VN to collaborate with concerned parties to rescue pirate-kidnapped ships and sailors
VNGOP – Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lê Dũng confirmed so on May 24/5 when answering reporters' question regarding Vietnam's response to the fact that three Vietnamese sailors on two RoK fishing ships were captured by pirates on May 15, 2007 offshore Somali.
Mr. Lê Dũng informed that the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had met the representative of the RoK Embassy in Hanoi to deliver a diplomatic note expressing the concerns of the Vietnamese Government, the victims' relatives and public opinion on the three sailors' health and safety. "We request the RoK Government to take measures to deal with the situation and rescue the hostages soon," Mr. Dũng said.
According to the Spokesman, Vietnam also requested the RoK authorities to warn and prevent their fishing ships from operating offshore Somali, where many ships have been kidnapped recently.
The representative of the RoK Embassy to Vietnam revealed that the RoK side had managed to contact the hostages who are still in good health and safety.
By Hoàng Phương
