Vietnam Cracks down after 5 weeks of anti-china protests

Vietnam Cracks down after 5 weeks of anti-china protests

HANOI- Security forces in Vietnam quashed an anti-china rally in the captal yesterday by detaining protester along with journalists covering the event for foreign news agencies, including The associated press. Demonstrations are rare in vietnam, where the communist government maintains tight controls, but Hanoi has permited groups of up to about 200 protesters to gather for the past five weeks and march through the streets shouting anti-china messages over an ongoing spat involving disputed territory in the South China Sea. Journalists have been allowed to photograph and film the rallies despite a heavy security presence. but officals from Vietnam and China met in Beijing two week ago and issued a joint statement saying they had agreed to negotiate to peacefully resolve the issue. Yesterday, police using megaphone ex-plained to demonstrators gathered near the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi that the South China saa dispute ''has been the subject of talks between the two states'' and urged them ''not to complicate the situation''. More than a dozen demonstrators were later herded onto buses by police. Some protesters struggled with security forces, shouting: ''We did not do anything!'' Associated Press Television New assistant Hau Dinh was filming the protest when he was also forced onto a bus with armed police. Two other Vietnamese journalists- a cameranman from Japanese public broadcaster NHK and a news assistant from Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun-were also detained, police said. Mr Hau Dinh, the other journalists and 5year-old son-were released after being held and questioned for about three hours. The US-based watchdog, Committee to Protect Journalists, said it was ''troubled'' by reports that jornalisits were ''being punished for just doing their jobs''. Several protesters were releaed from a police station later yesterday. The police resfused to comment. Vietnam claims Chinese boats hindered oil exploration activites within it exclusive economic zone, 200 nautical miles off the coast. China accuses Vietnam of endanger-ing Chinese fishermen in a contested area near the resource-rich Spratly Islands, which are claimed in all or in part by both countries and sevral othere South-east Asian nations. Late last month, after sevral weeks of mounting tensions with Beijing hinting that Vietnam be the worse in a possible military standoff and Hanoi staging naval Yesterday, police using megaphones explained to demonestrators gathered near the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi that the South China Sea dispute 'has been the suject of talks between the two states' and urged them 'not to complicate the situation'. drills, Vietnam Vice-Foreign Minster Ho Xuan Son travelled to beijing for crisis talks with China State Councillor Dai Bingguo. The two agreed to resolve their territorial disputes through friendly consultations and negoitiations. No specific plans or further details were given , however. Analysts say Hanoi is trying to balance its relationship with China, by not offending its giant neighbour, while also not apprearing weak before the vietnamese who have a deep distrust of the Chinese.