The exhibition is being jointly presented by the Danang Museum and the People's Committee of Hoang Sa District on June 12. The photos and videos capture scenes of Chinese ship chasing and sinking Vietnamese boat on May 26 near Hoang Sa Island. The exhibition also shows the boat being brought up from the ocean floor as well as the rescue and return of 10 crew members.
The highlight of the exhibition is a video clip recorded by a fishermen showing the moment the Chinese ship, armoured with metal, rammed the Vietnamese vessel until it sank. "Who wouldn't feel heartbroken after seeing these pictures. Even with such concrete evidence, China still claims that it is Vietnamese boats ramming their vessels," said a visitor from Hanoi.
Huynh Dinh Quoc Thien, deputy head of the Danang Museum, said the exhibition would last until the end of June. The aim of this exhibition is to expose Chinese expansionist ambitions, their inhumane actions and violations of international law to locals and tourists.
Do Phap, the lawyer representing the owner of the sunken fishing boat, said that they have completed all documents to send to the Chinese Embassy. They are demanding that China provide information about the Chinese 'fishing' ship that sunk the Vietnamese boat, such as the identity of the ship's owner, its captain and how many sailors were on board at that time. However, Phap was recently informed that the Chinese ship is licensed as 11202, and not 11209 as was initially reported. He is checking the exact number before sending the documents to the Chinese Embassy. "Vietnam and China have a mutual legal assistance treaty, so we have the right to demand this information," Phap said.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Danang City Fishery Association, Tran Van Linh, said they, along with other affected boat owners, are considering bringing the case to international court.
