Cao Bang (VNA)൲ - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked authorities in the northernmountainous province of Cao Bang, and in Tra Linh district in particular, toensure a happy Tet (Lunar New Year) for everyone, especiallythe underprivileged.

During a visit to themountain border district on January 8, the Prime Minister spent time talking tolocal officials and ethnic minority inhabitants. He stressed that the key taskof the locality was to ease the high rate of poverty in the area. Sharing a 26km terrestrialborder with China, Tra Linh has a poverty rate of 36 percent. PM Phuc agreed with aproposal put forth by local authorities for an urban development plan at Tra LinhNational Border Gate. He instructed them to take into account the developmentplanning in line with environmental protection and respect for people’s livingconditions. According to the PrimeMinister, developing services is the right direction for Cao Bang province, ingeneral, and Tra Linh district, in particular, which is consistent with thelocality’s advantage of a long contiguous border with China. “Building the Tra LinhBorder Gate into an international border gate is an important direction butneeds to be conducted synchronously with strong commodity exports to attracttrade,” Phuc said. The total value ofgoods imported through the Tra Linh Border Gate in 2011 reached 65 million USD,but increased to 500 million USD last year. The Prime Ministeralso noted that government at all levels in the province and the districtshould pay more attention to the prevention and combating smuggling andcommercial fraud. He also underscored authorities’ responsibility for vigilanceagainst hostile forces taking advantage, inciting or inducing people to destroythe region’s peaceful life. He presented 100 giftsto poor households in the district. Also on January 8, PMPhuc visited and talked to officers and soldiers at Tra Linh Border GateStation, the unit in charge of protecting the border between Vietnam and China. Listening to thedifficulties and hardships of officers and soldiers at the station, PM Phucurged the unit to overcome obstacles and carry out the task of protecting thenational border. The PM also requestedthe unit to actively engage in preventing smuggling, trade fraud and drugtrafficking, especially during the upcoming Tet. PM Phuc also paid avisit to the Ly Bon Commune in Cao Bang’s Bao Lam district. Bao Lam districthas a poverty rate of above 60 percent, while Ly Bon commune’s poverty rate isabove 34 percent. The population of 59,000 are mainly ethnic H’mong, Tay, Nung,Dao, San Chi and Kinh. The PM noted that BaoLam district was the poorest, most remote, most isolated and most populated byethnic minorities. He asked authorities to focus on helping farmers reducepoverty. “Besides the supportof the State, including the capital loans from the Bank of Vietnam for SocialPolicies, each household should strive to escape from poverty,” he said. “Inaddition, the district should maintain and promote ethnic solidarity, preserveorder and security, preserve and promote the traditional culture of ethnicminorities,” he said. The Prime Ministeralso agreed to support the construction of the Ly Bon Commune’s office station,as this is the last commune of the district without an office. He also agreedto mobilise ambulances for Bao Lam District. Regarding 803households in Ly Bon commune which don’t have access to electricity, the PMassigned Electricity of Vietnam to handle the problem. On this occasion, thePrime Minister presented 100 gifts from the Vietnam Red Cross to poorhouseholds in the commune. PM Phuc also attendedthe inauguration of hydropower plant Bao Lam 1 in Ly Bon commune. The plant hasa capacity of 30MW and power output of about 124 million kWh per year.-VNA