Vietnam protests use of force against fishing boats; govt says that all fishermen deserve to make a living at the seas

Spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang. - Vietnam News/ANN

HANOI (Voetnam News/ANN): Vietnam opposes any use of force against its fishing vessels operating normally at sea, threatening the life and safety as well as causing damage to the property and interests of fishermen, running counter to international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), said spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang.

Responding to reporters’ queries regarding the information about a Vietnamese fishing boat attacked while operating in the waters of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel), Hang said competent Vietnamese agencies are urgently verifying the case.