South China Sea/Vietnam: Vietnam Orders Fishing Boats to be Armed with Machine Guns

Aug 5, 2014 | Want China Times
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The Vietnamese government has issued an order stipulating that boats under the jurisdiction of the country's fishery law enforcement command should be equipped with weapons, reported the state-run Global Times Aug. 1, citing a Vietnamese news website.

The order is said to be a response to the recent tension between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea. China deployed an oil rig in May, leading to a stand-off between Chinese and Vietnamese boats near the the disputed Paracel Islands and widespread protests and rioting in Vietnam, during the course of which factories perceived to be Chinese-run were burnt and looted.