Petroleum group voices opposition to Chinese acts

The Viet
Nam Oil and Gas Association (VOGA) strongly opposed the actions of Chinese
marine surveillance vessels which recently cut the cables of a Vietnamese ship
operating on Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

VOGA
voiced its opposition in a statement about the incident which occurred on May 26
when three Chinese marine surveillance vessels cut survey cables attached to the
Binh Minh 02, a Viet Nam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) survey ship,
as it was conducting seismic surveys well within Viet Nam’s exclusive economic
zone and continental shelf.

This
action seriously violated the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS
1982) as well as Viet Nam’s sovereignty and jurisdiction rights over its
exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, and caused economic damage to
PetroVietnam, the association stated.

The
action also went against commitments China made in the Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) signed between ASEAN and China in 2002,
as well as the common perception of high-ranking Vietnamese and Chinese leaders,
it added.

VOGA
stressed that implementation of seismic surveys by Vietnamese oil and gas
enterprises in the country’s exclusive economic zone was a normal activity that
had been conducted since the 1980s and was totally in line with UNCLOS 1982.

Therefore, the association asked the Chinese side to strictly abide by UNCLOS
1982 – in which China was a member – as well as relevant international laws.

The
Chinese side should seriously implement commitments prescribed in the DOC and
not repeat similar acts in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of
Viet Nam, as well as compensate PetroVietnam for damage caused by the three
marine surveillance vessels, said VOGA.

The
association said it always sought to boost the traditional friendship and
co-operation between the two countries’ people and oil and gas workers, and
respect independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries for
the interests of peace, security and co-operation in the region.

Sang
meets Lao movement leader

Truong Tan
Sang, permanent member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, met
with Sisavath Keobounphanh, chairman of the Lao Front for National Construction,
in Laos yesterday.

Sang
expressed his delight at witnessing the renovation of Laos, congratulated the
country on the success of the 9th Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary
Party and its 7th National Assembly election.

He
informed Sisavath Keobounphanh of the completion of scholarly works featuring
writings and other media on the special relationship between Viet Nam and Laos
from 1930-2007, which would play a significant role in educating future
generations as the relationship moved forward.

Sisavath
Keobounphanh thanked Sang for his visit and asked him to send his wishes for
health to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other Vietnamese Party
and State leaders.

VN, South Africa boost security cooperation

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the
South African Ministry of Police have signed an agreement on strengthening their
cooperation, especially in preventing organised and transnational crimes and
wildlife smuggling.

The agreement was reached during a
visit to South Africa from June 5-8 by a delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry
of Public Security (MPS) led by Minister Le Hong Anh.
During the four-day visit, Minister Anh held talks with Minister of Police Nathi
Mthethwa and Minister of National Security Siyabonga Cwele of South Africa.
The Vietnamese minister spoke highly of effective cooperation between the MPS
and the two South African ministries, expressing his belief that the two sides
would expand their cooperation in the future.
He congratulated South Africa on its role as a non-permanent member of the
United Nations Security Council for 2011-2012 and as an official member of the
group of emerging economies (BRIC).
South African Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa highly valued Vietnam’s role and
position in the international arena as well as its achievements during the
renewal process.
He wished to further boost cooperation between the two ministries in preventing
transnational and organised crime, including money laundering, drug and human
trafficking, and the smuggling of wildlife, especially rhino.

Vietnam Fatherland Front debates East Sea issues

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee (VFFCC) on June 7 held a
discussion related to what happened in the East Sea during the last few days.

Participants exchanged opinions on
the wrongdoings of the Chinese marine surveillance vessels which had cut the
exploration cables of a PetroVietnam ship, involved in seismic surveys within
Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.

They shared the same view that China
should strictly abide by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the
Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) as well as recent
commitments that China had made.

As such skirmishes in the East Sea
cannot be resolved in a short time they required the concerned sides to
patiently settle the incidents through dialogue and peaceful solutions, on the
basis of mutual respect and international law.

They added that the VFF and its
member organisations should fulfil the task of disseminating information among
people from all walks of life to help them fully understand the East Sea issue
and the foreign policies of the Party and Government.

Deputy Chairman of the VFFCC Nguyen
Van Pha said all opinions and ideas will be carefully analysed to help
authorities solve the East Sea issue satisfactorily.

VNN/VOV/VNS