The spokesperson made the statement at a regular press briefing in Hanoi on February 19 in response to the Philippine Parliament’s ratification of a bill on February 17, which mandates that several islands on the Truong Sa archipelago and Scarborough Shoal are under the Philippine’s management.

Mr Dung stressed that all activities by foreign countries relating to the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos in Vietnam without the country’s permission will violate its sovereignty and will have no legal value.

“While seeking a fundamental and long-term solution to the disputes over these archipelagos, the parties concerned should observe the 1982 UN Convention of the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC),” said Mr Dung.

The spokesperson called on all parties concerned to refrain from taking any action to complicate the situation so as to maintain peace and stability in the region.

Strict punishment
At the press briefing, Mr Dung said that Vietnam has condemned the brutal crimes committed under the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime and agreed to the strict punishment of those responsible.

He was responding to correspondents’ queries regarding Vietnam’s reaction to the start of the first trial to address the crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge under the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.

“Vietnam welcomes the first hearing and hopes that the whole process of trying the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal crimes will be a fair one to bring justice to the victims.”