HCMC – The Song Hien Tourist Services Trading Company in the central province of Quang Tri has been fined over VND300 million for the deforestation of over 1,300 square meters of land.

The Quang Tri government on September 1 confirmed that it had levied a fine of VND197 million on the company for its deforestation of production and special-use forests. Besides this, the firm will have to pay an additional VND113.6 million, equivalent to the price of a crawler excavator, which was used for the deforestation, to replace the confiscated machine. The firm was also ordered to restore the status of the deforested land within 30 days from the date of the decision. A driver and a guard of the firm have been fined VND5 million each for their involvement, Tuoi Tre Online reported. Earlier, the firm had become the investor of the Ru Linh Eco-tourism area project in Vinh Linh District, which was set to cover some 100 hectares, with a total investment of over VND320 billion. In February this year, the company mobilized machines and workers to level out the surface of the land, build roads and set up fences. The firm also illegally made a path through the natural forest and cut down many trees in the Ru Linh special-use forest. An inspection launched by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the Department of Planning and Investment revealed that Song Hien Company was developing the project without a detailed plan, design and construction license.