[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.16]Hundreds of people demonstrated in Vietnam on Sunday
[00:04.48]against a company they accuse of
[00:07.20]killing large numbers of fish along the country's central coast.
[00:13.32]Some demonstrators criticized Vietnam's government
[00:17.56]for reacting slowly to a major environmental disaster.
[00:23.04]An official investigation has found no links
[00:26.80]between the fish kill and a steel plant operating along the coast.
[00:32.80]The factory belongs to a Taiwanese company, Formosa Plastics.
[00:38.68]Public anger against the company was evident  at the recent demonstration in Hanoi.
[00:46.84]Protesters carried signs reading,
[00:49.88]"Formosa destroying the environment is a crime"
[00:53.80]and "Who poisoned the central region's waters?"
[00:58.72]Others signs said, "Formosa out of Vietnam!"
[01:02.76]and criticized Vietnamese officials for failing to take action.
[01:08.92]Demonstrations are rare in Vietnam.
[01:13.28]Police are usually quick to suppress them.
[01:17.56]Last weekend, police officers cleared traffic to let demonstrators march
[01:23.40]near a big lake in the center of Hanoi.
[01:26.92]Huge numbers of dead fish have appeared at fish farms
[01:31.36]and along the central coast since April 6.
[01:36.24]The dead fish include rare species that live in deep water, far from land.
[01:43.96]The fish kill has affected 200 kilometers of coastland
[01:48.48]in four provinces, with no known cause.
[01:52.52]At first, the environmental disaster was thought to have resulted from industrial waste.
[01:58.92]Some Vietnamese and environmental activists believe it came from the huge steel plant.
[02:06.56]Last week, Vietnamese officials said they failed to find evidence linking the fish kill to the factory.
[02:15.52]Tran Hong Ha, the top environmental official,
[02:19.16]apologized for the government's reaction to the large fish kill.
[02:24.16]He demanded that the Taiwanese company dig up a waste pipe at the steel project
[02:30.56]so the government can study the waste.
[02:34.52]At first, the government said the cause of the fish kill could be a "red tide."
[02:40.72]Red tides happen naturally when algae become so numerous that they discolor coastal waters.
[02:50.08]The organisms remove oxygen from the water.
[02:54.40]They can also release toxic substances that may sicken animals and human beings.
[03:01.76]The government also said that the fish kill could have resulted from chemicals released by humans.
[03:10.24]A comment by a Formosa official helped to fuel public anger in Vietnam.
[03:16.68]The official reportedly said that the country had to choose between catching fish and shrimp,
[03:23.84]and building a modern steel industry.
[03:27.80]Reports on Facebook say several hundred protesters marched in Ho Chi Minh City.
[03:34.48]However, state-controlled media have yet to report on any of the demonstrations.
[03:42.60]Social media and witnesses said protests also took place in central Vietnam last Friday.
[03:50.92]They said fishermen threw fish on a road after failing to sell their catch.
[03:57.72]The Reuters news service could not confirm the incident.
[04:02.96]On Saturday, the government ordered the trade and agriculture ministries
[04:08.48]to help buy seafood caught during deep-sea fishing.
[04:12.84]I'm Jonathan Evans.