It is Vietnam’s internal affair to hold legislative elections at Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokeswoman said at a press conference on Thursday.

 

Nguyen Phuong Nga made the statement when asked about Vietnam’s response to China’s recent protest against its elections of the National Assembly and the central province of Khanh Hoa Province’s People’s Committee to be held at the archipelago this Sunday.

 

The voting has been organized before and in accordance with Vietnam’s constitution and laws, while guaranteeing Vietnamese citizens’s rights, Nga was quoted as saying by news website VnExpress.

 

“Vietnam has sufficient historical and legal evidence to assert its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa archipelagoes,” she said.

 

Also at the conference, Nga said the disorder among the ethnic minority people of H’Mong in Muong Nhe District, the northern province of Dien Bien, between late last month and early this month has been solved.

 

The disorder happened because some instigators have made use of the people’s lack of knowledge and made arguments against the government to get them gather at the district, causing disorders, Nga said.

 

After local authorities made things clear to them, the H’Mong people have returned home, VnExpress quoted the spokeswoman as saying. Some people who had extreme actions have been arrested for investigations, she added.

 

“However, there is some exaggerated and untrue information about the Muong Nhe’s incident (which has been spread) for the purpose of distorting Vietnamese government’s policies and the actual circumstances in Vietnam,” Nga said.