Vietnam fishermen rescue 32 Chinese fishers in South China Sea

Linh Pham 17:10, 2019/07/19

A Vietnamese fishing boat coded QNg 96169 TS has rescued 32 Chinese fishers who were drowned in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands in the South China Sea.

Captain Bui Van Phai. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Captain Bui Van Phai, 30, told Quang Ngai Border Guards that at 6:00 am on July 11, they found a Chinese ship drowned at the position of 12024’N-113058’E and its fishermen floating adrift when the Vietnamese fishermen were fishing at a place which is about 70 nautical miles to Northwest of Song Tu Tay (Southwest Cay) Island in Spratlys.

The Vietnamese fishermen took care of the rescued people and then handed over them to a Chinese freighter at sea at about 12:00 pm on the same day, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported, adding that the rescue and the following moves had been reported to Quang Ngai Border Guards via walkie-talkie.

A Vietnamese fishing boat. Photo: Tuoi Tre

“The handing over happened within half an hour. Chinese fishers thanked us for rescuing them and treated them well,” the Vietnamese captain said via walkie-talkie.

Notably, captain Bui Van Phai, who is from the central province of Quang Ngai, was the one on a fishing boat shot by Chinese vessels in the South China Sea six years ago. His boat was merely attacked at sea by Chinese authorities for harassment.

Captain Bui Van Phai returned home with the national flag partly burned by Chinese authorities at sea six year ago. Photo: Tuoi Tre Online

Returning to main land after the incident, Phai said he would be willing to rescue Chinese people in distress at sea as a must-do action which a fisherman never minds when answering the question “Your fishing boat had been shot to fire at sea. Would you rescue Chinese people if you found them in distress at sea?” raised by a reporter from the Tuoi Tre newspaper six year ago.

In early June, Vietnamese fishermen from the southern province of Tien Giang rescued 22 Philippine fishers who were rammed at night by a Chinese vessel in Spratlys.

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