From the story of the turtle…

(Baonghean)In late September 2011, Mr. Tran Dinh Quyet (Director of Tien Hau Company) purchased 608 turtles from Mr. Tran Dinh Toan (Dong Thap province) and entrusted them to driver Nguyen Minh Duc for transport to Hanoi for sale. Upon reaching Quang Binh province, the turtles were seized by the provincial forest protection force. Subsequently, the Chairman of the Quang Binh Provincial People's Committee issued an administrative penalty of 500 million VND against Mr. Quyet and the driver for the illegal transportation of forest products.

Claiming that the turtles purchased from Mr. Toan were aquatic animals raised on a farmer's farm, the seller sued the penalty decision issued by the Chairman of Quang Binh province. After citing various circulars and decisions, seeking opinions from several specialized agencies at the central level, and verifying a large number of documents, the Quang Binh Court ultimately rejected the seller's complaint and ruled in favor of the provincial chairman.

Mr. Quyet has once again filed a lawsuit with the Supreme People's Court. What seemed like a small matter surrounding the turtle has now become complicated.

The next step was: When the goods belonging to Tien Hau Company were temporarily seized, the Quang Binh Forest Protection Department immediately sent a letter to Hanoi for clarification. The General Department of Forestry replied that turtles are wild animals, and transporting and consuming them without a permit from the forest protection department is a violation of the law. To be even more cautious, the Quang Binh Forest Protection Department consulted a textbook from the University of Forestry and found a very academic statement: Turtles are animals originating from the forest. The owner of the goods refused to accept this, seeking help from lawyers, scientists, and the General Department of Fisheries. They were advised that turtles are aquatic animals that have been encouraged for farming for over a quarter of a century and are traded normally; they are not rare animals, and therefore do not require a permit from the forest protection department for transportation.

Thus, a heated debate ensued, with neither side willing to yield, and ultimately the business owner lost in court, left utterly frustrated. This was because, until then, Tien Hau Company had transported thousands of shipments of tens of thousands of turtles to supply numerous large supermarkets nationwide and internationally as a commercial product, without requiring forestry certificates, and no other province had ever penalized them like Quang Binh. It remains to be seen how the Supreme Court will rule on this case. However, looking at what has happened, public opinion is truly unconvinced by the conduct of the authorities.

From the story of the turtles, one can think of other incredibly complicated issues. The Ministry of Industry and Trade considers the hydroelectric project necessary because the country is estimated to be short of about 3 billion kWh annually. The forestry sector, however, claims that 1 MW of hydroelectric power destroys 16 hectares of forest, a disaster of immeasurable proportions. The Ministry of Transport is overwhelmed by the proliferation of deep-water ports and airports in the provinces. Huge investments are made, only to be abandoned, resulting in losses and mounting debt. A state administration where policies clash, regulations contradict, everyone acts independently, each sector stubbornly insisting it's right, ultimately dumping all the suffering on the people. Such an administration cannot be a driving force for development.

On Sunday morning, I went to the community center and listened to some elderly people discussing current events. Suddenly, the block leader brought up the topic of the turtles in Quang Binh, which have been causing a lot of trouble. Then, one of the elders loudly declared that the turtles were not to blame; the current stagnant system of policies and mechanisms was the real culprit.

That sounds quite reasonable.

Khanh Linh