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Nov 25, 2018 / 16:19

China continues attacking Vietnamese fishermen in East Sea

Vietnamese voters said that stronger protest must be made to keep the territorial waters no longer intruded and fishermen safe at sea.

Voters in the central city of Danang have raised concerns about Chinese continuing attacks on Vietnamese fishermen within Vietnam’s waters in the South China Sea, known as East Sea in Vietnam, saying that the government must take resolute actions to end the provocation. 
 
A fishing boat in Vietnamese Quang Ngai province harassed by Chinese vessels. Photo: VTCNews
A fishing boat in Vietnamese Quang Ngai province harassed by Chinese vessels. Photo: VTCNews
China must stop all kinds of harassment that have threatened the safety and operations of Vietnamese fishermen in the sea, the voters said in a request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

The ministry has filed protest and demanded Chinese authorities stop Vietnam’s sovereignty violations and compensate losses that their vessels caused to Vietnamese fishermen, the MOFA responded.

Vietnam has mentioned the issue at meetings of the joint governmental committee and among the two countries’ top leaders, asking China to respect Vietnam’s sovereignty and international laws. 

Protecting fishermen at sea is Vietnam’s top priorities, the ministry noted. 

The MOFA’s statistics showed that Chinese vessels so far this year have rammed or sunk 28 Vietnamese fishing boats with 190 fishermen onboard when they fished within Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) island. 

Vietnam has made protest through bilateral diplomatic ways and at international forums urging support from international communities. However, voters said that stronger protest must be made to keep the territorial waters no longer intruded and fishermen safe at sea.