Source:
Pano feedChina has dispatched two more military ships to Vietnamese waters to guard oil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 which was illegally placed there on May 1, the Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance Department reported Thursday.
The two ships brought the total number of Chinese military vessels in the waters to six, along with more than 100 other Chinese vessels that were present around the rig yesterday.
With such a strong force, together with the support of fighter jets, the Chinese side has continuously launched increasingly aggressive attacks on Vietnamese vessels.
Yesterday afternoon, two tugboats and a coast guard ship, both Chinese, sped toward Vietnam Coast Guard vessel CSB 4032 and cornered it in the waters.
Tugboat #263 then got close to the local ship and suddenly rushed headlong into it. The local ship managed to avoid being hit by the foreign vessel and escaped.
The two tugboats then chased the local ship for a distance of about 2 nautical miles.
Several similar attacks occurred on Thursday, when China maintained 110-115 ships in the waters, the Fisheries Resources Surveillance Department reported.
These vessels included 35-40 coast guard boats, about 30 transport ships and tugboats, and 40-45 iron-clad fishing boats, the department said, adding that at least one Chinese spying plane often operated above the Vietnamese vessels in the area.
The department pointed out that China deployed large iron-clad fishing boats to the waters not to fish but to attack Vietnamese fishing boats, all smaller, that operate in their traditional fishing fields off Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, 20-25 nautical miles from the rig.
These Chinese fishing ships, supported by Chinese coast guard watercrafts, have launched a dozen attacks on Vietnamese fishing vessels, injuring several fishermen, damaging dozens of boats as well as navigation equipment on board, and stealing fishing equipment, seafood, and other assets, the department said.
Meanwhile, the attacks by other Chinese ships on Vietnam’s marine law enforcement forces have wounded 12 fisheries surveillance officers and damaged 24 boats —19 from the department and five from the Vietnam Coast Guard.
The Chinese rig, after relocating twice – on May 27 and June 1 – is now located at 15°33’22” North latitude and 111°34’23” East longitude, still in Vietnamese waters.
China has maintained the rig there so far despite the strong protest from Vietnam, which has repeatedly demanded that Beijing remove the platform immediately from the Vietnamese sea area.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Đăng ký:
VietNam News
>> Vietnam to make 30,000 steel-clad boats for fishermen by 2020 >> Clip: Chinese vessel rams, sinks Vietnam fishing boat >> 3 Vietnamese injured as China continues assaults on Vietnam ships