[enviro-vlc] Fwd: Media: South Korean Company protests Vietnamese's media charges [over pollution from MSG plant

[Vern Weitzel]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Re: [enviro-vlc] Media: South Korean Company protests
Vietnamese's media charges [over pollution from MSG plant]
Date: 	Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:42:13 +0000 (GMT)
From: 	Keith Williams <kdwilliams56 at yahoo.co.uk>
Reply-To: 	kdwilliams56 at yahoo.co.uk
To: 	vern at coombs.anu.edu.au



Hi everyone

We will know that the Vietnamese Government and provincial authorities
are serious when the fines are actually imposed and when they get
serious with the fines and impose them based on the number of days the
pollution occurs. $300 to $3,500 _per day_ of pollution sounds about
right! - the higher amount for bigger companies. Then the businesses
will take seriously the extreme harm they are doing to the health of the
Vietnamese people, the loss of biodiversity and the loss of the
ecosystem services on which communities depend for their livelihoods.

A plea from the representatives of the companies to 'Please help us' is
a statement of incompetence. They must know the law and they must know
that they are deliberately violating it. Fine them heavily or they will
never stop!

Regards to all
Keith


--- On *Fri, 17/10/08, Vern Weitzel /<vern.weitzel at gmail.com>/* wrote:

     From: Vern Weitzel <vern.weitzel at gmail.com>
     Subject: [enviro-vlc] Media: South Korean Company protests
     Vietnamese's media charges [over pollution from MSG plant]
     To: "[enviro-vlc discussion group]" <enviro-vlc at anu.edu.au>
     Received: Friday, 17 October, 2008, 3:47 PM

     enviro-vlc - Environment in Viet Nam and the Region
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     Subject: [vnnews-l] Media: South Korean Company protests Vietnamese's media
     charges
     Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:17:27 -0700 (PDT)
     From: Stephen Denney <sdenney at OCF.Berkeley.EDU>


     Posted : Wed, 15 Oct 2008

     Author : DPA

     www.earthtimes.org


     South Korean Company protests Vietnamese's media charges

     Hanoi, October 9, 2008 � A South Korean Monosodium Glutamate Company has
     raised
     its voice to protest Vietnamese's media charges in covering news to
     exaggerate
     its violations of Vietnamese environment laws, the company's officials said

     Thursday.

     South Kean monosodium glutamate company, Miwon Vietnam, makes about 30,000 tons

     of condiments a year, located in the Northern Province of Phu Tho has been
     accused by local media of its intentionally and seriously polluting Vietnamese
     environment.

     "I don't agree with the ways local media covering about us," said
     Yoon Suk Chun,
     CEO of the company "they don't cover news in a productive ways, but
     only want to
     kill us."

     Chun said that his company had signed a contract with the Center for Clean
     Water
     and Environment Technology Transfer of Ministry of Natural Resource and
     Environment in Hanoi to build the wastewater treatment system with an
     investment
     of nearly 8 million dollars, but the system was substandard, so the company had

     already terminated the contract with the center, and hired another consultant.
     The system was still in trial period, and that was the cause leading to its
     delay to treat the wastewater and violate Vietnam laws on environmental
     protections.

     Local media also accused Miwon of discharging some 150 cubic meters of
     wastewater into the Hong (Red) River through a substandard treatment system
     intentionally each day since late last year.

     On Thursday, they unanimously run stories to condemn Miwon, saying that Miwon
     has discharged contaminated water to the Red river between three to five times
     higher that allowed level and accused it of polluting environment for many
     years.

     "We admitted we have violated Vietnamese regulations on environment
     protection
     since last November, and not as serious as Taiwanese Vedan Company" said
     Yoon.
     "We ask local media to write the true and help us to correct our
     mistakes."

     "Local media should give us a chance to explain," said Bui Dinh
     Thang, Director
     of Miwon's Human Resource and administrative. "Don't label us
     (don't put a rope
     around us) before everything becomes clear."

     According to Tran Xuan Hai, Deputy Director of Phu Tho Department of Natural
     Resource and environment, the company had admitted its violations and committed

     quickly to overcome its wrongdoings and subject to any punishment in conformity

     with Vietnam's law.

     "We are summarizing the final result of our inspection and will release
     soon,"
     said Hai. "We may close the company's operations incase we find Miwon
     has badly
     violated our law."

     How ever, Ha said that he did not think Miwon had caused the consequence of
     environmental pollution as serious as Vedan and the company had only polluted
     the Red river for a year as it started milling cassava and other tubers
     directly
     at its company. Before that it imported milled materials from other countries,
     so it didn't need water to mill them and didn't discharge contaminated
     water to
     the Red river.

     According to the latest test result, samples of wastewater collected in October

     the six, were much cleaner than samples from one week earlier and praised the
     company for its quick response and responsibility to deal with the case, Ha
     said.

     Miwon' leader on Thursday said they were ready to answer local media
     provided
     that they must cover the true, and that they need local media to help them to
     correct their wrongdoings.

     "We want to do long-term business in Vietnam and also want to contribute
     our
     part to help Vietnam develop stronger and more sustainable," said Chun.
     "please
     give us a chance to explain and correct our mistakes."

     The news about dumping effluents comes in the wake of a major pollution scandal

     featuring Taiwanese MSG-maker Vedan Vietnam in southern Dong Nai Province,
     which
     was caught dumping around 105,600 cubic meters of untreated wastewater to the
     province's Thi Vai River.

     Vietnamese authorities on Wednesday said Vedan's factory in Dong Nai
     province
     was forced to halt all sewage discharges for six months and can only resume
     operation when it satisfies regulations on waste treatment.

     According to Vietnamese law, discharging pollution or toxic substances into
     water and failing to take environmental measures despite orders from government

     agencies is subject to a fine of between 300 and 3500 dollars for each
     violation, or between one and ten years of imprisonment.

       ENDS