Chinese authorities on Tuesday set free 13 Vietnamese fishermen who had been illegally detained by Chinese vessels over the past three weeks, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in China.

>> 6 Vietnamese fishermen illegally held on China’s Hainan Island >> China withdraws illegal oil rig from Vietnam’s waters after oil exploration >> 6 Vietnamese fishermen illegally held on China’s Hainan Island Beijing also released vessel QB 93256 TS, one of the two fishing boats of these fishermen, while continuing to detain the other, QNg 94912 TS, the embassy said. Of the fishermen released, seven belonged to the former vessel while the other six were from the latter, said Luong Thanh Quang, assistant to the head of the Consular Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The released fishermen are returning to Vietnam on board vessel QB 93256 TS,” said Quang, who is also head of the department’s division for the protection of overseas Vietnamese citizens and legal persons. China also kept seizure of all fishing tools of both vessels, he said, adding that Vietnamese competent agencies in China will continue to work with the Chinese authorities about the seizure. Vietnamese Ambassador to China Nguyen Van Tho earlier told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the embassy had demanded that the Chinese authorities release the fishermen and their vessel as soon as possible. The embassy’s representatives also visited the detainees, gave them gifts, and did their best to relieve their minds, Tho said. As previously reported, at 8:00 am on July 3, when vessel QNg 94912 TS, of central Quang Ngai Province, were operating in the Vietnamese waters around the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago in the East Vietnam Sea, many Chinese ships, including fisheries law enforcement command vessel #3103, appeared and surrounded them. They then seized the local ship along with the six fishermen aboard including captain Vo Tan Teo and towed it away. Earlier, vessel QB 93256 TS, of central Quang Binh Province, and its seven crewmembers were arrested by Chinese vessels at about 10:00 am on June 23 while the ship, along with many other local ones, was operating about 15 nautical miles off China’s Hainan Island. Four military ships, two coast guard ships and four Chinese aircraft chased the local vessels before they detained the above ship. Vietnamese competent agencies are verifying the exact location where the ship was seized, the provincial authorities said.

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