The Vietnamese Students’ Association in Western Australia (VISAWA) has engaged in an array of activities to help safeguard Vietnam’s sovereignty.

One notable initiative is a programme calling for support to Vietnam’s coast guards who are performing their duties in the East Sea.

The newly launched drive has so far collected more than 30 million VND (1,400 USD) from collectives and individuals in Australia.

The money is planned to be sent to the Vietnam Coast Guard High Command in late May to help them with their vital missions.

VISAWA said through this programme, they hope to stand by coast guard officers in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty.

Earlier, the association sent an open letter to the high command, showing their support to the Vietnamese Government and the forces in solving the East Sea issue.

At the beginning of May 2014, China illegally dispatched the rig Haiyang Shiyou-981, as well as a large fleet of armed vessels, military ships and aircraft to Vietnam’s waters and positioned the rig at 15 degrees 29 minutes 58 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 12 minutes 06 seconds east longitude. The location is 80 miles deep inside Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

China’s armed vessels have aggressively fired high-power water cannons at and intentionally rammed against Vietnamese public-service and civil ships, causing damage to many boats and injuring many people on board.

On May 26, Chinese ship 11209 sank a Vietnamese fishing vessel while it was operating normally in its traditional fishing ground near Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

On May 27, China moved the rig to 15 degrees 33 minutes 22 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 34 minutes 36 seconds east longitude. The new location is 25 nautical miles from Tri Ton Island in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago and 23 nautical miles east-northeast from the old location, still completely within Vietnam’s continental shelf. With the move, China has kept on violating Vietnam ’s sovereign right and jurisdiction.-VNA