(Baonghean.vn) -On May 7, 2010, the "Fishing Village Resettlement Project" in Khe Mu, Thanh Thuy commune and Trieu Duong, Thanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong district) commenced with a total adjusted capital of 83 billion VND, constructed by Dai Cat Thanh Joint Stock Company (Hanoi). More than seven years have passed, but it remains unfinished.
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| Four buildings constructed in Khe Mu to serve as a cultural center and kindergarten have been converted into cattle sheds. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Trees grow profusely around these buildings. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| From the inside out, the buildings were covered in cow dung, looking like a veritable manure dump. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Mr. Nguyen Sy Thanh (61 years old), residing in Hamlet 7, Thanh Thuy Commune - a security guard at the Khe Mu resettlement area - stated: After a long period of project stagnation, many households, who were previously landowners, have arbitrarily brought machinery here to dig ditches, erect barbed wire fences, and enclose plots of land that were previously designated as residential land for 120 fishing families. (Photo: Huy Thu) |
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| Some areas designated as "agricultural land" under the project have been planted with acacia trees by local people for the past two years. In some places, the acacia trees are already as tall as a person's head. People are continuing to plant more acacia trees on other hillside areas. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Residents of Khe Mu hamlet, Thanh Thuy commune, said: While the project was neglected, former landowners and many independent residents "reoccupied" the project land to plant trees and raise livestock. Everyone did as they pleased, with no one interfering. According to them, "they felt it was a waste to leave the land fallow for so many years, so they just did as much as they could." (Photo: Huy Thu) |
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| Mr. Nguyen Van Thai, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Thuy commune, said: "The resettlement project for the fishing village in Khe Mu is still unfinished. Although the commune has instructed the hamlets to educate the people not to violate the planned land, some households still deliberately fence off tea plantations and plant trees. The commune also bears some responsibility for this situation." (Photo: Huy Thu) |
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| Rows of power poles stand isolated along the roads in the resettlement area, with no idea when electricity will finally be connected. The journey back to Khe Mu for the fishermen on the Lam River seems increasingly arduous. Photo: Huy Thu |
Huy Thu
