Green Trees Vietnam

4. To seek support from international organizations in protecting the environment and human rights, building capacity for civil society to attain sustainable development in Vietnam. 

Photos taken during the afternoon event:

                                          Picture 14: Photo after the end of the event

After burning 4-5% of the U-235 isotope, a small fraction of U-238 is metabolized, the fuel rod after use has more than 90% U-238, the rest are fission products. 

All of them remain in the fuel rod, which is brought out and put into the reservoir for 2-3 years before it is transported to storage. Once removed from the reactor, two radioactive layers, including the "circulation loop" and the "storage house" have been lost, so that the fuel is still counted as an anti-radiation layer. What is a fission product? In the thousands of fuel rods disposed, are there no bars leaking? 

The answers to these questions are only probability-related. The radiation level of the spent fuel rod is several times higher than that of the new fuel rod, which proves that fission products are radioactive (also partially stable). Especially produced fission products in the gas, accumulating and compressing inside the closed fuel rod. The spent fuel rods still emit 5-7% more residual heat compared to those in the reactor and are decreased over time, requiring refrigeration. There is the probability that some of the radioactive materials that emit the neutron primer for the remaining fission in the fuel rods of U-238 / Pu-239 are horrible. 

Then the spent fuel was separated from the fuel rod, boxed and put into a silo for about 50 years. Another idea is to throw these emissions into space, or the sun, which in itself is the source of gamma rays. But it's a wasteful idea knowing that the U-238's neutron generation can still be used, and uranium mining is not easy. The process of nuclear waste recycling requires a high level of education and costs, depending on the countries and their safety standards. 

Currently, only Russia has a full line of closed systems from fuel extraction> fuel production> power generation> treatment> recycling> and nuclear material reuse. 

So how many nuclear power plants each year? 

Each unit with a VVER 1000/1200 reactor with a capacity of 1000MW / 1200MW has 163 fuel bundles, each bundle has 312 fuel rods (corresponding to 505 kg / 530 kg uranium). Every year (after 7,000 operating hours) the unit replaces one third of the fuel bundle. 

So each year a unit generates 54 to 55 fuel bundles, corresponding to 27.3 to 29.2 tons of waste (of which more than 90% is U-238 can be re-used if there is enough technology). The volume of waste taken out of the fuel rod is only about 45-50% of this volume. 

Affected nature factors and expensive lessons from Fukushima 

Looking back 6 years ago (03/2011 - 03/2017) on the earthquake and the tsunami disaster in Sendai coastal city, Fukushima prefecture. This magnitude 9 earthquake led to the 39-meter-high tsunami disaster off Japan's Tohoku coast left more than 16,000 dead, over 6,000 injured in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima provinces, about 2,600 people missing, and nearly 200,000 people homeless. Although the Japanese strongly re-established the country, progress was not as fast as the government's initial plan. 

According to the latest statistics of the Government of Japan, more than 3,400 survivors of the 2011 disaster have died of health-related disasters. Fukushima Prefecture accounts for 58%. 

The consequences of radioactive leakage 

The March 11 earthquake also caused a double disaster when tsunamis destroyed three of the six nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plant, causing radiation to spread out, forcing more than 160,000 people who live within an 18 mile radius around the factory evacuate. Nearly 250,000 people still live in temporary houses, while hundreds of square kilometers of agricultural, forestry and village land are left vacant due to the effects of radiation. The surrounding countryside is filled with radiation-filled radioactive plastic bags packed into mountains. 

The level of radiation around the Fukushima nuclear power plant is 10 times higher than normal. A number of villages and towns are closed, despite large-scale clean-up efforts. Japanese officials said that the recovery process in the worst affected area was very slow. Especially in Iitate Village, Fukushima Prefecture. Initially, the village chief said that people did not have to fear radiation because they were 19 miles from Fukushima nuclear power plant, however, several days later, the entire evacuation order was issued when the radiation index increased. Now, villagers are only allowed to go home during the day, but do not stay overnight or permanently move back. Previously the village has more than 6,000 people, but now only a few hundred people returned to the village during the day. 

Mr. Muneo Kanno, who owns a farm in Iitate Village, now head of the volunteer radioactive monitoring group, said: "The scene in the village is now gloomy. At night, the village is without lights, during the day, monkeys and wild pigs wander in the village."

The latest assessment by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan says that the pollution treatment (including cleanup of radioactive substances) following the 11 March 2011 nuclear disaster, is still taking place in many cities. The NHK television report shows that, out of the 43 cities in Fukushima Prefecture, only 14 cities are completely clean. 

Currently, the remediation of the No. 1 Fukushima nuclear power plant is still at its earliest stages. They estimated it would take more than thirty or forty years to complete the workload. Three former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), along with the factory owner, have been charged with irresponsibility in ensuring safeguards to prevent the nuclear disaster in 2011. 

Flooded radioactive contaminated water 

The earthquake and tsunami disaster that occurred in March 2011 damaged the reactor cooling system at the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant. Tokyo Electric Power Company pumped seawater into it's cooling system, this resulted to the reactors,storing contaminated water into the plant. Nearly 800,000 tons of contaminated water is stored in more than 1,000 basins at the Fukushima plant, which has no treatment plans.

According to Kyodo news agency, in one hour, a puddle of radiation capable of radiating up to 100 millisieverts. "100 millisieverts per hour is equivalent to a high level of radiation in which direct exposure to the workers in the nuclear industry, would make them suffer for five years," said Masayuki Ono, chief executive of TEPCO. 

There is a group of workers surrounded by a leaky basin trying to block and suck the water out of the sandbags. BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes said: "It is hard work and dangerous." 

Effects of radiation on animals and plants 

The impact of atomic radiation is not only harmful to humans, but also affects plants and animals. In one study, zoologists examined 61 monkeys living about 70 km away from the site of the radioactive leak and 31 monkeys living on the Shimokita Peninsula about 400 km away. The results showed that the monkeys in the first location were found to be positive for Caesium (a chemical element in the periodic table with the symbol Cs), concentration in the soil and at their lips. 

Japanese monkeys have a habit of bathing in hot springs, eating tree tops and bark where Caesium can accumulate at high concentrations during winter. Blood abnormalities can make them susceptible to infectious diseases. The monkeys living in areas affected by radiation from the Fukushima nuclear power plant have a high number of red blood cells and white blood cells with marked hemoglobin (hemoglobin) levels. This study was conducted for monkeys, however its results will put a strong pressure on Tokyo Electric Power Company.

Earlier this year, a fish was caught carrying 2.58 times as much radioactive Caesium as possible for any seafood in the bay near the main Fukukshima plant. Another report also found that, until now, the amount of radiation absorbed by fish caught off the coast of Fukushima has not decreased.

A Korean website also posted a series of pictures of dehydrated fruits and vegetables with the comment that they were the product of the Fukushima disaster. 

It can be said that the catastrophic radiation leakage at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011 has caused long-lasting consequences. In addition, people, animals, and plants in the affected area by radioactivity also varied abnormally

Green Trees ( Fb Cao Vinh Thinh )

Green Trees ( FB. Trinh Anh Tuan)

                                                            Picture: VietBest

1. Environment after the disaster

According to many experts, this environmental disaster will cause the whole ecosystem of the central sea area to be severely damaged and it will take several dozen to hundreds of years to recover. According to a brief report of Dan Viet and Saigon Giai Phong, coral reefs in the waters of Quang Binh were completely destroyed. There is no scientific guarantee that the sea is safe except for the unfounded statements made by some leaders such as Truong Hoa Binh and Mai Tien Dung. Repeatedly, there are suspicious red marks appearing around the Vung Ang area near Formosa. In an independent study, the Green Trees, an environmental group, issued a test of seawater from the Ky Ha seashore in Kyushu in February 1974, indicating toxicity is very dangerous. Most recently, on 4/4/2017, a suspicious reddish patch of water appeared at the Vung Ang jetty just in time for a central environmental inspection mission in Formosa.

As soon as receiving compensation from Formosa, the government announced that it would use the proceeds to clean the sea. However, a year has elapsed, and no information has been confirmed that the government has taken steps to restore the marine environment.

The handling of dead fish at the coast as well as the handling of thousands of tons of contaminated seafood in frozen warehouses is also extremely weak. Hundreds of tons of dead fish are buried only through manual methods. Most of the contaminated seafood is not destroyed properly and scientifically. According to an article in Dan Tri and the Solidarity, hundreds of tons of jellyfish stored in frozen warehouses in Thach Kim and Thach Bang communes are now smelly, but the authorities still do not guide and assist people to destroy it safely. These damaged jellyfish is smelly, affecting the health and morale of the local people.

The fishermen also confirmed that the number of fish and shrimp in the sea they catch has decreased significantly compared to the previous year. There is no specific research report on this issue, but with the number of dead fish not only washed ashore last year but also died in the seabed, the decline is highly likely.

After a year had gone by, environmental hazards have not only not been resolved, but fears continue as Formosa continues to operate. As expected, when put into production, the amount of waste pouring into the environment will be many times greater than the test run polluting in 2016.

2. Economy

As reported by the Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 28, 2012, the Formosa disaster damaged 0.3% of GDP. With $ 200 billion in GDP in 2016, the overall damage to the national economy last year was $ 600 million, more than the amount of government compensation received from Formosa. Earlier, in July 2016, the government announced preliminary damage to the disaster with more than 200,000 workers and 17 600 fishing vessels affected; 9 million shrimp seed died; Tourism production is less than 50%, many places only 10-20%, ...

Provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Nghe An all reported their own damage with very large numbers. In the report at the People's Council meeting, Dang Quoc Khanh, Chairman of Ha Tinh People's Committee announced that GDP growth was at -17.06%. For a province where budget revenues in 2015 are more than $ 10 trillion, this is a catastrophic figure. The growth rate of Quang Binh was only 4.2% against the target of 8%. For Quang Tri, the report put forward a monthly loss of 98 billion VND. Thua Thien Hue reported a loss of 988.5 billion VND. Nghe An, a province not compensated by the Government Decision, also proposed a VND 415 billion support.

At present, with the concern about food safety and hygiene, the price of aquatic products compared to previous year, only ½ makes the profit from fishing and aquaculture while tourism and sea trade is still in a very poor condition. Other marine related professions also continue to be affected. According to preliminary statistics, the number of unemployed is 40,000 people, of which Ha Tinh is 24,500 people. The government intends to send the population to work abroad. However, the export of labor is difficult because many labor export markets such as Korea and Taiwan are limited because of the high number of export laborers who stay away. Therefore, people seek to cross Laos and Thailand labor underground. State media reported that by the beginning of 2017, the number of people in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces who flocked to acquire passports have increased, numbering to more than 500 people per day per province.
The economic impact of the Formosan catastrophe will not only take place in 2016, but will inevitably affect the next few years. The socio-economic reports of the central provinces and the country in the quarter 1/2017 compared with the same period last year were down sharply.

3. Politics

It is clear that the Formosa disaster was caused by the management, licensing, and operation of the central and local government. However, the lack of transparency and ignorance, together with the mishandling of personal delinquency caused delays showed signs of protection, has led to the belief towards the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

The disaster started in early April last year, with much information from the people and the press. On April 12, Dang Ngoc Son told the press that eating fish is still safe while in the midst of the mass death of the fishes. On April 27, 2016, Mr. Vo Tuan Nhan, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, responded that the cause of the mass death of the fish was due to red tide. On April 28, Chu Xuan Pham, Deputy Director of External Relations of Formosa Ha Tinh, answered Lan Anh, VTC14 reporter saying "Picking steel or picking fish?" These two events have caused public outrage. A series of protests took place in Hanoi, Saigon, and Nghe An. To make matters worse, these protests were faced with drastic repression in Hanoi and Saigon. Instead of focusing on Formosa, protesters rushed in reaction to the government as they said the government was lacking transparency in dealing with disasters and covering up Formosa.

On June 30, 2016, the government announced that the main culprit was Formosa Ha Tinh, which had polluted the ocean.

At the same time, the government claimed to receive $ 500 million in compensation from Formosa. This statement has made the public outraged again because they think that the disaster settlement cost would be at least several hundred billion dollars and the amount of $ 500 million is too little. This response is well founded when Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's year-end report shows that the disaster has lost 0.3% of GPD. With about $ 200 billion in GDP in 2016, the annual loss of $ 600 million is greater than the amount received by the government from Formosa. At the same time, not to mention the amount of compensation for the people, the administrative costs to serve the compensation process, the cost of cleaning the sea as well as the damage continues for the following years. The $ 500 million received by the government from Formosa became an offensive topic and talk from the public when the government did not take into account the entire damage as well as the consultation of the people and the experts. People became skeptical about the state's ability to lead when it received too little money for a serious law offense, then commits little of it, and then brushes away responsibility.

After receiving money from Formosa, the government announced that it would complete the compensation for residents in August 2016. However, the promise was moved to October, then December, and now the promise continues to 6/2017. The process of compensation is very slow and people in many places claim that the compensation is unfair causing chaos to local villages. A series of continuous protests have been held continuously since October until 4/2017. People quickly and promptly demanded compensation in Quang Trach (Quang Binh), Ky Lo, Ky Ha, Ky Phuong, Ky Nam (Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh). Many times stalled for several hours. The commune, district and provincial administrative organs are almost gathering people for compensation every day. The situation is so serious that Dang Ngoc Son, vice chairman of Ha Tinh province, had to issue a written request and blame the district and commune for not allowing people to pull up the PPC for money. However, complaints and grievances have not diminished despite the fact that the local media reported that people agreed with the compensation. On 3/4/2017, thousands of people in Thach Bang and Thach Kim communes (Loc Ha district, Ha Tinh province) took over Loc Ha district People's Committee to claim compensation. That same day, people in Ky Phuong, Ky Nam (TX Ky Anh) protested and blocked traffic on Highway 1A for over 6 hours in Deo Con area, Ky Anh. Meanwhile, the opposition who are complaining about the compensation will continue to increase because of the inability of the administration to handle a dialogue with the local people.

Meanwhile, Nghe An, a province not included in the government compensation list, supports requests from the central level to the central government were not approved. Affected fishermen who received no compensation. Therefore, they initiated a lawsuit against Formosa Ha Tinh to the United States Courts in Texas where Formosa is located. However, the authorities sought not to accept this lawsuit. 506 of the people of An Hoa commune (Quynh Luu) were returned by the court for no good reason. More than 1,000 other residents in Quynh Ngoc, Quynh Tho and Son Hai communes (Quynh Luu) were arrested on the way to Ky Anh to file suits and were suppressed by the government.

The Formosa catastrophe had caused great economic losses, affecting the current and future environment; along with the lack of transparency, weakness and lack of respect for the people; coupled with the suspicion of a cover up, the political situation in the affected provinces became very unstable. The government has not made any specific disclosure of Formosa's 53 errors, which made suspicion increase. Never before has the ability to run and manage the government has been tarnished as severe as today. Indications for positive change will not exist as long as the authorities do not recognize their mistakes and until they initiate a thorough change in running the country today

Green Trees ( FB. Trinh Anh Tuan )

- Phạm Hà -

In September, 2016, Pham Sy Quy was appointed as Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Yen Bai province. Photo Resource Resources Environment.

This abrupt decision, granting 6 Land Title Transfer Request in one day, adds 13,577 m2 to the family of the Director of the Department of Natural Resources, is an immense block of land in Minh Tan Ward.

The land titles are interestingly named under Mr. Quy's wife, Hoang Thi Hue, born in 1975, resident of 51, Minh Tan Ward, Yen Bai City.

The grounds that Vice Chairman of Yen Bai People's Committee based his decision on is the Decision No. 666 / QD-UBND dated 12/5/2014 of the People's Committee of Yen Bai province which allows "the approval of adjustment of regulations Land use planning up to 2020 and the 5 year land use plan (2011 - 2015) of Yen Bai city ".

The Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, where Mr Quy is the Director, is the lead agency that coordinates with other relevant agencies in making and adjusting the plan for land use of the region. 

The land of Mr. Quy's family, with works that many local people have admired, and praised. Photo of Hai Ninh


Decision No. 666 / QD-UBND dated 12/5/2014 of the People's Committee of Yen Bai province states the "Agency as the owner" and only mentions "people", not any specific family.

The "total projected area" is 2.98 hectares, of which 03 hectares is paddy land, while the rest is 2.68 hectares. The decision also specifies the time of implementation.

Thus, Mr. Quy's family went ahead of the "people" when in July 2015 they completed the conversion of the 2.68 hectares of "other land" that should've been allocated to the people but instead has been monopolized by the said official, which is more than 1.3 hectares (accounting for nearly 50%) of the area.

One of the proponents of these decisions is the Chief of Natural Resources and Environment of Yen Bai City which is Mr. Quy's subordinate.

In an interview conducted by the Vietnam Education Newspaper, Mr. Pham Sy Quy initially denied allegations of land grabbing.

"It's not my house. Why do I have so much land?" Mr. Quy said.

When asked whether: "His wife's name is Hoang Thi Hue and if she was born in 1975?, Mr. Quy again exclaimed: "Hue is my wife, but the land is not mine ...".

During the course of the interview,after the reporter presented "indisputable" evidence, the new Director of the Department of Natural Resources acknowledged that this was his family land and that he was himself "accountable" to the provincial leaders. .

On the same day, Mr. Nguyen Van Khanh, Vice Chairman of Yen Bai People's Committee confirmed that this is the family land of Mr. Pham Sy Quy, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

"I have learned this and the province is also asking the People's Committee of Yen Bai City and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to clarify the process and procedures for conversion. The province is also asking Mr. Quy to explain the report ... "Khanh said.

Vietnam's Education Newspaper correspondent also worked with Mr. Do Duc Duy, the Chairman of People's Committee of Yen Bai province. Although he was aware of the content that the media was verifying, Mr. Duy refused to speak and instructed reporters to speak with the provincial chief instead. "The fact is that Mr. Pham Sy Quy, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Yen Bai Province, "overtook" more than 13,000 square meters of forest land and fishery land and converted them to residential land for the construction of large-scale structures was acceptable? Who is standing out shielding, let the authorities and individuals do so?

On 09/9/2016, Pham Sy Quy (b. 1971) was succeeded by Pham Thi Thanh Tra, now president of the People's Committee of Yen Bai Province (now Tra is the Secretary of the Yen Bai Provincial Party Committee). Appointed as Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Pham Thi Thanh Tra said in the press that her appointment of Mr. Quy was a statutory act in the position she was in, not an individual decision. "The appointment process is extremely tight, nothing to call love in this case," Tra said.

- Hai Ninh -
 

There is no sense of responsibility.