A territorial dispute between Vietnam and
China has escalated this week after Chinese forces arrested 21 fishermen.
Vietnam says the fishermen detained near disputed waters in the South China Sea
are being held for ransom.
Beijing
has urged its neighbor to stop what it calls "illegal poaching" in
the area.
Less
than 24 hours after the Vietnamese government urged China to release 21
fishermen arrested near the disputed Paracel Islands, Beijing said the group is
being held for territorial violations.
At a
news briefing in the Chinese capital, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman
Hong Lei asked Hanoi to stop fishermen from entering the area again.
Hong
Lei said recently more than 100 Vietnamese ships had entered waters around the
Paracel Islands, an area controlled by China but claimed by Vietnam.
Hong
Lei says on March 4, the fishermen were detained in the area. He says
authorities acted in accordance with the law and urged Vietnam to better
educate and manage fishermen so they would stop their illegal poaching in
China.
The
comments came a day after Vietnam's Foreign Ministry issued a statement
demanding the release of the fishermen. whom they claimed were being held for a
ransom of $11,000.
The
Vietnamese government has advised families not to pay and are pressing Beijing
for their release.
The
incident has put a lot of pressure on local people, says fisherman Le Van Loc
from Quang Ngai province. He was detained by the Chinese while he was sailing
near the islands in 2010.
Loc
says, as a Vietnamese citizen, he is angry because the islands belong to
Vietnam. He says families are told not to pay the ransom while the government
demands the release of those detained. This had made life difficult for
families.
The
incident is the latest in a long-running dispute about territory in the South
China Sea. Last year, both sides signed a series of maritime agreements aimed
at resolving tensions. However, Vietnam has continued to protest Chinese
activity on or near the islands.
Earlier
this month, Vietnam sent six Buddhist monks to re-establish abandoned temples
on another series of islands claimed by both countries in the South China Sea.
An
editorial in China's official Global Times newspaper says on Wednesday the move
to send monks there was a "religious guise" to "permanently
claim sovereignty" over the islands.
Vietnamese
government spokesman Nghi denied the claims.
He says
the plan was a normal and civilian activity.
Starting
next month, the monks are to refurbish the temples and hold rituals there for
at least six months. Vietnam abandoned the temples in 1975. It recently
renovated them as part of wider efforts to re-establish its claims to the
Spratlys.
The
Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also claim portions of the more than
100-island chain. Beijing insists the entire 3.5 million-square-kilometer South
China Sea is part of its territory. It has become increasingly assertive about
its maritime claims in recent months, regularly interfering with foreign
fishing boats and oil exploration vessels.
Fisherman
Loc says he will continue fishing near the Paracel islands in the future.
However, while China is strengthening its patrols, he will stay away.
He says
he still sees many boats heading to the islands, because they are near
Vietnam's coastline.
Laos
News.Net
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