Political dispute provokes factory attacks in Vietnam
15/05/2014
Industry sources in Vietnam have told leatherbiz that some leatherbiz that tanneries and footwear production facilities have been among the targets and that some factories have been set on fire and destroyed.
Tension has been building up since the start of May, after China moved an oil rig in the South China Sea to a new position in an area close to the Paracel Islands, which are claimed by both countries. This led to street protests in Vietnam, which escalated on May 13 when crowds began attacking factories, burning some facilities down. Industrial parks in Binh Duong province, close to Ho Chi Minh City, have been among the worst hit, leather industry sources say.
According to the BBC, eight buildings there, including one run by a footwear firm, were set on fire overnight between May 13 and 14. The BBC and Reuters have both confirmed that Taiwanese companies have been targeted by protesters, who have made no distinction between these and Chinese-owned facilities.
Footwear manufacturer Yue Yuen confirmed to Reuters that it had asked its workers in Vietnam to stay at home on May 14.
By May 15, Reuters was reporting that the protests had spread to other parts of Vietnam and that incidents at a Taiwanese-owned steel plant in Ha Tinh province in the North Central Coast region of the country had led to 20 fatalities. It said 16 of the people who had died were Chinese, with the other four being local people.
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