Taiwanese-owned MSG maker Vedan Vietnam offered to pay only a fifth of the compensation claims made by farmers of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, who were victims of the company’s untreated wastewater discharge two years ago.
In a statement issued to relevant agencies in the province on June 2, Vedan said it would pay a damage of VND10 billion (US$526,000) to the affected farmers in the southern province’s Tan Thanh District.
Earlier, the provincial People’s Committee requested Vedan to pay VND53 billion as compensation for 1,255 households there but the company rejected the claim.
Previously, Vedan also offered to pay a total damages of VND25 billion to farmers in Ho Chi Minh City, and Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provinces.
The amount includes VND7 billion each for HCMC and Dong Nai, VND6 billion for Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and the rest for a social welfare fund.
The Dong Nai Farmers’ Association turned down the offer and recently, Vedan increased its proposed compensation amount to VND15 billion, which was accepted by the association.
Meanwhile, HCMC People’s Committee has issued an official document that claims nearly VND45.7 billion ($2.4 million) in damages from Vedan for 839 households engaged in fishing and aquaculture in Can Gio District's Can Thanh Commune.
In 2008, Vedan was found releasing its untreated wastewater in large quantities into the Thi Vai River in the southern province of Dong Nai, causing serious pollution problems to the environment and great losses to fishermen and farmers in Dong Nai and Ba-Ria-Vung Tau provinces, and HCMC.
