Can Tho (VNA) -- The Party and Government have always taken great care to improve the material and spiritual lives of the Khmer ethnic people, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung said at a conference in Can Tho City on Sept. 17.
The conference was held to review 15 years of implementing an instruction issued by the secretariat of the Party Central Committee on issues involving Khmer ethnic people.
Hung told the conference that the Secretariat's Instruction took into account the desires of the Khmer people and cadres, encouraging vitality and creativity in the region, especially in promoting a tradition of national solidarity and improving the material and spiritual lives of the people, including the monks and nuns.
The deputy PM praised the Khmer people for the efforts they had made to overcome their poverty, but conceded that a predominantly agrarian economy, remote location and poor infrastructure facilities have had an adverse effect on the material and spiritual lives of the Khmer people.
He affirmed that the policy of the Party and Government was concentrated on building solidarity, equality, and mutual assistance for national construction.
Deputy PM Hung requested local authorities to give priority to solving the issues of housing and clean water for ethnic people.
He also asked the relevant offices to implement nationality policies effectively, to alleviate poverty, and to generate jobs. Priority should also be given to providing loans for the Khmer people, guiding them in production, and providing education and health care.
Speaking at the conference, the Deputy Director of the South-western Viet Nam Steering Committee Bui Quang Huy said the population of the region had grown to nearly 17 million, with Khmers accounting for 1.2 million.
The Secretariat's Instruction has created positive changes in the economy, and stabilised national defence and security in the region, he said.
As a result, he said, the Khmer people, monks and nuns now have a better appreciation of the nationality policy of the Party and Government and have shown faith in the Party's leadership.
Since 2001, over 1,000 billion VND has been invested in building infrastructure facilities for the Khmer people, including restoring and building 108 pagodas and providing houses for more than 60,000 Khmer families.
More than 80 percent of Khmer households have audio visual equipment and have learnt the Khmer language.-Enditem
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