Indonesia frees 101 Vietnamese fishermen

BA RIA – VUNG TAU — All the 101 Vietnamese fishermen freed from arrest in Indonesia returned home aboard their own vessels yesterday.

The fishermen from southern Ba Ria – Vung Tau and Kien Giang provinces were provided with immediate health checks.

Twins' health stable after catching cholera

HCM CITY — Twin baby boys were in a stable condition yesterday after they tested positive for cholera, reports the HCM City Tropical Diseases Hospital.

The 26-month-old infants are from Binh Chanh District's Binh Hung Commune.

Their family says they suffered diarrhoea and vomiting after they were fed porridge, milk and vegetable stock.

School for needy kids opens in Quang Tri

QUANG TRI — Local authorities and representatives from the Global Community Service Foundation (GCSF) and Boeing yesterday officially opened Ta Long Primary School-Ta Lao satellite school for needy children in Dakrong District in central Quang Tri Province.

The school is one of nine satellite schools in the commune. It has 30 third to fifth grade pupils.

22 petrol stations cheat motorists

HCM City — Inspectors from the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade found 22 out of 53 petrol stations they checked since August 10 violating measurement and quality standards.

They have imposed a fine of VND242.45 million (US$12,122) on 13 of them while the other nine are awaiting a verdict from the local district people's committees. — VNS

Detained Vietnamese fishermen arrive home

Nine Vietnamese fishermen released by the Chinese Fishing Patrol Force arrived home safely on Tuesday (October 26).

The crew pulled into the Dung Quat Port in the central province of Quang Ngai a month and a half after being detained while fishing off the coast of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago.

Captain Mai Phung Luu of Quang Ngai’s Ly Son District and his crew were captured by a Chinese patrol on September 11 while fishing in Vietnamese waters.

On October 11, China said that it had released the nine Vietnamese fishermen and their boat.

But concerns over their safety arose after they failed to arrive home the following day, as expected.

Luu said that after spending a month in Chinese custody, their captors confiscated their communications equipment and released them on October 11. The crew began their journey home and their engine broke down soon and they spent five days adrift at sea.

The Chinese confiscated their communications equipment and Luu said the crew was expecting the worst when a Chinese ship arrived and towed their boat to Tru Cau Island.

Due to bad weather from the typhoon Megi, it wasn’t until October 25 that a Vietnamese rescue vessel arrived at the island to tow the boat back to Quang Ngai a day later.

Mai Chi Tam, Luu’s son said they survived their ordeal by catching fish.

“We were really scared,” Tam said. “We had to make a sail from a piece of canvas hoping the wind would carry us into the path of another boat so we would be rescued.”

On Wednesday, Tam and his family members were having their boat repaired in Quang Ngai while other fishermen returned to their homes on Ly Son Island.

“We will head out to sea again to make our livings,” he told Thanh Nien Weekly, adding that the seizure cost the family about VND150 million. The family said they’ll have to take out loans to finance future fishing trips.

In related news, rescuers are searching for the crew of a squid fishing boat that disappeared off the coast of the north-central province of Thanh Hoa.

The nine fishermen lost communication with coastal authorities on October 16.

The boat belonging to Nguyen Van Hop began its offshore fishing journey on September 9 in a floatilla of boats from the Ngu Loc Commune in the province’s Hau Loc District.

However, Hop’s boat was not among the cluster of ships that arrived home early on October 16 to avoid a coming typhoon.

The local government and area fishermen assembled a search party consisting of fourteen ships to search for Hop and his crew but they failed to find any trace of the lost vessel.

Nguyen Van Ap, Chairman of the Hau Loc District People’s Committee, the local government, said they’ve asked for support from the coast guard and other rescue agencies.

Hop’s wife, Nguyen Thi Thuy, said the crew went to sea with enough fuel and food for one to two months. The boat was fully equipped with communications and positioning devices but lost touch with the mainland on October 16.

Nguyen Van Tam, a fishermen on another boat in the group, said he contacted Hop and they agreed to return home to avoid typhoon Megi. Tam lost communication with Hop a few minutes later.

Nguyen Van Ngu, chairman of Ngu Loc Commune People’s Committee, said that a total of 130 fishermen have been lost in similar cases since 1996.

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Detained Vietnamese fishermen arrive home

Nine Vietnamese fishermen released by the Chinese Fishing Patrol Force arrived home safely on Tuesday (October 26).

The crew pulled into the Dung Quat Port in the central province of Quang Ngai a month and a half after being detained while fishing off the coast of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago.

Captain Mai Phung Luu of Quang Ngai’s Ly Son District and his crew were captured by a Chinese patrol on September 11 while fishing in Vietnamese waters.

On October 11, China said that it had released the nine Vietnamese fishermen and their boat.

But concerns over their safety arose after they failed to arrive home the following day, as expected.

Luu said that after spending a month in Chinese custody, their captors confiscated their communications equipment and released them on October 11. The crew began their journey home and their engine broke down soon and they spent five days adrift at sea.

The Chinese confiscated their communications equipment and Luu said the crew was expecting the worst when a Chinese ship arrived and towed their boat to Tru Cau Island.

Due to bad weather from the typhoon Megi, it wasn’t until October 25 that a Vietnamese rescue vessel arrived at the island to tow the boat back to Quang Ngai a day later.

Mai Chi Tam, Luu’s son said they survived their ordeal by catching fish.

“We were really scared,” Tam said. “We had to make a sail from a piece of canvas hoping the wind would carry us into the path of another boat so we would be rescued.”

On Wednesday, Tam and his family members were having their boat repaired in Quang Ngai while other fishermen returned to their homes on Ly Son Island.

“We will head out to sea again to make our livings,” he told Thanh Nien Weekly, adding that the seizure cost the family about VND150 million. The family said they’ll have to take out loans to finance future fishing trips.

In related news, rescuers are searching for the crew of a squid fishing boat that disappeared off the coast of the north-central province of Thanh Hoa.

The nine fishermen lost communication with coastal authorities on October 16.

The boat belonging to Nguyen Van Hop began its offshore fishing journey on September 9 in a floatilla of boats from the Ngu Loc Commune in the province’s Hau Loc District.

However, Hop’s boat was not among the cluster of ships that arrived home early on October 16 to avoid a coming typhoon.

The local government and area fishermen assembled a search party consisting of fourteen ships to search for Hop and his crew but they failed to find any trace of the lost vessel.

Nguyen Van Ap, Chairman of the Hau Loc District People’s Committee, the local government, said they’ve asked for support from the coast guard and other rescue agencies.

Hop’s wife, Nguyen Thi Thuy, said the crew went to sea with enough fuel and food for one to two months. The boat was fully equipped with communications and positioning devices but lost touch with the mainland on October 16.

Nguyen Van Tam, a fishermen on another boat in the group, said he contacted Hop and they agreed to return home to avoid typhoon Megi. Tam lost communication with Hop a few minutes later.

Nguyen Van Ngu, chairman of Ngu Loc Commune People’s Committee, said that a total of 130 fishermen have been lost in similar cases since 1996.

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Vietnam rescues fishermen missing after Chinese release

Vietnam on Monday rescued nine fishermen who were stuck on the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago for two weeks after being released by China on October 11.

The fishermen from the central province of Quang Ngai were expected to return home this afternoon, officials said, adding that currently they were healthy and receiving attention from a group of doctors and health workers onboard.

Captain Mai Phung Luu and his crews were illegally detained by China on September 11 when they were fishing in Vietnamese waters off the coast of Hoang Sa. China accused them of using explosives in their fishing efforts and asked for 70,000 yuan (US$10,461) in fines.

However, following Vietnam’s demands that it free the fishermen and their boat unconditionally, China said it had released them on October 11.

But, since then, the fishermen disappeared for nearly one week. Luu called his family on October 16, saying they were staying on the archipelago’s Tru Cau Island after their boat was damaged by a big wave on their way home.

Luu said they drifted for five days before being rescued by a Chinese boat which later towed them to the island.

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Missing fishermen call home after China release

Nine fishermen from the central province of Quang Ngai who were reported missing after being released by China on Monday have contacted their families, Vietnamnet quoted a local official as saying Saturday.

Captain Mai Phung Luu together with his crew and the boat are now on Tru Cau Island of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago, Truong Thai My, vice chairman of An Hai Commune People’s Committee, told the news website on the phone.

According to My, at around 11 a.m. Saturday Luu called his family, saying that they were safe at present.

The captain said after being released on Monday, the boat was damaged by a big wave on their way home and they drifted for more than five days, while all food and water ran out.

At 9 a.m. the same day, a Chinese boat found them and tugged them to the island, My quoted Luu as saying.

Luu then borrowed a telephone to call home, Vietnamnet reported, adding that the fishermen were repairing their boat to get back within the next one or two days.

Another news website, VnExpress, meanwhile, quoted Nguyen Hoa Binh, secretary of Quang Ngai’s Committee of the Party, as saying that local authorities have proposed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assists them in sending rescue boats to the island.

It is expected that rescue boats would tug Luu’s boat home this Tuesday, the news source said.

The fishermen were illegally detained by China on September 11 when they were fishing in Vietnamese waters off the coast of the Hoang Sa Archipelago.

China accused them of using explosives when shipping and asked for 70,000 yuan (US$10,461) in fines.

However, following Vietnam’s demands that it free the fishermen and their boat unconditionally, China said it had released them.

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Missing fishermen call home after China release

Nine fishermen from the central province of Quang Ngai who were reported missing after being released by China on Monday have contacted their families, Vietnamnet quoted a local official as saying Saturday.

Captain Mai Phung Luu together with his crew and the boat are now on Tru Cau Island of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago, Truong Thai My, vice chairman of An Hai Commune People’s Committee, told the news website on the phone.

According to My, at around 11 a.m. Saturday Luu called his family, saying that they were safe at present.

The captain said after being released on Monday, the boat was damaged by a big wave on their way home and they drifted for more than five days, while all food and water ran out.

At 9 a.m. the same day, a Chinese boat found them and tugged them to the island, My quoted Luu as saying.

Luu then borrowed a telephone to call home, Vietnamnet reported, adding that the fishermen were repairing their boat to get back within the next one or two days.

Another news website, VnExpress, meanwhile, quoted Nguyen Hoa Binh, secretary of Quang Ngai’s Committee of the Party, as saying that local authorities have proposed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assists them in sending rescue boats to the island.

It is expected that rescue boats would tug Luu’s boat home this Tuesday, the news source said.

The fishermen were illegally detained by China on September 11 when they were fishing in Vietnamese waters off the coast of the Hoang Sa Archipelago.

China accused them of using explosives when shipping and asked for 70,000 yuan (US$10,461) in fines.

However, following Vietnam’s demands that it free the fishermen and their boat unconditionally, China said it had released them.

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China frees Vietnamese fishermen unconditionally

China has unconditionally released nine fishermen who were arrested September 11, Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh told the press in Hanoi Monday.

Thanh announced the release on the sidelines of the retreat of the first ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

Thanh applauded China's decision indicating that the release amounted to an act of goodwill.

China had previously demanded 70,000 yuan (US$10,461) in fines after accusing the Vietnamese citizens of using explosives for fishing.

However, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that the Quang Ngai fishermen used only nets and lights in Vietnamese waters off the coast of the Hoang Sa Archipelago (Paracel Islands).

The ministry has issued repeated demands that China free the men unconditionally.

Asked how the two countries deal with the fact that China has continuously arrested Vietnamese fishermen when they are legally fishing at Vietnamese seas, Thanh said the two countries have established a joint patrol protocol between their naval forces.

This will help keep security at sea and make it easier for fishermen, he said.

The two countries have also discussed need for cooperation in research and rescue at sea, the minister said.

Over the past three years Vietnam has rescued 45 Chinese fishermen and China has praised the action, he added.

According to Thanh, Vietnam and China share both land and sea borders, so it’s inevitable that fishermen from both countries will occaisionally encroach on one another’s seas.

The boat full of fiserman has yet to return to Vietnam, however. Some fear it was released into open water without proper communication equipment.

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China claims release of fishermen who remain at large

Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Chinese Fishing Patrol Force released nine Vietnamese fishermen on Monday (October 11), a month after they were seized in Vietnamese waters.

“We were informed that fishing boat QNg 66478TS and nine fishermen were released on the afternoon of October 11,” Nguyen Phuong Nga, the Ministry spokeswoman, said in a statement issued Tuesday. “The boat and its crew are expected to be home tonight [October 12].”

On September 11, Captain Mai Phung Luu of Quang Ngai Province’s Ly Son District and eight crew members were detained by a Chinese patrol while fishing in Vietnamese waters off the coast of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has demanded that China release the fishermen and their boat unconditionally. The demands were made through diplomatic channels at different levels in Hanoi and Beijing, the ministry said in a statement.

Colonel Bui Phu Phu, deputy head of the Quang Ngai Province’s Border Security Force, said that China had demanded a ransom of 70,000 yuan (US$10,461) for the release.

Authorities in the province’s Ly Son District said the detained fishermen had not yet returned home by late Wednesday.

Duong Thanh Vinh, a Ly Son fisherman who was detained by the Chinese in June 2009, said that they confiscated all of his fishing and communications equipment. During his release, he was left with just enough fuel to travel home.

“They only left me a compass,” he told the Tuoi Tre newspaper. “A fisherman could easily get lost if he is not an experienced seaman.”

Vinh added that he still owes VND250 million ($412,823) due to losses incurred as a result of his detention.

Lieutenant General Tran Quang Khue, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnamese People’s Army, told the paper that he has instructed the Vietnamese Coast Guard to attempt to establish communication with the returning boat.

TheNationalSteering Committee for Search and Rescue said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not provided them any additional information on the current communication capacities or general condition of Capt. Luu’s boat.

Khue said it would be very dangerous to send fishing boat out into open water without any communications equipment.

As of press time, the fishermen’s families were still awaiting their return in Quang Ngai.

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Nine dead, one lost as Mindulle hits central Vietnam

At least nine people died and one went missing in typhoon Mindulle, the National Committee of Search and Rescue reported Wednesday.

The victims were swept away by floods or fell to their death while attempting to strengthen their houses in the storm.

On Monday, Mindulle grew from a tropical depression into a full-blown typhoon.

It weakened, two days later, after injuring at least 58 people and damaging over 40 boats and nearly 32,000 houses, according to the committee.

Mindulle is the third major storm to come out of the East Sea this season.

Damage to tens of thousands of acres of farmland, dykes and bridges were reported throughout the north central region. Formal statistics pertaining to the extent of the damage have, so far, not been released.

In the meantime, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting warned that, while the typhoon has been downgraded, rains will continue in the central coast and the northern region and could lead to flash floods or landslides.

In July typhoon Conson, the first storm of the season, left at least one dead in Vietnam after killing 68 in the Philippines.

‘A rare accident’

Also on Wednesday rescuers in Da Nang City said they have found ten fishermen who were listed as missing at the beginning of the week.

The Hoa Minh crewmembers were found drifting some 22 nautical miles from the Son Tra Peninsula in severely weakened condition.

Huynh Van Tu, one of the fishermen, said their boat broke down Monday afternoon in the throws of the typhoon. They radioed for help from the Da Nang Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordination Center (MRCC).

The crew of the SAR 412 reached the fishing boat, but couldn’t approach it due to heavy rains and big winds, the fishermen remained on board, MRCC Director Tran Van Long said.

Rescuers threw the fishermen a tow rope which they secured to their boat, he added.

When the boats were some 15 kilometers off the coast, the tow broke and the fishing boat went missing, according to Long.

“It was a rare professional accident,” he said.

Some locals still raised questions the MRCC’s capacities.

Cao Van Minh, chief of Boat team No. 4 in Hoa Minh District, said when the accident happened they advised the MRCC rescuers to return to the site and focus on areas along the coast.

But, the MRCC refused to redirect their efforts and continued the search in accordance with official directives, Minh said. Local fishermen, meanwhile, weren’t allowed to search the sea for the victims.

In the end, it was local fishermen that managed to find the victims after taking on rescue efforts Wednesday morning.

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Nine dead, one lost as Mindulle hits central Vietnam

At least nine people died and one went missing in typhoon Mindulle, the National Committee of Search and Rescue reported Wednesday.

The victims were swept away by floods or fell to their death while attempting to strengthen their houses in the storm.

On Monday, Mindulle grew from a tropical depression into a full-blown typhoon.

It weakened, two days later, after injuring at least 58 people and damaging over 40 boats and nearly 32,000 houses, according to the committee.

Mindulle is the third major storm to come out of the East Sea this season.

Damage to tens of thousands of acres of farmland, dykes and bridges were reported throughout the north central region. Formal statistics pertaining to the extent of the damage have, so far, not been released.

In the meantime, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting warned that, while the typhoon has been downgraded, rains will continue in the central coast and the northern region and could lead to flash floods or landslides.

In July typhoon Conson, the first storm of the season, left at least one dead in Vietnam after killing 68 in the Philippines.

‘A rare accident’

Also on Wednesday rescuers in Da Nang City said they have found ten fishermen who were listed as missing at the beginning of the week.

The Hoa Minh crewmembers were found drifting some 22 nautical miles from the Son Tra Peninsula in severely weakened condition.

Huynh Van Tu, one of the fishermen, said their boat broke down Monday afternoon in the throws of the typhoon. They radioed for help from the Da Nang Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordination Center (MRCC).

The crew of the SAR 412 reached the fishing boat, but couldn’t approach it due to heavy rains and big winds, the fishermen remained on board, MRCC Director Tran Van Long said.

Rescuers threw the fishermen a tow rope which they secured to their boat, he added.

When the boats were some 15 kilometers off the coast, the tow broke and the fishing boat went missing, according to Long.

“It was a rare professional accident,” he said.

Some locals still raised questions the MRCC’s capacities.

Cao Van Minh, chief of Boat team No. 4 in Hoa Minh District, said when the accident happened they advised the MRCC rescuers to return to the site and focus on areas along the coast.

But, the MRCC refused to redirect their efforts and continued the search in accordance with official directives, Minh said. Local fishermen, meanwhile, weren’t allowed to search the sea for the victims.

In the end, it was local fishermen that managed to find the victims after taking on rescue efforts Wednesday morning.

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Vietnam rescues 10 missing in tropical storm

The fishermen are brought to hospital after being rescued on August 25, 2010.

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Rescuers in the central city of Danang late Wednesday found 10 crew of a fishing boat that went missing while seeking shelter from typhoon Mindulle two days ago.

Seven of the 10 fishermen, who drifted on the sea for around 50 hours, were brought home the same day. The rest are being treated on Cu Lao Cham (Cham Islands) in the neighboring province of Quang Nam.

Duong De Dung, chief of Danang Border Police Department, said professional rescue forces had searched for the missing fishermen in two days, but to no avail.

“Everything seemed hopeless,” Dung said. “Many families ashore set up the altars for praying.”

But the crew members of a fishing boat owned by a resident in Danang on Wednesday found a floating body when they were on their searching mission.

When the boat approached the man, they found a total seven men drifting on the waters in critical conditions.

Another fishing boat found other three fishermen floating in a shattered bamboo basket.

The exhausted, thirsty and trembling fishermen said they were saved by life jackets as the storm broke their ship.

The national floods and storms control committee says tropical storm Mindulle also killed nine and injured 58 others when it slammed the north-central coast on Tuesday.

The committee says the storm sank 35 boats and damaged around 32,000 houses.

The third tropical storm of the year made landfall Tuesday afternoon in Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces.

A disaster official of Nghe An said strong winds knocked down many trees and blew off roofs of houses in the city of Vinh, the capital of the province. An estimated 74,000 people live in the high-risk coastal areas evacuated before the storm, he said.

In Ha Tinh province, south of Nghe An, officials said more than 14,000 people from coastal villages had been evacuated.

Floods have submerged 24,960 hectares of rice fields in the provinces.

Landslides have caused hours of traffic congestion in Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue.

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Cao Duc Phat has issued instructions that require local officials to continue searching for the missing; support the families victims and help their communities deal with the storm's consequences.

They must quickly resolve electricity, communications and transport difficulties and continue to monitor the storm's progress.

Mindulle has weakened into a tropical low that is forecast to continue generating rains in central provinces from Nghe An to Thanh Hoa and the northern delta.

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