A man looks at the damaged building of Taiwanese bicycle factory Tan Than in Di An Town, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Mobs burned and looted scores of foreign-owned factories in Vietnam following a large protest by workers against China’s recent placement of an oil rig in disputed Southeast Asian waters, officials said Wednesday.By CHRIS BRUMMITT
Associated Press
HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnam’s prime minister sent a text message to millions of citizens urging them to act in defense of the country’s sovereignty following China’s deployment of on oil rig in disputed waters, but said that “bad elements” shouldn’t be allowed to engage in violence.
The message, sent late Thursday and Friday to subscribers via major state-owned cellphone operators, didn’t directly condemn the riots that have broken out this week following China’s decision to deploy the rig off the coast of central Vietnam on May 1. Vietnamese patrol ships sent to disrupt the rig are currently locked in a tense standoff with Chinese ships guarding it.
Anti-China protests that started peacefully have ended in violence and vandalism, with 400 factories suspected of having links with China destroyed or damaged by mobs. One Chinese worker was killed and scores more injured at a huge Taiwanese steel mill that was overrun by a 1,000-strong crowd.