Politics

VN demands China free 21 fishermen

Vietnam demands that China immediately and unconditionally set free the 21 Vietnamese fishermen.
Vietnam demands that China immediately and unconditionally set freethe 21 Vietnamese fishermen and two fishing vessels that Chinaseized on March 3, said Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Luong ThanhNghi on March 21.

“Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelagobelongs to Vietnam . The seizure of Vietnamese fishermen working inthe waters around the archipelago has seriously violated Vietnam ’ssovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction rights”, Nghi said in hisresponse to media questions about the issue.

“ Vietnamresolutely objects to this action from China ” he said, adding thatChina should cease all similar actions in the future.

Arepresentative from the Vietnamese Foreign Affairs Ministry has metwith the Chinese embassy to give them a diplomatic note outliningVietnam ’s position, Nghi said.

He also added thatVietnam will continue its fight to resolve the matter and protect thelegitimate rights of local fishermen.

The seizureoccurred while two fishing vessels coded QNg66101TS and QNg66074TS fromcentral Quang Ngai province’s Ly Son district were working around theHoang Sa Archipelago on March 3.

According to Le Thi Phu,the wife of one ship’s captain, her husband called home and said the 21fishermen and two vessels were being kept in Phu Lam Island ofthe Hoang Sa Archipelago. The Chinese side has demanded that each shippay 70,000 CNY (11,000 USD) in order to be released.-VNA
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