He stated that of the total, 19 fisheries surveillance ships and five coast guard vessels of Vietnam were destroyed after being rammed and fired with water cannons while performing their mission of demanding China withdraw its rig, named Haiyang Shiyou-981, from Vietnam’s waters, where it is illegally standing.
Thu noted that apart from deploying coast guard, patrol and logistics ships around the rig, China has so far sent a large number of big iron-made fishing vessels, together with many different kinds of warship and aircraft.
“Chinese ships have grouped together and formed three circles around the rig, enabling them to encircle and ram Vietnamese vessels making an approach,” Thu said.
Along with using high-power water cannons to damage Vietnamese ships and equipment on board, Chinese ships also used loudspeakers and powerful lights, affecting the health of Vietnamese coast guards and fisheries surveillance officials, stated Thu.
Meanwhile, Vietnam has only used peaceful measures, including spoken words and banners in Vietnamese, English and Chinese to protest China’s illegal act and demand it remove the rig out of Vietnam ’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, Thu noted.
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