Vietnam has­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ required China to stop any wrongful acts in the future with Vietnamese fishermen who fish in the waters of Vietnamese sovereignty.

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga made the statement on Dec. 15 in reference to the three seized fishing boats from the central province of Quang Ngai on Dec 7. The boats were fishing normally in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago when China seized two of them including equipment, personal properties and marine produce on board, and then crammed 43 fishermen into one boat to be later released.

Nga stated Vietnam’s concern by the fact that China has many times arrested Vietnamese boats and fishermen while they were operating normally on Vietnam’s territorial waters.

“Such wrongful act is a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty and sovereignty rights not in line with the two countries’ friendship, and does harms to the life and property of Vietnamese fishermen.” Nga said.

Nga added the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry on Dec. 15 sent a diplomatic note to the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi requiring China to return the boats with all of equipment and properties to the Vietnamese fishermen, and take measures to avoid the recurrence of similar acts in future.

(Source:VNA)