Taiwanese business tycoon asks Vietnam to punish mobsters
Central News Agency
2014-05-28 11:32 PM
Taipei, May 28 (CNA) Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) Chairman William Wong has urged Vietnam to punish rioters as soon as possible, saying it's sad that the Vietnam-China conflict over South China Sea engulfed foreigners' life and safety.
Wong made the remarks during his meeting with visiting Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang Tuesday, Formosa Fibre and Chemical Corp. General Manager Hong Fu-yuan told the press Wednesday.
Citing Wong, Hong said the conflict over China's oil rig in a sea area that is also claimed by Hanoi is an "international matter" between Hanoi and Beijing which, however, has affected foreign people.
The FPG's Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corp. in Ha Tinh Province and its plant in Dong Nai Province sustained damage by mobsters during the violence caused by anti-China protests May 13-14.
Operations at those factories have almost returned to normal, the FPG said.
The number of Taiwanese factories reporting damage during the riots in Vietnam has increased to 358, with 21 having been set on fire, a Ministry of Economic Affairs official said Tuesday.
The companies suffered an estimated US$150 million to US$500 million in losses as of May 25, Vice Economics Minister Shen Jong-chin said in a report to the Cabinet on his visit to Vietnam last week to assess the damage sustained by Taiwanese businesses there.
(By Pan Chih-yi and Elizabeth Hsu)
