HANOI, Vietnam January 17, 2014 (AP)
By CHRIS BRUMMITT Associated Press
Hanoi is marking for the first time the anniversary of a deadly 1974 battle between China and U.S.-backed South Vietnamese forces in the South China Sea, apparently seeking to boost its legitimacy at home as tensions over the disputed waters flare anew.
The fight, in which 74 South Vietnamese soldiers died, followed China’s occupation of the Paracel islands. It is especially sensitive because the government of North Vietnam didn’t counter the Chinese move, or even acknowledge force was used. At the time, Beijing was giving North Vietnam arms and money to fight the United States and Vietnamese troops from the south.
Anti-China sentiment is widespread in Vietnam, and the Hanoi government is vulnerable to charges it is not tough enough against Beijing, something that pro-democracy groups are keen to exploit. Overseas Vietnamese groups and dissidents have traditionally marked the battle.
State-run media have been running stories on the anniversary, which falls Sunday, as well as interviews with families of the victims, who have never received any support from the government. Vietnamese media don’t report on issues concerning China without the approval of the government.
“After a long time, the deaths of my husband and others seemed to fall into oblivion, but I’m very glad that they have been mentioned,” online newspaper Vietnamnet quoted Huynh Thi Sinh, the widow of the captain of the naval ship who died along with 73 others, as saying. “Maybe in his world he’s feeling satisfied. His sacrifice is very meaningful. I’m proud.”
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/shift-vietnam-marks-1974-battle-china-21568196
