Vietnam urges end to protests on China's oil rig
People in Vietnam have been urged to stop protesting against China’s deployment of an oil rig in a disputed section of the South China Sea following deadly riots earlier this week.
The call suggested that Vietnam might be trying to rein in the protests, which it unusually allowed last weekend.
That move was widely seen as a way for the authoritarian state to show its displeasure with China for positioning the oil rig in strategic waters claimed by both countries.
Nationalist and dissident groups, which are also demanding basic democratic reforms that challenge the Communist Party, have called for large protests on Sunday in front of the Chinese embassy in Hanoi as well as in Ho Chi Minh City.
In a message to Communist Party-affiliated organisations, Hanoi mayor Nguyen The Thao said more protests could have a “bad impact on political stability and social order”.
He said he was requesting government agencies to “persuade people not to participate in protests”.
The public mood is currently anti-Beijing, and breaking up the rallies might reinforce dissident claims that the government is kowtowing to China.
The violence this week was the most serious to hit Vietnam in years.
Dozens of factories close to southern Ho Chi Minh City were trashed following peaceful anti-China protests by workers.
In central Vietnam, a 1,000-strong mob stormed a steel mill, killing one Chinese worker and wounding hundreds more.
There has been no reported violence or major demonstrations since Thursday.
The government immediately sent a flotilla to confront Chinese vessels protecting the rig in a tense stand-off. It has also whipped up patriotic fervour via state media while trying to rally international support for its cause.
