HCM City Buddhists pray for peace in East Sea
More than 1,000 Buddhist monks, nuns and followers in Ho Chi Minh City on June 1 prayed for peace in the East Sea following China’s illegal placement of its Haiyang Shiyou-981 oil rig in Vietnamese waters.
At the ceremony, which took place at Pho Quang Pagoda in Tan Binh district, the participants also launched a campaign to raise funds for fishermen, coast guard and fisheries surveillance forces who are constantly safeguarding national sovereignty at sea.
The Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, Vice Chairman of the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha cum Head of the HCM City Chapter, stressed that Buddhist monks and nuns always support the country in national construction and defence.
Also at the event, the Most Venerable Thich Duc Nghiep, Deputy Patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Patronage Council, delivered the Patriarch’s message for peace in the East Sea, calling on the Buddhist Association of China as well as Buddhist dignitaries and followers throughout the world to take concrete actions to support justice and urge the Chinese Government to implement its commitments under international law.
In his message, the Patriarch also asked China to implement its responsibility for protecting and preserving peace as well as respecting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighbouring countries, including Vietnam.