Suspended but still active
In mid-December 2024, Lao Dong Newspaper published an article "A wood workshop brazenly carved a mountain and "sprouted" in Hoa Binh" reflecting on the fact that a part of a hill that was growing forestry trees with an area of about 2,000 square meters was cut down by this unit, deeply carved, then leveled to make a gathering and processing area for wood.
After the newspaper was published, Vice Chairman of Hoa Binh Provincial People's Committee Dinh Cong Su gave instructions and assigned Lac Son District People's Committee to focus on directing the inspection and handling of illegal wood processing workshops in Quyet Thang commune.
The authorities in Lac Son district conducted an inspection and found that the wood factory had not completed the procedures for converting land use purposes. The locality issued a document requesting the wood factory in Quyet Thang commune to stop operating.
However, according to the actual records of PV in early January 2025, all activities of this wood workshop are still going on normally, there are no signs of stopping production. Acacia wood is still being purchased and gathered at the wood workshop.
A worker confirmed to reporters that the factory is still operating and purchasing acacia wood as usual.
The reporter then contacted Mr. Quach Anh Tuan - Deputy Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (TNMT) of Lac Son district to report the incident.
Mr. Tuan said he will re-check, if the unit does not comply, he will handle it and request the electricity industry to stop supplying electricity to this wood factory.
Many violations detected
In another development, according to the report of the People's Committee of Lac Son district, the wood workshop belongs to the land plot with the right to use of Mr. Bui Van Tien. In 2021, Mr. Tien signed a contract to lease 4,000 m2 of land to Mr. Vu Duy Ninh, including residential land, garden land (agricultural land) and a part of land that has been removed from the planning of 3 types of forests for 20 years.
At the time of inspection, the factory had a temporary house with a corrugated iron roof of 110 m2, a guard house of 38 m2, an electronic scale and a transformer station. The yard area was about 2,700 m2. Leveling activities had been carried out since 2018.
Upon verification, there was a signboard of Thanh An Forestry Production and Trading Company Limited located at the factory, but it was determined that it was only for advertising and purchasing wood and had nothing to do with Mr. Ninh. The facility was determined to be Mr. Ninh's individual business household.
According to the People's Committee of Lac Son district, the wood workshop has not completed the procedures for converting land use purposes and has been requested to stop operations to complete the procedures. The locality has requested to temporarily stop the workshop's operations and temporarily stop the power supply until the procedures for converting land use purposes to production and business are completed.
Previously, at the end of April 2024, the People's Committee of Lac Son district sent a document to its affiliated units regarding strengthening measures to manage forest product production, processing and trading establishments in the district.
At the same time, it pointed out that many forestry production, processing and trading establishments in the area have not fully complied with regulations.
These units use land to build facilities, production and business premises for the wrong purposes, are spontaneously formed, do not register their business, use floating raw materials, causing difficulties for the management activities of the authorities.
Lac Son district also directed relevant units to organize inspections of forest product production, trading and processing establishments, and resolutely revoke business registration certificates for households and individuals who violate regulations on processing locations and wood origin. At the same time, relevant units are determined not to issue new business registration certificates to households and individuals who do not comply with planning...
