VietNamNet Bridge – It has been more than two years since Vedan Vietnam Co. paid compensation to farmers for damages caused by its pollution, but many farmers in HCMC’s Can Gio District are still demanding compensation.

The HCMC Farmers Association declined to give the specific number of farmers making complaints, but said that it will join hands with the investigation agency to handle the case as the monosodium glutamate maker has fulfilled its obligations.

Lawyer Nguyen Van Hau, legal representative for Can Gio farmers in the lawsuit against Vedan, confirmed that many farmers were seeking compensation from the amount that Vedan had previously paid.

Some farmers had sold their land to others, who were affected by the waste discharged by Vedan and thus were paid compensation. Now, the previous land owners file complaints, saying compensation should be given to them instead of the current owners, said Hau.

In addition, some households were previously asked to make accounts of their damages, but they did not gain any compensation. Specifically, over 2,000 households reported their damages, but only 639 obtained compensation.

Moreover, a number of farmers coming from Dong Nai to Can Gio for seafood farming and fishing also claim compensation.

“Under the agreement between the authorities of Dong Nai and HCMC, such farmers will receive compensation from the sum Vedan paid to Dong Nai,” said Hau.

However, so far the farmers from Dong Nai currently farming and fishing in Can Gio have yet to be paid compensation.

Nguyen Huy Luong, vice chairman of the Vietnam Farmers Association, told the Daily that his association had not received the complaints from these farmers, so he did not give any comment.

To quickly find solutions, farmers should send their complaints directly to the Center for Rural Environment under the Vietnam Farmers Association, he said.

When Vedan announced compensation of VND220 billion, the farmers associations in Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and HCMC committed that after receiving the money, they would give it all to the affected households as identified by the HCMC Institute for Environment and Natural Resources.

However, if the complaints of farmers were determined to be reasonable, then the question is which financial resource would be used to pay them.

In this regard, Luong said there was still sufficient resource for this purpose because it is likely that Vedan’s compensation has not used out.

Source: SGT