About 30 households in Ky Anh Town, Ha Tinh Province, have signed a letter of complaint against the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment over the mass fish deaths in central region.

They also have help from lawyers to fight the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's decision to let Hung Hiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Limited Company discharge waste water into the sea.

Inspection of waste water treatment at Formosa

According to the letter, before issuing permit to Formosa, the ministry should gather opinions from the people who would be affected by the decision. And after the permit was issued, they must also inform the public. But in reality, the public don't know anything, they were unaware of the waste being discharged into the water, affecting their fishing grounds. It is also a violation of the law that the ministry didn't canvass public opinion first.

"It also contradicts the approved report on the environmental impact, and it badly affected our fishing activities," the letter continues.

According to the Article 6 of the Law on Water Resources and Article 2 of Decree 201 on Water Resources, discharges of more than 10,000 cubic metres a day must consult with the affected individuals and organisations first. Formosa was allowed to discharge 45,000 cubic metres a day.

Lawyer Tran Vu Hai said that the ministry had committed a violation and all related officials should be punished. That's why an investigation is needed.

"If they hadn't gathered people's opinions and faked documents about it then they should be prosecuted," he said.

Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Limited Company Chairman Chen Yuan Cheng issued an apology on June 30, admitting responsibility for the mass fish deaths in four central coastal provinces. Formosa since then paid USD250m, half of the compensation, and promised that it would resolve the environmental impacts.