Vietnam Newswire

Samut Sakhon, 'Pimpattra' leads the team to inspect readiness to transport cadmium waste back to the landfill in Tak Province, first trip, 254 tons. Ms. Pimpatra Wichaikul, Minister of Industry Visited the area along with Mr. Nattaphon Rangsitphon, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry. As chairman of the working group to solve the problem and transport cadmium sludge, Mr. Decha Chatutthananan, Inspector General of the Ministry of Industry As the chairman of the cadmium and zinc waste transport committee, the group inspected readiness to prepare for the transport of cadmium waste from J and B Metal Company Limited, Soi Kong Phan Phon, Ekachai Road, Village No. 2, Bang Chuet Subdistrict. Mueang Samut Sakhon District Samut Sakhon Province Going to the landfill source in Tak Province With Mr. Chaiwat Tuntakit, Deputy Governor of Samut Sakhon Province, Mr. Putthikorn Wichaidit, Samut Sakhon Province Industry. and representatives from Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Samut Sakhon Province Pollution Control Department Samut Sakhon Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office Officers of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (National Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division), Department of Disease Control, Provincial Public Health, Provincial Transport, Department of Provincial Administration, Samut Sakhon Provincial MP. as well as related agencies to participate The process has started since morning. Officials showed an example of how to transport cadmium waste. Start by using a forklift. Lift the bag of cadmium waste. and overlaid with another layer of big bags, tied, weighed, and then loaded onto a truck. On the first day, 4 trucks will be used, each truck carrying 20 bags, a total of 80 bags, with a total net weight of 112.61 tons. After that, when loaded onto the trucks, they will be covered with canvas for another step. for safety Before leaving Samut Sakhon Province Around 9:00 p.m., led by a highway police vehicle. and ending with a police vehicl e from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division to join the factory procession at Bang Sue. Bangkok using 6 trucks, able to carry 99 bags, with a total net weight of 141.39 tons, which when combined from both places, the total weight is 254 tons (weight missing from the estimate of 270 tons due to detailed weighing) by both trains It will be arranged to join the same train at Do Home, Nonthaburi Province, to continue traveling to Tak Province at approximately 10:00 p.m. It is expected that the journey will take a total of 7 hours and will arrive in Tak Province. In the early morning hours of April 30, 2024 Ms. Pimpatra said that initially the cadmium sludge will be transported. From Samut Sakhon Province and Bangkok Go to Tak Province first. As for Chonburi Province Still waiting for the legal process. Because it is under investigation The transport will use the Asian route. There will be highway police from each area leading the procession. and is forwarded to each province Take br eaks as needed. There is no stopping to refuel. And there is already an emergency plan in place in case of an accident. When arriving in Tak Province The cadmium sludge will be to be stored in the waiting building in the factory area where the floor has been paved with HDPE sheets and synthetic clay (GCL) while the cadmium waste storage pond is being hastened to be improved to make it safe and secure according to EIA measures, with officials from the Tak Industrial Office and Samut Sakhon Province and related agencies closely supervise the transportation of cadmium sludge throughout the operation. 'We ask the public to be confident that the Ministry of Industry The most advanced preparations have been made for transporting cadmium mineral sludge from its origin in Samut Sakhon Province. and Bangkok Inter-transportation Until the destination in Tak Province Taking into account the safety of the people is important. As for the amount of weight From what has been detected so far, there are still some lacking. B ut it's not much if you calculate the moisture loss, so you have to wait for the entire move to be completed first. Therefore it can be concluded that all the cadmium sludge has been found or not. However, at this time the officials have not stopped searching and are still searching in the area. It is expected to spread even though the search is nearly complete. Every step must be completed quickly to keep up with the rain that may fall at any time,' said the Minister of Industry. As for the matter of the lawsuit Ms. Pimpatra said that a committee is currently being set up to investigate the facts to find those involved in causing this problem. and the issue of investigation was set up In order to identify the person who must be called to investigate the matter in question. Both those involved from origin to destination. Source: Thai News Agency

Samut Sakhon, 'Pimpattra' leads the team to inspect readiness to transport cadmium waste back to the landfill in Tak Province, first trip, 254 tons. Ms. Pimpatra Wichaikul, Minister of Industry Visited the area along with Mr. Nattaphon Rangsitphon, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry. As chairman of the working group to solve the problem and transport cadmium sludge, Mr. Decha Chatutthananan, Inspector General of the Ministry of Industry As the chairman of the cadmium and zinc waste transport committee, the group inspected readiness to prepare for the transport of cadmium waste from J and B Metal Company Limited, Soi Kong Phan Phon, Ekachai Road, Village No. 2, Bang Chuet Subdistrict. Mueang Samut Sakhon District Samut Sakhon Province Going to the landfill source in Tak Province With Mr. Chaiwat Tuntakit, Deputy Governor of Samut Sakhon Province, Mr. Putthikorn Wichaidit, Samut Sakhon Province Industry. and representatives from Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Samut Sakhon Province Pollution Control Department Samut Sakhon Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office Officers of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (National Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division), Department of Disease Control, Provincial Public Health, Provincial Transport, Department of Provincial Administration, Samut Sakhon Provincial MP. as well as related agencies to participate The process has started since morning. Officials showed an example of how to transport cadmium waste. Start by using a forklift. Lift the bag of cadmium waste. and overlaid with another layer of big bags, tied, weighed, and then loaded onto a truck. On the first day, 4 trucks will be used, each truck carrying 20 bags, a total of 80 bags, with a total net weight of 112.61 tons. After that, when loaded onto the trucks, they will be covered with canvas for another step. for safety Before leaving Samut Sakhon Province Around 9:00 p.m., led by a highway police vehicle. and ending with a police vehicl e from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division to join the factory procession at Bang Sue. Bangkok using 6 trucks, able to carry 99 bags, with a total net weight of 141.39 tons, which when combined from both places, the total weight is 254 tons (weight missing from the estimate of 270 tons due to detailed weighing) by both trains It will be arranged to join the same train at Do Home, Nonthaburi Province, to continue traveling to Tak Province at approximately 10:00 p.m. It is expected that the journey will take a total of 7 hours and will arrive in Tak Province. In the early morning hours of April 30, 2024 Ms. Pimpatra said that initially the cadmium sludge will be transported. From Samut Sakhon Province and Bangkok Go to Tak Province first. As for Chonburi Province Still waiting for the legal process. Because it is under investigation The transport will use the Asian route. There will be highway police from each area leading the procession. and is forwarded to each province Take br eaks as needed. There is no stopping to refuel. And there is already an emergency plan in place in case of an accident. When arriving in Tak Province The cadmium sludge will be to be stored in the waiting building in the factory area where the floor has been paved with HDPE sheets and synthetic clay (GCL) while the cadmium waste storage pond is being hastened to be improved to make it safe and secure according to EIA measures, with officials from the Tak Industrial Office and Samut Sakhon Province and related agencies closely supervise the transportation of cadmium sludge throughout the operation. 'We ask the public to be confident that the Ministry of Industry The most advanced preparations have been made for transporting cadmium mineral sludge from its origin in Samut Sakhon Province. and Bangkok Inter-transportation Until the destination in Tak Province Taking into account the safety of the people is important. As for the amount of weight From what has been detected so far, there are still some lacking. B ut it's not much if you calculate the moisture loss, so you have to wait for the entire move to be completed first. Therefore it can be concluded that all the cadmium sludge has been found or not. However, at this time the officials have not stopped searching and are still searching in the area. It is expected to spread even though the search is nearly complete. Every step must be completed quickly to keep up with the rain that may fall at any time,' said the Minister of Industry. As for the matter of the lawsuit Ms. Pimpatra said that a committee is currently being set up to investigate the facts to find those involved in causing this problem. and the issue of investigation was set up In order to identify the person who must be called to investigate the matter in question. Both those involved from origin to destination. Source: Thai News Agency

Bangkok, Krung Thai Bank Respond to government measures Accelerate relief for vulnerable groups affected by an economy that has not fully recovered. Issue additional measures By reducing the MRR, MLR, and MOR loan interest rates by 0.25% for 6 months, effective from 16 May - 15 Nov. 2024, for more than 300,000 vulnerable customers, with a total credit limit of more than 200 billion. baht to have a chance to adapt and recover Mr. Phayong Sriwanich, President Krung Thai Bank revealed that Krung Thai Bank is ready to support the government policy in helping vulnerable groups. Following the guidelines of the Thai Bankers Association to reduce interest burden for vulnerable customers. both individual customers and small SME entrepreneurs, and solutions such as sustainable debt and responsible and fair lending (Responsible Lending) of the Bank of Thailand. The bank therefore has additional assistance measures. By announcing a reduction in MRR, MLR, and MOR loan interest rates by 0.25% per year for 6 months, effec tive from 16 May - 15 November 2024, for 3 groups of vulnerable customers: 1. Small personal loan customers who are still in Bank assistance measures Both home loans and personal loans 2. Home loan customers with a credit line not exceeding 2 million baht and 3. Customers who are small SME entrepreneurs with a monthly business income not exceeding 2 million baht and a credit line not exceeding 10 million baht. From such measures The bank has been able to help reduce the financial burden on more than 300,000 customers, with a total credit limit of more than 200 billion baht. The bank will automatically reduce loan interest rates for all 3 groups of vulnerable customers who have credit balances with the bank as of now. March 31, 2024 without customers having to register. or contact the bank in any way 'The bank sees the suffering of all vulnerable customer groups. Therefore, additional assistance measures have been released this time. from before The bank has issued other measures such as the "Sustainable Civ il Service Debt Consolidation Loan" measure. This new measure Covers customer groups that are still unable to recover from the economic situation. To have a chance to recover and adapt, which is in the same direction as driving the government economy. that has both short-term measures to support the transition and economic restructuring measures in the medium and long term. To raise the level of competitiveness and create sufficient and sustainable income'-Mr. Phayong said . Source: Thai News Agency

Bangkok, Krung Thai Bank Respond to government measures Accelerate relief for vulnerable groups affected by an economy that has not fully recovered. Issue additional measures By reducing the MRR, MLR, and MOR loan interest rates by 0.25% for 6 months, effective from 16 May - 15 Nov. 2024, for more than 300,000 vulnerable customers, with a total credit limit of more than 200 billion. baht to have a chance to adapt and recover Mr. Phayong Sriwanich, President Krung Thai Bank revealed that Krung Thai Bank is ready to support the government policy in helping vulnerable groups. Following the guidelines of the Thai Bankers Association to reduce interest burden for vulnerable customers. both individual customers and small SME entrepreneurs, and solutions such as sustainable debt and responsible and fair lending (Responsible Lending) of the Bank of Thailand. The bank therefore has additional assistance measures. By announcing a reduction in MRR, MLR, and MOR loan interest rates by 0.25% per year for 6 months, effec tive from 16 May - 15 November 2024, for 3 groups of vulnerable customers: 1. Small personal loan customers who are still in Bank assistance measures Both home loans and personal loans 2. Home loan customers with a credit line not exceeding 2 million baht and 3. Customers who are small SME entrepreneurs with a monthly business income not exceeding 2 million baht and a credit line not exceeding 10 million baht. From such measures The bank has been able to help reduce the financial burden on more than 300,000 customers, with a total credit limit of more than 200 billion baht. The bank will automatically reduce loan interest rates for all 3 groups of vulnerable customers who have credit balances with the bank as of now. March 31, 2024 without customers having to register. or contact the bank in any way 'The bank sees the suffering of all vulnerable customer groups. Therefore, additional assistance measures have been released this time. from before The bank has issued other measures such as the "Sustainable Civ il Service Debt Consolidation Loan" measure. This new measure Covers customer groups that are still unable to recover from the economic situation. To have a chance to recover and adapt, which is in the same direction as driving the government economy. that has both short-term measures to support the transition and economic restructuring measures in the medium and long term. To raise the level of competitiveness and create sufficient and sustainable income'-Mr. Phayong said . Source: Thai News Agency

Lao Cai: More than 150 representatives from domestic tourism businesses and firms from China's Yunnan province and Laos' Vientiane city have shared experience and proposed measures to boost cooperation at a conference held in Sa Pa resort town, the northern province of Lao Cai. The April 27 tourism promotion conference aimed to connect businesses and discuss measures to develop tours and tourism routes that link Lao Cai provinve in general, Sa Pa in particular, with localities in the southwestern region of China and other tourist cities in Southeast Asian countries. At the conference, delegations from Vientiane city, Yunnan province's Private Enterprise Association, Kunming city, Pingbian district, Hekou district and the Lao Cai Provincial Tourism Association shared experiences, discussed difficulties, obstacles, and policies to develop tourism. They also established cooperative relationships, and proposed solutions to promote tourism development in the localities. They agreed that in the coming time, loca lities should pay due attention to supporting tourism businesses with mechanisms and policies so that tourism promotion will be more substantive and effective for a common and prosperous community. In 2023, nearly 300,000 Chinese tourists entered Lao Cai via Lao Cai International Border Gate, accounting for 54% of the total number of international visitors to the province. The number of Vietnamese tourists to Laos in 2023 rose 33%, making Vietnam the second largest foreign tourist source of Laos. In the first quarter of 2024, about 800,000 Vietnamese tourists travelled to China via Lao Cai border gate and about 120,000 Chinese people entered Vietnam via the gate./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

Lao Cai: More than 150 representatives from domestic tourism businesses and firms from China's Yunnan province and Laos' Vientiane city have shared experience and proposed measures to boost cooperation at a conference held in Sa Pa resort town, the northern province of Lao Cai. The April 27 tourism promotion conference aimed to connect businesses and discuss measures to develop tours and tourism routes that link Lao Cai provinve in general, Sa Pa in particular, with localities in the southwestern region of China and other tourist cities in Southeast Asian countries. At the conference, delegations from Vientiane city, Yunnan province's Private Enterprise Association, Kunming city, Pingbian district, Hekou district and the Lao Cai Provincial Tourism Association shared experiences, discussed difficulties, obstacles, and policies to develop tourism. They also established cooperative relationships, and proposed solutions to promote tourism development in the localities. They agreed that in the coming time, loca lities should pay due attention to supporting tourism businesses with mechanisms and policies so that tourism promotion will be more substantive and effective for a common and prosperous community. In 2023, nearly 300,000 Chinese tourists entered Lao Cai via Lao Cai International Border Gate, accounting for 54% of the total number of international visitors to the province. The number of Vietnamese tourists to Laos in 2023 rose 33%, making Vietnam the second largest foreign tourist source of Laos. In the first quarter of 2024, about 800,000 Vietnamese tourists travelled to China via Lao Cai border gate and about 120,000 Chinese people entered Vietnam via the gate./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Vietnam's agro-forestry-fishery exports to the Republic of Korea (RoK) have surged thanks to the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA), topping 2 billion USD annually during 2016 - 2023, and the Northeast Asian country is forecast to remain an attractive market in the coming time. The RoK is currently the fourth largest market of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fisheries products. Since the VKFTA took effect in late December 2015, aquatic exports to this market have grown considerably, by 35% to 787 million USD in 2023 from 585 million USD in 2015, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). Phung Thi Kim Thu, a shrimp market expert at VASEP, said the RoK is the largest importer of squid and octopus from Vietnam, accounting for 37% of total shipments. Meanwhile, Vietnam ranks second among suppliers of these products for this market, following China. Vietnam's squid and octopus exports to the RoK are forecast to rise in the first quarter of 2024, she said, noting that shrimp is also a key aquatic export to the market. The RoK will remain a popular choice of many businesses given its close proximity to Vietnam and stable demand, especially as inflation in such major markets as the US and Europe slowed consumption. Sea freight costs to the US and Europe have soared, thus closer markets like the RoK prove more attractive for exporters, Thu went on. The Foreign Trade Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that in 2023, the RoK's coffee import from Vietnam increased 17.9% in volume to 41,450 tonnes and 16.3% in value to 93.35 million USD compared to the previous year. The proportion of Vietnamese coffee in the RoK's total imports rose to 21.52% in 2023 from 17.15% in 2022. The Korean coffee market's revenue is predicted to hit 2.2 billion USD this year, the agency said, considering this a chance for coffee producers around the world, including Vietnam, boost shipments to the RoK. Meanwhile, the RoK was the third largest importer of Vietnamese rubber with 8 ,200 tonnes worth 12.77 million USD in the first two months of 2024, up 61.7% in volume and 60.3% in value year on year, statistics show. Last year, this market also ranked third among importers of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables with 226 million USD in value, rising 25% from 2022. The Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) cited a report released in mid-February by the Korea Rural Economic Institute as saying that the RoK's frozen fruit import volume stood at 64,000 tonnes in 2023, up 6% from 2022. The import is expected to increase further this year as the RoK reduces or exempts tariffs on foreign fruits to stabilise domestic prices. However, imports into the RoK are also facing increasingly strict requirements in terms of quality, food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary measures. This is also a big reason why Vietnam's agro-forestry-fisheries products have accounted for just 4% of the RoK's total imports of these commodities in 2023. Facing that fact, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has pledged to assist Vietnam with agricultural development through many projects like improving value chains, enhancing connectivity, and bettering climate change response capacity to produce high-quality farm produce and meet demand from the RoK./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Vietnam's agro-forestry-fishery exports to the Republic of Korea (RoK) have surged thanks to the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA), topping 2 billion USD annually during 2016 - 2023, and the Northeast Asian country is forecast to remain an attractive market in the coming time. The RoK is currently the fourth largest market of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fisheries products. Since the VKFTA took effect in late December 2015, aquatic exports to this market have grown considerably, by 35% to 787 million USD in 2023 from 585 million USD in 2015, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). Phung Thi Kim Thu, a shrimp market expert at VASEP, said the RoK is the largest importer of squid and octopus from Vietnam, accounting for 37% of total shipments. Meanwhile, Vietnam ranks second among suppliers of these products for this market, following China. Vietnam's squid and octopus exports to the RoK are forecast to rise in the first quarter of 2024, she said, noting that shrimp is also a key aquatic export to the market. The RoK will remain a popular choice of many businesses given its close proximity to Vietnam and stable demand, especially as inflation in such major markets as the US and Europe slowed consumption. Sea freight costs to the US and Europe have soared, thus closer markets like the RoK prove more attractive for exporters, Thu went on. The Foreign Trade Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that in 2023, the RoK's coffee import from Vietnam increased 17.9% in volume to 41,450 tonnes and 16.3% in value to 93.35 million USD compared to the previous year. The proportion of Vietnamese coffee in the RoK's total imports rose to 21.52% in 2023 from 17.15% in 2022. The Korean coffee market's revenue is predicted to hit 2.2 billion USD this year, the agency said, considering this a chance for coffee producers around the world, including Vietnam, boost shipments to the RoK. Meanwhile, the RoK was the third largest importer of Vietnamese rubber with 8 ,200 tonnes worth 12.77 million USD in the first two months of 2024, up 61.7% in volume and 60.3% in value year on year, statistics show. Last year, this market also ranked third among importers of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables with 226 million USD in value, rising 25% from 2022. The Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) cited a report released in mid-February by the Korea Rural Economic Institute as saying that the RoK's frozen fruit import volume stood at 64,000 tonnes in 2023, up 6% from 2022. The import is expected to increase further this year as the RoK reduces or exempts tariffs on foreign fruits to stabilise domestic prices. However, imports into the RoK are also facing increasingly strict requirements in terms of quality, food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary measures. This is also a big reason why Vietnam's agro-forestry-fisheries products have accounted for just 4% of the RoK's total imports of these commodities in 2023. Facing that fact, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has pledged to assist Vietnam with agricultural development through many projects like improving value chains, enhancing connectivity, and bettering climate change response capacity to produce high-quality farm produce and meet demand from the RoK./. Source: Vietnam News Agency