Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc orders inquiry into mass fish death

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has demanded relevant agencies to quickly determine the exact cause of the mass fish deaths which have occurred along the coast of several provinces in central Vietnam.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc worked with provincial leaders on the mass fish deaths.

He told a meeting of leaders of affected provinces on May 1 that foreign experts may be invited to join the inquiry and criminal offences, if discovered, will be punished in accordance with the law.

The prime minister also ordered an inspection be made into the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation (FHS)’s installation of an underwater waste discharge pipe and its impact on the environment.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said that gauges have been installed in Vung Ang, where FHS is based, to measure levels of pollution found in water in the area and asserted that seawater in central provinces are completely safe.

According to Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, analysis of seafood samples taken from Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces indicates that they are safe while analysis results of seafood caught in Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue will be announced on May 2.

Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh said leading scientists from across the country have gathered to investigate the cause of the mass fish deaths while working groups were also set up in the affected provinces.

Prime Minister Phuc affirmed that this is a serious environmental incident which has greatly affected the lives of coastal residents, whilst noting that the response in some provinces has been slow and initially there was a lack of coordination between relevant ministries and agencies.

He agreed to proposals to provide 4,500 tonnes of rice for offshore fishermen and to exempt interest on loans to build vessels for offshore fishing for a period of six months.

(Source: NDO)