Formosa Disaster Victim Advocacy
In April of 2016, Formosa Ha Tinh Steel dumped several metric tons of toxic waste into the ocean of Vietnam, resulting in the mass death of fish that were washed ashore along the coastline of five central provinces. Thousands of local residents lost their livelihoods and suffered greatly from the effects of exposure to toxic chemicals.
After months of large-scale public protests, Formosa admitted fault, but worked unilaterally with the Vietnamese government, and – without ever assessing the real damages – decided that 500 million USD was adequate compensation, which was then paid directly to the Vietnamese government, not the victims.
An international network of researchers and activists are working to document the evidence of Formosa Plastic Group's industrial pollution and worker intimidation tactics in order to develop an archive that could help preparing activists to advocate on behalf of victims in Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States.
Justice for Formosa’s Victims (JfFV) is a non-profit organization based in the United States whose mission is to seek financial compensation for victims of the 2016 marine disaster caused by toxic spills from a Formosa Plastics Corporation steel mill.
These materials are made available through the Formosa Plastics Global Archive Disaster STS Research Network.
Credit: Nancy Bui, Peter Nguyen Van Hung, Jobin, Paul, Tim Schütz, Shan-Ya Su, Hung-Yang Lin, Chia-Liang Shih, Wen-Ling Tu, and Kim Fortun. 2021. Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, Vietnam. Formosa Plastics Global Archive. Disaster STS Research Network.