Vietnam protests Chinese forces attack on fishermen in disputed waters in South China Sea | CNN

Hanoi
Reuters
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Vietnam protested to China on Wednesday over an alleged attack on a Vietnamese fishing boat three days ago in the contested waters of the South China Sea that left several fishermen injured.

Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Chinese law enforcement beat the Vietnamese fishermen and took away their fishing equipment while their boat was traveling near Hoang Sa, as Vietnam calls the Paracel Islands. China calls the Paracels the Xisha Islands.

The Chinese-controlled islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam, lie in the South China Sea, a busy global maritime waterway almost entirely claimed by China.

“Vietnam is extremely concerned, outraged and strongly protests the brutal treatment of Vietnamese fishermen and fishing boats operating in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa Archipelago by Chinese law enforcement forces,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Pham Thu Hang said in a statement.

The ministry sent a strong protest to the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, calling on China to respect Vietnam’s sovereignty, investigate the incident and refrain from further such actions, Hang said.

Vietnamese state media reported this week that around 40 people from two foreign ships beat the fishermen with iron pipes, injuring 10.

China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the Vietnamese boats had been fishing illegally in Paracel waters without permission from the Beijing government and that Chinese authorities had taken measures to stop them.

“The operation on site was professional and restrained and no injuries were reported,” it said in response to a Reuters request for comment, without specifically referring to the attack.