Vietnam state media reported on Wednesday (October 2) that ten Vietnamese fishermen were violently robbed in the disputed South China Sea over the weekend. Officials stated that the attackers’ boats were flying the flag of the Chinese Communist Party.
According to the Vietnamese state-owned newspaper “Tien Phong,” these fishermen were attacked by armed robbers near the Paracel Islands on Sunday (September 29). The attackers not only beat them with iron bars but also stole fish and equipment worth tens of thousands of dollars.
The Paracel Islands are located in the resource-rich waters of the South China Sea, with sovereignty claims by Beijing, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei.
Vietnamese media did not disclose the nationality of the attackers, but Phung Ba Vuong, an official in Quang Ngai province, in central Vietnam, told AFP that “they are Chinese and flying the Chinese (CCP) flag.”
Tien Phong reported that the ten Vietnamese fishermen were attacked by about 40 people for a period of 3 hours. Four of the attacked fishermen had to be urgently taken to the hospital upon their arrival at Quang Ngai port on Monday.
Vietnamese captain Nguyen Thanh Bien told the media, “They were wearing plaid shirts and mercilessly beat us with iron bars.” He mentioned that he lost consciousness for about an hour after the assault. Their equipment and catch worth around $20,000 were also looted.
Footage on the Tien Phong website showed Vietnamese fishermen being carried off the boat on stretchers. The report indicated that one person suffered a leg fracture, and two had arm fractures.
Local official Phung Ba Vuong expressed strong opposition to the “barbaric behavior of China (CCP)” on Facebook.
On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that Vietnamese fishing boats were illegally fishing in the relevant waters near the Paracel Islands without Beijing’s permission, asserting that relevant departments of the CCP took measures to stop them.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s sovereignty claims in the area had no legal basis. However, Beijing has refused to accept the decision.
Tien Phong also reported that on the same Sunday, another Vietnamese fishing boat was robbed near the Paracel Islands, with equipment and catch valued at up to $12,200 stolen.