Hundreds of Overseas Vietnamese (OVs) have staged a noisy rally in the US against Beijing's deployment of a giant oil rig in the East Sea that has triggered a tense standoff.
On May 11, they registered their indignation and demonstrated in Eden – the largest trading centre of the Vietnamese community in Washington DC – demanding that Beijing’s authorities withdraw its oil rig from Vietnam’s territorial waters.
They carried large banners and placards affirming Vietnam’s sovereign over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.
Earlier, Vietnamese nationals in California also marched, demonstrating their infuriation with the Chinese actionsin front of China’s Consulate General in Los Angeles.
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OVs in the US protest against China's violation
(Photo: vov.vn) |
David Ho, President of the Business Association of OVs-US Branch expressed his outrage at China’s provocative actions and called on Vietnamese people to unite to protect Vietnam’s territorial integrity.
Prof. Nguyen Manh Hung from George Maison University said that China devised a long-term scheme to incrementally increase its power in the East Sea gradually and is using the current incident as a trial balloon, testing Vietnam’s reactions.
Nations around the world are uniting with Vietnam and criticizing the actions of China as provocative, unhelpful and clearly an illegal violation of Vietnam’s territory, he said.
Vietnam is also receiving the support of many international organizations such as the forum among Vietnam, the US and the Asia-Pacific, the 24th ASEAN Summit and the United Nations Forum and the international court.
In another development, more than 500 OVs in Tokyo, Japan on the same day participated in a march to protest against China’s stationing of the oil rig on Vietnam’s continental shelf.
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OVs' march in Tokyo condemns China's illegal acts (Photo: vov.vn) |
The march aims to increase pressure over Chinese authorities to withdraw its oil rig from Vietnam’s territorial waters and call for support from international friends.
Five members in the march stood in front of the Chinese embassy in Tokyo to read a Japanese-English letter opposing China’s violation and affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands.
Japanese televisions namely NHK, ANN and several newspapers ran articles on the march and interviewed protesters, proving Japanese public’s keen interest in the recent developments in the East Sea.
Meanwhile in Berlin, about 5,000 people held a rally in Potsdamer Platz to oppose China’s violation of international law.
Speaking in front of the crowd, Le Hong Cuong, head of the rally’s organisers, reiterated that China had positioned its rig in Lot 143, well within Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, before attacking and damaging ships from Vietnam’s Coast Guard and Fisheries Surveillance Authority.
Hong stressed that Vietnamese people love peace, hate war and wish to maintain the friendship between the people of both sides. However, once their national sovereignty is threatened, Vietnamese people, wherever they are, will stand up to safeguard their nation.
Siegfried Sommer, Chairman of the German-Vietnam Association, who joined the rally, said China’s act in the East Sea is unacceptable as it runs counter to international law and causes insecurity in the region and the world.
Earlier on May 10 in Frankfurt, hundreds of people also held a protest at the Chinese Consulate General. All the demonstrations took place in peace.
In France, Vietnamese people released a statement denouncing China’s violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty, following a meeting of representatives from many Vietnamese associations in Paris. They too demanded that China withdraw its oil rig and escort ships out of Vietnam’s waters.
The statement underscored that China’s unilateral act seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, threatening regional security. It called for the international community to join together in opposing China’s dangerous behavior in order to ensure a world of peace and sustainable development.
People in Singapore also showed their anger at China’s act. They said they hope to get people around the world to understand the East Sea situation and recognise how Vietnamese people love peace and national independence and wish to avoid disputes.
Earlier on May 10, the Vietnamese Embassy in Mozambique held a meeting to update the Vietnamese community there on the current development in the East Sea.
Ambassador Nguyen Van Trung briefed them on China’s brutal violation of Vietnamese sovereignty that defines international law.
He made it clear that Vietnam’s stance is prioritising dialogue and negotiations with its neighbours to settle disputes through peaceful measures, and pledged to continue providing fresh information on the situation.
During the meeting, the Association of Vietnamese People in Mozambique revealed that in the coming time, it will work harder to help fishermen in Ly Son Island and support the Coast Guard of Vietnam in safeguarding national sovereignty./.