Vietnam: Police Crush Anti-China Demonstration

August 21, 2011
Vietnamese police forcibly dispersed an anti-China demonstration in Hanoi on August 21, moving in quickly to block off city streets and arresting at least 15 people.
 
The protesters, of which there were a few dozen, carried signs with slogans like "Down with China's invasion."
 
Taiwan, China, and other Asian nations claim all or part of the South China Sea area, along with a group of islands believed rich in natural resources.
 
Human Rights Watch issued a statement of support for the protesters' right to assemble peacefully and called on the country's Communist leaders to release those arrested.
 
The government on August 18 issued an order prohibiting protests about the South China Sea issue. There have been more than ten such protests since June.
 
Political demonstrations are fairly rare in the country.
 
compiled from agency reports