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Chinese patrol boat rescues 9 Vietnamese near Xisha islands

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The Associated Press
Published: Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 10:33 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 10:33 a.m.


Nine Vietnamese fishermen whose one-month detainment chafed China-Vietnam relations were back on the same islands at the heart of the dispute Saturday, this time after a Chinese patrol boat rescued them in stormy seas.

China released the men and their boat Monday, and they started their journey home despite warnings of a tropical weather system. The fishermen had not been heard from since leaving, and Vietnam and China agreed to work together on a search and rescue mission.

Le Van Doi, an official from Ly Son island off the coast of central Quang Ngai province where the fishermen live, confirmed the boat captain called his family Saturday to say they were safe and could be home in three days at the earliest.

The online newspaper VnExpress reported that captain Mai Phung Luu was quoted as telling his family that the vessel broke down after traveling 10 nautical miles on Monday.

"We had to navigate the boat through stormy seas with a sail made from blankets and mosquito nets for many days in hungry and thirsty and ragged conditions," he was quoted as telling his family.

The sailors were exhausted when they were spotted by a Chinese patrol boat which towed the battered boat back to the Paracel islands, it said.

Source: Full report:
9 Vietnamese fishermen safe at disputed islands | BlueRidgeNow.com
 
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