The ban imposed by China in Hanoi waters has become a major problem for Vietnamese fishers. (Photo: C. Reports/Stock File)

Chinese naval patrols harassing fishers

VIET NAM
Tuesday, June 09, 2009, 15:40 (GMT + 9)

The Government of Vietnam says that the ban on fishing in the South China Sea instituted by China has been “interfering” with the activities of Vietnamese fishers.

The presence of Chinese patrols in Vietnam’s waters has intimidated thousands of Vietnamese fishers into leaving their boats in port, government officials stated.

Chinese naval patrols have increased their fining and arresting of Vietnamese fishers in contested waters. As a result, fishers in the central provinces fear being arrested, fined, shot at and having their catches seized.

While Hanoi says the waters in question are under its jurisdiction, China claims that section of the South China Sea is part of its territory.

This, plus the burdensome fishing ban, has led Vietnam to stand up to China a total of two times within the past three weeks, BBC News reports.

For the sake of nature conservation, Chinese authorities have been enforcing an annual fishing moratorium for the past 10 years. Some assert that this year officials have been particularly stringent, and antagonism is brewing in Vietnam as a result.

Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son told the Chinese ambassador Sun Guoxiang that the growing amount of Chinese naval patrols has "caused indignation among the public, bringing no benefits to bilateral relations," according to the Vietnamese foreign ministry's website.
 
Two weeks ago, a Vietnamese fishing boat was attacked and sank; the fisher was able to get back to land. Son requested that Chinese authorities "stop operations that prevent Vietnamese fishermen from going about their daily business" within Vietnamese waters.

"Our people have always been in those areas but the Chinese now use the moratorium to arrest them," said Nguyen Viet Thang, chairman of Vietnam's Fisheries Association. "The government needs to interfere to defend our own fishermen."

Chinese coastguards said that last month they sent eight patrol ships to supervise a 128 sqkm-area of the East Sea through 1 August. Their goal is to enforce a three month-long ban on commercial fishing in the waters between China and Vietnam.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dzung said that the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagoes fall under Vietnam’s jurisdiction, yet they comprise an area on which China is imposing the ban. Any activities taking place in Vietnamese waters without the country’s permission, he continued, violates the sovereignty of Vietnam, Thanh Nien News reports.

“We will do our best to protect our fishermen. The association will submit documents to the [Vietnamese] government and related authorities for measures to ensure their fishing rights,” he said.

Thang is asking that fishing communities disregard the ban and continue with their normal way of life in national waters, and that they should report any occurrences to local fishing patrols and other relevant authorities.
 
“They don’t have any right over what belongs to Vietnam,” said Chu Tien Vinh, head of the Bureau of Aquatic Resources Exploitation and Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
 
Related articles:

- Patrol vessels sent to Spratly Islands
- Fishing patrols to be stepped up in South Sea

By Natalia Real
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com