Vietnam has asked China to seriously investigate the recent acts ofchasing and damaging two Vietnamese fishing vessels in Vietnam’s watersby several Chinese ships.

The request was stated bya representative from the Consular Department of the VietnameseMinistry of Foreign Affairs after handing over a diplomatic note to arepresentative from the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi during theirmeeting on March 17.

According to the ConsularDepartment, since the beginning of the year, some Vietnamese fishingvessels have been prevented, chased and damaged by Chinese ships whenoperating at traditional fishing grounds around Vietnam’s Hoang Sa(Paracel) archipelago.

At 14:45 on January 7,fishing ship QNg 90055 TS of central Quang Ngai province with sevenfishermen on board was chased by Chinese vessel coded 1239. Assets onthe ship QNg 90055 TS were smashed by the Chinese side.

On March 1, another ship of Quang Ngai province, QNg 96074 TS, with 12fishermen on board, was stopped by China’s fishery administrationship, Yu Zheng 02. Some of its assets were confiscated by the Chineseside.

“These actions of Chinese competent forcesviolated Vietnam’s sovereignty, and sovereign and jurisdiction rightsin the East Sea, intruded upon property and infringed upon thelegitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen,” stated the note.

These actions ran counter to the common perception reached by the twocountries’ high-ranking leaders on the humanitarian treatment offishermen, it declared.

According to the Vietnameserepresentative, the Chinese side was requested to make satisfactorycompensation to the Vietnamese fishermen on these vessels and not letsimilar actions happen again.-VNA