Gov't charts Formosa compensation scheme

A view of Formosa Ha Tinh Steel plant in central Ha Tinh Province. The Government has announced how compensation will be paid to people affected by the toxic discharge by a steel plant owned by Taiwanese firm Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation that caused Viet Nam's biggest ever environmental disaster along the central coast. - Photo thoibao.today

It has agreed to add those who suffered indirect losses — like owners and crews of fishing boats with over 90HP engine; owners of seafood warehouses and their workers; owners and workers of plants producing products from seafood like fish sauces; and aquaculture farms affected by the pollution in the four central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue.

But it has put off to September 15 the deadline for reporting total losses and suggesting compensation levels by the four provinces to the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture and Rural Development.

Frozen seafood that are in stock and cannot be sold will be tested.

Safe seafood will be issued certificates and unsafe products will be destroyed and compensated.

Fisheries products from the affected area produced after August 22, when the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced that the seawater was no longer toxic, will be tested by the Ministry of Health to reassure both domestic and foreign consumers.

Deputy Primer Minister Truong Hoa Binh instructed the Ministry of Health to cast the new wide to do the tests and collate information from various official sources to reassure consumers about safety.

Based on the results, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will advise localities about consuming these products.

Based on guidelines to be issued by the two ministries, leaders of the four provinces will instruct local officials to promote sales of the seafood stocks that have piled up.

Binh also instructed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to publicise the co-ordinates of three areas that remain polluted (in Son Duong – Ha Tinh Province, Nhat Le river gate – Quang Binh Province, Son Cha island – Thua Thien Hue Province) and continue to carefully monitor the marine environment and make regular public announcements and assist localities with destroying unsafe seafood.

He instructed the Ministry of Planning and Investment's Statistics General Department to work with local authorities to fix compensation criteria.

The Ministries of Finance and Agriculture and Rural Development and other related authorities should submit the compensation plan to the Government by late September, he said.

The Ministry of Information and Telecommunication should proclaim information about the marine environment in these four central provinces and the safety of their seafood, he added.

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