Sinking Quang Ngai boat, Chinese ship surrounded fishermen for 7 hours

"After being hit and sunk, only the bow of the fishing boat was floating. Five people quickly climbed aboard and sat huddled on it. The Chinese ship did not rescue us but stood around from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. before leaving," Captain Vo Van Luu recounted.

At 3:30 p.m. on July 13, fishing boat QNg 95001, captain Huynh Van Khanh (31 years old), docked at Tinh Ky fishing port (Quang Ngai city), bringing 5 victims of the shipwreck in Hoang Sa 5 days ago to shore. Ms. Nguyen Thi Nang asked someone to drive a motorbike from Binh Chau commune (Binh Son) to pick up 5 relatives, but did not go to the wharf but waited at the border post because she had just had an IV. When she saw her husband and children, Ms. Nang's eyes were red, her hands tightly holding her son Vo Van Cau (11th grade student).

Chinese Coast Guard ship 46102 sank a wooden boat of five fishermen from Quang Ngai. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

Captain of fishing boat QNg 90479 TS Vo Van Luu (52 years old) encouraged his wife with a quick hug, mixed with a bit of shyness from the fishermen. The crew members were later given a report by the Sa Ky Station Border Guard. "This is the ship that sank our boat," Captain Luu said when he saw the image of Coast Guard ship 46102 provided by the reporter.

Mr. Luu said that at around 8:00 a.m. on July 9, the fishing boat he was piloting and Mr. Khanh's boat were fishing in the Hoang Sa fishing grounds when two Chinese Coast Guard ships numbered 46102 and 56103 approached from afar and chased them away. Ship 46102 chased Mr. Luu's boat, while 56103 chased Mr. Khanh's boat, while lowering two canoes to approach the fishing boat. Both captains Luu and Khanh increased speed and steered to avoid the pursuit.

At around 11am, at coordinates 16.09 North latitude, 111.36 East longitude, 6 Chinese people on a canoe jumped onto Mr. Luu's boat, one of whom could speak Vietnamese. "They were holding electric batons in their hands. I was slapped twice and restrained right in the cabin. The remaining 4 people were taken to the bow of the boat, forced to lie face down on the floor, hands behind their necks, and not allowed to look at anything," Mr. Luu said.

The group of people on the Chinese Police ship then searched and destroyed many items on the Quang Ngai fishing boat. "They used batons to force me to speed up and chase after Mr. Khanh's boat. Next to them was the Chinese Coast Guard ship 46102, and behind them was their canoe. After about 30 minutes, Mr. Luu's fishing boat was hit by ship 46102.

Returning from Hoang Sa after China sank his 3 billion VND ship, Mr. Luu's story attracted the attention of the media. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

"After the rumble, seawater flowed into the engine compartment. At that time, a Chinese person who could speak Vietnamese told us to use a pump to pump the water out. But because the engine was flooded, we could not pump the water anymore," Mr. Luu recalled. The ship gradually sank. 6 Chinese people jumped into a canoe and returned to ship 46102.

About 30 minutes later, the boat sank, but because the engine was heavier, the front part was pulled back to the surface. Mr. Luu quickly reached for the walkie-talkie as a means of communication. Five people huddled on the bow of the boat, while the Chinese ships still surrounded it. "They did not rescue us and said we would call a Vietnamese fishing boat. But they just stood there, so Khanh did not dare to go over," Mr. Luu added.

Captain Huynh Van Khanh said that the Chinese ship approached but could not jump up, so he threw many water bottles onto the deck and cabin. To prevent the ship from being rammed, Khanh ordered the crew members to stand on both sides, ready to jump into the water, not to stay in the cabin because they could get trapped if the ship sank. "When they sank Mr. Luu's ship, the Chinese ship stopped chasing our ship. But they let the ship stand there, I did not dare to go in to save them because they might sink my ship or arrest me," Khanh said.

Mr. Khanh anchored the ship at a shoal, about 5 nautical miles from where Mr. Luu's ship sank, and kept in constant contact via walkie-talkie. At around 6 p.m., the Chinese ships withdrew. "When I arrived, the crew members on the ship were almost exhausted, their faces pale. We quickly brought everyone on board to change clothes, eat, and drink water, and then they gradually regained consciousness and were able to talk," Mr. Khanh said.

Mrs. Nang hugged her son Vo Van Cau, her eyes were red but she had no strength to cry out loud. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

Having escaped death after his first sea trip, Mr. Nguyen Trung Hau (teacher at Son Dung Secondary School, Son Tay District, Quang Ngai) said that because he was a contract teacher and had no salary during the summer vacation, he wanted to go to sea to earn extra money and experience the real life of a fisherman, so he asked his father-in-law to let him go.

After 7 days at sea, Mr. Hau witnessed his family's boat being chased and surrounded by a Chinese Coast Guard ship many times larger. "They restrained us, not allowing us to look up, so we couldn't see anything. Only when the ship was hit did we rush out to try to pump water but couldn't, the Chinese also left. Five family members stood on the bow of the sinking ship, trembling with hunger, but the Chinese side did not save them. I will tell my students and friends what I experienced," said Mr. Hau.

According to VNE