Hanoi today demanded that Beijing properly compensate fishermen whose fishing boat in Quang Ngai was sunk by a Chinese coast guard ship.

A fishing boat of Da Nang fishermen was also sunk by a Chinese ship in May 2014. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

On July 9, in an area 34 nautical miles southeast of Bong Bay Island, part of Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago, Vietnamese fishing boat QNg 90479TS with 5 fishermen on board was chased and sunk by two Chinese coast guard ships numbered 46102 and 56103.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Hai Binh stated that Vietnam strongly condemns inhumane treatment, use of force or threat of force against Vietnamese fishermen, and requests China to investigate and punish the crew of two coast guard ships that intentionally rammed and sank the Vietnamese fishing boat, leaving the fishermen in life-threatening conditions.

"Vietnam demands that China respect international law, not repeat similar actions, and provide adequate compensation to Vietnamese fishermen," Mr. Le Hai Binh stated in a press release today.

On July 11, a representative of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi to hand over a diplomatic note of protest.

According to VNE