Laws of Vietnam

THE PRIME MINISTER

DECISION No. 786-TTg OF SEPTEMBER 24, 1997 ON THE HANDLING OF "PO MU" (FOKIENIA HODGINSII) TIMBER IN STOCK

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government of September 30, 1992,

At the proposal of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (in Official Dispatch No.658/NN-PTLN/TT of March 7, 1997) on the handling of "po mu" timber in stock in accordance with Decision No.821-TTg of November 6, 1996 of the Prime Minister,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- The volume of "po mu" timber in stock shall, after being inventoried under Decision No.821-TTg of November 6, 1996 of the Prime Minister, be handled as follows:

a/ Timber used as materials (logs, sawn timber, branches, outer planks or semi-finished products) already specifically inventoried in written records, shall be allowed to be further processed into finished products qualified for export as defined in the Government's Official Dispatch No.5986/KTN issued on November 26, 1996 by the Government Office;

b/ Those products completely processed but not up to the Government's standards prescribed in Official Dispatch No.5986/KTN of November 26, 1996 of the Government Office shall be exported strictly in accordance with the names and volumes certified by the record on the inter-branch inventory;

c/ In cases where production units have not processed their "po mu" timber into finished products, they shall be allowed to sell such timber to other enterprises under economic contracts for processing into standardized products. The purchase, sale and transport of "po mu" timber in stock and "po mu" products must comply with current regulations.

Article 2.- The time limit for processing and export of all unsold and inventoried "po mu" timber under Decision No.821-TTg of November 6, 1996 of the Prime Minister shall be six (6) months after this Decision is signed.

Article 3.- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall consult the Ministry of Finance in deducting large percentages (possibly 100%) of proceeds from the sale of such "po mu" timber for investment in construction of infrastructure projects such as: roads, schools, medical stations... in areas of ethnic minorities meeting with difficulties, first of all areas where "po mu" timber is exploited. Such money shall not be used to build offices, etc.

Article 4.- The Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development, Trade and the Interior; the General Director of the General Department of Customs; the presidents of the provincial People's Committees shall be responsible to the Prime Minister for closely directing and supervising the processing, circulation and sale of all the unsold and inventoried "po mu" products under Decision No. 821-TTg of November 6, 1996 of the Prime Minister. The illegal exploitation and smuggling of "po mu" timber must not be allowed to recur.

The Prime Minister

VO VAN KIET