China asked to probe damages to Vietnamese vessels   Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Vietnam has asked China to seriously investigate the recent acts of chasing and damaging two Vietnamese fishing vessels in Vietnam’s waters by several Chinese ships. The request was stated by a representative from the Consular Department of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs after handing over a diplomatic note to a representative from the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi during their meeting on March 17. According to the Consular Department, since the beginning of the year, some Vietnamese fishing vessels have been prevented, chased and damaged by Chinese ships when operating at traditional fishing grounds around Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago. At 14:45 on January 7, fishing ship QNg 90055 TS of central Quang Ngai province with seven fishermen on board was chased by Chinese vessel coded 1239. Assets on the ship QNg 90055 TS were smashed by the Chinese side. On March 1, another ship of Quang Ngai province, QNg 96074 TS, with 12 fishermen on board, was stopped by China’s fishery administration ship, Yu Zheng 02. Some of its assets were confiscated by the Chinese side. “These actions of Chinese competent forces violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, and sovereign and jurisdiction rights in the East Sea, intruded upon property and infringed upon the legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen,” stated the note. These actions ran counter to the common perception reached by the two countries’ high-ranking leaders on the humanitarian treatment of fishermen, it declared. According to the Vietnamese representative, the Chinese side was requested to make satisfactory compensation to the Vietnamese fishermen on these vessels and not let similar actions happen again.-VNA