That was the sharing of Ms. Bui Thi Quynh Van - Secretary of Quang Ngai Provincial Party Committee - at the dialogue with fishermen in coastal localities in the province held on the afternoon of November 5.
Fishermen hope for protection when practicing their profession
At the dialogue, many fishermen said that currently, fishing is facing many difficulties and the risk of accidents at sea is very high. Fishermen asked the leaders of Quang Ngai province to pay attention and create favorable conditions to support fishermen in difficult circumstances in terms of housing, facilities and boats when risks occur due to objective reasons. Fishermen also asked the authorities to protect them when fishing at sea, especially when they are chased or assaulted by foreign ships. They hope that the authorities will have a plan to ensure the safety of fishermen during their work.
Informing fishermen, Lieutenant Colonel Thai Van Han, Head of the Legal Department, Coast Guard Region 2 Command, said that protecting fishermen operating safely in sovereign waters is the duty of the Coast Guard. The fact that fishermen are attacked, chased away, and vandalized by foreign ships is a serious violation of international law, Vietnamese law, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Upon receiving the information, the Coast Guard immediately approached the chased vessels to collect information and evidence, reported to the commanders at all levels for synthesis, and forwarded it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for feedback. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs resolutely fights against and opposes the vandalism and assaults on fishermen and demands compensation for Vietnamese fishermen.
The estuary is silted up, making it difficult for fishermen to go out to sea.
At the dialogue, fisherman Nguyen Dinh Cam in Nghia An commune, Quang Ngai city proposed dredging and clearing the river channel from Dai estuary (Pho Truong village) to Lo estuary (Tan Thanh village) to facilitate the movement and anchoring of boats and ships to avoid storms. Currently, the whole commune has more than 1,000 boats, but the estuary is silted up and narrow, causing damage and difficulties for boats when entering the port. In the past, there have been many cases of boats sinking, broken propellers, rudders, and punctured bottoms.
After listening to the fishermen's recommendations, Ms. Bui Thi Quynh Van requested that departments and branches consult with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and localities that have implemented it, such as Binh Dinh province, to create conditions for fishermen to receive support according to policies every time they go to sea, linking seafood exploitation with protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.
The Secretary of the Quang Ngai Provincial Party Committee emphasized that the authorities must focus on solving three issues: fisheries, fishermen and fishing grounds. Developing the marine economy in general, including developing fishing and aquaculture, is an important task for Quang Ngai province.
Support fishermen
At the dialogue, the Quang Ngai Provincial Federation of Labor presented 130 million VND to 13 fishing unions in the province; the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the province supported the construction of 6 solidarity houses for poor coastal households and presented 100 rice cookers to 100 fishing households, totaling 370 million VND. The Coast Guard Command of Region 2 presented 100 gifts to 100 fishing households in difficult circumstances (each gift worth 1 million VND in cash), 1,000 national flags and other special items to fishing unions, with a total amount of nearly 183 million VND.
