VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has voiced protest about the acts of a Chinese ship which chased and bullied two Vietnamese fishing vessels in the waters at Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago on July 7.

Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi. (Photo: VNA)

Responding to reporters’ question regarding the incident, the spokesman of Vietnam’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, Luong Thanh Nghi said on July 17 that these acts have violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa archipelago, Vietnam’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the East Sea.

It runs counter to the spirit of humane treatment of fishermen, the stipulations of international law and the spirit of the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of marine issues between Vietnam and China, as well as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), he said.

Relevant agencies reported that the Chinese ship coded 306 chased after the two ships QNg 96787 TS and QNg 90153 TS which were fishing normally in the area at Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago.

The Chinese crew even went on board the two Vietnamese ships, searched the ships, beat the fishermen, broke things and took away some property from the two fishing vessels.

According to the spokesman, a representative of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has met representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi to hand over a note protesting the act.

The Vietnamese side requested that the Chinese side launch serious investigation and strictly deal with the aforesaid wrongdoing, as well as compensate the Vietnamese fishermen, and prevent the recurrence of similar incidents in the future.

Source: Vietnam Plus