Vietnam PM Demands Explanation for Licensing Formosa Waste Discharge

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked related agencies to give an explanation for the licensing of waste discharge systems for Taiwan-invested Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co., an affiliate of Taiwanese Formosa Plastic Corp in the central province of Ha Tinh. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and Ha Tinh People’s Committee need to report the license and responsibilities of relating individuals and organizations. The PM demanded Ha Tinh to install an automatic monitoring station linked to Formosa’s waste discharge system to check the waste from now on. The online Thoi Bao Kinh Te Saigon newspaper reported that the PM pledged to “strictly punish” violators involving in massive fish death along coastal area of four central provinces namely Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue over the past weeks. The request was made after massive fish death happened in a vast area in Vietnam’s central sea, harming maritime economy and triggering concerns about long-term environmental poisoning. Late last month, the MONRE announced the causes of the massive fish death to red tide and no link to Formosa’s waste discharge but the announcement has caught opposition from local experts and residents. The ministry on May 4 set up a national-level council consisting of nearly 100 Vietnamese scientists to figure out the reasons behind massive fish death. Several days ago, the MONRE also worked with dozens of foreign scientists from the U.S., Germany, and Israel for the case. Public indignation on the case has yet been cool. (Thoi Bao Kinh Te Saigon – Saigon Economic Times May 3, Nld.com.vn May 4)