This section lists important VietWill's achievements.
|
|
VietWill at the S.F. torch relay: a new milestone |
|
|
|
12 April 2008
 VietWill made itself known this week not only on the internet but also on the streets of San Francisco on 9 April when the Olympic torch arrived in the city. Although there were many things that created an adverse condition for VietWill's ability to publicize its cause – the event being held on a workday in the middle of the week, VietWill being a loosely held group of members who have little experience in activism, the media’s intense focus on the Tibet situation over all the other groups’ concerns, and the city of San Francisco’s strange decisions in carrying out the event – VietWill considers its presence at the Olympic torch relay on 9 April to be our latest milestone.
By participating in this protest, we were able to voice our viewpoints in an international public forum, where different groups of people were exposed to our concerns. In the process, we passed out 2,000 T-shirts that were designed and printed with VietWill members’ own money. We also passed out thousands of posters and brochures that outline China’s aggression in Vietnam’s Eastern Sea and its harassment of peaceful Vietnamese fishermen making a living on the waters.
We joined with all the other groups who hold grievances against the Chinese government and make it known to China that it must take into regards this collective force.
We also made it known to the Chinese people who were present at the event to support their government that they must be aware of what their government has been doing to other people.
We gained allies in those who were present at the protest, both Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese alike, even at the same time we were taunted and jeered by pro-China demonstrators.
Our effort on the streets of San Francisco has also helped more people to know about VietWill and VietWill.org, which is our forum for defending Vietnamese sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands against China’s aggression, as well as fight for the rights of the Vietnamese people to make a living on the sea.
Although this is modest, it is, nevertheless, a milestone for VietWill. It is a stone on which VietWill will use to build a path that is long, persistent, and we believe, will one day be victorious.
|
|
|
Creation of www.VietWill.net / www.VietWill.org |
|
|
|
|
15 March 2008 - The beta version of www.VietWill.net was introduced to the members of VietWill for contribution of documents, as well as comments to make the website ready for the public to view.
The building and maintaining of a website with credible information on the South China Sea dispute is one of VietWill’s most important goals of introducing to the public points of views that have not been well publicized in the past due to a dominance exercised by the Chinese side in terms of its ability to make available to the world its arguments that often go unchallenged.
It is hoped that with this project, VietWill’s website will be a rich and dependable source of information for those who would like to understand in depth all the various aspects of the conflict in the South China Sea.
20 March 2008 - From just a skeleton of categories, the VietWill website is now a fully functional website accessed through two different domains www.VietWill.net and www.VietWill.org. The site has been moved from the beta members-only version to the live version ready for public viewing and participation into the discussions related to the South China Sea issue. There is not a lack of materials for researching and understanding the issue of the sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly islands. VietWill's upcoming task is to make the website more attractive and lively, not only in the visual content but also in the discussion that takes place on the website.
|
|
|
COLLABORATION