Thua Thien – Hue: fishermen effectively use compensation
Most fishermen in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue have effectively used their compensation for the marine environmental incident, according to Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Dinh Duc.
Phan Tuoc from Thuan An town, Phu Vang district has three offshore fishing ships. He received VND440 million (US$19,360) in compensation. He used the money to pay his employees, repair his ships, and buy fishing tools. During a three-day offshore trip, his first in 2017, he caught five tonnes of fish, including 500 kg of tuna, and earned VND150 million (US$6,600).
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| Fishermen use compensation to build offshore fishing ships |
Tran Ven from Loc Tri commune, Phu Loc district spent VND100 million (US$4,400) of his compensation to repair his ship. He plans to use the second batch of compensation to buy more fishing tools to fish for tuna offshore.
According to Nguyen Van Phuong, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, in the second-phase payment of compensation, the province will receive VND200 billion (US$8.8 million).
The locality urged localities and relevant bodies to complete the payment of the first batch while finalising the list of affected households for the second batch.
As of February 15, 18,114 out of 19,900 affected households have received compensation worth nearly VND322 billion (US$14.17 million), accounting for over 80% of the total compensation of VND400 billion (US$17.6 million) in the first phase.
Phong Dien district distributed nearly VND29 billion (US$1.27 million) for 2,046 beneficiaries, Quang Dien district paid over VND25 billion (US$1.1 million) to 1,329 people; Phu Vang district over VND129 billion (US$5.67 million) to 7,031 people; Phu Loc over VND126 billion (US$5.54 million) for 6,156 people; and Huong Tra town over VND19 billion (US$836,000) for 1,552 people.
In late June 2016, Taiwan-invested Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Limited Company admitted responsibility for the environmental incident, which affected the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue. It pledged VND11.5 trillion (US$500 million) in compensation.
The Ministry of Finance transferred VND3 trillion (US$134 million) to the localities in the initial phase. Of the amount, Thua Thien-Hue got VND400 billion (US$17.6 million), Quang Binh VND1.1 trillion (US$48.5 million), Ha Tinh VND1 trillion (US$44.1 million), and Quang Tri VND500 billion (US$22 million).
