The Viet Nam Bar Federation yesterday, June
12, issued
a statement to oppose China’s violations of Viet Nam’s sovereignty and
jurisdiction rights over its continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

In its statement, the
federation asked the Chinese side not to make the East Sea situation more
complicated by threatening to use force or using force, and to conduct itself in
line with its role as a member of the United Nations, especially a member of the
UN Security Council, and in its capacity as a nation with an important role in
Asia-Pacific and the world.

According to the Viet
Nam Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson and concerned agencies, on May 26 three
Chinese marine surveillance vessels cut survey cables of the Binh Minh 02, a
survey ship of the Viet Nam National Oil and Gas Group, at 12 degrees 48’25″
north latitude and 111 degrees 26’48″ east longitude, some 116 nautical miles
off Dai Lanh Cape in the central coastal province of Phu Yen and about 340
nautical miles off China’s Hainan island coast.

On late May 31, three
Chinese naval vessels fired to threaten four fishing boats of Vietnamese
fishermen while they were fishing at 8 degrees 56’ north latitude and 112
degrees 45’ east longitude on the continental shelf of Viet Nam.

On June 9, a Chinese
fishing boat supported by two Chinese fishery administration vessels
deliberately hit the survey cables of Viking II, a ship hired by the Viet Nam
National Oil and Gas Group to conduct seismic surveys, at 6 degrees 47’5″ north
latitude and 109 degrees 17’5″ east longitude on Viet Nam’s continental shelf.

Based on the UN
Charter, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties on the East Sea between governments of ASEAN countries and
China, China’s above-mentioned acts seriously violated Viet Nam’s rights to
sovereignty and jurisdiction over its continental shelf and exclusive economic
zone, making the East Sea situation to continue to be tense.

The federation has
enough legal basis to announce that the acts of the Chinese side seriously
violated fundamental principles of international laws: not threatening to use
force or using force in international relations to challenge the territorial
integrity or political independence of any nation.

The acts also
seriously violated the sovereignty and jurisdiction rights of Viet Nam to its
continental shelf and exclusive economic zone according to Article 55, Article
56 and Article 57, Article 76, Article 77 and Article 301 in the 1982 UN
Convention on the Law of the Sea and went against Clause 1 and Clause 4 in the
Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea between ASEAN member
countries and China.

The federation
demanded the Chinese side, for the strategic height and long-term relationship
between Viet Nam and China, to immediately stop and not repeat any violating
actions within Viet Nam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone in the
East Sea and to take responsibility for paying damages caused to the Viet Nam
National Oil and Gas Group and the Vietnamese fishermen.

The federation always
treasures and wants the friendship as well as the traditional co-operation
between the two peoples and bar organisations to be further promoted in the
spirit of respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of each
other, jointly dealing with differences between the two countries by peaceful
means, preventing and opposing actions that harm peaceful and friendly relations
between the two countries.

It requested the
national bar organisations of ASEAN countries, the Law Association for Asia and
the Pacific and the China Bar Association to jointly bear responsibility for
protecting justice, international law, respecting independence, sovereignty and
territorial integrity of countries, maintaining peace and international security
and jointly building a democratic, fair and civilised world.

The federation will
do its utmost to contribute to the legal fight of the Vietnamese State and
people to protect sovereignty and territorial integrity in general and seas and
islands in particular in every forum by international legal institutions.

Peace Committee

The Viet Nam Peace
Committee yesterday sent a letter to the Chinese People’s Association for Peace
and Disarmament expressing concerns over recent violations by Chinese ships of
the water under Viet Nam’s sovereignty rights.

The committee said
that on May 26 and June 9 Chinese marine surveillance, fishery administration
and fishing vessels had taken actions that seriously violated Viet Nam’s
sovereignty and jurisdiction rights over its continental shelf and exclusive
economic zone.

The Viet Nam Peace
Committee and the Vietnamese people were concerned over those serious and
repeated violations by Chinese ships, the committee said, adding that these acts
caused adverse impacts on the long-standing friendship between the two peoples
and on public worries in the region and the world, as well as on peace and
stability in the region.

The committee
expressed the wish that the Chinese side not let similar actions recur.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News