Viet Tan’s spokesman gave a statement in front of Formosa Plastics Corporation in Taipei regarding Vietnam’s recent environmental disaster.
August 10, 2016
In April, tons of dead fish began washing up along Vietnam’s central coast. For over two months, the Vietnamese authorities and Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Company provided misleading and conflicting responses. The secretive “settlement” announced by the Hanoi government and Formosa on June 30th underscores the lack of transparency in the handling of the environmental disaster.
As Vietnamese stakeholders, we call on Formosa to release its investigative report and commit to a full clean up of Vietnam’s environment. By demonstrating its corporate social responsibility, the Formosa Corporation can right its wrongs and ensure that the image of Taiwan is not unfairly tarnished. Taiwanese are doing a lot of good work in Vietnam and it’s important that people everywhere recognize these contributions, especially as Taipei undertakes the southbound policy.
But Formosa is not the only party in this incident. The Vietnamese authorities need to demonstrate greater transparency and release its investigative report. As stakeholders, Vietnamese and Taiwanese activists can work together to promote accountability and demand that the victims of the environmental disaster receive their full compensation.
Here, in front of the headquarters of Formosa, I echo what my Vietnamese compatriots have continuously voiced: Fish need clean waters, people need clean governance.
