Vietnam curbs anti-China protests

Beijing evacuates 3,000, readies ships for more departures

Vietnamese security officers set up a fence outside an area of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam on Sunday, May 18, 2014.  Vietnamese authorities forcibly broke up small protests against China in two cities on Sunday, after deadly anti-China rampages over a simmering territorial dispute risked damaging the economy and spooked a state used to keeping a tight grip on its people. In southern Ho Chi Minh City, police dragged away several demonstrators from a park in the city center. In Hanoi, authorities closed off streets and a park close to the Chinese Embassy and pushed journalists and protesters away. (AP Photo/Na Son Nguyen)
Vietnamese security officers set up a fence outside an area of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam on Sunday, May 18, 2014. Vietnamese authorities forcibly broke up small protests against China in two cities on Sunday, after deadly anti-China rampages over a simmering territorial dispute risked damaging the economy and spooked a state used to keeping a tight grip on its people. In southern Ho Chi Minh City, police dragged away several demonstrators from a park in the city center. In Hanoi, authorities closed off streets and a park close to the Chinese Embassy and pushed journalists and protesters away. (AP Photo/Na Son Nguyen)

HANOI, Vietnam -- Vietnam smothered anti-China protests Sunday with a security clampdown after deadly riots triggered by a territorial dispute with Beijing spooked foreign investors and the country's authoritarian leadership.

As patrol ships from both countries remained locked in a standoff close to a Chinese oil rig in a disputed patch of the South China Sea, Beijing said it had evacuated 3,000 of its citizens from Vietnam and was sending the first of five ships to pull out others wanting to leave.

China also said that it would suspend some of its bilateral exchange plans with Vietnam and that it was advising Chinese citizens not to visit the country.

China's decision to deploy the oil rig May 1 has been seen as one of its most provocative steps in a campaign to assert its sovereignty in the waters. It triggered fury in Vietnam and the worst breakdown in ties between Hanoi and Beijing in years.

Last weekend, Vietnam permitted anti-China protests that drew thousands of people, a rare step that allowed it to amplify state anger against Beijing. Dissident groups joined the protests, and by Tuesday and Wednesday, the rallies had morphed into riots targeting factories believed to be owned by Chinese companies, although many of those hit were Taiwanese. Two Chinese citizens were killed and more than 100 wounded.

Vietnam's state-security apparatus Sunday ensured no one was able to protest, with thousands of police and security officers flooding southern Ho Chi Minh City and the capital, Hanoi. Police were posted outside well-known dissidents' houses, preventing them from leaving, according to activists.

In Ho Chi Minh City, police detained several demonstrators after dragging them from a park close to the city's cathedral. Authorities in Hanoi closed off streets and a park close to the Chinese Embassy, while police barking into bullhorns shoved journalists and protesters away.

"I want to send a message that if we don't stop China today, tomorrow it will be too late," said demonstrator Dao Minh Chu, as he was pushed away from the park near China's Embassy, where last week around 500 people gathered without interference from authorities.

Some Internet users in Vietnam on Sunday reported having trouble accessing Facebook, a popular medium for Vietnamese to get news and photos of demonstrations from activists. The government keeps a low-level and sporadic block on popular social media platforms.

China has demanded that Hanoi protect Chinese people inside Vietnam, which is heavily dependent on Beijing economically. Hundreds of Chinese have left by commercial flights and across the land border into Cambodia, although there has been calm since Thursday.

On Sunday, China said it dispatched to Vietnam a passenger ship capable of carrying 1,000 people, the first of five vessels it planned to send to complete an evacuation on top of 3,000 citizens who had left earlier. With Chinese traveling in increasing numbers, Beijing is under pressure to protect them overseas.

China's Foreign Ministry said two charter flights carrying more than 290 Chinese employees from affected businesses arrived in Chengdu in southwest China on Sunday afternoon. They included more than 100 injured people.

The ministry also said that the government would suspend some of its bilateral exchange plans with Vietnam and that it was advising Chinese not to visit the country.

In a statement posted on the ministry's website, spokesman Hong Lei said the violence that has resulted in Chinese casualties and property losses had "damaged the atmosphere and conditions for exchanges and cooperation between China and Vietnam."

For the time being, China is advising its citizens not to travel to Vietnam and has suspended some bilateral exchange plans, and will take further measures if necessary, Hong said.

No details were given on the bilateral exchange plans.

A Taiwanese steel mill attacked Wednesday employed 1,000 Chinese workers, who can be cheaper to hire and easier to manage than Vietnamese laborers.

Yang Yang, a political scientist at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, said there were so many Chinese working in Vietnam that sending ships might be more practical than planes.

"It can also appease the unhappiness of the Chinese public over the violence against Chinese nationals in Vietnam," he said.

In recent years, foreign companies attracted by low wages and a reputation for safety have flocked to Vietnam, opening factories that make everything from sneakers to smartphones. The government is aware that last's week violence threatens that vital economic cog.

On Saturday, top Vietnamese security official Lt. Gen. Hoang Kong Tu vowed to ensure the safety of all foreign investments and citizens in the country, including those from China. More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, which authorities have blamed on "extremists."

Information for this article was contributed by Louise Watt and Henry Hou of The Associated Press.

A Section on 05/19/2014

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