Protection of citizens will continue to be one of the important tasks ofthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in 2012, said MoFA spokesmanLuong Thanh Nghi at the ministry’s regular meeting in Hanoi on Jan.12.
According to Nghi, in 2011 and early 2012,Vietnam has dealt with a number of cases relating to protection ofcitizens, typically the evacuation of 10,000 citizens from chaotic Libyaand earthquake and tsunami damaged Japan, the search for sailors of thesunken Vinalines Queen ship and the seeking for release of Vietnamesefishermen seized abroad.
In all cases relating toVietnamese citizens, MoFA has actively coordinated with local ministriesand branches as well as promptly instructed Vietnamese representativeagencies abroad to coordinate with the authorities of the host countriesin dealing with the cases properly, helping ensure safety and protectthe legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens.
It helped bring home nearly 1,094 fishermen on board 113 vessels seized by Southeast Asian countries.
Most recently, MoFA has urgently coordinated with and called forinternational efforts in searching for Vinalines Queen ship’s sailors.
Regarding the case of 23 Vietnamese sailors on theRepublic of Korea’s Jung Woo 2 ship that suffered a fire in waterssoutheast of New Zealand , the spokesperson said a ccording to theNew Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the RescueCoordination Centre of New Zealand (RCCNZ), three sailors were reporteddead in the hold while four others suffered from injury.
The injured will be brought to the Christchurch Hospital in NewZealand for medical care, he said, adding that the remaining sailorsare in good health and are expected to be brought ashore at Lyttelton,near Christchurch on January 19.
Nghi said theMoFA has urged the Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand to continueworking with the authorities of the host country on necessary protectionand assistance measures for the Vietnamese seamen.
At the same time, the ministry has instructed the Vietnamese Embassy inthe RoK to actively work with the ship owner to address the interests ofVietnamese sailors in a satisfactory manner, he said.
About the Vietnam-EU Human Rights Dialogue, Nghi said that withVietnam ’s policy to be ready to conduct dialogues with countries andinternational organisations on human rights and to realise an agreementbetween the MoFA and the EU’s external relations agency, MoFA organisedthe Vietnam-EU Human Rights Dialogue in Hanoi on January 12.
At the dialogue, the two sides exchanged views on issues of commonconcern on human rights, including the freedom of speech, freedom of thepress, freedom of religions and beliefs, the rights of ethnic minoritygroups and the issue of immigrants.
Since 2002, theVietnam-EU Human Rights Dialogue has been seen as an important forumthat aims to boost the exchange of information and strengthen mutualunderstanding in the fields of human rights policy and achievementsbetween the EU and Vietnam./.
According to Nghi, in 2011 and early 2012,Vietnam has dealt with a number of cases relating to protection ofcitizens, typically the evacuation of 10,000 citizens from chaotic Libyaand earthquake and tsunami damaged Japan, the search for sailors of thesunken Vinalines Queen ship and the seeking for release of Vietnamesefishermen seized abroad.
In all cases relating toVietnamese citizens, MoFA has actively coordinated with local ministriesand branches as well as promptly instructed Vietnamese representativeagencies abroad to coordinate with the authorities of the host countriesin dealing with the cases properly, helping ensure safety and protectthe legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens.
It helped bring home nearly 1,094 fishermen on board 113 vessels seized by Southeast Asian countries.
Most recently, MoFA has urgently coordinated with and called forinternational efforts in searching for Vinalines Queen ship’s sailors.
Regarding the case of 23 Vietnamese sailors on theRepublic of Korea’s Jung Woo 2 ship that suffered a fire in waterssoutheast of New Zealand , the spokesperson said a ccording to theNew Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the RescueCoordination Centre of New Zealand (RCCNZ), three sailors were reporteddead in the hold while four others suffered from injury.
The injured will be brought to the Christchurch Hospital in NewZealand for medical care, he said, adding that the remaining sailorsare in good health and are expected to be brought ashore at Lyttelton,near Christchurch on January 19.
Nghi said theMoFA has urged the Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand to continueworking with the authorities of the host country on necessary protectionand assistance measures for the Vietnamese seamen.
At the same time, the ministry has instructed the Vietnamese Embassy inthe RoK to actively work with the ship owner to address the interests ofVietnamese sailors in a satisfactory manner, he said.
About the Vietnam-EU Human Rights Dialogue, Nghi said that withVietnam ’s policy to be ready to conduct dialogues with countries andinternational organisations on human rights and to realise an agreementbetween the MoFA and the EU’s external relations agency, MoFA organisedthe Vietnam-EU Human Rights Dialogue in Hanoi on January 12.
At the dialogue, the two sides exchanged views on issues of commonconcern on human rights, including the freedom of speech, freedom of thepress, freedom of religions and beliefs, the rights of ethnic minoritygroups and the issue of immigrants.
Since 2002, theVietnam-EU Human Rights Dialogue has been seen as an important forumthat aims to boost the exchange of information and strengthen mutualunderstanding in the fields of human rights policy and achievementsbetween the EU and Vietnam./.
