(Document for collecting signatures in support)
Hanoi, 14 May 2014.
The right to live in peace is a fundamental human right, whether a person is a member of an ethnic minority, a migrant, a woman or a child, whether that person lives in Viet Nam, Singapore, Thailand or China. It is the responsibility of governments and international organisations to ensure peace so that people of all countries can seek happiness and exercise their right to development. This is precisely what international law demands and what governments are responsible for complying with. This is also the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982), which confirms the right to a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone measured from a country’s baseline.
However, in recent years the Chinese government has repeatedly made statements and taken actions that go against the spirit of international law in the East Sea. Its baseless claims of sovereignty, and its imposed acts of encroachment, have caused concern for many countries in the ASEAN region, such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Most recently, in May 2014, China deployed the HD-981 oil rig, together with many armed forces, to operate in an area deep within Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. This is a serious violation of international law, breaking the agreement that “all parties commit to refrain from activities that complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability”, as set out in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC, 2002) between China and ASEAN member states.
Protecting peace, maintaining security and human rights is the foremost concern of the people of Viet Nam, the people of ASEAN, and the international community. We, Vietnamese civil society organisations, call for:
• The Chinese Government to immediately withdraw the oil rig and armed vessels from Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, respect Viet Nam’s sovereignty and the safety of its people, especially the millions of Vietnamese fishermen. The Chinese Government must end all acts violating the basic rules of international law, and take no similar actions in the East Sea that harm peace, stability and maritime safety in the region and internationally.
• The Vietnamese Government to firmly oppose and peacefully prevent China’s unlawful encroachment in the East Sea within Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone. The Vietnamese Government should regularly update the public on the East Sea, and create conditions for people at home and abroad, and international friends, to freely express their views and feelings opposing China’s wrongful actions in a peaceful and non-violent way.
• The people of Viet Nam, the people of ASEAN, the people of China and people of all countries to speak out and call on the Chinese Government to respect international law, the right to live in peace, and people’s right to earn a living, especially that of Southeast Asian fishermen.
We pledge to stand in solidarity with one another, with the people of Viet Nam and the people of the world, to continue to follow further developments and to take appropriate action in the spirit of respecting peace and human dignity.
Civil society organisations issuing this statement together.
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Civil society organisations supporting this Statement, please send your confirmation email to xhdsbiendong@gmail.com, stating the name of the organisation, the person representing the organisation, and a contact email address, before 19 May 2014. The list of signatory organisations will be published openly together with the official Statement immediately afterwards.