Vietnam establish contact with fishermen released by China

Oct 18, 2010, 5:52 GMT

Hanoi - Vietnamese authorities said Monday they established contact with nine fishermen who became stranded at sea after having been freed by Chinese authorities.

The men's boat went missing after its engine broke down, the state-run news paper Viet Nam News reported. Chinese patrol ships discovered them afloat and took them to the Paracel Archipelago, where, according to China's Foreign Ministry they will have to remain for a few days because of bad weather.

China detained the fishermen on September 11 for fishing in disputed waters near the Paracels, but said it released them on October 9. Vietnamese authorities and their families had unable to contact them, and worried that they might still be held captive.

'Our villagers are very happy as we received information that the crew members have been rescued,' said Nguyen Chin, on of the fishermen's neighbours, who had also been previously detained by China.

'We had been very worried for their safety because last time when they arrested us, they beat us very badly,' he claimed.

Vietnamese military officials last week criticized China for putting the fishermen's lives in danger by letting them sail off without handing them over to Vietnamese authorities.

Vietnam, China, and four other nations dispute the sovereignty of the Spratly and the Paracel Islands and the surrounding waters, which are believed to be rich in undersea mineral resources.

In the past year, China has seized or detained hundreds of Vietnamese fishing boats in disputed waters.

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