24 November 2008

San Jose, CA - VietWill's signature collection campaign to call on the United Nations to pay due attention to the issue of China's aggression in the South China Sea has been launched successfully on Saturday, 22 November 2008. At the first location set up for the purpose, VietWill members collected hundreds of signatures that speak to the support for the cause being carried out by the activist group. (Photo: Three VietWill members manning the table while others approach prospective signers with information).

Before signing, individuals were presented with a letter of petition that they could read in order to see if they agreed to the content of the letter. This letter will be sent to the United Nations Security Council after an adequate number of signatures has been collected, which is planned to be before the end of December.

The content of VietWill's petition calls on the highest governing body of the United Nations to pay due attention to acts of aggression carried out by China and this country's unreasonable claims in the South China Sea that affect the stability of Southeast Asia and prevent countries from carrying out political and economic activities to which they are properly entitled to under international maritime law.  China's aggression in the region also negatively affects all countries that use the South China Sea as a sealane.

According to a VietWill member, the intention of the group to send the petition to the U.N. received great support from everyday people who were approached by VietWill members as they went about their shopping activities at a local shopping center. "A man with a cane and had difficulty walking came to our table and signed the petition," said Ailien Tran. "He even bought our T-shirt and put it on immediately. After that, he stayed for a long time and asked people to support us."

The T-shirts which depict the logo of the VietWill group and calls for defence of Vietnamese fishermen often falling under attack of the Chinese navy in the disputed waters of South China Sea had been distributed free at the San Francisco Olympic Torch Relay earlier this year. However, on Saturday they were sold for five dollars as a fundraising activity for the group.

VietWill is planning to collect signatures at other locations in the coming up weeks before sending its petition to the U.N.

Photos may be seen at this link:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=13tir7n5.jfk1shd&x=0&y=8cv9wt&localeid=en_US

By Tony Le
26 October 2008

Bangkok - Last week, the news out of China on the occasion of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Beijing was all about friendship and cooperation between the two neighboring countries. Xinhua reported that in a joint statement the two countries aimed to seek a basic and lasting solution to the South China Sea territorial dispute that has been going on for decades.

Even at the same time that the website of Vietnam’s foreign ministry remains silent on the issue and the public is left in the dark on the content and the progress of the negotiation, Vietnamese concerned about China’s aggression in the region can only hope that when the so called basic and lasting solution is announced that Vietnamese will not respond with jaws dropped in disbelief and disappointment.

New Delhi: With the Olympics behind now, China has begun flexing its muscles to browbeat its neighbors to fall in line or face the music. Serious concerns have been expressed, especially by Vietnam, over the recent intense activities of the Chinese Navy in and around the disputed Paracel and Spratly islands in the South China Sea, says a blog post.

Taking advantage of the 7th Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM) on October 24-25 in Beijing, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung arrived in the Chinese capital a day before the summit to discuss the issue with the Chinese leaders.

By Le Minh Phieu and Duong Danh Huy
Translated from Vietnamese by Tony Le
17 September 2008

Original article on Le Minh Phieu's Blog:

Article published on BBC