Cause of mass fish death officially announced

Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation was found to have released discharges containing harmful chemicals, resulting in the mass fish deaths.

 Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tiến Dũng said Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation had committed the violation when operating their plant. The waste water discharged by the corporation contained chemicals such as phenol and cyanide, which were combined with hydroxide. The compound caused the death of at around 100 tonnes of fish in 4 central provinces.

Mai Tien Dung, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office said: "Governmental agencies have consulted scientists in Vietnam and other countries and reached a conclusion that the violation and problems in the construction and operation of Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation were the cause of serious environmental pollution that led to mass fish deaths in provinces from Tĩnh Province to Thừa Thiên-Huế in April".

Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation admitted liability for the mass fish death, and made an official apology. The firm said it would pay 500 million US dollars in compensation to residents, offer support for alternative employment and attempt to address environmental damage in the affected provinces.

Truong Minh Tuan, Minister of Information and Communications said: "As I said in the previous press conference, the announcement of who caused the mass fish death incident needed investigations for evidence. The process requires co-operation between governmental agencies and scientists and local residents. I would like to repeat that the result of the investigation is objective, based on evidence and free of unnecessary things".

The government has requested the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation to install a system that monitors environmental conditions and publicise its work.

When informed of the mass fish deaths, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc ordered agencies to provide support to locals affected by the incident; and to work with scientists to identify the cause and perpetrator of the environmental incident.