VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is considering additional measures to enforce an administrative decision issued against a Taiwan-invested plant making monosodium glutamate (MSG).

The plant allegedly continues to pump waste water into the Thi Vai River in Dong Nai Province despite a ministry decision last month to fine its owner, Vedan.

This was announced by the director of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Le Viet Hung.

Vedan has yet to pay the fine, said Hung, which was set at VND267.5 million (US$16,718) plus past-due environmental protection fees of VND127 billion.

The ministry decision setting the fine identified 12 violations of environmental protection laws by Vedan, including discharge of waste water at five to 10 times permitted volumes, lax management of toxic wastes, and insufficient documentation.

To enforce the decision, Vedan’s licence to discharge waste water was suspended, Hung said.

Under current law, a violation of environmental law by a business is a civil violation, subject only to administrative sanctions.

Repeated violations, however, reflecting intent by business management, make violations subject to criminal liability, said Nguyen Van Khoa, a lawyer with the Hai Phong Local Association.

A representative of Vedan’s public relations department yesterday refused to comment on the firm’s current waste water dumping operations.

However, he said that the company would try to correct its mistakes as soon as possible as it had removed its underground pipeline system, a system not in compliance with the terms of the company’s licence to discharge waste water.

(Source: Viet Nam News)