Hanoi(VNA) – Infringements and defects committed by the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment’s Party Civil Affairs Committee and individualsinvolved in the Formosa fish deaths were serious and must be punished,announced the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission.

In aFebruary 23 announcement of the results of the commission’s 11th meetingfrom February 15-17, the commission concluded that from 2008-16 the ministry’sParty Civil Affairs Committee was irresponsible in exercising their leadership,carried out insufficient inspections and supervision and let infringementsoccur in assessment of environmental impacts, and adjustment of waste waterdischarge location and State management of the Formosa Ha Tinh project.

Hung NghiepFormosa Ha Tinh Steel Company was responsible for mass fish deaths in thefour central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue inApril last year.

Theenvironmental incident left hundreds of fish dead and affected the livelihoodsof hundreds of thousands of locals.

Responsibilityfor the offences belongs to former Party Central Committee member, formersecretary of the Party Civil Affairs Committee and former environment ministerNguyen Minh Quang; former Party Civil Affairs Committee member, former deputyminister and former head of the Vietnam Environment Administration Bui Cach Tuyen;and former Party Civil Affairs Committee member and former deputy minister NguyenThai Lai, who was directly responsible for violations in the fields he was incharge of, according to the document.

Thedocument indicated that during the 2004-11, and 2011-16 terms, the Party CivilAffairs Committee of the Ha Tinh provincial People’s Committee wasirresponsible in exercising leadership, instruction and management, and carriedout insufficient inspections and supervision in project implementation, whichgave rise to violations in appraising, approving, licensing and performingState management of the project.

Vo Kim Cu,who served as Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Secretary ofthe Party Civil Affairs Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’sCommittee in the 2011-16 period; and as Vice Chairman of the provincialPeople’s Committee cum Head of the Vung Ang Economic Zone Management Board from2008-10 must take responsibility for the infringements.

Othersalso responsible include Head of the Vung  Ang Economic Zone Management Board for 2010-16Ho Anh Tuan, and former Party Civil Affairs Committee members Dang Quoc Khanh,Duong Tat Thang and Nguyen Nhat.

Theprovincial Party Committee’s Standing Board was said to be irresponsible inleading, instructing, examining, and supervising activities of the Party CivilAffairs Committee of the provincial People’s Committee during theimplementation of the Formosa Ha Tinh project.

Thewrongdoings of the province’s Party Civil Affairs Committee and Vo Kim Cu, andHo Anh Tuan were serious, the document said.

The PartyCentral Committee’s Inspection Commission also announced that Party CentralCommittee member and former Secretary of Binh Dinh province’s Party CommitteeNguyen Văn Thien, and former Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committeeand head of the province’s National Assembly deputies delegation Le Kim Toanmust take responsibility for defects and infringements committed by theprovincial Party Committee’s Standing Board in recruiting, planning, promotingand accrediting several officials contrary to State regulations.

Theinspection commission requested the Government’s Party Civil Affairs Committeeinstruct an overall inspection of the equitisation of Binh Dinh province’s QuyNhơn Port.-VNA