DPP legislator returns from Vietnam

Taiwanese legislator Su

Taiwanese legislator Su

Su, who arrived in Vietnam July 31, had her passport and boarding pass confiscated at No Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Aug. 2, when she was set to board a domestic flight to Vinh City in Nghe An province to visit a steel plant owned by Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) in neighboring Ha Tinh province.

Focus Taiwan, August 4, 2016

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) returned to Taiwan Thursday from a trip to Vietnam, during which she was held for nine hours at a local airport.

When asked in a news conference if the incident would affect the government’s “New Southbound Policy,” Su said diplomacy involves two dimensions: relationships between countries and friendship and trust between countries and people.

She said Taiwan not only needs to win the trust of the Vietnamese government but also win the friendship of the Vietnamese people.

Su, who arrived in Vietnam July 31, had her passport and boarding pass confiscated at No Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Aug. 2, when she was set to board a domestic flight to Vinh City in Nghe An province to visit a steel plant owned by Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) in neighboring Ha Tinh province.

She was released after Taiwan’s representative to Vietnam, Richard Shih (石瑞奇), intervened and negotiated with Vietnamese authorities.

According to Tran Duy Hai, chairman of the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, Su violated Vietnamese regulations which bar foreign nationals who enter the country on a tourist visa through a travel agency from going on trips that are not included in their itinerary.

Su said the incident allowed her to realize that the relations between Taiwan and Vietnam have a certain foundation and that a smooth channel of communication exists between the two countries.

She also praised Shih for his abilities, especially his performance in handling her case.

The lawmaker said she met many people during her short stay in Vietnam and described the country as a vibrant society with numerous opportunities.

The Vietnamese people are rather friendly to Taiwan and have begun to distinguish Taiwan from mainland China, she said.

Commenting on a recent pollution case involving the FPG’s steel plant in Ha Tinh, in which the company was fined around US$500 million for polluting coastal waters and causing the death of massive numbers of fish, Su said the Vietnamese government’s refusal to release its investigation report on the case has barred the public’s access to the truth.

She also urged FPG to fulfill its corporate responsibility and provide more assistance to the people of Vietnam, such as promoting vocational education in the Southeast Asian country.