Thank you for having me here again to express our deep concern for the victims of the 2016 environmental disaster in Vietnam caused by Formosa Hung Nghiep Steel Corporation, a subsidiary of the Formosa Plastic Group in Taiwan. Have you heard of or visited the magnificent Formosa, a museum worth hundreds of millions of dollars in Taiwan? If you do, you will not find stories like the one Diane and Dan just shared or the one I am about to tell you. The Formosa toxic spill, the largest ecological disaster in Vietnam’s history has resulted in tens of thousands of people losing their jobs, natural resources, environment, and livelihoods.

It has been more than eight years since the incident. Formosa dumped over 100 metric tons of toxic waste into the Vietnamese ocean, including cyanide, chlorine, mercury, and heavy metals.

This disaster killed hundreds of metric tons of fish along 250 km of coastline across four provinces, put almost 200,000 fishermen out of jobs, resulted in the death of one diver, caused hundreds of people to be hospitalized due to food poisoning, and prohibited fishing for at least two years.

Although Formosa offered $500 million in compensation, the Vietnamese government received the money as protection, not the victims. This payment did not assess the damages to the environment, people, their livelihoods, or the long-term impacts and recovery.

Many victims who suffered significant losses did not receive adequate compensation. They have filed lawsuits in Vietnam, only to face denial and violence when seeking legal recourse. Advocates who have spoken up for the victims have been unjustly imprisoned, with sentences as long as 20 years, further exacerbating the injustice.

Efforts to seek justice outside Vietnam, particularly in Taiwan, have also faced obstruction and intimidation from Vietnamese authorities. Individuals assisting victims with legal procedures have been threatened and summoned by authorities, impeding their ability to access international avenues for justice.

Although the Taiwanese government has lowered the requirements for authenticating the victims’ Power of Attorney (POA) by omitting the need for approval from the Vietnamese government, the victims still have to authenticate their POA at the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in Hanoi. Individuals taking the journey to complete this process encounter suppression and fierce retaliation from Vietnamese authorities, leaving the victims with no path toward justice.

Recent incidents, such as the aggressive interrogation and threats endured by Nguyen Thi Lanh at the hands of local authorities underscore the pervasive climate of fear and intimidation confronting those who seek justice. The heightened police presence, warnings issued to villagers, and the unjust labeling of efforts to assist victims in seeking justice as scams serve as stark evidence of the authorities’s systematic campaign to stifle dissent and deter victims from asserting their rights. Meanwhile, prisoners of conscience, including Nguyen Du Phung and Hoang Duc Binh continue to endure mistreatment in jail, further underscoring the urgent need for intervention to safeguard their rights and well-being.

According to the Vietnamese government’s records, over 30,000 people in the affected areas went overseas to countries like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and various European nations for labor work. To cover the high booking fee costs, they had to put their homes and properties up as collateral at the bank. Their working contracts typically last at least three years. As a result, their children often grow up without the presence of their parents, sometimes with both parents absent. These children live with grandparents or relatives, missing the care and guidance of their parents. For them, holidays are sad and solemn days. Many had to drop out of school because their parents could no longer afford the tuition. How can Formosa compensate for their lost childhood and compromised future?

We have made many advocacy efforts with Diane Wilson and Sharon Lavigne and the support of NGOs in Taiwan and the U.S, and the Vietnamese American communities, this includes Diane’s 30-day hunger strike and a 45-day occupation in front of The Formosa factory in Point Comfort requested dialogue to solve this problem. Our request has been refused for nonsensical reasons, such as because we have filed a lawsuit, and Formosa wants to avoid meeting with us.

Last night, in Taiwan, the Environmental Justice Foundation group of NGOs tirelessly advocated for the victims of Formosa. It revealed alarming information that severe pollution and workplace accidents at Formosa Ha Tinh Steel are ongoing issues. Reports from local and international media indicate that in October 2022, the company released thick yellow smoke detectable up to 10 kilometers away, polluting rainwater and severely affecting residents’ health and daily lives. Additionally, frequent workplace accidents have occurred, including an incident in August 2021 that resulted in the deaths of at least three workers and another in October 2022 that caused one death and two injuries. Also, Formosa is now Taiwan’s biggest buyer of charcoal from Russia. This indicates that for profit, Formosa is willing to support an invaded war condemned by nearly the entire global community.

Tonight, members of the Monitor Formosa Alliance will attend the Formosa annual shareholder meeting in Taiwan to call for market sanctions against Formosa’s greenwashing and demand accountability and adherence to global sanction trends.

Last May 14th, Ms. Patti Gossman, the Asia Associate Director of Human Rights Watch published a statement criticizing the Vietnamese government for their human rights violations and urging the Taiwanese government to consider this lawsuit not as a routine one, but as a case where the human rights of the plaintiffs were severely violated. She stated, "Given the

In the extraordinary situation in Vietnam, Taiwan’s courts should consider other methods of notarization and extend the submission deadline, which is currently at the end of this week. The courts should not compound injustice by accommodating Vietnamese government repression.

Recently, we concluded that: “Nobody can stop Formosa, but people like you can. If banks do not fund Formosa and you do not buy their products, we can change how Formosa does business to protect people’s health and the environment for our current and future generations.”

Without your help, Formosa will continue with business as usual. As per the presentation from Mr. Darryl Malex Willey and Mr. Robert Taylor, the residents of Saint James Parish, do not need another Formosa plastic plant in their Cancer Alley. The Vietnamese Ocean needs to be restored; victims need to be compensated so they can rebuild their families and communities, and the Point Comfort residents deserve to live in a healthy environment like before Formosa came.

After tireless advocacy from IMFPA and support from NGOs, including a congressional briefing and a rally in front of the White House Representative Zoe Lofgren is circulating a sign-on letter in Congress and the Senate. The letter urges the Vietnamese government to stop all retaliation against the victims and allow them to complete their paperwork as required by the court freely. It also asks the Taiwanese government to recognize this lawsuit is not routine but a severe human rights violation and to find a way to notarize documents that do not harm the plaintiffs, enabling them to access justice and have the opportunity to rebuild their family and community.

We hope you sign the petition and contact your representatives and senators to support this cause. Here is the link to sign.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support!

Nancy Bui, Founder/VP of External Affairs
Justice for Formosa’s Victims Association