Announcement from 20 civil society organizations regarding peaceful protests on Sunday, May 18, 2014

Dear compatriots, 

Our 20 civil society organizations have called for protests on May 11, 2014, and those were very successfully. In light of the Statement No. 2, we reiterate the call for another round of anti-China protests against the Chinese incursion on Sunday, May 18, 2014.

Location:

- Hanoi: The Embassy of China, No. 46 Hoang Dieu, Ba Dinh District

- Saigon: 4 Pham Ngoc Thach Street, District 1

- Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa): Aril 2nd Square

- Long An: Ward 3 Park, Tan An town

In other places where the condition is permissible, please conduct peaceful protests at the appropriate time and location.

Time: 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 18, 2014

During the past week, besides the demonstrations which responded to our call, there were many other protests erupted across the country. Among them, the ones happened in Binh Duong and Ha Tinh lead to riots, resulting in the destruction of company property, plant arson, looting, and even death. Those violent actions created a bad image for the patriotic demonstrations and the people of Vietnam; therefore, they must be stopped.

In order to avoid and prevent the acts of incitement that may lead to violence as it has happened, we recommend that all participants to keep up with the spirit of the Statement No. 2: Peaceful and Non-violent. When participating in demonstrations, please be alert and remind one another to maintain order, and absolutely not to allow those who have bad intentions to turn a protest into a riot.

Below are the main messages of the protests and the slogans should show the following contents: 

- To oppose the aggressive actions of the Chinese authorities in the East Sea; 

- To demand the Chinese authorities to withdraw the rig and the warships from the waters of Vietnam; 

- To demand the Chinese authorities to respect international laws; 

- To demand the Vietnamese authorities to change its foreign policy with China;

- To oppose the arrest and detention of patriotic bloggers by Vietnamese authorities; 

- To call for an end to the acts of taking advantage of patriotism to cause riots, arson, or any forms of discrimination against foreigners or Chinese people in particular.

For a Vietnam with territorial integrity and a Vietnam that loves peace and abides by the law, let us join peaceful demonstrations on Sunday, May 18, 2014, and prove to the world that Vietnam is a nation that decisively defends its sovereignty but loves peace and respects human rights.

Our sincere thanks to all compatriots.

May 16, 2014.

Co-signed by:

1. Basam News

2. Vietnam Path Movement

3. Danlambao

4. Dan Luan

5. Vietnam Civil Society Forum

6. Vietnamese Political and Religious Prisoners Fellowship Association

7. Democracy Brotherhood

8. Religious Rights Defender Association

9. The Needy Peer Assistance Group (Bau-Bi-Tuong-Than Group)

10. Interfaith Committee for Refugee and Human Rights Concerns

11. Bloc 8406

12. Network of Vietnamese Bloggers

13. The Patriotic Diary

14. The Nguyen Kim Dien Priests Group

15. No-U Hanoi

16. No-U Saigon

17. United Land Grab Victims Movement (Phong Trào Liên Đới Dân Oan)

18. The Monks Association of Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (Tăng Đoàn GHPGVNTN).

19. Vietnamese Redemptorists' News

20. VOICE