By Defend the Defenders, January 19, 2017
On January 19, Vietnam’s security forces in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City suppressed peaceful gathering of local activists on the 43rd anniversary of the loss of Hoang Sa (Paracels) to China, detaining dozens of them for hours.
Hundreds of patriotic Vietnamese gathered in the centers of the country’s two largest cities to mark the archipelago’s loss to the giant neighbor country and to pay tribute to 75 naval soldiers of the Republic of Vietnam who lost their lives while protecting the country’s sovereignty against the military invasion of the People’s Liberation Army of China on January 19, 1974.
Authorities of Hanoi and HCM City deployed large numbers of police officers and militia to disperse the peaceful gatherings, detaining dozens of activists. Some activists reported that police officers in Hanoi brutally beat outspoken activist Vu Quang Thuan during the detention.
Hanoi-based teacher Tran Thi Thao and blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh, who were also detained at a local police station, said police officers cursed activists, calling them “reactionary forces.”
Many activists, including prominent political dissident Nguyen Dan Que in Saigon and independent blogger Nguyen Tuong Thuy complained that local authorities sent plainclothes agents near their private residencies to prevent them from going out to take part in the demonstrations.
Vietnam has peacefully administered Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratlys) in the East Sea (South China Sea) since the 17th century. During the Vietnam War, the two archipelagos were under the management of the U.S.-backed Saigon regime.
In 1974, China violently invaded Hoang Sa and 14 years later, Beijing launched military attacks to take over seven reefs controlled by communist Vietnam in Truong Sa. China has illegally been occupying the invaded territories, conducting large-scale reclamation, and deploying heavy weaponry to the areas.
In 2012, Hanoi adopted the Law on the Vietnamese Sea to officially claim both Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. However, Vietnam has only made verbal protests to China’s aggressive moves.
The communist government in Hanoi has violently dispersed anti-China demonstrations. Thousands of patriotic Vietnamese activists have been persecuted since 2007 and many of them have been imprisoned as Hanoi prioritizes political ties with Beijing, which is the biggest economic partner of the Southeast Asian nation.
During the visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam to Beijing on January 12-15, the two sides agreed to set aside the territorial and maritime disputes in the East Sea to prioritize comprehensive strategic partnership. The move is considered as Vietnam’s soft resistance to China’s violations of its sovereignty in the resource-rich sea.
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January 19, 2017
Vietnam Suppresses Anti-China Demonstrations on 43rd Anniversary of Paracels Loss, Detaining Dozens of Activists
by Nhan Quyen • Nguyen Huu Vinh JB, Tran Thi Thao (Hanoi), Vu Quang Thuan • Tags: Tran Thi Thao (Hanoi)
By Defend the Defenders, January 19, 2017
On January 19, Vietnam’s security forces in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City suppressed peaceful gathering of local activists on the 43rd anniversary of the loss of Hoang Sa (Paracels) to China, detaining dozens of them for hours.
Hundreds of patriotic Vietnamese gathered in the centers of the country’s two largest cities to mark the archipelago’s loss to the giant neighbor country and to pay tribute to 75 naval soldiers of the Republic of Vietnam who lost their lives while protecting the country’s sovereignty against the military invasion of the People’s Liberation Army of China on January 19, 1974.
Authorities of Hanoi and HCM City deployed large numbers of police officers and militia to disperse the peaceful gatherings, detaining dozens of activists. Some activists reported that police officers in Hanoi brutally beat outspoken activist Vu Quang Thuan during the detention.
Hanoi-based teacher Tran Thi Thao and blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh, who were also detained at a local police station, said police officers cursed activists, calling them “reactionary forces.”
Many activists, including prominent political dissident Nguyen Dan Que in Saigon and independent blogger Nguyen Tuong Thuy complained that local authorities sent plainclothes agents near their private residencies to prevent them from going out to take part in the demonstrations.
Vietnam has peacefully administered Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratlys) in the East Sea (South China Sea) since the 17th century. During the Vietnam War, the two archipelagos were under the management of the U.S.-backed Saigon regime.
In 1974, China violently invaded Hoang Sa and 14 years later, Beijing launched military attacks to take over seven reefs controlled by communist Vietnam in Truong Sa. China has illegally been occupying the invaded territories, conducting large-scale reclamation, and deploying heavy weaponry to the areas.
In 2012, Hanoi adopted the Law on the Vietnamese Sea to officially claim both Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. However, Vietnam has only made verbal protests to China’s aggressive moves.
The communist government in Hanoi has violently dispersed anti-China demonstrations. Thousands of patriotic Vietnamese activists have been persecuted since 2007 and many of them have been imprisoned as Hanoi prioritizes political ties with Beijing, which is the biggest economic partner of the Southeast Asian nation.
During the visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam to Beijing on January 12-15, the two sides agreed to set aside the territorial and maritime disputes in the East Sea to prioritize comprehensive strategic partnership. The move is considered as Vietnam’s soft resistance to China’s violations of its sovereignty in the resource-rich sea.