On Tuesday, fishermen Bui Van Dung from Da Nang’s Thanh Khe District said that he had returned to the city after a 15-day offshore fishing trip to the Hoang Sa (Paracel) waters.  He reported that there were many Chinese ships illegally operating in the waters.  His vessel was not chased away, but it was closely followed by them.  In the meantime, 2 Chinese aircraft continuously flew over Dung’s boat.

The strong-willed man also remarked that Da Nang’s fishermen were not frightened of the possibility of aggressive actions by the Chinese because its recent ban on all fishing activities in the Bien Dong (East Sea) is totally worthless.  He also said he hoped that the Vietnamese law enforcement forces would stand side by side with the domestic fishermen.  This will make them feel more secure whilst conducting their fishing activities in the Vietnamese waters in order to earn a living to support their families as well as protect the country’s sacred sovereignty over its sea and islands. 

Fishermen making preparations for their offshore trips

16-year-old pupil Truong Ngoc Son, whose father is a fisherman from Thanh Khe District, was allowed by his father to join an offshore fishing trip to the Hoang Sa waters after he had finished his recent academic courses.  Although the teenager was very tired after the trip, he felt very proud of the Fatherland’s sacred territorial waters.  Son added that he and other local school pupils have expressed their strong discontent with China’s recent illegal moves which have been widely reported in the media. 

Also on the same day at the Tho Quang fishing wharf, many fishermen from the city and many central coastal provinces have been busy loading fuel, ice, food and other necessary provisions ready for their upcoming offshore fishing trips to the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) waters, and into the Tonkin Gulf.  They are determined to continue their trips in order to safeguard their traditional fishing grounds, regardless of China’s unilateral ban.

The Chief of Staff of the municipal Border Guard High Command, Colonel Le Tien Hung, said that the local border guards have always kept around the clock contact with the local fishermen operating at sea in order to help them if needed and encourage them to confidently continue their fishing activities.  In particular, the fishermen are being asked to immediately report to the local border guards and other local relevant agencies any strange moves by the Chinese vessels in order to timely deal with them.