In 1998, the Ba Ria – Vung Tau provincial People’s Committee called on businesses to invest in the Tan Hai Fish village in Tan Thanh district. However, the investors have brought about many problems. 

Locals who farm fish in cages have repeatedly complained that their fish died en masse, blaming this on waste water from the factories to the Cha Va river where fish cages are located. 

Fish death and crop failure have pushed a lot of farmers against the wall. 

Local farmers, in anger, have carried dead fish and put baskets of dead fish in front of the factories to protest against the discharge of untreated water. 

Most recently, on September 30, tens of farmers from Long Son commune in Vung Tau City carried many kilos of dead fish to the provincial people’s committee’s head office, trying to force local authorities to deal with the pollution problems.

Nguyen Thanh Tinh, deputy chair of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, who met farmers, noted that there were several reasons behind the fish deaths. 

The high density of fish in fish cages was also a problem. The waste water from the fish cages also contributed to the deaths.

“We are collecting legal evidence to follow necessary procedures to stop the factories’ operation. However, we cannot force them to stop operation immediately. We have to follow necessary procedures,” he said.

Dang Minh Thong, chief secretariat of the Ba Ria – Vung Tau provincial People’s Committee, said on October 2 that local authorities will respond next week to people on how they would deal with the factories.

Meanwhile, some of the 18 factories have shouted for help after hearing that they may be forced to stop operation.

Nguyen Thanh Loc, the owner of Long Son seafood processing workshop, said that his workshop had a closed waste water treatment system and it did not discharge waste water into the environment. He said it would be unfair for him to have to shut down the workshop.

“Where will our 200 workers go if the workshop has to shut down?” he asked.

Tran Nhan, deputy director of Dong Hai, a private seafood processing enterprise, also said his company does not discharge waste water into the environment. 

“The provincial people’s committee told us to shut down factories and shift to other businesses. But we don’t know what to do,” he said.

Thien Nhien