Vietnam to build memorial for soldiers slain in China war

Vietnam has started the construction of a memorial to commemorate the soldiers who lost their lives in a battle against China over a disputed island in the South China Sea, officials say.

According to reports, the foundations for the memorial were laid on Friday with funds by donations from the public, government agencies and the Vietnamese overseas.

The memorial honors 64 Vietnamese army troops slain while fighting for the Johnson South Reef in Spratly Islands in 1988, which both countries claim. The building is scheduled to be completed in 2016.

According to Chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Dang Ngoc Tung, an area of 2.5 hectares at a tourism region in Cam Ranh Bay of Khanh Hoa Province has been allocated to the memorial.

The Johnson South Reef is a reef in Spratly Islands in Vietnam’s East Sea, also known as the South China Sea. The one-day battle on March 14 resulted in China gaining control of the reef. However, Vietnam reiterates its “incontestable sovereignty” over the Spratly and Paracel islands, also known as Xisha Islands in Chinese.

China has since built structures on and around the Johnson South Reef, sparking protest by Vietnamese officials.

China and Vietnam are locked in a longstanding territorial dispute in the South China Sea over islands and waters claimed by both countries.

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the whole of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. The waters are believed to sit atop vast reserves of oil and gas.

HJM/MKA/HMV

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk