A large crowd of Vietnamese workers in Taiwan’s capital have gathered outside the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office, calling for the Taiwanese based company Formosa Plastics to cease operations in Vietnam.

About 500 people were part of the demonstration, demanding Formosa exit Vietnam after the environmental disaster the plant caused last year.

Tonnes of dead fish washed ashore in the eight months after Formosa released toxic wastewater into the Vietnamese ocean, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of fishing families along the coast.

The demonstration in Taipei on Wednesday morning held signs reading “Stop the cover up!” and “Stop the violence”, in reference to the fishermen who were allegedly beaten by Vietnamese authorities when they tried to submit their compensation claims to Formosa Plastics in Vietnam.

While Formosa has paid a $500 million fine to the Vietnamese government, affected residents say they have not received any compensation for their losses yet.

– TiVi Tuan-san