Thread: youtube-3.14 Sea battle in Spratly Islands,1988

China´s massacre in Spratly islands 1988



Evidences of China''''s Crime: The Spratly Islands Massacre

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With proven historical evidences and an uninterrupted possession, Vietnam has been exercising her sovereignty over the Spratly Islands in the East Vietnam Sea, which is also known as the " South China Sea". However, with continuing ambition for hegemony to control natural resources as well as sea transportation routes, China has brutally and inhumanly attacked Viet Nam , seriously violating Vietnam ’s sovereignty and international laws. This real footage, which was taken by the China Navy during the invasion of the Spratly Islands on March 14th 1988, is an irrefutable proof of China Navy’s crime. Using overwhelming armed forces, the China Navy killed 64 under-equipped Vietnamese sailors, destroyed and prevented unarmed Vietnamese vessels from saving the injured. The movie has raised a question of criminal charges against the Chinese government, once led by Deng Xiao Ping, for the course of justice. In fact, this defending battle lasted for a few hours at three reefs nearby the island called Sin Cowe, one of the largest islands in the Spratly islands. The Spratly islands locate at a distance of over 1000 km far from the undermost Chinese coast at Hainan island and rightly belong to Vietnam for historical reasons.

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In the early months of 1988, the Chinese Navy had landed troops on five reefs and atolls of the Spratly Islands . Three of them lie quite near the large islands that Vietnam owns. The Vietnamese Navy then ferried supplies and equipment to six other reefs and atolls. They successfully gained control of them and prevented the Chinese navy from extending their occupied zone into the other islands. In early March, the High Commander of Vietnamese navy decided to defend other three reefs because they were part of the Spratly Islands and forming an open chain of reefs around the Sin Cowe island that were in control of Vietnam. On March 13th, in the late evening, three Vietnamese transport ships arrived in time at those reefs and set up the flags to present Vietnam ’s sovereignty over them. However, some hours after the Vietnamese transport ships had reached the target, four large Chinese warships got close to the Vietnamese and switched on the warning loudspeaker. Despite threat from Chinese warships, the Vietnamese transport ships patiently kept anchoring beside the reefs. They were not powerful enough to confront with the Chinese navy and did not want to escalate the conflict. The Chinese were ordered to take an oath before they floated motor-boats with many heavy-armed marines in carrying out the conspiracy to provoke the Vietnamese to break out a war. The Chinese, especially soldiers, are taught that the ocean area of Spratly islands with more than two hundred islands, reefs and atolls belongs to China .

The strain continued until the next morning, when the Chinese mobilized more battle ships, and also more floated motor-boats. They caused more provocations for the battle to break out. By 06:00 am, they suddenly sent 3 aluminium boats that carried about 40 armed marines and rapidly rushed towards the reefs. They landed troops in front of Vietnamese sailor crews and tried to lower the Vietnamese flags that had been already planted into the reef-platform since last evening. Standing on the reefs where the water level covered half of their bodies, the Vietnamese sailors set up commanding positions along the edge of the reefs to lay the defending lines and try to prevent the enemy from advancing forward. They were threatened by the Chinese to retreat from the reefs. This intrusion caused strong reaction from the Vietnamese defenders to hold their flag. They determined to hold on to the reef and keep their flag flying at any cost. Unable to force the Vietnamese to leave the reef, the Chinese marines had to get back to their battle ships. And finally
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Just because the Vietnamese navy had refused to withdraw from the reef, the Chinese used battleships for firing with 37-mm anti-aircraft guns directly at the unarmed and light armed Vietnamese sailors on the reefs who were not able to attack them from their defending positions. They also fired fiercely with 100mm gun at the three Vietnamese transport ships, two of them sank. 64 Vietnamese sailors and officers sacrificed their lives, among them, 3 corpses were found after the end of the battle,61 other persons were still missing and reputedly dead. Eventually, Vietnam defended successfully her sovereignty over two reefs on that day. China has occupied the other ones since that incident.

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In summer 2008, a delegation of the Vietnamese Navy organized a ceremony to devote sincerely their respect for the Heroes, who protected Vietnam’s sacred land and sea against that Chinese invasion 20 years ago. To commemorate the sacrificed officers and sailors, wreaths together with cigarettes, chewing-gums and simple objects, which every sailor used in his daily life in the past, were lowered down onto the water. Many members in the delegation were moved to tears at that time. The ceremony has been organized annually since that Chinese invasion in 1988. In remembering the last moments with the fallen, the memories of their bloody comrades, who used their bodies, hand in hand, to form a wall to protect the motherland territory were appearing gradually.


Nowadays, although living under constant threat and provocation from the Chinese navy, Vietnam reaffirms continuously her sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and determinedly advocates maintaining peaceful situation in the region. Episodic invasions from China make Vietnamese sailors consciously alert to China ''s conspiracies to conquer the islands. In spite of daily strain caused by Chinese marine crews, the Vietnamese sailors and civilians lead enjoyable lives on the Spratly Islands , their living standard is improving gradually. All generations of Vietnamese sailors and civilians on the Spratly Islands have been becoming island-defenders of Vietnam ''''s motherland. In the middle of the ocean, which is 400km far from the Vietnam coast, they stand together and unite as one to protect the sea territory of their motherland.

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