Beijing Sent 5 ships to Vietnam to evacuate Chinese citizens

The Chinese government has decided to send 5 ships Sunday to Vietnam to accelerate the evacuation of its citizens, following the wave of protests and violence that erupted last week in the southern neighbor to protest the relocation of a Chinese rig in waters that both the countries have claims. More than 3,000 Chinese have fled Vietnam after the attacks on migrant workers and foreign companies in industrial parks recorded on Tuesday and Wednesday, as reported by the official Chinese agency Xinhua. The Beijing authorities have also organized two charter flights today to repatriate some 300 people, many of them wounded. Another 16 Chinese seriously wounded were evacuated by special plane. Security forces have prevented Vietnam Sunday further attempts at demonstration in the capital Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh.

The demonstrations took place in 22 of the 63 provinces of Vietnam, but the chaos was particularly intense in two southern provinces and the center. Two Chinese citizens, according to Xinhua, were killed in the protests and subsequent clashes between workers of the two countries. There were between 100 and 140 wounded, according to sources. An unidentified doctor quoted by Reuters said there were 21 dead. More than 1,000 related violence have been arrested.

At least 15 factories were burned, over 400 businesses were damaged and there were numerous raids. Many of the attacks targeted Taiwanese and Hong Kong companies, probably because the assailants thought they were from mainland China. In Vietnam, there is a rising resentment for what people perceive as a growing number of Chinese who take jobs away from locals. In addition, there is discontent about working conditions in some foreign companies.

Fury erupted last Tuesday, after the boats of the two countries were lined against each other in the waters of the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands, claimed by the two countries. The clashes came after the move by the Chinese oil company CNOOC started working on an oil rig in the area, located about 240 kilometers off the coast of Vietnam.

Although the Government of Hanoi considered the platform installation in waters a serious provocation and conflict initially allowed the protests, the violent response of the population seemed to catch the government off guard. Fearful of the impact that the incidents may have on foreign investment, today did not want to take chances and prevented any citizen mobilization, although the organizers have insisted they would be peaceful.

Hundreds of security personnel have occupied the streets near the Chinese embassy in Hanoi and have blocked access to the neighborhood and other areas, reports France Press. The police prevented activists in various parts of the country to leave their homes, according to blogs citizens groups involved in organizing the demonstrations.

Beijing last accused Vietnam of “indulgence and connivance in recent days with some anti-China forces ” week. On Sunday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei has said in a statement that the recent violence ” has damaged the environment and conditions for cooperation and communication ” between the two communist countries, so it has been suspended part of the program bilateral exchanges. The Chinese Government has increased the alert level of tourism, and has urged its citizens not to travel to Vietnam for now.

Trade between the two countries was $ 50,000 million last year. Many Vietnamese feel a great resentment towards China for past clashes and incursions of the northern neighbor. Vietnam and China fought a brief war in 1979. Normalized relations not until 1991.

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Posted by Jamshed Sindhu on May 20 2014. Filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.