Cashews: A Toxic Prison Industry
by Sara Colm
Cashew Processing Operations in Vietnamese Prisons
Forced labor in Vietnam's prisons, re-education camps, and drug detention centers includes work in hazardous industries, such as cashew nut processing, particularly roasting, boiling, cracking open, shelling, and hand-peeling the nuts.
According to Ministry of Public Security (MPS) officials, prisoners in Vietnam work on 1,000 hectares of cashew tree plantations nationwide, where they are required to meet production quotas.
Prisons that operate cashew processing facilities include Chi Hoa in Saigon, Nam Ha Prison in Ha Nam, Xuan Loc (Z30A) Prison in Dong Nai, Gia Trung Prison in Gia Lai, Dak Trung Prison in Dak Lak, An Phuoc and Bo La prisons in Binh Duong, Xuan Phuoc Prison in Phu Yen, Thu Duc (Z30D)Prison in Binh Thuan, and Cai Tau Prison in Ca Mau.
Because the shell and fruit of the cashew contain a toxin similar to that found in poison ivy and other poisonous plants, physical contact with cashew nuts, oil from the cashew nut shell and fruit, or inhaling fumes from roasting or boiling the nuts can cause skin rashes, itching, blisters, eye irritation, and respiratory problems including asthma and bronchitis.
The cashew-processing plant at Xuan Loc Prison in Dong Nai is located within the grounds of the prison, about 15 minutes’ walk, or about one kilometer, from the cells. There is no signboard at the place indicating it is a cashew-processing plant. Prisoners assigned to work there must husk a set number of kilos of cashews a day; if they do not meet their quota, even due to illness or fatigue, they can be sent to solitary confinement and shackled.
"Dao", already partially lame as a result of beatings during interrogation, described what it was like working at Xuan Loc’s cashew plant.
“We would walk [to work] in a line, with police on each side of us. They hit us if we strayed from the line.
“Every day we walked to work at 7 a.m., returning to the cells at 11. Then we returned to work at 1, working until 5. By 5:30 we were back in the cell, where they locked us in for the night. So I had to make the trip four times a day, even though I could barely walk.
“Before we left for work the police checked our bodies; after work they checked again. If I stole one cashew, they beat me.
“At any time there were maybe 300-500 prisoners processing cashews in the plant—only prisoners worked there. While we worked, the police checked whether we ate any cashews. If you ate a cashew, they beat you.
Dao became ill after working at the cashew plant.
“I did not see any evidence that they used chemicals for processing the cashews. However, everyone who worked at cashew processing got sick, and some died. They died because of the cashews, from toxins in the cashews. The poison came from the cashews themselves.
“When you open up the fruit, a black resin comes out. We were not provided masks.
“We were required to clean and process a certain amount of cashews a day. If you did not meet that quota, they beat you.
“I developed a cough with a lot of sputum and became very weak because of the poison. My hands were black from the resin from the cashews.
“I stopped working at the cashew processing plant after six months because I was sick, injured, and disabled from all the beating. I could not sit. I could only walk with a cane.”
Unable to work, as punishment Dao spent two weeks each month for the remaining five years he was at Xuan Loc shackled in an isolation cell.
Former political prisoner Nguyen Bac Truyen also shelled cashews at Xuan Loc.
"This type of cashew nut I have to say is very toxic. When its oil touches your skin, it causes burns immediately. Therefore when processing it, if one is not careful and lets it get to one's eyes, hands, feet... I myself at the time, as I split the shells, suffered many injuries on my body because of that work. I have to say that processing cashew nuts is a very dangerous task."
In 2008, when political prisoner "Tuan" spoke out against forced prison labor at Xuan Loc, prison officials directed another inmate to assault and beat him.
“Specifically, I had requested the prison officials to observe human rights practices such as: (1) stop using the political and religious dissident prisoners to perform harsh labor; (2) improve prison living conditions such as providing adequate water and ventilation to the prisoners; (3) reduce the heavy workload imposed on the common prisoners, such as the number of kilograms of cashew nuts they must peel each day without wearing adequate protection; and (4) refrain from beating the prisoners in violation of their human rights.
“As a result, on March 6, 2008, the [prison] officials allowed a violent prisoner to assault me in retaliation for speaking out. I sustained bruises and injuries to the left side of my face.”
In April 2008 the US Embassy met with officials from the Ministry of Public Security to discuss the use of prison labor in cashew processing. An embassy cable about the meeting reported that MPS officials asserted that no prison labor is used to produce goods for export. While prison officials openly admitted that prisoners must meet production quotas, they asserted that these were much lower than those in non-prison factories.[1]
Regarding complaints the Embassy had received from families of political prisoners in Xuan Loc Prison about high production quotas and toxic effects of cashew processing, the MPS official told the Embassy that regulations dictate that prisoners wear gloves and masks, and that ventilators are used in cashew nut processing factories. He attributed the specific complaint regarding production quotas at Xuan Loc Prison to the fact that most prisoners “don’t like to work.’”
The Embassy cable concluded with a comment that “Given the sheer volume of cashews Vietnam exports as the world's leading producer, however, it would be difficult if not impossible to disprove completely the allegations that some amount of cashews produced by prison labor finds its way into Vietnam's exports.”
According to Ministry of Public Security (MPS) officials, prisoners in Vietnam work on 1,000 hectares of cashew tree plantations nationwide, where they are required to meet production quotas.
Prisons that operate cashew processing facilities include Chi Hoa in Saigon, Nam Ha Prison in Ha Nam, Xuan Loc (Z30A) Prison in Dong Nai, Gia Trung Prison in Gia Lai, Dak Trung Prison in Dak Lak, An Phuoc and Bo La prisons in Binh Duong, Xuan Phuoc Prison in Phu Yen, Thu Duc (Z30D)Prison in Binh Thuan, and Cai Tau Prison in Ca Mau.
Because the shell and fruit of the cashew contain a toxin similar to that found in poison ivy and other poisonous plants, physical contact with cashew nuts, oil from the cashew nut shell and fruit, or inhaling fumes from roasting or boiling the nuts can cause skin rashes, itching, blisters, eye irritation, and respiratory problems including asthma and bronchitis.
The cashew-processing plant at Xuan Loc Prison in Dong Nai is located within the grounds of the prison, about 15 minutes’ walk, or about one kilometer, from the cells. There is no signboard at the place indicating it is a cashew-processing plant. Prisoners assigned to work there must husk a set number of kilos of cashews a day; if they do not meet their quota, even due to illness or fatigue, they can be sent to solitary confinement and shackled.
"Dao", already partially lame as a result of beatings during interrogation, described what it was like working at Xuan Loc’s cashew plant.
“We would walk [to work] in a line, with police on each side of us. They hit us if we strayed from the line.
“Every day we walked to work at 7 a.m., returning to the cells at 11. Then we returned to work at 1, working until 5. By 5:30 we were back in the cell, where they locked us in for the night. So I had to make the trip four times a day, even though I could barely walk.
“Before we left for work the police checked our bodies; after work they checked again. If I stole one cashew, they beat me.
“At any time there were maybe 300-500 prisoners processing cashews in the plant—only prisoners worked there. While we worked, the police checked whether we ate any cashews. If you ate a cashew, they beat you.
Dao became ill after working at the cashew plant.
“I did not see any evidence that they used chemicals for processing the cashews. However, everyone who worked at cashew processing got sick, and some died. They died because of the cashews, from toxins in the cashews. The poison came from the cashews themselves.
“When you open up the fruit, a black resin comes out. We were not provided masks.
“We were required to clean and process a certain amount of cashews a day. If you did not meet that quota, they beat you.
“I developed a cough with a lot of sputum and became very weak because of the poison. My hands were black from the resin from the cashews.
“I stopped working at the cashew processing plant after six months because I was sick, injured, and disabled from all the beating. I could not sit. I could only walk with a cane.”
Unable to work, as punishment Dao spent two weeks each month for the remaining five years he was at Xuan Loc shackled in an isolation cell.
Former political prisoner Nguyen Bac Truyen also shelled cashews at Xuan Loc.
"This type of cashew nut I have to say is very toxic. When its oil touches your skin, it causes burns immediately. Therefore when processing it, if one is not careful and lets it get to one's eyes, hands, feet... I myself at the time, as I split the shells, suffered many injuries on my body because of that work. I have to say that processing cashew nuts is a very dangerous task."
In 2008, when political prisoner "Tuan" spoke out against forced prison labor at Xuan Loc, prison officials directed another inmate to assault and beat him.
“Specifically, I had requested the prison officials to observe human rights practices such as: (1) stop using the political and religious dissident prisoners to perform harsh labor; (2) improve prison living conditions such as providing adequate water and ventilation to the prisoners; (3) reduce the heavy workload imposed on the common prisoners, such as the number of kilograms of cashew nuts they must peel each day without wearing adequate protection; and (4) refrain from beating the prisoners in violation of their human rights.
“As a result, on March 6, 2008, the [prison] officials allowed a violent prisoner to assault me in retaliation for speaking out. I sustained bruises and injuries to the left side of my face.”
In April 2008 the US Embassy met with officials from the Ministry of Public Security to discuss the use of prison labor in cashew processing. An embassy cable about the meeting reported that MPS officials asserted that no prison labor is used to produce goods for export. While prison officials openly admitted that prisoners must meet production quotas, they asserted that these were much lower than those in non-prison factories.[1]
Regarding complaints the Embassy had received from families of political prisoners in Xuan Loc Prison about high production quotas and toxic effects of cashew processing, the MPS official told the Embassy that regulations dictate that prisoners wear gloves and masks, and that ventilators are used in cashew nut processing factories. He attributed the specific complaint regarding production quotas at Xuan Loc Prison to the fact that most prisoners “don’t like to work.’”
The Embassy cable concluded with a comment that “Given the sheer volume of cashews Vietnam exports as the world's leading producer, however, it would be difficult if not impossible to disprove completely the allegations that some amount of cashews produced by prison labor finds its way into Vietnam's exports.”
[1] Unclassified cable from the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, “Prison Labor and Cashew Nuts in Vietnam,” Wikileaks Reference ID 08HANOI450, April 18, 2008, http://wikileaks.org/cable/2008/04/08HANOI450.html