On July 6, the Chinese side
continued its aggressive acts at the site where its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981
is illegally standing in Vietnamese waters to prevent Vietnamese law
enforcement ships from approaching the rig.
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The
Chinese coast guard vessel attacks a Vietnamese fisheries surveillance vessel.
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China still maintained
around 110 ships of all kinds, including five military ships at the site.
Whenever Vietnamese fisheries surveillance vessels came near the rig, Chinese
ships simultaneously blasted sirens, sped up and came very close to stop them
from moving farther.
Chinese fishing ships,
supported by two coastal guard ships moved around the traditional fishing
grounds of Vietnamese fishermen and tried to drive Vietnamese fishing boats
away.
However, Vietnamese fishing
boats, with the assistance from fisheries surveillance vessels, continued to
stay at the site to fish.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese
fisheries surveillance vessels braved the Chinese side’s aggressive acts to try
to come to 10-11.5 miles from the oil rig site and continued to carry out their
mission of demanding China to withdraw the oil rig and ships from Vietnam’s
waters.
At the beginning of May
2014, China illegally dispatched the rig 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 into Vietnam’s
continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.
Despite Vietnam’s protest,
China expanded its scale of operation and moved the rig to 15 degrees 33
minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds east
longitude, 60 nautical miles deep inside Vietnam’s
continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.
China’s armed vessels have
aggressively and consistently 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 even sank a Vietnamese fishing vessel while it was operating normally in
its traditional fishing ground near Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.
Source: VNA/VOV
