On Monday, the Secretary of the Da Nang Party Committee, Mr Tran Tho, along with some representatives from the municipal People’s Council (PC) met with voters from the Hoa Cuong Bac and Hoa Cuong Nam wards in Hai Chau District.  The purpose was to prepare for the upcoming 10^th session of the city’s PC in its 8^th tenure.

A voter from Hoa Cuong Nam Ward expressed his strong indignation about China’s illegal action of positioning the HD-981 oil drilling rig in Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone and on its continental shelf.  He also stressed the need to seek new solutions to solve the current maritime disputes in order to ease the escalating tensions in the East Sea.  Meanwhile, another voter from Hoa Cuong Bac Ward showed his strong support for the State’s stance on solving the East Sea issue peacefully.  He also strongly supported the idea of displaying the fishing boat DNa 90152, which was capsized by a Chinese ship on 26 May.  “The damaged boat will be a valuable historical piece of evidence which will help our descendents to understand more about China’s brutal actions.  In addition, it is essential to issue important policies for firmly safeguarding Viet Nam’s sovereignty over its sea and islands,” he said.

Secretary Tran Tho (centre) at the meeting

In reply, Secretary Tho highly appreciated the voters’ opinions which showed the ardent patriotism of local residents as well as their strong discontent with China’s violations of Viet Nam’s sacred sovereignty.  The city leader reported that, following instructions from the Vietnamese Politburo, the State and Party are advocating political and diplomatic strategies for countering China’s actions.   Most countries across the world have expressed their support for Viet Nam and have condemned China.  For this reason, Secretary Tho encouraged local voters to keep calm and keep up to date with the latest news on the issue, as well as show their deep patriotism in accordance with Vietnamese and international laws.