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VN lodges protests against China at UN

VGP – Viet Nam has lodged protest against China’s illegal installation of oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 in Viet Nam’s waters at an ongoing meeting in New York from May 27-30.

May 29, 2014 8:08 PM GMT+7

A representative of the Vietnamese delegation at the United Nations said that China annually promulgates fishing ban over the maritime areas of the South China Sea’s coastal states which violates sovereign right and jurisdiction of these states pursuant to provisions of the UNCLOS, affected to legitimate fishing exploitation of fishermen.

Since the early May 2014, many Vietnamese fishing boats have been repeatedly controlled, attacked and seriously damaged by Chinese vessels. Most recently, on 26 May 2014, China’s vessels rammed and sunk one Vietnamese boat, with 10 fishermen, which was operating in the traditional fishery area.

Moreover, China has illegally installed Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil drilling rig since May 1st, 2014 in the Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. China has maneuvered more than 130 enforcement vessels including warships to prevent legitimate fishing activities of Viet Nam’s fishermen in the Vietnamese traditional fishing ground.

The China’s installation of the oil drilling rig violates sovereign right and jurisdiction of Viet Nam over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, enshrining in international law, especially UNCLOS./.

By Hai Minh