Quang Nam Province Fisheries Association has sent document to Vietnam Fisheries Association to register their protest by an attack they claim was carried out by a Chinese coast guard ship on local fishermen near the Paracel Islands on March 7, said Ngo Tan, chairman of the association.
Damaged fishing net
"We asked the Vietnam Fisheries Association to protest against the barbaric actions taken against Vietnamese fishermen and have asked the Chinese government to compensate for the damage caused to Vo Quang Thai's boat," the document says.
Quang Nam Fisheries Association also asked local authorities to develop support policies for those attacked by foreign ships.
The fishing boat directed by captain Vo Quang Thai and 10 other crew members was at latitude 16.55N, longitude 111.50E near the Paracel Islands when a Chinese coast guard ship, numbered 46101 arrived.
Thai said their food and fuel were stolen while their equipment was damaged. They also were forced to sign on some kind of document. According to Thai, two people spoke Vietnamese and threatened him that if he didn't leave the Paracel Islands area, they would damage the boat.
It is estimated that the damage cost VND300m (USD14,300). Thai and his crew safely returned home at 10pm on March 7.