Overseas Vietnamese in Switzerlandtogether with numerous friends and peace lovers around the world joined amarch in Geneva on June 27 to condemn China’s alteration of the statusquo in the East Sea.

Participants also signed aletter of protest asking UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon andinternational organisations to object to China’s perverse acts andenact necessary intervention measures to guarantee peace, stability,security and safety of aviation and navigation in the East Sea.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Youth Association inSwitzerland Luu Vinh Toan delivered a speech underlining Vietnam’slegal foundation and historical evidence confirming the country’slongstanding sovereignty over the Truong Sa (Spartly) and Hoang Sa(Paracel) archipelagos.

China’s illegalconstruction of artificial islands in Truong Sa is unacceptable to bothVietnamese people and the international community, he said.

Meanwhile, Chairwoman of the Switzerland-Vietnam FriendshipAssociation Anjuska Weil called upon countries around the globe tosupport Vietnam in safeguarding its territorial sovereignty whileraising their voice for the sake of peace, justice and a war-free world.

Many Swiss nationals expressed their indignationover China’s disregard for the 1982 United Nations Convention on theLaw of the Sea (UNCLOS), violation of the Declaration on the Conduct ofParties in the East Sea (DOC) and lack of sincerity for building a Codeof Conduct (COC) in the East Sea.

Theinternational community expressed its worry that after completingillegal construction projects in the Truong Sa archipelago, Chinacould brazenly declare an Air Defence Identification Zone in the EastSea – a major threat to peace, stability, freedom, safety andsecurity of aviation and navigation in the sea.

Experts and media from the US, Germany, Australia, India, Japan, Switzerland and ASEAN also strongly protest China ’s disrespectfor international law.-VNA