I. ANNOUNCEMENT

1. The 7th Viet Nam - Cuba Political Consultation

On 29 August 2022, the 7th Viet Nam - Cuba Political Consultation will take place in Hanoi, co-chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and First Deputy Foreign Minister of Cuba Gerardo Penalver Portal.

This occurs as the special Viet Nam - Cuba relationship is continuously and comprehensively being bolstered, bilateral cooperation is being strengthened in all areas, particularly in defense, security, agriculture and investment. Cooperation mechanisms between the two countries are active and increasingly effective, and both sides have continued to work closely together and mutually support each other at international organizations and multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations.

As part of the meeting, both sides are expected to review the cooperation between the two countries and the two Foreign Ministries in all areas, as well as discuss international and regional issues of mutual interest and directions for cooperation in the future.

II.Q&A

1. Dan Tri: Recently, a fishing vessel from Quang Nam, along with 42 fishermen, was detained by Malaysian Coast Guard, allegedly due to crossing the permitted boundaries. How are the 42 fishermen currently, and what citizen protection measures is Viet Nam implementing?

According to competent authorities and the Embassy of Viet Nam in Malaysia, on 11 June 2022, a Vietnamese fishing vessel with the serial number QNA95005 TS was stopped and detained by Malaysian authorities, along with 42 fishermen on board, on the accusation of violating Malaysia’s fishing laws.

Immediately after receiving the information, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam directed the Embassy of Viet Nam in Malaysia to contact Malaysian authorities to verify the information, and request assistance for the Vietnamese fishing vessel and fisherman, while at the same time contacting the detained fishermen to seek more information, and offer encouragement. In Hanoi, the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also worked with representatives from the Embassy of Malaysia in Viet Nam on this matter, to request for humanitarian treatment of the fishermen and the rapid resolution of this matter in accordance with the friendship between the two countries, and to facilitate the timely repatriation of the fishermen.

On 14 July, with the assistance of the Embassy of Viet Nam in Malaysia, the owner of vessel no. QNA95005 TS visited the fishermen and worked on the procedures to repatriate 05 fishermen, including minors and those with existing medical conditions, who have been released by Malaysian authorities and returned to Viet Nam.

Per the instructions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Viet Nam in Malaysia will continue to closely follow the situation, maintain regular contact with the fishermen as well as with Malaysian authorities, and implement citizen protection measures as necessary, ensuring the lawful rights and interests of the Vietnamese nationals.

2. Central News Agency: How many Vietnamese nationals who have been scammed into working in Cambodia are currently in need of assistance? To date, how many Vietnamese nationals have been rescued? Are there any difficulties in cooperating with Cambodia on this matter? What measures does Viet Nam have to resolve this matter and prevent this trend from continuing?

The Government of Viet Nam is paying very close attention to this matter.

 As reported by Vietnamese and Cambodian press, recently, there have been cases of various Vietnamese nationals being scammed by illegal labor brokers and brought to Cambodia, where they have experienced difficulties in their work. Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnamese diplomatic missions in Cambodia have worked closely with Vietnamese Ministries, agencies and localities, particularly localities bordering Cambodia, and cooperated with Cambodian competent authorities to receive and verify information, implement citizen protection measures, assist Vietnamese nationals in need in a timely manner. Recently, over 500 Vietnamese nationals have been rescued and safely repatriated, and thousands of others have received assistance in finalizing documents. In the first 6 months of this year, the Ministry of Public Security has eliminated various trafficking rings and detained many suspects accused of illegally bringing laborers to Cambodia, as well as issued a number of warnings against this phenomenon. 

 In the implementation of citizen protection measures, Vietnamese diplomatic missions have encountered certain difficulties. First and foremost, the access and rescue needs the participation and close cooperation of Cambodian competent authorities. Many laborers do not have personal identification or legal documents due to having crossed the border illegally, so it takes a lot of time to verify their identities, which has created difficulties. Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia have made every effort and arranged a number of working meetings at various levels and kept contact with Cambodia to carry out this matter.

In the time to come, the MOFA and Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia will continue working with domestic agencies and localities and Cambodian competent authorities to implement measures to increase consulate and citizen protection measures in Cambodia, repatriate citizens who have been scammed by illegal brokers, ensuring the lawful rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens. Localities have also increased supervision and warnings for locals intending to work abroad.

 We would also like to take this opportunity to request that in addition to the efforts by the authorities, we hope that the press will further spread information, refute false information and raise awareness of the community, particularly regarding working legally abroad.

3. Thanh Nien: Please update more information on the citizen protection measures in the fire in Oldham, Manchester on 7 August?

As informed in the press, so far, UK police have found the remains of four victims in the fire in Oldham, Manchester, and identified one as a Vietnamese national. UK police also arrested 02 suspects for further investigation. Competent authorities of both countries are actively working together to quickly identify the remaining victims.

We would like to convey our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. We stand ready to assist them in necessary procedures to identify the victims and in after-death arrangements per the families’ wishes.   

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed the Consular Department and the Embassy of Viet Nam in the UK to continue following this incident, closely work with authorities of both countries to identify the victims, accelerate the investigation, clarify the causes and assist the families of the deceased in after-death arrangements.

4. Thanh Nien: The web page of the World Meteorological Organization uses China’s map which includes the nine-dash line. What is Viet Nam’s comment on this matter?

Viet Nam has on numerous occasions rejected China’s so-called “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea, along with other claims that go against the UN Charter and the 1982 UNCLOS. Viet Nam believes that any form of promoting and uploading contents and images that violate Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly islands, as well as Viet Nam’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant waters in the South China Sea as established in the 1982 UNCLOS, are null and void.

Viet Nam requests that countries and organizations respect Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly islands and relevant waters in the South China Sea, and to remove or amend these contents. The Representative of the Permanent Mission of Viet Nam, along with the UN, the WTO and other international organizations in Geneva have discussed with the World Meteorological Organization about this matter.

5. VnExpress: Regarding the incident in which dozens of Vietnamese nationals escaped from a casino in Cambodia, earlier this week, Cambodian authorities stated that they were temporarily detaining and interrogating 11 Vietnamese nationals, and that they will be deported for not possessing passports. Can you provide an update on these Vietnamese nationals, and the citizen protection measures being implemented?

Regarding this matter, after receiving the information, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directed the Embassy of Viet Nam in Cambodia to work with Cambodian authorities and request for a timely investigation to clarify the cause of the incident and the responsibilities of all involved, to increase the monitoring and reviewing of labor institutions, particularly those operating in entertainment services to detect, prevent and handle cases which use illegal labor, to rescue and protect foreign laborers, including Vietnamese laborers who have been exploited by their employers, to work closely with Vietnamese competent authorities to increase border and immigration management measures and cross-border travel to prevent and minimize cases of illegal migration.

On 22 August, Cambodian police arrested the managers at the workplace of these Vietnamese nationals, and assisted in the repatriation procedures for 25 others who have also been scammed and brought to work in Cambodia, including the aforementioned 11 nationals rescued from the casino, which also includes the one national who was recaptured by casino security while escaping on 18 August.

In Viet Nam, the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also discussed with domestic competent authorities to verify the information and implement the next steps in citizen protection. According to the information we received, the rescued Vietnamese are in stable health. All have tested negative to drugs.

The Consular Department and Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia will continue to follow the situation and work with Vietnamese and Cambodian competent authorities to handle issues related to the aforementioned case, and carry out citizen protection measures in a timely manner.

6. Sputnik: On 20 August, Ms. Darya Dugina, a Russian journalist and famous political analyst, died in a car bombing. Can you provide a comment on this?

We would like to convey our deepest condolences to the family of Ms. Darya Dugina. We hope that the case will soon be clarified, and the culprit brought to justice.

7. Tuoi Tre: The two Vietnamese nationals who violated the law in Spain have returned to Viet Nam. Can the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provide an update on the trial processes of these two individuals?

According to the information that we received from the Embassy of Viet Nam in Spain, these two individuals’ attorneys will continue to represent them and work with the court, and relevant parties.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed the Embassy of Viet Nam in Spain to maintain contact with the court and the attorneys, and stand ready to offer assistance and citizen protection when necessary and in accordance with their capacity and responsibilities.