Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has laid out a set of actions in support of enterprises hurt by recent social disorder in some localities, asking ministries and agencies nationwide to roll them out as soon as possible.

The rioting erupted in protest of China’s illegal dispatch of its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou – 981 in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone since early May.

Protesters destroyed property of the State, businesses and individuals, including foreign firms, and acted against law enforcement officials, disrupting social order and business activities.

Thanks to the government’s timely interference, almost affected companies have returned to work and social order and security has been ensured.

Under the PM’s orders, the Foreign Ministry will be responsible for updating countries and territories worldwide on Vietnam’s current situation, urging them to encourage firms to continue operating in the country.

Ministries, authorities and workers are requested to stay united to share common interests. Relevant units will work with affected companies in a constructive manner, jointly implementing every proper support measure.

The PM asked the people’s committees of affected cities and provinces to send officials to work directly with each enterprise to grasp the real situation, while immediately announcing the agencies responsible to handle issues related to administrative affairs, damage assessment and support policies.

In case there has been a loss of documents, the agencies are allowed to proceed with the work based on the firms’ post-inspection declarations and commitments.

PM Dung also assigned the Ministry of Finance to coordinate with relevant ministries, agencies and localities and guide insurance companies to verify damage and provide sufficient compensation in a prompt and simplified manner.

The ministry is asked to direct tax and customs agencies, on the basis of real loss of the firms, to prolong the duration of submitting their tax declarations as well as tax and budget payment arising before May 2014. The longest extension will be two years, and punishment will not be applied for late payment by affected enterprises.

The involved firms will be given reduction in their import and export duty rate and favourable conditions in their import-export activities.

They will also receive value added tax refunds or a reduction for their uncompensated input goods and services, even in case of no receipts.

The PM also asked tax agencies to provide guidelines to the firms declaring their enterprise income tax so that they can get tax reduction for the damage and uncompensated property.

A maximum 30 percent of reduction in special consumption tax for 2014 will also be applied, asked the PM.

The people’s committees of provinces and centrally-run cities are to apply exemption or reduction in land rent fees for damaged enterprises. In case the firms hire infrastructure with land use rights, the companies who manage the infrastructure will be exempted or reduced land rent fees. The money will be deducted in the hiring fees paid by the damaged firms.

The Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs has instructed localities to take appropriate measures to offer support and provide labourers without delay to the affected businesses to cover workforce shortages.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security will create all favourable conditions in terms of visa granting to the damaged companies that require additional foreign workers. To cater the urgent demand of labour, the granting of work permits to foreigners living in Vietnam for over six months will only need their criminal records issued by Vietnamese authoritised agencies.

Regarding the damaged businesses that have not yet resumed normal production and are unable to pay salary to workers from April to June this year, the labour ministry and the Vietnam Social Insurance will coordinate with the provincial and municipal people’s committees to assess the provided lists and apply unemployment insurance policies.

The labour ministry and the Ministry of Finance will oversee the implementation of localities and then submit to the PM their solutions together with measures applied after June 2014.

The State Bank of Vietnam will instruct credit organisations to take timely and necessary measures to remove obstacles in transactions and loans in order to help the affected businesses to resume and develop their production soon.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security will instruct prosecutors to strictly punish law violators without delay, while tracking down and returning looted assets and technical equipment to the affected organisations, individuals and businesses.-VNA