Anti Chinese Violence Spreads In Vietnam

In a rampage by violent Vietnamese protestors at a factory in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, one Chinese worker was killed and dozens injured, the officials said on Thursday. The hatred has been surging up against the Chinese workers and Chinese owned factories triggering violence and exploding to other parts of Vietnam.

In Ha Tinh Province, located in the northern part of central Vietnam, hundreds of raging Vietnamese workers entered the Formosa Plastics Group steel plant on Wednesday afternoon, attacking the Chinese nationals contracted to work there. The Taiwan-based company said on Thursday that one Chinese worker was killed and 90 were injured in the violence. The protestors set fire on buildings, destroyed and looted equipment, the officials said.

The company authorities have asked the government to strengthen security measures. The Chinese workers were evacuated by midnight fearing assaults. The head of the Ha Tinh provincial government visited the factory around 10 p.m. on Wednesday. The riots continued into Thursday, reports say.

The current violence in the country was sparked by China’s decision to deploy an oil rig escorted by a flotilla of coast guard and other ships off the Vietnamese coast despite promises to settle territorial disputes by diplomacy. The aggression spread to other parts of Vietnam with the protestors targeting the factories and the Chinese workers brought on contract to work in them.

interactive editor