A Vietnamese fishing boat at sea (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has demanded China pay propercompensation for damage a Chinese coast guard ship caused for some Vietnamesefishermen when they were in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.
According to competent Vietnamese agencies, at9am of March 6, when a Vietnamese fishing boat coded QNg 90819 TS with fivecrew members was anchoring in the vicinity of Da Loi Reef in Vietnam's Hoang Saarchipelago, a Chinese coast guard ship coded 44101 approached and fired watercannon to drive it away.
While moving, the Vietnamese boat crashed into areef and sank at an area about 0.5 nautical mile to the northwest of Da LoiReef at about 10am.
The fishermen held on to the boat’s prow andwent adrift until around 1pm the same day when they were saved by anotherVietnamese fishing boat.
On March 20, the Consular Department of theVietnamese Foreign Ministry met with representatives of the Chinese Embassy inVietnam to present a diplomatic note and protest against the Chinese ship’saction, which violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa archipelago andthreatened life and damaged property and legitimate interests of the Vietnamesefishermen.
The department requested the Chinese Embassy toinform the Foreign Ministry and relevant agencies of China about the incidentto strictly deal with the crew members of the abovementioned coast guardvessel, not let similar actions repeat, and pay proper compensation to theVietnamese fishermen.-VNA
VNA
