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Vietnam plans border control
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged local governments to step up border controls in an effort to prevent bird flu from entering the country, state-controlled media reported on Wednesday.
- Agencies
- Published: 00:00 August 24, 2006
Hanoi/Bangkok: Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged local governments to step up border controls in an effort to prevent bird flu from entering the country, state-controlled media reported on Wednesday.
In a telegram sent to provincial governors on Tuesday, Dung asked local governments "to strengthen tight control of the border checkpoints and areas along the borders", the Laborer said.
The prime minister also asked for severe punishments of those who were involved in smuggling of poultry and poultry products, it said.
The newspaper quoted a report from the Ministry of Trade as saying poultry smuggling is still rampant along the borders with China and Cambodia because of huge profits that can be made.
Vietnam has not reported any bird flu outbreaks among poultry this year and no human infection cases since November, but officials have warned that the country is facing a high risk of bird flu resurgence as recurrences have been reported in recent weeks in China, Laos and Cambodia, which border Vietnam.
"The bird flu resurgence in Vietnam is only a matter of time," the Laborer quoted Vice Agriculture Minister Bui Ba Bong as telling a bird flu conference in Hanoi.
Bong added that Vietnam's fight against bird flu has entered a critical stage, although he did not elaborate.
Meanwhile, Thai health minister Pinij Jarusombat said on Wednesday more than 800,000 health volunteers will be sent door-to-door in 30 Thai provinces to educate people on bird flu prevention.
During a nine-day period from Wednesday, the health volunteers are visiting each house that has been affected by the deadly H5N1 strain, and advising people on how to deal with sick or dead birds.
"They will give information to people about what they should do to be safe from bird flu," Pinij said.
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