Rioting in Vietnam Kills 1 Chinese Worker

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2014-05-15

A riot at a Taiwanese steel plant in Vietnam has killed at least one Chinese worker, as thousands across the country protest against a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters of the South China Sea.

Officials said Thursday the riot in central Vietnam's Ha Tihn province was the first deadly incident in a wave of anti-Chinese protests. Thousands have walked off their jobs and rampaged through foreign-owned factories, injuring around 100 people.

In southern Binh Duong province, mobs torched and looted more than a dozen factories, including some owned by Korean and Taiwanese firms.

Many factories in the area were closed Wednesday as riot police tried to regain control of the situation.

Tsai Wan-chen, president of the Taiwanese Businessmen Association in Binh Duong, Vietnam, said the situation is still volatile, despite reports of police making more than 200 arrests.

China has issued a travel advisory for its citizens in Vietnam, and a spokeswoman this week said Beijing is closely watching the situation.

Beijing last month moved a state-run oil rig to an area near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, within what Vietnam considers its exclusive economic zone.

Chinese and Vietnamese ships have since clashed and sprayed water cannons at each other, raising fears of an all-out military clash.

Source: Voice of America

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