VietNamNet Bridge – Police of the central province of Khanh Hoa on June 5 imposed a fine of VND15 million ($750) on five and VND3.5 million ($170) on two Chinese men who breed fish illegally in Cam Ranh Bay.

Chinese raise fish in Cam Ranh Bay



Five of them have left Vietnam already. The two others will return home when their passports expires on June 9.

The same day, Khanh Hoa border guard force announced to combine with relevant bodies to check all foreign individuals and organization in Khanh Hoa, including Vietnamese firms that employ foreign workers illegally or foreigners who do business under name of Vietnamese people.

Khanh Hoa authorities have detected 23 Chinese who illegally collect or raise fish in the province’s sea.

Khanh Hoa border guard force has asked the Van Phong Economic Zone authorities to withdraw work permits of three Taiwanese citizens who are working as aquacultural experts for Long Phat Co., Ltd in Van Ninh district, because this firm has been raising fish without license since 2007.

It is reported that Van Thanh commune leased a large area of the sea to this firm since 2009. Some commune officials will be punished for this because commune authorities have no competence of leasing the water surface, other than the district authorities.

Long Phat is run by Ms Quach Kieu, a Chinese Vietnamese. The contract between Van Thanh commune and this company ended on April 1, 2012. Two of the three Taiwanese experts working for Long Phat have left Vietnam. All of them have work permits, granted by the Van Phong Economic Zone authorities.

Mr. Tran Kim Bao, Chairman of Van Ninh district, said if this company fulfils all necessary formalities, the district would allow it to continue hiring water surface for aquaculture.

On June 5, Cam Ranh city authorities considered the responsibility of individuals and agencies in losing control over illegal fish raising activities in Cam Ranh. The major responsibility is claimed on the Economic Affairs Department.

Chinese ‘experts’ raise fish illegally in Phu Yen



Government agencies have detected that Chinese ‘experts’ have illegally bred fish in Vung Ro of the central province of Phu Yen for many years.

Vung Ro is the deep-water area where the local authorities plan to build a deep water port and develop the petrochemical industry, so aquaculture is banned there. However, inspection revealed around 300 illegal fish cages in Vung Ro.

Since 2005, Phu Yen authorities licensed ten Chinese experts to transfer grouper and bop fish techniques to locals in Vung Ro. However, these ‘experts’ have run large-scale fish farms in Vung Ro, without a license.

Mr. Dao Thai Cuong, head of Vung Ro hamlet, said that Chinese people hired Vietnamese to set up companies to raise fish. Cuong said there are five fish farms, with 100-200 cages each, owned by Chinese in Vung Ro.

Mr. Tran Te Hanh, from the southern province of Dong Thap, is the manager of a fish farm in Vung Ro, but Hanh said he did not know about the farm owner. He only knew that he was paid by a Chinese man.

Local people are displeased with these farms because whenever fishing boats ran near these farms, their workers threatened to beat local fishermen.

Chairman of Hoa Xuan Nam commune, Tran Xuan Ngai, said that Vung Ro is the site for seaport and petrochemical industry so nobody is allowed to raise fish there.

Pham Minh Chu, Chairman of Dong Hoa district, confirmed that the district authorities did not grant any license for raising fish in Vung Ro.

Phu Yen province’s spokesperson Ho Van Tien also stated that the province only licensed the Institute of Aquatic Raising Research to experimentally breed some species of fish in Vung Ro but this institute has stopped aquaculture activities for a long time.

Chairman Ngai of Hoa Xuan Nam commune said that besides some fish farms that employ Chinese ‘experts’, there are three farms ran by Chinese in Vung Ro. These farms have operated illegally for the past seven years.

Ngai said the commune could not collect taxes from these farms. The local government only called for these enterprises’ ‘kindness’ to contribute from VND500,000 to VND1 million ($25-50) per annum to build infrastructure.

The official added that import-export activities of these farms were not controlled by any local agency. They usually imported breeding fish from and export fish to China by boat.

Nguyen Tan Thanh, chief police officer of Hoa Xuan Nam, said the commune only performed residential registration over foreigners once a year.

“So far this year we have not checked their residential registration because of complicated formalities that require the involvement of many agencies,” said Thanh.

Manh Hoai Nam