Vietnam Accuses China Of Damaging Fishing Boat

Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that a Chinese vessel slammed into a Vietnamese fishing boat while it was operating in Vietnamese waters on May 20, damaging the ship’s hull and risking the lives of 15 crew members. Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said the Chinese action seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty and demanded that China severely punish the violators, compensate Vietnamese fishermen and make sure similar incidents will not occur. Vietnam said in March that a Chinese naval vessel fired flares that damaging a fishing boat’s cabin near the Paracel islands.—AP