Vietnam’s anti-China activists mark anniversary of ‘long forgotten’ Gac Ma Island battle that left 64 soldiers dead
Vietnam’s communist leadership’s handling of its delicate relationship with China is a frequent flashpoint for domestic criticism of Vietnam’s authoritarian government.
Activists chanted anti-China slogans in the Vietnamese capital on Monday to mark the anniversary of a 1988 battle in the Spratly Islands, a rare act of protest over an issue that has come to dog relations between Hanoi and Beijing.
The two neighbours are locked in long-standing territorial disputes over the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which both countries claim.
One-party Vietnam clamps down on public protest. But anti-Chinese demonstrations have become increasingly commonplace, particularly around the March 14 anniversary of a skirmish between China and Vietnam.
We are here to commemorate our soldiers killed by Chinese. Their sacrifice has been long forgotten by Vietnamese authorities
In 1988 China launched an attack on Gac Ma Island – one of the larger Spratly Islands which was formerly under Vietnamese military control – killing 64 Vietnamese soldiers in the last violent conflict between the two nations.
“We are here to commemorate our soldiers killed by Chinese,” teacher Pham Toan said in front of a statue of Ly Thai To – the founder of Hanoi and a nationalist figurehead.
“Their sacrifice has been long forgotten by Vietnamese authorities,” Toan added, referring to activist claims that the communist authorities do not sufficiently commemorate the battle.
Vietnam’s communist leadership’s handling of its delicate relationship with China – which is the country’s largest trading partner – is a frequent flashpoint for domestic criticism of Vietnam’s authoritarian government.
Watch: Vietnam protesters denounce China on anniversary of navy battle