http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.ad...314060509990004
Vietnam accuses Taiwan of Spratlys violation
HANOI, March 31 (Reuters) - Vietnam has accused Taiwan of putting up a building on a coral reef that is part of the disputed Spratlys islands, to which the communist country expects to send its first group of tourists next month.
Taiwan has put up a house on the Ban Than coral reef on the archipelago in the South China Sea, Vietnam's Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung said in a statement late on Tuesday.
The cluster of dozens of submerged islets, rocks and reefs in an area believed to be rich in oil and natural gas is claimed in whole or in part by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.
"Vietnam vehemently condemns Taiwan's actions and demands an immediate end to such operations on Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratlys) archipelago," state media quoted Dung as saying. He accused Taiwan of "land-grabbing expansion."
Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesman Richard Shih called the structure a "simple bird watching stand for peaceful purposes."
He told Reuters in Taipei that a group of seven military officers, solders and construction workers were sent to the Spratlys on March 23 to build the stand.
"It has nothing to do with military purposes. We absolutely have no intention of sparking tensions in the region," he said,
adding that Taiwan maintains a sovereignty claim over the Spratlys.
Shih said Taiwan hoped to resolve the dispute over the Spratlys "through peaceful means."
Last November, Vietnam charged Taiwan with driving away its fishing boats from waters near the Ban Than islet in the Spratlys.
The renewed bickering over the Spratlys comes ahead of a tour to the islands aimed at reaffirming Vietnam's sovereignty. No tourists have so far visited the area, in which Vietnam maintains a military and civilian presence.
The Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper reported on Wednesday that tourists would visit scientific research facilities as well as the country's biggest oil and gas complex, Dai Hung (Big Bear), in the week-long excursion.
China has voiced opposition to the tourism proposal, saying it has "indisputable sovereignty" over the islands and surrounding waters.
(Additional reporting by Alice Hung in TAIPEI)