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It's been confirmed that a Chinese fishing boat thought to have gone missing off the south coast of China has been detained by Vietnam. The Chinese Embassy in Vietnam has made a request to visit the detained crewmembers. An official from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China is shocked by the detention.
A number of such incidents have occurred in the Beibu Gulf area in recent years, and the official said that China hopes Vietnam will take practical measures to prevent them happening again.
He also asked for the detainees to be released unconditionally and for the Vietnamese government to explain their actions.
Two Chinese fishing boats came under sudden fire from Vietnamese ships on Tuesday while fishing in the north of the Beibu Gulf. One boat managed to flee and return to China.
(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2003)
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