At the scene of the tragedy in which 39 people were found dead in a container in Essex country of the UK (Photo: Reuters/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – National Assembly (NA) GeneralSecretary Nguyen Hanh Phuc on November 5 delivered an initial report todeputies on Vietnam’s response to issues related to Vietnamese victims in the recentlorry tragedy in Essex, the UK.
He quoted a Government report as saying that on October 23,British police announced that 39 people were found dead in a container in Essexcountyand they supposed that the victims were Chinese. However, on October 25,the police said they were not sure about nationalities of the victims.
After learning of the information that the victims mayinclude Vietnamese, on October 26, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairsissued a statement affirming the readiness to take citizen protection measuresif there is any Vietnamese in the case.
On October 29, the British side handed over to Vietnamdossiers and finger prints of all 39 victims as part of the efforts to determinetheir nationalities and names.
On November 2-3, a delegation from the Ministry of PublicSecurity and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked with British authorities onthe case, but the final announcement on the nationalities and names of thevictims has yet to be released.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has directed the twoministries to work closely with the British side to identify names of thevictims, while investigating into criminal rings that smuggle Vietnameseabroad, rolling out measures to protect Vietnamese citizens and sending aninter-sectoral working team to the UK to collaborate with the British side todeal with the case.
He has also asked the ministries to directly update familiesof the victims with relevant information and help them in organising funeral.
The PM also requested the Ministry of Information andCommunications to alert the community on criminal rings of illegal migration,and refute wrongful information on the case.
On November 3, the Government held a meeting withministries, sectors and localities to discuss a plan to receive bodies of thevictims from the UK.
After listening to the report, Vice NA Chairman Uong Chu Luu,on behalf of the NA, extended his deepest condolencesto the bereaved families.
The NA has asked the Government, ministries, sectors andlocalities to work closely with relevant parties to promptly clarify the caseand implement citizen protection measures, he said, adding that the Ministry ofPublic Security has been asked to bust illegal migration rings and applymeasures to effectively prevent the crime./.
VNA
