Infringements and defects committed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Party Civil Affairs Committee and individuals involved in the Formosa fish deaths were serious and must be punished, announced the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission.

Residents bury dead fish found along the central coast

In a February 23 announcement of the results of the commission’s 11th meeting from February 15-17, the commission concluded that from 2008-16 the ministry’s Party Civil Affairs Committee was irresponsible in exercising their leadership, carried out insufficient inspections and supervision and let infringements occur in assessment of environmental impacts, and adjustment of waste water discharge location and State management of the Formosa Ha Tinh project.

Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Company was responsible for mass fish deaths in the four central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue in April last year.

The environmental incident left hundreds of fish dead and affected the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of locals.

Responsibility for the offences belongs to former Party Central Committee member, former secretary of the Party Civil Affairs Committee and former environment minister Nguyen Minh Quang; former Party Civil Affairs Committee member, former deputy minister and former head of the Vietnam Environment Administration Bui Cach Tuyen; and former Party Civil Affairs Committee member and former deputy minister Nguyen Thai Lai, who was directly responsible for violations in the fields he was in charge of, according to the document.

The document indicated that during the 2004-11, and 2011-16 terms, the Party Civil Affairs Committee of the Ha Tinh provincial People’s Committee was irresponsible in exercising leadership, instruction and management, and carried out insufficient inspections and supervision in project implementation, which gave rise to violations in appraising, approving, licensing and performing State management of the project.

Vo Kim Cu, who served as Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Civil Affairs Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee in the 2011-16 period; and as Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee cum Head of the Vung Ang Economic Zone Management Board from 2008-10 must take responsibility for the infringements.

Others also responsible include Head of the Vung  Ang Economic Zone Management Board for 2010-16 Ho Anh Tuan, and former Party Civil Affairs Committee members Dang Quoc Khanh, Duong Tat Thang and Nguyen Nhat.

The provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board was said to be irresponsible in leading, instructing, examining, and supervising activities of the Party Civil Affairs Committee of the provincial People’s Committee during the implementation of the Formosa Ha Tinh project.

The wrongdoings of the province’s Party Civil Affairs Committee and Vo Kim Cu, and Ho Anh Tuan were serious, the document said.

The Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission also announced that Party Central Committee member and former Secretary of Binh Dinh province’s Party Committee Nguyen Văn Thien, and former Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and head of the province’s National Assembly deputies delegation Le Kim Toan must take responsibility for defects and infringements committed by the provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board in recruiting, planning, promoting and accrediting several officials contrary to State regulations.

The inspection commission requested the Government’s Party Civil Affairs Committee instruct an overall inspection of the equitisation of Binh Dinh province’s Quy Nhơn Port.

VNA