(VOV) – A senior Buddhist dignitary of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) on May 10 voiced the VBS’s strong opposition to China‘s stationing of its drilling oil rig HD-981 and deployment of escort vessels in Vietnam’s territorial waters and demanded an immediate end to the violation.
This is a wrongful act that runs counter to international law, and complicates the situation in the East Sea, said Most Venerable Thich Duc Thien, General Secretary of the Committee for the UN Day of Vesak 2014, at a press briefing in Ninh Binh province.
The Chinese move is detrimental to security and maritime safety in the East Sea, as well as to peace, stability, and cooperation in the region and the world at large, he said.
The Buddhist dignitary stressed that Vietnam is a peace-loving nation, and having experienced past wars, it is aware of preserving and respecting the values of peace, equality, and justice.
In this spirit, the VBS has asked Buddhist dignitaries, Buddhist delegates, monks and nuns, and peace-loving people worldwide to oppose China’s wrongful act and demand China immediately withdraw its drilling rig and escort vessels from Vietnam’s territorial waters.
The VBS asked China to respect the rights and interests of coastal nations in line with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while fully and strictly implementing the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) to ensure security and maritime safety in the region.
Đăng ký: VietNam News