Vietnam intention to arm fishing vessels breaks maritime conventions: expert

Vietnamese fishing vessels under the Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance Force are to be armed from September 15, a move seen by maritime experts as breaking international conventions.

The Vietnamese government has issued regulations on the use of weapons by fishery surveillance vessels on July 29 through Decree 76, the Ho Chi Minh-based Tuoi Tre News reported Friday.

All ships under the Fisheries Surveillance Force will be equipped with light machine guns, machine guns and bullets while personnel will be armed with pistols, submachine guns and bullets.

The Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance, launched in central Da Nang Province this April, is designated to monitor local fishermen and protect Vietnam's waters.

"Whatever Vietnam is equipping its maritime enforcement forces with, it's nothing compared to China. But it's better than nothing," Le Van Xinh, the captain of a Vietnamese fishing vessel, said in an interview with VOA's Vietnamese service Friday.

"Both governments must take action to solve disputes since fishermen want to be safe and secure while operating at sea," the captain said.

Yu Zhirong, a research fellow at the China Maritime Development and Research Center in Beijing said that Chinese fishermen should on the alert following this move, as Chinese fishing vessels are not armed.

Chinese fishery administration vessels resort to using high-pressure water cannons and guns only under exceptional circumstances. Vietnam has broken international conventions by arming these ships, Yu said.

"The move demonstrates Vietnam's lack of confidence. The duty of fishery administration vessels is to investigate law violations committed by fishing boats, and as fishermen are unarmed, they shouldn't be either," Yu said, adding that Vietnam has a formal coast guard.

Vietnam has protested against exploratory drilling operations by the Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling rig, which started operations on May 2 near the Xisha Islands. Chinese ships around the rig were rammed by Vietnamese vessels 1,527 times by June 15, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.