Chinese vessel accused of firing on Vietnamese fishermen
The Vietnamese boat was fishing near the contested Paracel Islands last Wednesday when it was "chased and shot at by a Chinese vessel, causing a fire in the cabin," foreign ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said.
"Vietnam strongly protests, urging China to investigate and seriously deal with the wrongful and inhumane act and compensate Vietnamese fishermen for their loss," Nghi said in a statement on the ministry's website.
Nghi did not say what kind of Chinese vessel was involved.
Vietnam is denouncing the incident as a "serious violation" of its territorial sovereignty.
In recent years, China has begun aggressively patrolling around the contested islands, using fishing bans and patrol boats to keep foreign trawlers out, according to Vietnamese officials and fishermen.
Vietnam and neighbouring China have a long-standing territorial disputes over the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which both countries claim, and often trade diplomatic barbs over oil exploration and fishing rights.
Source: AFP