Hanoi: Thousands of Vietnamese protesters led by a Catholic priest surrounded a Taiwanese steel plant on October 2, as anger flares against the firm for dumping toxic waste into the ocean killing tons of fish.
Some protesters scaled walls and held signs demanding the closure of the Formosa plant in central Ha Tinh province, reports millenniumpost.in.
Dead fish and other marine life began washing ashore in central Vietnam in April, the country’s worst ecological disaster in decades that devastated livelihoods in coastal towns where fishing is the main source of income.
Taiwan’s Formosa, which is building a multi-billion dollar steel plant in the area, was blamed for the disaster and fined US$500 million. The government said it would start paying affected fishermen in October and confirmed last week that payouts would range from US$130 to US$1,600 per person depending on losses calculated between April and September.
On October 2, huge crowds on motorbike and foot gathered with some holding signs saying: “Authorities, please close Formosa plant for the future of the nation” as others chanted angrily.
The demonstrators also demanded additional compensation.
“The protestors, who were directly hit by the Formosa scandal, asked for compensation and required the plant to close,” said a witness, Hoang Sy Son. Photos and video on social media showed protesters, led by a Catholic priest, surrounding the steel plant in Ky Anh township and chanting bible passages.
“A lot of security people and vehicles were deployed here, but no clashes were seen,” Son added, speaking from the rally.
The rallies came days after fishermen in the area filed more than 500 lawsuits demanding additional compensation from the government over the disaster. Protesters blamed officials for dragging their feet on investigations into the scandal.
Formosa has paid millions of dollars in fines over environmental mishaps elsewhere.