WWIII
Vietnam protests Chinese force's attack on fishermen in contested waters
Wed, October 2, 2024
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam on Wednesday protested to China over what it said was an attack on a Vietnamese fishing boat three days ago in contested South China Sea waters that injured several fishermen.
The Vietnamese foreign ministry said in a statement that Chinese law enforcers beat the Vietnamese fishermen and took away their fishing equipment when their boat was operating near Hoang Sa, Vietnam's name for the Paracel Islands.
The Chinese-controlled islands, also claimed by Vietnam, are in the South China Sea, a busy global maritime waterway, almost all of which is claimed by China.
"Vietnam is extremely concerned, indignant and resolutely protests the brutal treatment by Chinese law enforcement forces of Vietnamese fishermen and fishing boats operating in the Hoang Sa archipelago of Vietnam," foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said in a statement.
The ministry delivered a strong protest to the Chinese embassy in Hanoi demanding that China respect Vietnam's sovereignty, investigate the incident and desist from further such actions, Hang said.
Vietnamese state media reported this week that around 40 people from two foreign vessels had beaten the fishermen with iron pipes, injuring 10.
China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the Vietnamese boats had been fishing illegally in Paracel waters without the permission of the Beijing government, and that Chinese authorities had taken measures to stop them.
"The on-site operations were professional and restrained, and no injuries were found," it said in response to a Reuters request for comment, without specifically referring to the attack.
(Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Wed, October 2, 2024
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam on Wednesday protested to China over what it said was an attack on a Vietnamese fishing boat three days ago in contested South China Sea waters that injured several fishermen.
The Vietnamese foreign ministry said in a statement that Chinese law enforcers beat the Vietnamese fishermen and took away their fishing equipment when their boat was operating near Hoang Sa, Vietnam's name for the Paracel Islands.
The Chinese-controlled islands, also claimed by Vietnam, are in the South China Sea, a busy global maritime waterway, almost all of which is claimed by China.
"Vietnam is extremely concerned, indignant and resolutely protests the brutal treatment by Chinese law enforcement forces of Vietnamese fishermen and fishing boats operating in the Hoang Sa archipelago of Vietnam," foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said in a statement.
The ministry delivered a strong protest to the Chinese embassy in Hanoi demanding that China respect Vietnam's sovereignty, investigate the incident and desist from further such actions, Hang said.
Vietnamese state media reported this week that around 40 people from two foreign vessels had beaten the fishermen with iron pipes, injuring 10.
China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the Vietnamese boats had been fishing illegally in Paracel waters without the permission of the Beijing government, and that Chinese authorities had taken measures to stop them.
"The on-site operations were professional and restrained, and no injuries were found," it said in response to a Reuters request for comment, without specifically referring to the attack.
(Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Vietnamese Fishing Crew Attacked and Severely Beaten in Paracel Islands
A Vietnamese fishing boat was attacked by unnamed aggressors in the Paracel Islands, according to state-owned media, and all 10 crewmembers aboard were injured.
The Vietnamese border guard station in the village of Binh Chau reported that a fishing vessel was "obstructed and attacked" while operating in a Vietnamese-claimed area of the Paracel Islands. China has occupied the archipelago since a brief naval battle with U.S.-backed South Vietnamese forces in 1974, but Vietnam has never abandoned its sovereignty claim.
The fishing vessel - named only with a numeral, QNg 95739 TS - departed port on September 13, bound for the Paracels (known as the Hoang Sa archipelago to the Vietnamese).
According to state outlet TPO, the crew were approached by two foreign vessels, which destroyed their fishing gear and beat the crew severely. On returning to port in Quang Ngai province, four were taken immediately to a hospital for treatment for a range of injuries.
Captain Nguyen Thanh Bien, 40, said that the 95739 was approached by a vessel with the pennant number 301 visible on the hull at about 0600 hours on September 29. At 1000, the vessel closed in from astern and lowered away two launches. A second ship, numbered 101, followed suit and lowered another.
"About 40 people climbed onto the ship, each holding an iron rod, and then attacked," said Bien. "At this time, I tried to run towards the bow of the ship, however, two people held me and attacked me so hard that I lost consciousness. About one hour later I woke up."
Fisherman Huynh Tien Cong, 47, told TPO that the two foreign vessels approached from astern and boarded the 95739. They used iron pipes or bars to beat the fishermen severely. "We didn't dare to resist, we just lay there and endured the beating," said Cong, who sustained two broken legs.
Crewmember Nguyen Thuong, 34, told the outlet that the attackers departed at about 1300 hours, and that they took the boat's cargo of fish, its equipment and its fishing gear - everything of value except for a GPS unit. The boarding party's interpreter told the injured crewmembers to go back to Vietnam.
Phung Ba Vuong, party chairman for the village of Binh Chau, told media that local agencies are working to verify the claim. According to TPO, many other boats from Quang Ngai province have encountered the same violent treatment at the hands of unnamed attackers in the Paracel Islands.
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