Vietnam Yet to Announce Causes of Massive Fish Deaths: Govt

Vietnam’s Government Office has said in its regular meeting on June 2 that it has found out the causes of massive fish deaths but yet to announce to receive more feedback from domestic and foreign scientists to make the results unbiased. Results of the massive fish deaths had been found thanks to the cooperation of more than 30 ministries and agencies, foreign organizations and scientists together with direct instructions from Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, according to Mai Tien Dung, head of the Government Office. Mr. Dung said at the meeting that the announcement could not be made right now because the issue is important and time-consuming. Massive fish death began in the coastal areas in the central province of Ha Tinh early April, then appeared along onshore sea in four central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue. The phenomena triggered concerns about hazardous chemicals have been discharged to poison the sea and water surface along coastal areas. Soon after that, Taiwan-invested Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co. (Formosa) located in Ha Tinh was detected to discharge untreated waste into the sea through a meter-wide and kilometer-long tunnel about 15 meters below the sea surface in Ha Tinh. The state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper reported that Formosa discharged roughly 931,830 cubic meters of wastewater into the sea in the first quarter this year. On April 27, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced the causes of the en-mass fish deaths, saying red tide caused the situation and affirming no link to Formosa’s waste discharge. Shortly after the announcement, both official and unofficial news portals, forums and social networks have showed public indignation, saying that the investigation results disappointed and disrespected Vietnamese people who doubted the reasons to Formosa’s waste discharge. A petition calling for online signatures was launched on the White House website to ask for the U.S. government’s support in providing independent environmental impact assessment of the steel plant and for President Obama’s voice on the issue with the Vietnamese government in his May 2016 visit. (Tuoi Tre – Youth June 2, Nld.com.vn June 2)