Hanoi Protests Chinese Law Enforcement’s Assault on Fishermen in South China Sea

The Vietnamese Magazine -

Key Events

  • Vietnam, U.S., and Philippines Protest China’s Attacks on Fishermen
  • Political Prisoners’ Health Worsens As Their Hunger Strike Persists
  • To Lam Continues to Travel Overseas, Pays Visits to Mongolia, Ireland, and France
  • More Human Rights Group Call for Immediate Release of Y Quynh Bdap

Vietnam Protests China’s Attacks on Fishermen in Disputed Territorial Waters

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has protested China’s recent violent attacks on Vietnamese fishermen and boats near the disputed Paracel islands in the South China Sea, declaring such actions had “had seriously violated” Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracels and was an infringement of international laws. On Sept. 29, personnel from two vessels operated by Chinese maritime law enforcement reportedly attacked a fishing boat run by a crew from Quang Ngai Province, leaving 10 fishermen seriously injured while their equipment was damaged and looted.

Nguyen Thanh Bien, the boat’s captain, described to local newspapers the two Chinese vessels that attacked bearing numbers 101 and 301. Duan Dang, a South China Sea expert of Vietnam, who developed a navigational visualizer named Geoint.asia, told VOA News that he identified Sansha Zhifa 101 and Sansha Zhifa 301 as the Chinese vessels engaged in the reported assault. This incident has increased tensions over sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea, or the East Sea, as it’s called in Vietnam, in which coastal countries have overlapping claims on territorial waters.

On Oct. 2, Pham Thu Hang, the foreign affairs spokesperson, said Vietnam “is extremely concerned about, discontented with, and resolutely opposes” the forceful and violent measures of Chinese law enforcement. Hang added that her ministry has communicated with the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi to protest the attacks and demand Beijing “fully respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, quickly investigate and announce results to the Vietnamese side, and not repeat similar acts.”

On Oct. 3, the Vietnam Fisheries Association sent a written request to several government ministries and the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party to diplomatically voice their opposition to the assaults and demand China provide compensation for the injuries sustained and property damage of the fishing crew. Beijing’s foreign ministry declared that “no injuries were found” after the incident and that their handling of the alleged illegal fishing was ““professional and restrained.”

Although Hanoi asserts sovereignty over the Paracel Archipelago, these islands have remained under Chinese control since the fall of the former Republic of Vietnam (RVN) in 1975, when the RVN Navy was defeated by Chinese naval forces in the 1974 battle of the Paracel Islands. Today, Vietnam’s foreign affairs ministry maintains that Vietnam “has full legal grounds and historical evidence to assert its sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands.”

On Oct. 4, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller wrote on X that the United States is “deeply concerned” by the violence used by Chinese law enforcement vessels against Vietnamese fishing boats near the Paracel Islands. He called on Beijing to “desist from dangerous and destabilizing conduct in the South China Sea.”

Eduardo Ano, Philippine national security adviser, declared Manila’s condemnation of the Sept. 29 assaults against fishermen in the disputed South China Sea waters and said his country stood with Vietnam to denounce that “egregious act.” Ano added in a statement made on Oct. 4 that China’s use of force against civilians “violates international law” and “breaches basic human decency.”

Political Prisoners’ Health Worsens As Their Hunger Strike Persists

Families of three prisoners of conscience, Bui Van Thuan, Dang Dinh Bach, and Trinh Ba Tu, said their health has significantly declined since they initiated a hunger strike to advocate for the release of all religious and political prisoners and protest the harsh and inhumane detention of two fellow inmates, Thai Van Thuy and Nguyen Van Du, who are held in Nghe An Province’s Prison Camp No. 6. The hunger strike started on Sept. 28.

Moreover, three prisoners of conscience demanded an immediate end to the “tiger cage” detention conditions, which hold prisoners inside a fenced-off area that resemble an animal pen, preventing them from moving and associating with other inmates. According to Trinh Thi Nhung, Thuan’s wife, all three prisoners were experiencing dizziness, fatigue, and weight loss due to prolonged fasting. Her husband, she said, had lost around 5.5 kilograms since the beginning of his protest; he now weighs around 62.5 kilograms.

Nhung wrote on social media that she and her mother visited him on Oct. 5, the eighth day since their hunger strike started. She said she did not bring any food because Thuan refused to receive it and instructed her not to send any items. Thuan, Bach, and Tu also rejected the food rations the prison provides, urging the correctional authorities to approve their proposed demands. These prisoners claimed they would continue the struggle until their demands were met.

To Lam Continues to Travel Overseas, Pays Visits to Mongolia, Ireland, and France

General Secretary and President To Lam’s working agenda is, again, packed with foreign travels. Following his recent visits to the United States and Cuba, where To Lam spoke in front of the United Nations General Assembly, held talks with President Joe Biden and was awarded the Caribbean state’s highest honor of the Jose Marti Order. Further, the former police general paid state visits to Mongolia and Ireland from Sept. 30-Oct. 3, and attended the 19th Francophonie Summit from Oct. 4-5 as well as paid state visit to France on Oct. 7.

State media reported that To Lam was invited by Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Irish President Michael D. Higgins and French President Emmanuel Macron. In Mongolia on Sept. 30, the general secretary reviewed an honor guard and agreed to upgrade bilateral relations to a “strategic partnership,” a milestone he said would “open up a new period of more substantive, effective, comprehensive and long-term development cooperation.”

Meanwhile, Lam met with Irish President Michael D. Higgins and Prime Minister Simon Harris. According to state media, both countries reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and the freedom of navigation and aviation in the South China Sea and adhering to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in resolving disputes. They also agreed to establish a “comprehensive, fair and lasting peace in Ukraine,” emphasizing territorial integrity and the principles of sovereignty. Vietnamese and Irish leaders also touched upon the situation in Gaza and called for “an immediate ceasefire and an agreement to release the hostages.”

On Oct. 3, To Lam and the Vietnamese delegation arrived in Paris and began a five-day official visit to France, where he held talks with President Emmanuel Macron and attended the Francophonie Summit, where he engaged in bilateral meetings with the Francophonie General Secretary, Louise Mushikiwabo, and representatives of other member countries. Economic cooperation is also included in the agenda, as both countries are expected to sign crucial cooperation contracts worth billions of dollars.

More Human Rights Group Call for Immediate Release of Y Quynh Bdap

The Bangkok Criminal Court’s approval of the extradition of Montagnard activist Y Quynh Bdap upon Vietnam’s requests has drawn protests and condemnations from multiple human rights organizations, raising concerns over Hanoi’s use of transnational repression to silence government critics.

Bdap, 32, co-founder of Montagnards Stand Up for Justice), could face a 10-year imprisonment on allegations of “terrorism” after a court in Dak Lak tried him in absentia, along with nearly 100 other individuals over their alleged role in launching armed attacks against two government headquarters in Dak Lak Province, in which nine people were reportedly killed, including four policemen and two commune leaders. The court accused Bdap of planning and directing the attacks from Thailand, where he fled in 2018 and applied for refugee status.

International Christian Concern (ICC), a Washington-based religious freedom advocacy group, condemned the extradition decision and said they had followed his case closely and investigated similar Vietnamese Christians who fled to Thailand. “Bdap’s case is hugely important because if he is extradited, he will almost certainly face violence and more persecution in Vietnam,” an ICC staff member stated in this statement. The spokesperson compared the trial decision to a “slippery slope” because it could be a precedent for the forcible return of other Vietnamese religious refugees in Thailand, where they will “surely face more and probably worse persecution.”

CIVICUS, a South Africa-based alliance of civil society groups, on X, called the decision to extradite Bdap “transnational repression at its worst and a clear violation of human rights.” The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a coalition of 87 member advocacy organizations, similarly wrote on X that it is “deeply concerned” by the court’s decision and urged the Thai government to “immediately and unconditionally release Bdap and reject his extradition order.”

Both organizations pushed Thai authorities to reverse the court's verdict. They declared the extradition would put the Montagnard activist at risk of prosecution, violating Thailand’s obligations under the non-refoulement principle. “As Thailand is vying for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, it must solidify its commitment to protecting human rights defenders,” FORUM-ASIA wrote on X.

Quick

Spouses Charged with ‘Abusing Democratic Freedoms’ Due to Disagreement over Court’s Ruling on Land Ownership:

The Phu Yen Provincial Police on Oct. 3 announced they had detained Nguyen Van Trong and his wife, Le Thi Hoa, residents of the province’s Son Hoa District, and charged them with “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state and the legitimate interests of organizations and individuals” under Clause 2 of Article 331.  The allegation was due to the couple’s  disagreement with a local court’s ruling on a land rights dispute.

State media reported that Trong and Hoa disagreed with a court’s settlement regarding  ownership of a plot of land around 240 sq. meters in Son Hoa District. The couple responded by sending more than 100 complaints about the ruling to multiple government bureaus, accusing local officials of wrongdoing. The investigation agency declared that the married couple had abused democratic freedoms by making false statements in their complaints to denounce multi-level government officials and leaders. 

Vietnam Rejects Crucial UPR Recommendations on Protection of Religious Freedom and Rights Defenders:

Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet spoke at the 57th Human Rights Council on Sept. 27 and declared that Vietnam had accepted 271 out of 320 recommendations proposed by 133 member states during the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review last May, accounting for about 80% of the total proposals. However, the government rejected 49 key recommendations that called for improving human rights, including suggestions on the abolition or amendment to the Penal Code (Articles 117 and 331), the Law on Religion and Belief, and the Cybersecurity Law. 

CIVICUS, a South Africa-based advocacy group, also made a statement at the Human Rights Council on Sept. 30, urging Hanoi to release all human rights defenders, including Pham Doan Trang, Dang Dinh Bach and Nguyen Chi Tuyen, and to revise its restrictive laws to ensure they comply with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Vietnam Insight: Learn more about Vietnam

Century-Old Historic Villa in Đồng Nai Faces Demolition Due to Road Project

Saigoneer/ Sept. 24

The Vietnamese Magazine’s summary: A century-old French colonial villa in Biên Hòa City, Đồng Nai Province, known as "nhà lầu ông Phủ," is facing demolition to make way for a new road. Built between 1922 and 1924 with materials imported from France, the villa has been home to the family of Võ Hà Thanh, a Đốc phủ (government official) under the French administration, for nearly a century. Currently, Thanh’s great-granddaughter is the sole resident. This case reflects the ongoing tension between modern infrastructure development and the preservation of Vietnam's historical heritage.