China saves 330 Vietnam fishermen caught in typhoon
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-05-21 17:01

A total of 330 Vietnamese fishermen caught in Typhoon Chanchu have been saved by Chinese rescuers, said China Maritime Search and Rescue Center on Sunday.

The center said Saturday afternoon they saved 97 Vietnamese fishermen on three boats, with 18 bodies aboard. No new recovery of bodies had been reported as of Sunday afternoon.

According to the center, by 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, Chinese rescue ship "Nanhaijiu 111" had found 21 Vietnamese fishing boats in danger in the sea areas of the Dongsha Islands, in the South China Sea.

"Nanhaijiu 111" has provided food, fresh water and fuel to 306 Vietnamese fishermen on 14 fishing boats, said the center.

On Friday afternoon, another Chinese rescue ship "Dejin" found and saved another endangered Vietnamese fishing boat with 24 fishermen on board near the Dongsha Islands.

The rescue operation has lasted for more than 40 hours, and Chinese rescuers are continuing their search for other endangered Vietnamese fishermen, who are estimated at more than one hundred.

The center said they received a telegraph from the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam Friday afternoon, which said 22 Vietnamese fishing boats and hundreds of fishermen were caught in the storms brought by Typhoon Chanchu, running out of oil and fresh water. Having lost contact with them, the Vietnamese side asked the Chinese side for help.

The rescue center immediately launched an emergency rescue program, and one hour later "Nanhaijiu 111" rescue ship was on the way to the site. It arrived at Dongsha at 3:33 a.m. on Saturday after about 10 hours voyage.

The Chinese Ministry of Communications said during the successful large-scale international rescue operation ever launched by China, they have contacted with the Hong Kong maritime rescue center for assistance.

While alarming the passing ships for safe voyage, the center also asked them to give a hand in search of the missing Vietnamese fishermen.

According to the center, at 6:40 a.m. Saturday, after three-hour search upon its arrival, "Nanhaijiu 111" got in tough with one Vietnamese fishing boat, "DNA09189", which carried 32 fishermen and eight bodies.

Rescuers helped the fishing boat regain the capability to sail independently and invited it to join the search for the other Vietnamese fishing boats.

By 11:47, another two Vietnamese fishing boats, "DNA90345" and "DNA90299", were found some 20 nautical miles off the Dongsha Islands. There were 32 fishermen and five bodies on "DNA90345", and 33 fishermen and five bodies on "DNA90299". Rescuers then offered fresh water, food and fuel to the two Vietnamese fishing boats.

By 16:45, Chinese rescuers found nine more Vietnamese fishing boats about eight nautical miles off the Dongsha Islands, said the center.

The center said it kept reporting the progress to the Vietnam's national rescue center.

On Saturday, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry called the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, conveying the sincere thanks of the Vietnamese government for China's help to the endangered Vietnamese fishermen, and hoping the Chinese side could continue the rescue operation.

Rescuers said the excited Vietnamese fishermen, after being saved, stammered thanks in Cantonese. Some of them raised posters they wrote in both Chinese and English which read "Thank the Chinese government! Thank Chinese sailors! Thank you!"


http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-05...tent_596250.htm

*Now this is positive news I wouldn't mind hearing more of. Working together is what its all about nowadays. Hopefully more of those vietnamese fisherman will be found.

So the fishermen rescued were Cantonese right?

There vietnamese. But they thanked the chinese rescuers in cantonese.

They probrably learnt a few cantonese words from HK movies.

I hope you're not saying the Chinese resue boats would've turned around w/o saving them if they found out they were Vietnamese.

Either way, 330 people who should've died are alive now.

Exactly Byron acts like its a phenomon that vietnamese people know some cantonese words. Alot of vietnamese people hyave chinese in them so you shouldn't be surprised that they know a few words.

Well they did gun down Vietnamese fishermen who China claimed were initially pirates but were found to be not guilty later in a court on Hainan Island.

So why this change of heart towards Vietnamese fishermen?

Maybe they mistook them for Pirates.

Not all of us are bad people byron. Why is it that you have to take a story like this thats positive and encouraging to relations between china and vietnam and turn it into one of distrust and suspicion. Can't you just be happy that 333 of your people were rescued and are now alive when they easily could have perished. I swear its people like you that get in the way of us having a good relationship because your so petty and paranoid.

I don't think they were thinking "Chinese", "Vietnamese", just "fisherman."


Sailors have respect for one another and have a code of ethics.

Well I believe in balance. Yes even if they might or not be Cantonese origin I do consider them Vietnamese nationals and the Chinese government do have my thanks for it.

But remember, the Vietnamese government did save hundreds of thousands of ethnic Chinese in Cambodia who were dying and starving from the Khmer Rouge. Did the Chinese government give any thanks? Nope they rewarded us by declaring war on us in 1979.

But enough of that, past is past. So yes I do thank the Chinese government for saving those Vietnamese nationals.

Ok so are you asking for a thank you on behalf of the chinese people for that. Here it is THANK YOU. Do you feel better now?

I don't personally don't care if they get thanked or not. What I do care about is the order of natural balance. If you don't thank someone, then next time when you do something for someone then don't expect a thank you either.

I believe in balance not emotional motivations.

^I know one thing for sure your very hard to please. I bet if china was to offer 50 million tons of free food to vietnam you'd still somehow sit there and try to dissect it into something negative or suspicious on our part. Buddy let go of all that negative energy and start to see this for what it is it was a successful rescue operation that ended in both sides giving props to one another. Thats a fairytale ending you can only read about in a book.

Well your right, I would be suspicious because Vietnam is already a leading provider of food exports in the world, so Vietnam doesn't need it.

But if China gave Vietnam things that we needed than I would be grateful.

And didn't I already thank the Chinese government for saving the fishermen already?

Alright byron I get your point. Don't worry maybe next time the vietnamese will get a chance to rescue chinese fisherman and then we'll all be happy.

That already happened. Vietnamese soldiers already saved Chinese fishermen. Basically it's the code of conduct of the seas both sides signed to.

Thats a mighty good code to have wouldn't you agree?

Of course. People should help others out regardless of race, identity, gender, religion. Moral values should be placed higher than nationalistic values.

^I'll drink to that

Well, we thank the PRC government for saving the lives of the 330 Vietnamese fishermen.

Me too. I want to thank the Chinese gov't and all crew members onboard the Dejin and Nanhaijiu-111 for their good-doings.

Doh je Chung Gwok zing fu. Doh je Chung Gwok seoi sau. Doh je saai lei ti ah.

They save and they kill and they save and they kill and they save and they kill and they save and they kill



I don't need to thank them because it's not me that those specific chinese saved, but it's nice to hear.

stupid chineses..................

arrrr matey!

They just did what humans should do for each other. The past is erased and we look toward the future.

Good to hear news like this.
Vietnam helped rescuing Chineses kids from human trafficking and now Chinese helped Viet fishermen.
Its good to help others. Maybe someone will help you back when you're in trouble. its about the Karma.

Do you know that your ancestor is also a chinese too. nam viet?

Zhao Tuo (Traditional Chinese: 趙佗; pinyin: Zhào Tuō) or Triệu Đà in Vietnamese, was a Chinese commanding general of the Qin Dynasty who later founded the kingdom of Nanyue, or Nam Việt (南越). He was also the founder of the Zhao Dynasty (Triệu Dynasty) of Nanyue. Born in Zhending (真定), Northern China, he served in a Qin expeditionary force that was sent south. In 206 B.C., Zhao Tuo defeated the Au Lac kingdom of An Dương Vương and merged it with Guangzhou and Guangxi which was under his commandery under the time of Qin. Along the way, he married a Yue wife.

I wish China and Vietnam could be friends

Personally, I have many Chinese friends. But the fact that I trust the PRC about as far as I can throw a live elephant does not make me anti-Chinese. I believe that once both Vietnam and the PRC turn into democracies, the relationship between Vietnam and the PRC will just as friendly as the relationship betwen Canada and the US or France and Germany.

Like you said it is Cambodian with chinese ethnic. Something wrong with you???? We should look forward and thankful for any help rendered not to further damaging any relationship.

It was a natural disaster that a kind samaritan trying to lend a helping hand and you are trying to be destructive??? Strange

You'd think this would be something to be celebrated rather than a lampoon fest.

Try to know the real reason and you shall see the LIGHT