deputy Chief of the Standing Office Bui Hong Linh; and other officials of Committee 504 and its Standing Office. Addressing the conference, General Phung Quang Thanh gave general assessment on the situation of bomb, mine and explosives pollution in Vietnam; negative impacts of bombs, mines and explosives left by the war on socio-economic development and people’s lives; special effort of the Party, State, Army, ministries, branches and localities across the country in overcoming the aftermath of bombs, mines and explosives over the past years; the significance of implementing the Plan to implement the National Action Program on overcoming the aftermath of bombs and mines left by the war to 2015; and the role of international individual and organizational donors in implementing the National Action Program on overcoming the aftermath of bombs and mines left by the war. General Thanh stressed: “With special effort of the Defense Ministry and Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social affairs, the program needs more support from other ministries, branches and localities.” Head of the bureau of the Standing Office of Committee 504 reported to the conference on the directions to implement the Plan. The report also pointed out the main tasks to fulfill the Plan, the process to implement it from 2013 to 2015; effective measures; and tasks of involved Central agencies, ministries and branches. To successfully accomplish the Plan, he pointed out a number of tasks in the immediate time, including: continuing to survey localities throughout the country to map the pollution of bombs, mines and explosives left by the war; providing good consultancy to the Government in making policies; establishing a data centre; boosting training to improve ability of sappers; issuing appropriate regulations and decrees to effectively manage the process of overcoming the aftermath of bombs and mines left by the war and program to support victims; consolidating the organization of agencies and units participating in overcoming the aftermath of bombs and mines left by the war and investing more resources for them; and prioritizing resources for localities with serious pollution of bombs and mines, border areas, areas with economic difficulties and highly explosion-prone areas. Speaking at the conference, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh highlighted the importance of close coordination among ministries, agencies and localities in implementing the National Action Program on overcoming the aftermath of bombs and mines left by the war. He also pointed out the significance of international support for the implementation of the program, saying that central agencies and localities should be more active in mobilizing international resources for clearing bombs and mines left by the war. Meanwhile, Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen stressed the need to gather sufficient data on the contamination rate of bombs, mines and explosives left by the war as a reliable basis for forces to clear bombs and mines and support victims in localities. She also proposed to early put in operation the Vietnam Bomb and Mine Action Centre and Fund for Overcoming the Aftermath of Bombs and Mines in Vietnam. Delegates at the conference also focused discussion and gave many ideas on building the Data Centre; establishing the Vietnam Bomb and Mine Action Centre; maintaining security and social safety in clearing bombs and mines; calling for international support; allocating budget sources and foreign loans to implement the Plan from now to 2015. Concluding the conference, General Phung Quang Thanh emphasized that agencies and forces should take special care of the safety of people during sapping bombs and mines. He also underlined the importance and need to mobilize various resources, especially international support. General Thanh confirmed that professional sappers should be assigned to work in areas with high rates of bomb and mine contamination and those specific policies to effectively support victims of bombs and mines should immediately be drawn up. He proposed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations to provide good consultancy for Committee 504 to launch programs to effectively call for international support. Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Committee was entrusted to build the Vietnam Bomb and Mine Action Centre and the Military Engineer Corps was assigned to complete data on bombs and mines left by the war in Vietnam. (qdnd.vn May 25)
