ON the day when nationwide anti-China protests were expected to burst in Vietnam, local residents spent the weekend just as quiet as usual, but under tightened security both on the streets and on the Internet.

    Vietnamese rioters have rampaged into hundreds of foreign factories in Ha Tinh Province and three provinces near Ho Chi Minh City in the south since May 13. Related protests and outbreaks of violence have killed two Chinese and injured more than 100.

    The protests came after Vietnamese ships and personnel repeatedly harassed a Chinese oil company in the South China Sea.

    Vietnamese authorities have urged people to protest in a peaceful way and said the government would not tolerate any more “illegal” activities and troublemakers.

    On Sunday, when a nationwide wave of anti-China protests were supposed to take place, dozens of foreign tourists were outnumbered by police officers at Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, a famous tourist attraction and landmark in downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

    A young local couple in wedding dresses was seen with a photographer outside the 19th-century building shooting pictures. On the main streets, government workers were cruising in vehicles and using loudspeakers to urge citizens to ignore extremists’ incitements and not to participate in illegal protests.

    A man was stopped and his bag searched by security staff before police took him away in front of the People’s Committee, or government, building of the city’s District One, where apparently the man attempted to demonstrate with anti-China banners.

    When a Xinhua team tried to record video footage, security men showed up and stopped them.

    Vietnamese security authorities have reinforced police protection for the Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, which has been a major target of Vietnamese protesters. Some protestors even attempted to break in last week.

    In addition to the routine deployment of two police officers at the consulate’s front gate, more than 20 uniformed guards wearing bulletproof vests and carrying rifles were stationed at two crossroads near the Chinese diplomatic mission throughout the day.

    Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sent three text messages via telecom networks to almost all mobile phone users in the country Sunday, urging citizens not to participate in any protests without government permission.

    To prevent people from using the Internet to organize protests or demonstrations, Vietnamese authorities shut down access to Facebook during the day Sunday. The social network is widely used on mobile phones among Vietnamese to organize social activities.

    No large-scale demonstrations took place in Vietnam on Sunday.

    In Binh Duong Province, where rioters stormed a factory of Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Group May 13, police arrested another seven people who participated in the deadly riots and were suspected of stealing from factories.

    The suspects said they regretted their behavior and wanted to return the stolen products to the factories, hoping for forgiveness.

    In Dong Nai Province near Ho Chi Minh City, 29 suspects arrested for participating in violence against foreign factories last week were prosecuted. Three-hundred and eighteen suspects have been arrested in the province.

    Beijing has condemned the violence in Vietnam against foreign investors and companies and stressed that Vietnam bears unshirkable responsibility for the violent attacks against Chinese companies and nationals.

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has demanded that Vietnam take resolute and effective measures to stop all violence, ensure the safety of all Chinese nationals and companies, punish all perpetrators and compensate affected Chinese companies and nationals.(Xinhua)