Local authorities in Ha Tinh Province have remained powerless as dozens of local households in Huong Khe District destroyed nearly 200 hectares of forest for farming.
People destroy forest for farming
The land belonged to Huong Khe Rubber Company, headquartered in the province.
Tran Thanh Ha, General Director of the company, said they got approval from the provincial government to rent more 300 hectares of land in Hoa Hai Commune of Huong Khe District for rubber planting last year.
After completing related procedures and paying taxes worth VND3.4 billion (USD162,117), the company sent workers to prepare the land for rubber farming last November. Upon arriving they discovered that four local people had already destroyed over 15 hectares of the forest to grow wattle trees. These people tried to prevent the company’s workers from doing their jobs.
The company reported the case several times at multiple levels of the local government. Inspections by local authorities concluded that the destruction of land by local households, including several communal cadres, was illegal, but they have yet to work out an effective measure to help improve the situation.
Communal governments have even admitted that they are powerless to solve the matter and that more forestland had been illegally appropriated by locals since then.
Besides the illegal appropriations, locals of the commune have also made threats against the rubber company's workers and authorities who would enforce the law.
Apart from the forestland that has been leased to the company, there is an additional 400 hectares belonging to the commune. Authorities are considering allowing local residents land use rights for this area, but are first conducting an investigation.
Pham Huu Nhan, Chairman of Hoa Hai communal People’s Committee, admitted that they were rather slow in finding a solution, which has allowed the time for around 55 households to illegally acquire land owned by the company.
Nhan said that, as part of the efforts to improve the situation, a working group lead by Le Tran Sang was established on April 10. The group has yet to find a viable resolution to the matter.
Dinh Huu Tan, Chairman of Huong Khe district People’s Committee, agreed that the locals' actions were illegal and have caused losses to the company.
“We are planning to assign a force to prevent locals from entering the land they have appropriated in the time to come. I have hopes that the situation will improve before June,” Tan noted.
