Vietnam says archaeology proves its Spratlys claim
HANOI - A day after Vietnam brushed aside a
Chinese demand for clarification of its stance towards the Spratly Islands, its
official media said there was extensive archaeological proof of Hanoi's claim to
the disputed islands.
A front-page article in Friday's Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper said the Vietnam
Archaeological Institute had discovered many Vietnamese ceramics from the
13th-14th and 17th-18th centuries on Truong Sa Lon (Big Spratly) island
during excavations from 1996-2000.
"This confirms the early and continuous presence of the Vietnamese on the
(Spratly) archipelago," the article said.
The paper went on to quote the institute director Ha Van Tan as saying: "We
have found clear scientific evidence of maritime activity of Vietnamese residents
in early times.
"This is clear evidence contributing to the defense and protection of national
sovereignty in the land and water territories."
Vietnam's powerful northern neighbor China reasserted last week Beijing's
claim of "indisputable sovereignty" over the islands, which are also claimed
wholly or partly by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said on Tuesday Beijing was
"seriously concerned" over news reports saying Vietnam should set up
governmental bodies on Spratlys and had demanded clarification.
"Illegal and void"
"Any other country's unilateral actions on the Nansha Islands constitute an
infringement upon China's sovereignty and are illegal and void," he said.
On Thursday, Vietnam's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh said
Hanoi had not been informed of China's demand and Vietnam's stance towards
the South China Sea archipelago it calls Truong Sa and China calls Nansha had
not changed.
At the same time Thanh described the state-run Saigon Giai Phong (Liberation
Saigon) daily, which said last Saturday it was "necessary to set up an
administrative organ immediately right on the Spratly archipelago" as a "local
newspaper".
She did not respond when as if this comment was meant to mean the article did
not represent Vietnam's official position.
Saigon Giaiphong said government presence in the islands was needed to deal
with "violations of Vietnamese territory" in the areas of fishing and oil and gas
exploration.
Vietnam has a civilian and troop presence in the archipelago, but it is unclear
how many islands they occupy.
The flare-up of the territorial dispute came during a visit by China's Defense
Minister Chi Haotian, who left Vietnam after a six-day visit on Tuesday.
Despite the Spratlys issue, and a similar dispute over the neighboring Paracel
Islands, ties between Hanoi and Beijing have warmed considerably since the
two countries fought a brief but bloody border war in 1979, after Vietnam
invaded Cambodia to oust the Chinese-backed Khmer Rouge.
In December, Vietnamese President Luong visited Beijing and settled a
long-standing border dispute in the Tonkin Gulf. In 1999 the countries sealed a
land border agreement.
Reuters - February 16, 2001.
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