{"id":10585,"date":"2014-05-17T00:51:50","date_gmt":"2014-05-16T16:51:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=10585"},"modified":"2014-05-17T00:51:50","modified_gmt":"2014-05-16T16:51:50","slug":"text-message-from-vietnamese-pm-urges-patriotic-fervour-but-no-violence-after-anti-china-riots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2014\/05\/17\/text-message-from-vietnamese-pm-urges-patriotic-fervour-but-no-violence-after-anti-china-riots\/","title":{"rendered":"Text message from Vietnamese PM urges patriotic fervour but no violence after anti China riots"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Photo by Circeus \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HANOI, Vietnam\u2014Vietnam\u2019s prime minister sent a text message to millions of citizens urging them to act in defence of the country\u2019s sovereignty following China\u2019s deployment of on oil rig in disputed waters, but said that \u201cbad elements\u201d shouldn\u2019t be allowed to engage in violence.<\/p>\n

The message, sent late Thursday and Friday to subscribers via major state-owned cellphone operators, didn\u2019t directly condemn the riots that have broken out this week following China\u2019s decision to deploy the rig off the coast of central Vietnam on May 1. Vietnamese patrol ships sent to disrupt the rig are currently locked in a tense standoff with Chinese ships guarding it.<\/p>\n

Anti-China protests that started peacefully have ended in violence and vandalism, with 400 factories suspected of having links with China destroyed or damaged by mobs. One Chinese worker was killed and scores more injured at a huge Taiwanese steel mill that was overrun by a 1,000-strong crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe prime minister requests and calls on every Vietnamese to boost their patriotism to defend the fatherland\u2019s sacred sovereignty with actions in line with the law,\u201d the text message said. \u201cBad elements should not be allowed to instigate extremist actions that harm the interests and image of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were no reports of any new violence or protests on Friday.<\/p>\n

Vietnam\u2019s authoritarian leaders typically clamp down on public protests of any sort, but have allowed them this time. Preventing people from demonstrating would have given fuel to domestic critics of the government who already accuse it of being soft on Beijing.<\/p>\n

The government is also able to use the nationalist sentiment of its people to amplify its protests to Beijing. But violence that harms foreign investment and risks spinning out of control is unlikely to fit into this strategy, and the government will attempt to ensure that it doesn\u2019t break out again, most analysts say.<\/p>\n

Reporters and television stations have been permitted to cover the peaceful protests, something highly unusual and a clear sign of state sanction. But the violence and vandalism have been subject to a media blackout.<\/p>\n

Neither China nor Vietnam has shown any sign of compromise.<\/p>\n

Vietnam believes it has international opinion on its side, and took a boatload of foreign journalists this week to waters close to the rig to ensure maximum media coverage. Beijing, which insists it has done nothing wrong and says it won\u2019t withdraw the rig, reacted angrily.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clear that the aim of the Vietnamese side is to escalate the situation and create tension, or in other words, to generate a media hype and \u2018put up a show\u2019 in front of the international audience,\u201d the director general of the Foreign Ministry\u2019s Department of Ocean and Boundary Affairs, Ouyang Yujing, said in Beijing.<\/p>\n

China and Vietnam have tussled for years over competing territorial claims, as have the\u00a0Philippines\u00a0and China. But Beijing\u2019s desire for oil and gas, and its growing economic and military might, have seen it take an increasingly assertive stance to its claims in the sea, triggering increased tensions and incidents between it and claimant states.<\/p>\n

The anti-China violence on the streets is only inflaming the relationship further.<\/p>\n

China said its foreign minister, Wang Yi, called Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on Thursday and expressed Beijing\u2019s \u201cstrong condemnation and stern protest\u201d over the violence against Chinese and other foreign nationals and businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cVietnam has an inescapable responsibility for the actions of the lawless elements who attacked Chinese businesses and individuals,\u201d Wang said.<\/p>\n

The U.S. doesn\u2019t take a side in the disputes, but shares many of the concerns of Vietnam and the\u00a0Philippines\u00a0about China. It is seeking closer economic and military ties with both nations. It has described China\u2019s deployment of the rig as \u201cprovocative.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Washington, U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said after a meeting Thursday with his Chinese counterpart that in a world where information moves so fast, \u201cissues afloat quickly become issues ashore as we\u2019ve seen today in Vietnam.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chief of the General Staff of China\u2019s People\u2019s Liberation Army, Gen. Fang Fenghui, blamed Vietnam for the off-shore standoff, asserting that China was operating in its own territorial waters. He vowed that China would continue its oil drilling and would not allow Vietnam to disrupt it.<\/p>\n

Associated Press writer Jack Chang in Beijing contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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