A scenario
similar to China’s use of force to illegally occupy Gac Ma Island (Johnson
South Reef) in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in 1988 may be
repeated in other parts of the islands in the future, a Vietnamese lawmaker has
warned.
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| Nguyen Anh Son is the head of the delegation of lawmakers from the northern province of Nam Dinh and a member of the National Assembly Committee for Security and Defense. |
Nguyen Anh Son, head of the
delegation of lawmakers from the northern province of Nam Dinh, gave the
warning while talking with reporters on the sidelines of the Monday meeting of
the 9th session of the law-making National Assembly (NA) that started on May
20.
Son’s warning came a few days after
the NA agreed to his proposal that the legislature’s agenda include a report by
the government on Beijing’s illicit land reclamation work and building of artificial islands in the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and
Truong Sa archipelagoes in the East Vietnam Sea, despite strong protests from
Hanoi as well as the international community.
“Once China has completed military
and logistics preparations in the East Vietnam Sea, it can carry out its
long-wicked intention. Based on the advantages provided by artificial islands
it has illegally built atop submerged reefs in the sea, China can take actions
that are very hard to foresee,” Son said.
“I have just returned from my second
trip to Truong Sa and through China’s recent activities, I am very worried that
the ‘March 14, 1988 scenario’ will be repeated in the archipelago,” Son, who is also a member of the NA Committee for
Security and Defense, said.
By saying so, the deputy referred to
the fact that on March 14, 1988, China used force to attack and occupy Gac Ma
Island, fighting Vietnamese naval forces in a battle that killed 64 Vietnamese
naval officers and soldiers.
“Such an incident can absolutely be
repeated. Although some observers around the world have commented that big
military conflicts are unlikely to occur in the East Vietnam Sea, I am still
very worried,” Son said.
When asked about a plan in which the
NA will earmark only an hour on June 5 for deputies to hear a report on the
East Vietnam Sea situation presented by the government at a meeting which the
media would not be allowed to attend, Son said that plan is unsatisfactory to
those who are concerned about the circumstance.
“At the NA’s preparatory meeting on
May 20, I said that people across the country are upset about China’s actions,
so the NA, which represents the people’s will and aspirations, cannot help but
make a response,” Son said.
The law-making body should issue a resolution or adopt a strong move to
oppose China’s law violations, the deputy said at the preparatory meeting.
Regarding the upcoming meeting on
the East Vietnam Sea situation, Son said the event’s participants should review
China’s illegal acts in the sea and discuss measures Vietnam should take to
react to them, and not merely hear a report from the government.
Given China’s actions, both the
government and NA should show people their counter-policies to Beijing, Son
requested.
“People want to see each deputy and
the whole NA raise their strong voices in response to China’s illegal acts in
the East Vietnam Sea,” he added.
He said he hoped that some deputies
will request that the NA arrange for all deputies to discuss the East Vietnam
Sea situation at the June 5 meeting.
He added that he will personally
make such a request.
Source: tuoitrenews
