Chinese coast guard ships and tugboats were deployed some 8-10 nautical miles from the illicit rig and stood about 50-100 meters from the Vietnamese vessels.
Meanwhile, Chinese fishing boats brazenly stood about 35 nautical miles from the rig to disturb normal operations of the Vietnamese fishing boats.
The same day, China still maintained some 116 ships, including six military ones and 42 coast guard ships.
Although the weather condition was getting worse at Hoang Sa archipelago in general and the waters where the oil rig was illegally installed, the Vietnamese fisheries surveillance vessels and fishing boats persistently stayed at the area to protest China’s perverse actions and demand China immediately withdraw its oil rig as well as escorted ships from Viet Nam’s waters./.
By Hai Minh