China news: Vietnam condemns Beijing for assault [Video]

HANOI, Vietnam –

Vietnam condemned China on Thursday while saying that Chinese law enforcement personnel assaulted 10 Vietnamese fishermen, damaged their fishing gear and seized about four tons of fish catch near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

The fishermen first reported the assault near the Chinese-controlled islands by radio on Sunday but did not identify the attackers.

Three of the fishermen suffered broken limbs and the rest sustained other injuries, according to Vietnamese state media. Some were taken on stretchers to a hospital after they returned to Quang Ngai province late Monday.

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Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed Chinese law enforcement personnel on Thursday for the high-seas attack, saying it had “seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty in the Paracel Islands,” international law and an agreement by the leaders of the rival claimant countries to …