Posted on Mon, Jun. 07, 2004

Vietnam to provide Internet service to soldiers on Spratly Islands

Associated Press


HANOI, Vietnam - Vietnam will provide free Internet access to its soldiers posted on the territorially disputed Spratly Islands, an official said Monday.

State-owned Vietnam Telecommunication International will set up the satellite link there, and Vietnam Datacommunication Company will provide the Internet connection, said VTI company director Nguyen Huu Khanh.

"With e-mail exchanges with relatives and friends, it will help the soldiers there feel closer to the mainland and also help to boost their spirits," he said.

It's unclear when the Navy will transport the equipment to the island, which had its first phone line installed in 1999 for calls to the mainland.

The Spratlys, about 280 miles off the country's southern coast, straddle one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and are believed to have rich oil and gas reserves. The islets are claimed in whole or in part by Vietnam, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia.

In April, Vietnam angered other claimants when it launched a tourist boat trip to the island.