VietNamNet Bridge – Thanh Hoa Province leader Trinh Van Chien apologised yesterday to the residents of Sam Son Township for authorities’ actions after local fishermen protested for 10 days against a tourism project.

Thanh Hoa Party Secretary Trinh Van Chien -- Photos: Vietnamnet

The protests, which started on February 26, drew in hundreds of fishermen from Quang Cu Commune and three wards of Trung Son, Bac Son and Truong Son. The protesters yelled loudly and hung banners calling on authorities to stop taking the coastal land that nearly 10,000 residents use to access the sea for fishing.

The residents, in a meeting with provincial leaders yesterday, said they had reached an agreement with authorities to further develop the coast for tourism purposes, but also said the livelihoods of fishermen should be taken into account.

“Generations of our families have earned our living by fishing. We were about to lose our incomes now, and of course we had to fight against it,” said Cao Van Binh of Truong Son Ward.

Thanh Hoa Party Secretary Trinh Van Chien said he was sorry for what had happened over the last 10 days, and he gave orders to protect between 300m and 1.5km of the coastline from the project to ensure the livelihoods of the locals.

The fishermen used to dock their boats along the 3.5km-long coastline that was planned to be handed over to the FLC Group for a VND315 billion ($14 million) project that aims to establish a tourism zone on the east of Ho Xuan Huong Street along the coast of Sam Son beach, a famous spot for summer vacations.

The province had planned a new dock to replace the old one, but most fishermen were against the idea because it was too far - about 10km - from their houses.

VNS