Discussing proposed amendments to Law on Minerals, deputies lamented the loss of natural resources caused by loose management and the impact of mining on the environment and people’s lives.

VietNamNet Bridge – Discussing proposed amendments to Vietnam’s Law on Minerals on June 16, National Assembly deputies lamented the loss of natural resources caused by loose management and the impact of mining on the environment and people’s lives.

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Deputy Nguyen Thi Duong said that where there are mines, the life of local people is harder. Roads are destroyed, the environment devastated, unemployment is high and social evils are rampant in these places. Duong proposed that mining firms be required to compensate local people for these harmful effects.

Deputy Tran Dinh Nha (Vung Tau) said that the nearly 450 mines in Vietnam affect the life of million people. In Quang Ninh, Vietnam’s kingdom of coal, air pollution is very serious. People who live near gold mines are suffer from toxic chemicals. “People who live near mines are not just poor. They are frightened when they learn that they are living on the land that has mineral resources,” Nha said.

In Nha’s analysis, mining activities don’t benefit the state and the people, but only the mining companies. Though the state has huge mineral assets, less than 3.5 percent of GDP comes from sales of minerals, and at the same time, the state has to spend a lot to build roads, bridges and ports, not to mention ‘invisible spending’ to care for people whose health has been damaged by mining activities. Compared to these expenses, Nha said, the severance taxes and environmental fees the miners pay are very low.

Nha concluded that the law must declare minerals to be the national resources of the people, and require that their exploitation benefit the state, the people and miners.

Deputy Tran Huu The (Phu Yen) worried about wastage in managing minerals, especially illegal exports of sand and titanium. Deputy The warned that sand exports cause Vietnam to lose the equivalent of half a square kilometer of land each year.

Deputy Vu Thi Phuong Anh (Quang Nam) proposed to strike out an amendment that would allow companies to sell mining rights. Anh argued that mining companies ought to return the licence in case they don’t implement the projects.

Deputy Nguyen Lan Dung (Dak Lak) said Vietnam is not a poor country in terms of minerals. Still, he said, it has many minerals that the world doesn’t lack and it doesn’t have many that the world really needs. In Dung’s view, Vietnam’s investment in mining activities is excessive, and just serves to increase other nation’s stocks of resources.

“We’ve exported over 40 percent of our coal, 50 percent of our petrol,” Dung said. “Just like Nigeria, we’re finding out that we can’t get rich by exporting our natural resources.”

Deputies Dinh Quang and Le Quoc Dung said the law should not address the Strategy on Mineral Resources as in Article 30.

Deputies Tran Van Tan and Do Manh Hung pointed to inconsistencies in existing legal documents on mineral exploration and extraction.

“There should be a separate article that requires individuals or organisation licensed to carry out exploration and extraction activities to comply with all the laws, particularly the law on environment.”

Deputy Luu Thi Chi Lan asked the drafting committee to revise Article 7 to make it more specific about local people’s benefits, and thus avoid possible conflicts.

Deputies Le Quoc Dung and Nguyen Duc Hien (Quang Ngai) and others asked the drafting committee to specify punishment mechanisms for illegal mining and and to limit the export of raw minerals.

The Law on Minerals has 11 chapters with 87 articles. Amendments to the Law are expected to be passed at the next session of the National Assembly late this year.

PV