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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Dear
Sir/Madam,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Thursday
September 13, 2012:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>
More than 50 national celebrities from throughout the country joined forces
with Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) to call for an immediate end to bear
farming in Vietnam.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>At
a press conference in Hanoi, pop star My Linh and comedian and actress <span
style='color:black;background:white'>Minh Vuong</span> represented a collection
of Vietnam’s top celebrities in sport, film, music, and entertainment, to
highlight the serious threat that bear farming and the bear bile industry pose
to the survival of bears in the wild, both in Vietnam and the surrounding
region.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>As
My Linh and <span style='color:black;background:white'>Minh Vuong</span> spoke
to journalists about their desire to see an end to bear farming, ENV volunteers
in seven major cities simultaneously hosted public awareness events, calling
for an end to bear farming. Events were held in Ha Noi, Ha Long, Hai Phong,
Vinh, Da Nang, Hue and Ho Chi Minh cities to focus public attention on the
issue, and to encourage people not to consume bear bile or other bear products.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>“The
bear farming industry in Vietnam poses a major threat to the survival of bears,
not just in Vietnam but across the region,” says ENV’s
Vice-Director Tran Viet Hung. “Consumers here in Vietnam represent a
minority of the population, and there are plenty of alternatives to bear bile
that make this cruel and illegal practice of exploiting bears completely
unnecessary in today’s modern world. We feel the tide is rising against
bear bile farmers who have all but decimated wild populations of bears for
their own personal gain, with little consideration for the interests of their
communities and the people of Vietnam.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Also
marking the occasion of Vietnam’s Bear Day, ENV announced the winners of
a competition for young film-makers to produce a public service announcement
(PSA) urging the public not to consume bear bile. During the press conference,
My Linh and Minh Vuong presented the “People’s Choice” award
to Dinh Ngoc Thanh, who racked up the most votes online for his PSA, an
“Excellent Message” award to Le Hoai Lam for overall messaging and
delivery, and a “Highly Commended” award to Dong Anh 360 group. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>ENV
wishes to thank the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) for its
continued partnership and support in efforts to end bear farming in Vietnam.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>For
further details, please find in the attachment.</span><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Best
regard,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hoang
Hue Linh (Ms.)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Communication
and Public Awareness Unit</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
<b>Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV)</b><br>
<span style='color:black'>No. 5 IF1, lane 192 Thai Thinh street, Dong Da
district, Hanoi<br>
</span>PO Box 222, Hanoi<br>
Tel/fax: +84 4 35148850 (Ext: 404), +84 94 635 8488<br>
E-mail: </span><a href="mailto:communication.env@gmail.com"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>communication.env@gmail.com</span></a><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Website:
</span><a href="http://www.envietnam.org/"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>www.envietnam.org</span></a><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> (English), </span><a
href="http://www.thiennhien.org/"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif"'>www.thiennhien.org</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> (Vietnamese) <br>
Facebook: </span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a
href="http://www.facebook.com/EducationforNatureVietnam"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'>http://www.facebook.com/EducationforNatureVietnam</span></a></span><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> (English)<br>
</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <a
href="http://www.facebook.com/ENVvolunteers"><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>http://www.facebook.com/ENVvolunteers</span></a></span><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> (Vietnamese)<br>
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/">https://twitter.com//#!/edu4naturevn</a></span><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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