Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung was heavily criticized by the public for his statements in which he blamed natural disasters for the consequences. He has also said that it is not objective if people blame the government.
Deputy PM Dung on October 30 complained about the press coverage of historic floods and storms in the Central region during the October regular meeting of the Government.
“High floods are caused by long heavy rains, and a lot of sun and rain – that’s the law of heaven and earth. Then the historical flood, it all has a frequency.
However, some newspapers reported non-objective information, such as an article saying ‘Hydropower plants in Nghe An simultaneously discharge water and caused flood to make people’s houses submerged’,” Luat Online newspaper quoted Mr. Dung as saying.
Mr. Dung argued that the water would rise in rain, without hydroelectricity, the stronger the water would increase, and the hydroelectricity would have to release overflowing water to ensure safety.
As for the problem of landslides, the Deputy Prime Minister also said that it is due to long periods of rain, water containing a lot of water, also known as full of water, making poor cohesion.
When there is additional impact, it will cause very strong landslides.
For example, in Quang Nam, when a storm is affected by local rain, the landslide is very strong.
“There is a lot of forest in that area, not there is no forest, you see the photos,” Mr. Dung said.
Mr. Dung also said that the forest cover area in Vietnam is now 40% compared to 25% in 1998, so some social networks or in the press blaming deforestation and hydropower dams for landslides is not objective.
“Rao Trang 3 hydropower plant, landslide is not on the hydroelectric side. Hydropower is still under construction. There are many other landslides without hydropower,” Mr. Dung continued to explain.
Dung also asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to coordinate with the Ministry of Construction to develop a medium-term public investment program to build flood and storm-proof houses in the Central region, he also asked scientists and ministries to speak up to avoid the government doing well but being criticized for doing nothing.
“Storms are the enemy, and landslides are hidden enemies that do not know when to appear, so responding is extremely difficult,” added Mr. Dung.
However, Ms. Nguyen Thuy Duong from Thu Thiem did not accept the DPM’s explanation.
“Deputy PM, keep your dignity!” Ms. Thuy Duong wrote on her personal Facebook.
“As a citizen of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, I ask Mr. Trinh Dinh Dung – Deputy Prime Minister to keep his dignity, as well as an honor for the People of the country. Because a lie or ignorance of a Deputy Prime Minister is an affront to the nation.
‘A landslide is an invisible enemy’ said Dung. With just this one statement, I propose to the National Assembly and the Government to immediately fire Mr. Trinh Dinh Dung. It must be precisely said that landslides causing serious consequences are visible and preventable.
Here I do not talk about forests, I tell him about the principles of state management, principles of natural disaster prevention. After 45 years of reunification, after the American help in disaster prevention to this day, Vietnam has not finished drawing the landslide map. What a joke!
Hundreds of trillion spent on disaster prevention, yet until now only 10 to 18 provinces have landslide maps but have not been finalized.
There are two possibilities for this statement: One is ignorant, the other is lying. Mr. Dung used to be the Minister of Construction, are you ignorant or are you lying? Or do you look at the common people, if you consider the people like cows to say, you don’t know right or wrong?
He is one of the key leaders of the nation, he must keep his dignity for himself and for the People. I am really disappointed and humiliated when the country has a Deputy Prime Minister like you, Mr. Dung!
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, in the last sessions of the National Assembly, dared to say the truth about the limitation of making a speech in the parliament’s meetings. She is a woman, although society always requires men and women equal, but clearly physically at birth, women are always limited in more ways than men. You are a man, would you be ashamed to lose to a woman? You don’t hold the honor of a head of state, should you at least keep the dignity of men?
Why in the end you can’t tell the truth? You cannot say ‘Apologize to people that this is our irresponsibility. We take responsibility, compatriots please forgive. Let’s do it all over again.’ Maybe you will be criticized, but it will usher in a positive change. And now …… late, ruined, Mr. Dung! Lie to the end or stupid forever?
You are not deserved to be being an official, unworthy, unworthy of any drop of water, the chair, the shoes that this country carries you.
Map of 18 provinces with landslide warning. Say it hidden where is hidden? Obviously the landslide can be controlled but it is not well done,” Ms. Nguyen Thuy Duong stated her opinion.
Regarding the tragic landslide incident in Tra Leng commune, since last year, there was an article warning the killing of the ancient forest of Tra Leng, Nam Tra My district, Quang Nam province, as an indication of the name clearly Vietnamese officials still ignore it as if it had never been heard before, but now it still excuses and cannot blame the people who are angry.
The article on Phu Nu newspaper on April 25, 2019 titled: Old forest in Tra Lieng destroyed, the content is as follows:
Dozens of old trees were cut down by the loggers to cut into beats and bring them to the gathering place. New and old traces are around a vast forest. However, the forest rangers said they were not aware of the situation.
Along the two sides of the road, large stumps of trees decades to hundreds of years old have been slaughtered with old and new traces. It took about 2 hours up the mountain, we finally found the place where the loggers were exploiting.
This place is like a big factory in the middle of the forest with large pieces of wood that have been cut, waiting for the day to move. Around that, dozens of large old tree stumps, with roots of 5-6 people who can’t help them, have been cut down. The sound of a whirlwind still resounded in a corner of the forest. Once detecting the presence of strange people, the forest loggers stopped and quickly snuck into the forest.
According to local people, logging has been going on for a very long time.
Another more shocking event was the cutting of Nine-track mountain for spiritual tourism and the construction of mountain villas for sale, all of which were properly legal with the consent of the Khanh Hoa provincial government.
“Spiritual tourism is the thing that localities push on to turn on the lights for real estate giants to seize nature,” using religion for making money. It is what many localities make up to be beautiful, a vanity beauty.
Spiritual tourism like Tam Chuc, the pagoda is full of big wooden trees in the embrace, the truss is full of solid and precious wood. Magnat Xuan Truong brought his wife’s statue inside to worship, and people went to worship normally.
It is painful for people who do not have faith but will be more pitiful for people who are blind.
No spirituality can save lost mortals. When the lives of our compatriots poured down, we understand that in each wood grain, each other spiritual block is so many souls.” journalist Nguyen Tien Tuong commented
The image of Collective Graves in peacetime in Tra Van commune, Nam Tra My district, Quang Nam province after a landslide caused many people to not hold back tears.
The article “Collect Coffins for Ordinary people” by journalist Truong Chau Huu Danh provided more information about this open deforestation.
Chin Khuc Mountain has a complete view of the coastline and Nha Trang Bay. From the foot of the mountain, you can easily connect to the city center via Vo Nguyen Giap Avenue and Phong Chau Street.
With this convenient location, Khanh Hoa Manufacturing and Construction Co., Ltd. (Khanh Hoa Company) has asked Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee for land allocation to build a 200-hectare ecological villa project.
After that, Khanh Hoa Company again applied for nearly 380 hectares of land to do a spiritual project on the top of Chin Khuc mountain, thereby increasing the total project area to 513 hectares.
According to Zing.vn, this is considered one of the largest spiritual projects in Vietnam, just a little less than the complex of Bai Dinh pagoda (Ninh Binh), which is 700 hectares wide.
But so far, the government still leaves the magnificent and expensive buildings and villas on the top of the mountain?” journalist Truong Chau Huu Danh stated his opinion.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
