A man in Thanh Hoa Province was threatened several times after bringing a case to light in which he claimed that a pesticide manufacturer dumped tonnes of untreated hazardous chemicals on local land.
Whistle-blower Le Dinh Son
Le Dinh Son, from Quan Phac Hamlet, Cam Van Commune, decided to lodge a complaint to provincial officials against Nicotex Thanh Thai Joint Stock Company after others sent several complaints to communal and district governments but saw no actions taken to deal with the problem.
After an investigation, the company was found to have dumped hazardous untreated chemicals in the commune and was fined over VND421 million (USD19,919). They were also forced to take measures to clean up the pollution.
To date, hundreds of chemicals and contaminated soil have been excavated, but the company refuses to allow it to be taken for treatment. The situation has forced local environmental agencies to temporarily halt excavation.
Local residents surrounded the company
Son said that to date people in Cam Van and Cam Tam Communes in Cam Thuy District as well as in Yen Lam Commune in Yen Dinh District cannot live a healthy and safe life because the company has taken no action to deal with the hundreds of excavated chemicals and soil over the past five months despite a firm request from the provincial government to do so.
He also said that, when the company was still in operation, all local residents in his hometown were aware of the pollution caused by the factories from the bad smell and because their animals died en masse and suffered stunted growth. After several inspections, however, the provincial Department of Environment and Natural Resources continued to say the impacts were still at acceptable levels.
Bees die from pollution
“I decided to report the case after hearing one retired official from the company say that they buried chemicals. I linked this detail with the fact that my 100 hives of bees gradually went away, pigs died and fish on over 2,000 square metres of ponds were stunted in growth,” Son said.
He said that after his complaint, many people did not believe him. Communal cadres and investigative agencies even threatened him and said that he would be held accountable if he was wrong.
“Our lives were full of worry during that time. Sometimes, I would not let my wife leave our home,” he said.
He added that at one point groups of strange young men riding motorbikes surrounded his home, threatening his life.
“When authorities could not find the places where the company dumped chemicals, the firm’s leaders continued to try to discredit local residents. But those same people kept silent and fled when everything was brought to light,” he commented.
In early January, Trinh Van Chien, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee decided to grant Son a certificate of merit for his bravery in bringing attention to the situation.
