(VOVworld) – President Truong Tan Sang said the marine police force must defend national marine sovereignty and economy during a visit to the Vietnamese marine police and fisheries resources surveillance forces on Tuesday.

He praised their law enforcement over the last 2 months since China’s illegal placement of oilrig Haiyang 981 in Vietnamese waters. President Truong Tan Sang said the marine police must not only struggle to make China withdraw its oilrig but also protect Vietnamese fishermen and Vietnam’s oil and gas exploration as well as fight smuggling. He asked the marine police to be ready for any contingencies and increase communications to make Chinese forces understand their illegal acts.

He added that at under any circumstance, the Vietnamese party and state would create the best possible conditions for marine law enforcement agencies to accomplish their tasks: “How could Vietnamese ships ram Chinese ships thousands of times if our ships are so much smaller? Vietnamese ships have never fired water cannons at Chinese ships, which have disregarded the lives of Vietnamese law enforcement forces and fishermen. I hope that the Chinese people will understand this reality. Vietnamese people wish for peace and restrain ourselves for peace and international maritime safety. Vietnam has been exercising self-restraint, we are not weak or war-like. I hereby insist that Vietnam’s solid policy is to defend its maritime sovereignty.”

President Truong Tan Sang said that surveillance forces would likely receive more necessary, modern equipment to better fulfill their duties.