The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations in Ho Chi Minh City (HUFO)on July 10 issued a statement protesting China ’s illegal activitiesin the East Sea.

In the statement, HUFOreiterated that China ’s deployment of its drilling rig escorted by alarge number of ships, including battleships and aircraft to Vietnam ’swaters seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign right andjurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf inthe East Sea.

China ’s acts gravelyinfringed international law, especially 1982 United Nations Conventionon the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties inthe East Sea (DOC) signed by China and the ASEAN member countries,said the statement.

The moves also ran counter tohigh-level agreements on the basic principles guiding the settlement ofEast Sea issues, threatening peace, stability, maritime security andsafety as well as the freedom of navigation and aviation in the EastSea, it said.

The actions of China also severely harmed the Vietnam-China relations, it added.

“The HUFO strongly protests China’s moves and requests Chineseauthorities to immediately stop provocative actions that undermine thefriendly neighbourliness between the two countries and defy justice,”read the statement.

The union also demanded Chinato unconditionally remove its rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 and all ships outof Vietnam ’s waters without delay, showing respect for internationallaw.

The statement also denounced China ’s actionsof deploying more drilling rigs in the areas of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa(Paracel) archipelago and conducting illegal construction on reefs andislands that it illegally occupied in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly)archipelago, regardless of morality, law and the Vietnam-Chinarelationship.

The same day, the People’s Council ofthe central city of Da Nang also approved a resolution opposing China’s illegal actions in the East Sea .

Theresolution highlighted that China’s act of sinking fishing boat DNa90152 of Da Nang fishermen is an inhumane and dangerous behavior,calling it a crime.

It also called on Chinese peopleand elective officials to stand up for historical truth, justice andinternational law as well as long-term interest of both peoples, raisingtheir voice to pressure the Chinese Government to immediately stopillegal actions and violation of Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone andcontinental shelf.

At the beginning of May 2014,China illegally dispatched the rig as well as a large fleet of armedvessels, military ships and aircraft to Vietnam’s waters and positionedthe rig at 15 degrees 29 minutes 58 seconds north latitude and 111degrees 12 minutes 06 seconds east longitude. The location is 80 milesdeep into Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

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

China’s armed vessels have aggressively and consistently firedhigh-power water cannons at and intentionally rammed against Vietnamesepublic-service and civil ships, causing damage to many boats andinjuring many people on board.

OnMay 26, Chinese ship 11209 even sank a Vietnamese fishing vessel DNa90152 that was operating normally in its traditional fishing groundsnear Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.-VNA