Anger over fish deaths must jolt Vietnam govt

The pollution that caused mass death of fish and other marine life in Vietnam did not only spark widespread anger nationwide, but was also a rude awakening for its people who began to see vividly lack of transparency when handling public issues in their country. According to a figure given by an official on May 5, the disaster had killed at least 100 tons of fish. This was based on the reports from the four affected provinces, but excluded dead fish that remained in the water.
Vietnamese were stunned of alarming quantities of dead fish washed up on central Vietnamese shores amid lack of clarity from the government about what caused the deaths.
It triggered social unrest as many activists led hundreds of protesters asking for answers. But the government, which has shown some understanding so far, is worried such demonstrations could go out of their control. The biggest fear for Vietnam’s new leadership is that the environmental disaster could morph into heightened nationalistic tensions if the Formosa factory, the Taiwanese unit suspected to be behind the pollution, was found guilty.
In a country whose media is restricted, over 30 million people used social media accounts to document many arrests and other events. Activists say people had been detained in both cities either before or while they joined protests. They posted pictures showing the protesters holding banners with slogans like ‘Fish dead, people dead’.
While it emphasised there was no proof of its responsibility, the Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa’s public relations official suggested that Vietnam may have to accept environmental trade-offs for industrial growth — perhaps a choice between steel or fish. That prompted a social media backlash and the hashtag #Ichoosefish.
Amid protests across the country from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, the company’s spokesperson was reportedly sacked for his sarcasm when he addressed Vietnamese: “You want the fish or the steel plant? You have to choose.” But this did not subdue strong feelings as the harm had been done.
The management of Formosa recently admitted to operating a mile-long, illegal sewage pipe going straight into the sea – though they claimed the
discharged wastewater is treated.
State media tried to address the issue. It pointed the finger of blame at the company but have since rowed back, as anger grew in Vietnam against ethnic Chinese interests in the country.
Given widespread indignation, the country’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Tran Hong Ha, called the mass fish kill a “very huge and serious environment disaster”.
In a rare show of transparency, the government also acknowledged that the fish die-off caused economic and environmental damages, hurt the fisheries industry, and particularly created puzzlement among citizens. Fishing and tourism in central Vietnam have been hit hard by the marine deaths.
Vietnam’s newly elected Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered an investigation into the phenomenon and its repercussions.
Perhaps for economic reasons, the government is trying to cover up the factory from any involvement. Vietnam attracted $14.5 billion in direct foreign investments in 2015. Meanwhile, the steel plant suspected of releasing contaminants, owned by Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics Group, represents a $10-billion investment. Formosa said its $10-billion investment in the steel factory included $45 million for a wastewater treatment system.
But to avoid any embarrassment, the authorities announced that scientists from the US, Germany and Israel are joining in efforts to analyze wastewater from all factories in north-central Ha Tinh province.
The protests could be the tip of iceberg. Vietnamese are looking for an open, clean, transparent, democratic and accountable government that could address issues beyond the current environmental catastrophe.
This message is heeded by the new Vietnamese government, which seems to be exercising some degree of transparency compared to its predecessors.