Environmental demonstration in Hanoi on May 1 to protest Taiwanese Formosa (Photo from facebooker Long Thế)
According to observers, around 5,000 people gathered in Hanoi’s center to attend the environmental demonstration in the morning of May 1. Around 2,000 activists participated in the demonstration on the same day in HCMC, the biggest economic hub in Vietnam and the capital city of the former Vietnam Republic. The protestors requested the government to be more transparent in Formosa’s toxic waste discharge and investigate to find out the real causes of the fish en-mass death.
By Vu Quoc Ngu, May 1, 2016
Thousands of Vietnamese have rallied across country to raise their concerns about the ongoing heavy environmental pollution which kills hundreds of tons of aquatic species along the central coastal areas , local networks have reported.
The peaceful demonstrations occurred in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang city, and central coastal provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue. The protests were triggered by the massive death of fish in the four central coastal provinces which has occurred since April 6. The en-mass death of hundreds of tons of fish along the country’s central coast is likely caused by the toxic waste of the Taiwan-invested Formosa steel plant in Ha Tinh province’s Ky Anh district.
The demonstrations started on April 28 in Hue city and Dong Hoi city and took their peak on Sunday as people in Hanoi and HCMC joined to raise their voices to demand the government to thoroughly investigate the toxic waste of the Taiwanese steel project. Formosa admitted that they imported 300 tons of very toxic chemicals for cleaning their machineries in the project and discharge waste into the sea through a meter-wide and kilometer-long tunnel about 15 meters below the sea surface.
According to observers, around 5,000 people gathered in Hanoi’s center to attend the environmental demonstration in the morning of May 1. Around 2,000 activists participated in the demonstration on the same day in HCMC, the biggest economic hub in Vietnam and the capital city of the former Vietnam Republic. The protestors requested the government to be more transparent in Formosa’s toxic waste discharge and investigate to find out the real causes of the fish en-mass death.
Many people demanded Formosa to get out of Vietnam after making compensation for its pollution in the central coastal region.
The number of protestors against Formosa is much higher than the numbers of people who protested China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty in the East Sea (South China Sea) and the environmentalists who opposed the plan of Hanoi’s authorities to chop down 6,700 valuable aged trees in the city’s main streets last year.
The demonstrations were under close surveillance of the local security. Many activists in Hanoi and HCMC have complained that the local security forces barred them from going out on Sunday.
Police in HCMC violently suppressed peaceful demonstrations, severely beat a number of protestors. Around 20 activists were arrested, local bloggers said.
Activists in the central province of Nghe An and city of Danang reported that local security forces have tightened surveillance and stationed in main roads.
Police in Nghe An arrested nearly 20 activists including blogger Hoang Binh, Mary Phuong, Hoang Duc and Nguyen Nghiem. Activists in Quynh Luu district reported that local plainclothes agents threatened to kill them if they go out of the district.
Blogger Hong Thai Hoang from Danang said police shortly detained her group but brought Nguyen Duy Vu and Nguyen Van Thanh to unknown direction. Blogger Anthony Minh Bui was barbarically beaten by police officers, blogger Hong Thai Hoang claimed.
Security forces in the adjacent province of Thanh Hoa also arrested blogger Ho Huy Khang and reporter Chu Manh Son of local newswire GNsP.
Blogger reported that all roads leading to Formosa complex are blocked by security forces to prevent angry people to enter the areas near the steel plant.
Formosa Steel Plant belongs to the Vietnam-based Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co., an affiliate of Taiwanese Formosa Plastic Corp which had bad environmental record in many countries, including Cambodia and the U.S.
The state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper reported that Formosa discharged roughly 931,830 cubic meters of wastewater into Vietnam’s sea in the first quarter this year. Vietnam’s government, particularly the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has loosened their control on the Formosa’s discharge of toxic waste.
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May 1, 2016
Thousands of Activists Rally across Vietnam to Protest Taiwan-invested Formosa for Causing Severe Pollution, Many Beaten and Arrested by Security Forces
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
Environmental demonstration in Hanoi on May 1 to protest Taiwanese Formosa (Photo from facebooker Long Thế)
By Vu Quoc Ngu, May 1, 2016
Thousands of Vietnamese have rallied across country to raise their concerns about the ongoing heavy environmental pollution which kills hundreds of tons of aquatic species along the central coastal areas , local networks have reported.
The peaceful demonstrations occurred in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang city, and central coastal provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue. The protests were triggered by the massive death of fish in the four central coastal provinces which has occurred since April 6. The en-mass death of hundreds of tons of fish along the country’s central coast is likely caused by the toxic waste of the Taiwan-invested Formosa steel plant in Ha Tinh province’s Ky Anh district.
The demonstrations started on April 28 in Hue city and Dong Hoi city and took their peak on Sunday as people in Hanoi and HCMC joined to raise their voices to demand the government to thoroughly investigate the toxic waste of the Taiwanese steel project. Formosa admitted that they imported 300 tons of very toxic chemicals for cleaning their machineries in the project and discharge waste into the sea through a meter-wide and kilometer-long tunnel about 15 meters below the sea surface.
According to observers, around 5,000 people gathered in Hanoi’s center to attend the environmental demonstration in the morning of May 1. Around 2,000 activists participated in the demonstration on the same day in HCMC, the biggest economic hub in Vietnam and the capital city of the former Vietnam Republic. The protestors requested the government to be more transparent in Formosa’s toxic waste discharge and investigate to find out the real causes of the fish en-mass death.
Many people demanded Formosa to get out of Vietnam after making compensation for its pollution in the central coastal region.
The number of protestors against Formosa is much higher than the numbers of people who protested China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty in the East Sea (South China Sea) and the environmentalists who opposed the plan of Hanoi’s authorities to chop down 6,700 valuable aged trees in the city’s main streets last year.
The demonstrations were under close surveillance of the local security. Many activists in Hanoi and HCMC have complained that the local security forces barred them from going out on Sunday.
Police in HCMC violently suppressed peaceful demonstrations, severely beat a number of protestors. Around 20 activists were arrested, local bloggers said.
Activists in the central province of Nghe An and city of Danang reported that local security forces have tightened surveillance and stationed in main roads.
Police in Nghe An arrested nearly 20 activists including blogger Hoang Binh, Mary Phuong, Hoang Duc and Nguyen Nghiem. Activists in Quynh Luu district reported that local plainclothes agents threatened to kill them if they go out of the district.
Blogger Hong Thai Hoang from Danang said police shortly detained her group but brought Nguyen Duy Vu and Nguyen Van Thanh to unknown direction. Blogger Anthony Minh Bui was barbarically beaten by police officers, blogger Hong Thai Hoang claimed.
Security forces in the adjacent province of Thanh Hoa also arrested blogger Ho Huy Khang and reporter Chu Manh Son of local newswire GNsP.
Blogger reported that all roads leading to Formosa complex are blocked by security forces to prevent angry people to enter the areas near the steel plant.
Formosa Steel Plant belongs to the Vietnam-based Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co., an affiliate of Taiwanese Formosa Plastic Corp which had bad environmental record in many countries, including Cambodia and the U.S.
The state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper reported that Formosa discharged roughly 931,830 cubic meters of wastewater into Vietnam’s sea in the first quarter this year. Vietnam’s government, particularly the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has loosened their control on the Formosa’s discharge of toxic waste.