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| Locals at My An block off National Highway 1A in protest against a project likely to pollute water environment. Photo: Tran Kha – Lang Moi |
Most recent has been the two times within a month, locals in My An commune, Phu My district, Binh Dinh province took to the street, blocking off National Highway 1A in protest against an aquatic product- processing project currently underway of Thao Loan Ltd. Company. The first was on 6th February and the second 16thMarch. In face of massive aquatic product deaths caused by waste dumping from several businesses in Vietnam threatening their livelihood warned by mass media, locals have grown anxious as My An is a coastal commune. Once the My An Co. project is completed and operational, the people in My An believe the local environment will be polluted. That’s why they resorted to the demonstration measure, blocking off National Highway 1A and pressed levels of authorities to urgently involve to put an end to the My An Co. project implementation.
Worries of locals in My An are not without reason as Song Cau town in Phu Yen province, a neighboring locality in southerly Binh Dinh province, witnessed massive lobster deaths in late May, 2017. In misery, local inhabitants surrounded Nguyen Hung Aquatic Product business and demonstrated several days in a row because they claimed that waste from this company had caused the massive lobster deaths.
Most notorious both nationally and internationally was the disastrous marine environmental pollution in central coastal areas from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien-Hue provinces in Vietnam caused by Ha Tinh Formosa Company early April 2016. The environmental catastrophe sparked off nationwide demonstrations demanding that Formosa Company accept responsibility, compensate for the victims, alleviate the dire consequences and leave Vietnam.
Sensing the looming serious consequences they are about to face following recent aquatic pollutions, the people in My An have stood up for what they believe in and struggled from the beginning. Their legitimate response, however, was interfered by dozens of armed thugs as well as police using trained dogs. Tension escalated. Until now, Vietnamtimes has not been fully covered how protesters were dealt with by local authorities and the thugs.
In the meantime, residents in Song Cau town shared with Vienamtimes reporters that in the wake of the massive lobster deaths they’ve got interviews with mass media, including Vietnamtimes, to turn the spotlight on the situation. Later, the police involved; they ‘invited’ about 10 people to report, requesting them not to give unfavorable answers to Nguyen Hung Company. Also, levels of authorities in Phu Yen province announced that the massive lobster deaths were not caused by Nguyen Hung Company, according to results of aquatic pollution inspection. Locals resigned themselves to extremely heavy financial losses they have to face. Below are some views shared by local residents:
“Following the interviews I got, they [the police] forced me to sign a heap of certain papers I can neither understand nor describe. They talked about lots of things, meaning that I am not allowed to express my view like that.”
“I was made to log on Facebook. They asked who you were. I said you were a journalist. They asked me why I blamed Nguyen Hung Company like that. I answered that there was no other company in this locality. Next, they requested me not to say like that again. Then, I was asked to sign lots of papers. But there was no punishment.”
“Yes, quite a lot. More than 10 people were ‘invited’ [asked to report at the local police station] like me.”
“Only poor households or government-subsidized families were given rice by the authorities. But for households raising shrimps or lobsters, they supported nothing.”
“Levels of authorities gave [provided with] rice, but Nguyen Hung Company compensated nothing.”
“Now that they claim that the serious consequences were not due to Nguyen Hung Company. They said so and that’s what we heard. What else can we do? ”
The nationwide struggle of the Vietnamese, especially those in the worst-hit areas by Formosa from Vinh to Thua Thien-Hue, has forced Formosa Ha Tinh Co. to accept responsibility. However, they have to pay dearly for the legitimate response and meanwhile the consequences still remain. The sea is ‘dead’, locals are unemployed. Quite a lot anti-Formosa demonstrators were “invited” by the police, people who tried to sue Formosa were bloodied, civil society activists who devoted themselves fully to the campaign were later imprisoned such as Hoang Duc Binh, Le Dinh Luong, Nguyen TrungTruc, freelance journalist Nguyen Van Hoa….. Besides, according to decisions made by local police, activists Bach Hong Quyen and Tran Minh Nhat have been intensely hunted.
Once Formosa is still operational, aquatic pollution obviously remains a pending threat, and of course – first and foremost – it is the local people who bear the brunt of the consequences.
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March 25, 2018
Aquatic Pollution: Strenuous Struggle of Locals
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
Most recent has been the two times within a month, locals in My An commune, Phu My district, Binh Dinh province took to the street, blocking off National Highway 1A in protest against an aquatic product- processing project currently underway of Thao Loan Ltd. Company. The first was on 6th February and the second 16thMarch. In face of massive aquatic product deaths caused by waste dumping from several businesses in Vietnam threatening their livelihood warned by mass media, locals have grown anxious as My An is a coastal commune. Once the My An Co. project is completed and operational, the people in My An believe the local environment will be polluted. That’s why they resorted to the demonstration measure, blocking off National Highway 1A and pressed levels of authorities to urgently involve to put an end to the My An Co. project implementation.
Worries of locals in My An are not without reason as Song Cau town in Phu Yen province, a neighboring locality in southerly Binh Dinh province, witnessed massive lobster deaths in late May, 2017. In misery, local inhabitants surrounded Nguyen Hung Aquatic Product business and demonstrated several days in a row because they claimed that waste from this company had caused the massive lobster deaths.
Most notorious both nationally and internationally was the disastrous marine environmental pollution in central coastal areas from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien-Hue provinces in Vietnam caused by Ha Tinh Formosa Company early April 2016. The environmental catastrophe sparked off nationwide demonstrations demanding that Formosa Company accept responsibility, compensate for the victims, alleviate the dire consequences and leave Vietnam.
Sensing the looming serious consequences they are about to face following recent aquatic pollutions, the people in My An have stood up for what they believe in and struggled from the beginning. Their legitimate response, however, was interfered by dozens of armed thugs as well as police using trained dogs. Tension escalated. Until now, Vietnamtimes has not been fully covered how protesters were dealt with by local authorities and the thugs.
In the meantime, residents in Song Cau town shared with Vienamtimes reporters that in the wake of the massive lobster deaths they’ve got interviews with mass media, including Vietnamtimes, to turn the spotlight on the situation. Later, the police involved; they ‘invited’ about 10 people to report, requesting them not to give unfavorable answers to Nguyen Hung Company. Also, levels of authorities in Phu Yen province announced that the massive lobster deaths were not caused by Nguyen Hung Company, according to results of aquatic pollution inspection. Locals resigned themselves to extremely heavy financial losses they have to face. Below are some views shared by local residents:
“Following the interviews I got, they [the police] forced me to sign a heap of certain papers I can neither understand nor describe. They talked about lots of things, meaning that I am not allowed to express my view like that.”
“I was made to log on Facebook. They asked who you were. I said you were a journalist. They asked me why I blamed Nguyen Hung Company like that. I answered that there was no other company in this locality. Next, they requested me not to say like that again. Then, I was asked to sign lots of papers. But there was no punishment.”
“Yes, quite a lot. More than 10 people were ‘invited’ [asked to report at the local police station] like me.”
“Only poor households or government-subsidized families were given rice by the authorities. But for households raising shrimps or lobsters, they supported nothing.”
“Levels of authorities gave [provided with] rice, but Nguyen Hung Company compensated nothing.”
“Now that they claim that the serious consequences were not due to Nguyen Hung Company. They said so and that’s what we heard. What else can we do? ”
The nationwide struggle of the Vietnamese, especially those in the worst-hit areas by Formosa from Vinh to Thua Thien-Hue, has forced Formosa Ha Tinh Co. to accept responsibility. However, they have to pay dearly for the legitimate response and meanwhile the consequences still remain. The sea is ‘dead’, locals are unemployed. Quite a lot anti-Formosa demonstrators were “invited” by the police, people who tried to sue Formosa were bloodied, civil society activists who devoted themselves fully to the campaign were later imprisoned such as Hoang Duc Binh, Le Dinh Luong, Nguyen TrungTruc, freelance journalist Nguyen Van Hoa….. Besides, according to decisions made by local police, activists Bach Hong Quyen and Tran Minh Nhat have been intensely hunted.
Once Formosa is still operational, aquatic pollution obviously remains a pending threat, and of course – first and foremost – it is the local people who bear the brunt of the consequences.