the honourable mr nguyen tan dung prime minister ... coalition...the honourable mr nguyen tan dung...
TRANSCRIPT
The Honourable Mr Nguyen Tan Dung
Prime Minister
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Office of the State
1 Bach Thao
Hanoi
Vietnam
October 2012
Dear The Honourable Prime Minister Mr Nguyen Tan Dung
We are writing on behalf of the Asia for Animals committee representing international organisations with
extensive knowledge of animal welfare issues. We express our deep concern with regards to the possible
closure of the Animals Asia Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre from Tam Dao National Park due to the land being
declared of national defence significance.
The closure of the established rescue centre would see 104 bears that have been rescued from the bile
industry evicted, 77 local Vietnamese staff made unemployed, and financial losses to Animals Asia of more
than US $4 million. The local economy that depends on the centre would be severely impacted, and the
Vietnamese government’s commitment to ending bear bile farming would be called into question.
The eviction is in direct violation of the government’s 2005 agreement with Animals Asia to fund and
develop a facility on 12 hectares of the park that would permanently rehabilitate and house 200
endangered bears rescued from the illegal bear bile industry. This agreement was approved and endorsed
by your office.
Currently 104 bears rescued from the bear bile industry are living at the sanctuary, which has won the
Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries award for best sanctuary in the world 2010. The bears are being
rehabilitated after years of trauma from being locked up in small cages and milked for their bile. These
bears will be forced to return to cages to be relocated, which will have a major negative impact on their
mental and physical well-being. It is likely to take at least two years to establish a new centre with outdoor
enclosures.
The claim that the land is an area of national defence significance is questionable, given that the centre has
been in operation since 2005 and that the Chat Dau Valley, where it is located, has been used for tourism
and other private purposes since the park opened in 1996.
On behalf of our members globally, I urge you to intervene in this matter and ensure that the rescue centre
remains in Tam Dao National Park and that the team of Animals Asia is allowed to continue their vital
rehabilitation and education work in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Yours sincerely
Jill Robinson MBE, Dr.med.vet. h.c.
Founder & CEO
Sent on behalf of the following organisations:
1. Act Asia for Animals 2. Active Environments, USA 3. ALIVE, Japan 4. Animal 110 Website, China 5. Animal Aid Unlimited, India 6. Animal Care Trust, India 7. Animal Conservation and Welfare
Foundation, Poland and Europe 8. Animal Defenders International 9. Animal Guardians 10. Animal Nepal 11. Animal People, USA 12. Animal Protection Network, Sweden 13. Animal Rescue Beijing, China 14. Animal Rights Action Network, Ireland 15. Animal Welfare Institute, USA 16. Animal Welfare Network Nepal 17. Animals Australia 18. Animals Asia Foundation, Hong Kong 19. Animal Concerns Research & Education
Society, Singapore 20. Anshan Home of Love Public Welfare
Association, China 21. Association of Small Animal Protection
Beijing, China 22. Bali Animal Welfare Association, Indonesia 23. Beauty without Cruelty, India 24. Beforetime Home of Pet, China 25. Beijing Adoption Day, China 26. Beijing Crystal Sugar Animal Protection
Group, China 27. Beijing Purple Kids Animal Mutual Assistance
Group, China 28. Beijing Sunflower Friends of Animals, China 29. Blue Cross of India 30. Blue Cross of Kanchipuram, India 31. Blue Tail Association, France 32. Born Free Foundation, UK 33. Born Free USA 34. BUAV, UK 35. Campaigns Against the Cruelty to Animals,
Canada and N. America 36. CAPE, India 37. Capital Animal Welfare Association, China 38. Captive Animal Protection Society, UK 39. Care for the Wild International, UK 40. Centre for Orangutan Protection, Indonesia
41. Change for Animals Foundation 42. Changsha Small Animal Protection
Association, China 43. Chengdu Adoption Day, China 44. Chengdu Home of Love Small Animals Rescue
Center, China 45. Chester Zoo, UK 46. China Animal Protection Media Saloon 47. China Overseas Animal Caring Union 48. China Small Animal Protection Preparatory
Shanghai Group, China 49. China Youth Animal Protection Alliance 50. Chongqing Normal University‘ We're The
World’ Public Welfare Association, China 51. C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre, India 52. Da Lian Love and Misery Animal Rescue
Association, China 53. David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, UK 54. DOGSTOP, India 55. Earth Island Institute, USA 56. Earth Trust, Hawaii 57. Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan 58. Environmental Investigation Agency, UK 59. European Association of Zoos & Aquariums 60. Federation of Indian Animal Protection
Organisations, India 61. Free the Bears, India 62. Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries 63. Go with Rescue Center, China 64. Guangdong ShouShan Volunteer Center,
China 65. Guangzhou Family of The Pet, China 66. Guang Yuan Bo Ai Small Animal Protection
Centre, China 67. Guizhou Animal Protection Association, China 68. Hainan Normal University Animal Protection
Association, China 69. Harbin Small Animal Protection Association,
China 70. Hauser Bears, UK 71. Hefei Small Animal Caring Center, China 72. Help Animals India 73. Home of Gansu Green Volunteer, China 74. Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society 75. Hope and Animal Trust, India 76. Humane Education Advocates Reaching
Teachers, USA
77. Humane Society Canada 78. Humane Society International 79. Humane Society of the United States 80. International Animal Rescue, UK 81. International Fund for Animal Welfare 82. Institute for Humane Education, USA 83. Institute for Human-Animal Connection,
University of Denver, USA 84. Jakarta Animal Aid Network, Indonesia 85. Jinan Cat Nest, China 86. Kairos Coalition 87. Kathmandu Animal Treatment, Nepal 88. Korea Animal Welfare Association 89. Kunming Stray Dog Rescue Alliance, China 90. Lucky Cat, China 91. Marchig Animal Welfare Trust, UK 92. Moonbears.org, Korea 93. Nanjing Cat Fan Club, China 94. Nanjing Ping An A Fu Stray Animal Rescue
Association, China 95. Onekind, UK 96. Orangutan Aid, Hong Kong 97. PAWS, India 98. Pet 100, China 99. PETA Asia-Pacific 100. Philippine Animal Welfare Society 101. Pro Wildlife, Germany 102. Quaker Concern for Animals, UK 103. Qujing Pet Rescue Association, China 104. Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, UK 105. SHARAN, India 106. Sichuan Agricultural University Grammar
College Youth Volunteer Association, China 107. Sichuan Qiming Small Animal Protection
Center, China 108. Society for Dolphin Conservation, Germany 109. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, Hong Kong
110. Save Animals Initiative Sanctuary Trust, India 111. Shandong University Youth Volunteer
Association, China 112. Shanghai Animal Protection Volunteer Union,
China 113. Shou Wang Zhe Group, China 114. Society for the Protection of Animals Macau 115. Soi Dog, Thailand 116. Species Survival Network 117. Stray relief and animal welfare, India 118. Sunshine Pavement Stray Animal Rescue
Team, China 119. Taiwan SPCA 120. Thane SPCA, India 121. The Corbett Foundation, India 122. Tianjin hope of cat rescue group, China 123. Tikki Hywood Trust , Zimbabwe 124. TNR ing, China 125. University of Sydney Animal Welfare Society,
Australia 126. Vegetarian Society, Bangladesh 127. Voice for Zoo Animals, Japan 128. Wenzhou Stray Dog Rescue Centre, China 129. Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand 130. Wildlife in Need, USA 131. Wildlife Protection Society of India 132. Wildlife SOS, India 133. Winton Bear Foundation, UK 134. World Society for the Protection of Animals 135. Xiamen Animal Protection Association, China 136. Xi'an Red Guave Companion Animal Rescue
Centre, China 137. Xining Dog Rescue Center, China 138. Zhangzhou Small Animal Protection Website,
China 139. Zhejiang Small Animal Protection Association,
China 140. Zoocheck Canada
Please respond to Jill Robinson, Animal Welfare Director, Animals Asia Foundation, 10/F, Kai Tak
Commercial Building 317-319 Des Voeux Road, Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Copied to:
The Honourable Dr. Cao Duc Phat
Minister
Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development
No 2 Ngoc Ha Street
Ba Dinh District
Hanoi,
Vietnam.
His Excellency Mr Nguyen Sinh Hung
President of the National Assembly of Vietnam
The National Assembly Office
37 Hung Vuong Street
Ba Dinh
Hanoi
Vietnam
The Honourable Phạm Bình Minh
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
No. 1 Tôn Thất Đàm St.
Ba Đình District
Hà Nội
Việt Nam
The Honourable Nguyen Minh Quang
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
83 Nguyen Chi Thanh
Dong Da
Hanoi
Vietnam
