Thirteen Vietnamese fishermen and a fishing boat have been detained by the Chinese on Phu Lam Island, part of the Hoang Sa Islands (Paracels), reported a Quang Ngai official.

The kidnapped fishermen are citizens of Quang Ngai province. The boat’s owner, Nguyen Tan Thanh, explained that the boat went out to sea for several days when sailors heard of a northeastern monsoon. They sheltered the boat near Phu Lam island, in waters surrounding the Hoang Sa (Paracels) archipelago, to avoid the storm. They were arrested by the Chinese on March 25.

The Chinese forced the fishermen to call home and ask their families to prepare 7000 Chinese yuan (US$7,860 in ransom) for their release.

Tieu Viet La, a Quang Ngai resident and the boat’s captain, also used a radio to inform authorities that he and his 12 member crew, mostly relatives, were captured on March 25.

La stated that they were about to leave Phu Lam Island when they were detained by the Chinese. Chinese guards were now keeping them at the island and asking for 180 million dong in return for the fishermen and the boat.

La’s first boat was seized by China in similar situation.

The families of the kidnapped have petitioned Quang Ngai province to ask for the Foreign Ministry’s intervention.

Vietnam has proved its historic sovereignty over Hoang Sa, but Chinese boats are detected in its waters almost every day.

The Chinese captured 17 fishing boats with some 210 fishermen from Quang Ngai in 2009 while they were fishing or taking shelter from storms off the Hoang Sa islands.

Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to China last year asking them to end such harassment and abuse.

VietNamNet/TN/VNE