Central and southern provinces have restored social order with almost all foreign enterprises returning to work after they were hit hard by the recent anti-Chinese protests.

The rioting erupted in protest against China’s illegal dispatch of its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou – 981 in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone since early May.

In southern Dong Nai province, tens of thousands of workers in industrial zones were updated with the latest developments in the East Sea, as well as a set of measures the Party and State will adopt in the defence of territorial sovereignty, said Deputy Director of the provincial industrial zone management board Mai Van Nhon on May 20.

Long Thanh district, where 10 foreign firms, including seven from Taipei, were forced to halt production, has set up three teams in charge of keeping order at industrial parks and clusters.

Security around crossroads and administrative centres will be under close watch around the clock.

The same day, Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office Huang Chih-peng inspected the Formosa steel mill, one of the factories that bore the full brunt of violence in the central province of Ha Tinh.

At a working session with Huang, the provincial authorities vowed all possible support for foreign experts and workers in the wake of the protests.

Meanwhile in the Vietnam – Singapore Industrial Park 1 (VSIP 1) in the southern province of Binh Duong, over 20,000 workers have applied for overtime hours.

By the morning on May 20, up to 95 percent of the companies there resumed operation. The park is now home to over 300 businesses with more than 100,000 workers employed.

Le Thanh Cung, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, asked affected firms to calculate their losses, so that the authorities can offer them compensation soon.

He also promised safety for their facilities and workers.-VNA