VietNamNet Bridge – China has sent nearly 80 vessels and dozens of patrol aircraft to the waters of Vietnam Friday, where it is laying an illegal oil rig.

A Chinese ship used water cannons to attack a Vietnamese vessel. Photo: VGP

"The situation in the area in which China illegally set up the HD-981 oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone is still complicated,” Brigadier General Nguyen Quang Dam, Commander of the Vietnam Marine Police Agency, told the Vietnam News Agency.

According to Dam, on the afternoon of May 9, China deployed 79 ships to protect the oil rig, including three military ships, 39 law enforcement vessels, 14 cargo ships and 6 oil service ships. He said that the Chinese ships were very aggressive and intentionally collided with Vietnamese law enforcement vessels.

"China's actions are proactive and well-prepared, and they always arrange over 70 ships in the area," said Minister Dam. He confirmed that the marine police force is determined to defend Vietnam’s territorial integrity and jurisdiction in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

Mr. Tran Duy Hai, Vice Chairman of the National Boundary Commission (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), told Vietnam News Agency about China’s fabricated content in a press conference on May 8.

Hai said that China’s declared willingness to negotiate when "Vietnam pulls out all the ships from the area where China is trying to build the HD-981 oil rig" is absolutely absurd. That area is completely under the full sovereign and jurisdictional rights of Vietnam.

Hai also said in the press conference that China claimed Vietnamese ships intentionally rammed its boats. Reporters have made a number of inquiries related to this issue but Chinese officials did not answer and refused to provide evidence to support their claims.

"We assert that China cannot support that claim because the Vietnamese ships were purely civilian ships and did not take any provoking act against the Chinese ships. Chinese vessels intentionally provoked Vietnamese ships. We have released lots of pictures to prove the brazen acts of China in this case," Hai said.

Mr. Vuong Manh Hoa, from Fishery Control Team 3 based in Da Nang City, says that the Marine Police Agency and the Fishery Control forces will continue to perform their duties in the area where China is building the illegal oil rig.

The situation is tense and three more members of the fishery control force were injured after collisions with Chinese ships.

PV