The Vietnam Fisheries Trade Union has voiced its objection to China’s recent attacks on Vietnamese fishermen and their fishing vessels, reported the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper.

The trade union said in its June 30 statement that at around 9 am on June 28, boat QNg-96093 TS from central Quang Ngai province, which had 13 people aboard and was operating in Vietnamese waters, was directly rammed by two Chinese ships 44044 and 33101.

Chinese crew members then boarded the Vietnamese ship, used electric blackjacks to attack fishermen, threw away their fishing tools and seized the day’s catch.

The organisation strongly opposed any actions that threaten the lives and assets of Vietnamese fishermen.

It called on China to immediately halt wrongful actions and avoid affecting the livelihoods of fishermen and members of the trade union or damaging their assets.

Vietnamese fishermen were asked to remain calm and support each other when working offshore while avoiding any conflicts to mitigate the rising tensions in Vietnamese waters.

VNA