Dong Nai farmers cancel lawsuit against Vedan

VietNamNet Bridge –Dong Nai famers on July 7 agreed to ask Taiwanese seasoning powder producer Vedan Vietnam to pay compensation and withdrew their lawsuit.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau claims VND216bil from Taiwanese polluter

They can’t afford to pay legal costs and they face difficulties in collecting evidence of their losses caused by Vedan’s pollution.

“If we bring this case to the court, we must have evidence to prove farmer losses, for instance, how much money they paid for breeding fish and how much they earn from harvesting fish and how much they paid to treat diseases for fish,” explained a representative of Dong Nai Farmers’ Association.

Legal costs are a big burden. According to regulations, the fee is five percent. If farmers declare losses of 100 million dong and they sue Vedan for damages, they must pay 5 million dong in legal costs in advance.

“We don’t have enough money to buy food,” lamented one farmer.

For these reasons, farmers decided only to make a claim for compensation. Phuoc An commune asked for 25 billion dong, Long Tho commune 25-30 billion dong and Phuoc Thai commune 20 billion dong.

At the same time, HCM City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Farmers’ Associations are preparing to bring their case to court. Ba Ria-Vung Tau claimed 220 billion dong in compensation instead of the 53 billion dong it asked for previously. HCM City claimed 45.7 billion dong.

The Thi Vai River begins in Long Thanh district, Dong Nai province runs through Ba Ria – Vung Tau province and a HCM City district, before pouring into the East Sea. Its total length is some 76 kilometers and its total basin area is some 300 square kilometers. 

On Sept. 8, 2008, the Environmental Police Agency and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s (MoNRE) inspectors caught Vedan discharging untreated waste water into the Thi Vai River. The company had polluted the river for 14 years with up to 105.6 million liters of untreated wastewater per month. The toxic water killed farmers’ fish and shrimp and ruined farmland along the river’s banks. 

MoNRE suspended the plant’s wastewater discharge license and fined the company 267.5 million dong ($15,030). The ministry also demanded another 127 billion dong ($7.14 million) from the company in overdue environmental fees. The company paid the fine and the fees in three installments. 

Vedan has not yet compensated the affected farmers.

PV

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