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Updated Monday, June 29, 2009 11:17 am TWN, By Joe Hung, Special to The China Post

Sovereignty over the Spratlys II

South Vietnam's navy stopped Chinese fishing vessels off Hsisha, also known as the Paracel Islands, twice in February 1959. Vietnamese marines went ashore and arrested 160 Chinese fishermen on one of the islands. Beijing lodged strong protests on February 27, and Saigon had to release all the captives on March 9. A Chinese frigate and a submarine visited Yunghsing or Woody Island, the largest of the Paracels, later in March. The navy set up a land office on the island to coordinate patrols over the waters of the Macclesfield Bank and the Paracel and Spratly Islands.

Undaunted, South Vietnam sent marines to the Paracels to occupy four islets in April 1959. They were stationed there, then. In 1970 and 1971, the Philippines occupied three islets of the Spratlys. In July 1971, the Filipino Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged protests with Taipei against the deployment of marines on Taiping Island, the largest of the Spratlys. Manila complained that the deployment “threatens” the security of the Philippines. Taipei took no action, and the Filipinos were able to occupy three more Spratly islets.

South Vietnam continued to harass Chinese fishermen working over Paracel waters in 1973. A sea battle was fought between South Vietnam and the People's Republic on January 19, 1974. The Chinese won the battle, placing the Paracels under their control.

Saigon fell in April 1975, and the North Vietnamese invaded the Paracels, occupying five islets. Yunghsing, however, wasn't invaded. Hanoi also claimed sovereignty over the Paracels and the Spratlys on May 15. Taipei reiterated on March 19 and May 12 that the Paracels and the Spratlys are part of the “traditional” territory of the Republic of China.

On May 12, 1977, Hanoi declared a 2000-mile exclusive economic zone covering the Paracels and the Spratlys and their continental shelf. Manila declared occupation of seven islets of the Spratlys on March 4, 1978. They were placed under the jurisdiction of Palawan Province on June 11. A smaller islet was occupied by the Filipinos on August 1980.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) sent two bombers on November 8, 1980 on a reconnaissance mission over the Spratly Islands. The PLA Navy patrolled the Spratly waters between May 16 and June 14, 1983.

Beijing was commissioned by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to erect five oceanic weather observatories in 1987. Construction of one of them, Observatory 74, began on Reef Yungshu (Eternal Summer) in February 1988. Chinese warships patrolled waters around the Spratlys between January 18 and March 14. No landing on Taiping, however, was attempted. A month later, on April 14, the PLA Navy fought another sea battle with a Vietnamese fleet. The Chinese won.

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