VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese community in Austria again took to the street in Vienna to protest against increasingly perverse acts by China since it illegally stationed the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

Chinese vessel chasing Vietnamese ship (Photo: VNA)

Hundreds of Vietnamese people on July 6 marched from the Stephanplatz square to the Chinese Embassy while holding the national flag and banners written in many languages demanding China to respect international law and withdraw its rig from Vietnam’s waters.

They also carried along two large maps demonstrating China’s wrongful acts in the East Sea and handed out 500 maps of Vietnam affirming the country’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

Demonstrators also collected signatures for a petition against China’s acts to be sent to the Chinese Embassy in Vienna, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the ASEAN Committee in Vienna.

This was the second rally by Vietnamese people in Austria in protest against China’s illegal acts in Vietnam ’s waters. In late May, hundreds of Vietnamese expatriates congregated in front of the Chinese Embassy in Vienna, shouting slogans and holding up banners calling on China to respect Vietnam ’s sovereignty and international law.

At the beginning of May 2014, China illegally positioned the rig at 15 degrees 29 minutes 58 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 12 minutes 06 seconds east longitude. The location was 80 miles deep into Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

Despite Vietnam’s protest, China expanded its scale of operation and moved the rig to 15 degrees 33 minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds east longitude, 60 nautical miles deep inside Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

China’s armed vessels have aggressively and consistently fired high-power water cannons at and intentionally rammed against Vietnamese public-service and civil ships, causing damage to many boats and injuring many people on board.

VNA/VNN