In the
second half of the 19th century, the Southern part of Vietnam, named Cochinchina,
became a French possession (1867). This was followed by the establishment of a
French protectorate over the remaining Vietnamese territory (1883). Therefore
the French temporarily took over the responsibility to defend the territorial integrity of the "Annam Empire". On behalf of Vietnam,
the French continued the normal exercise of sovereignty over the Hoang Sa
Islands (Paracels). They did fulfil their responsibilities. Although kept busy
by the task of strengthening their authority on the Indochina mainland, the
French colonial government did not forget the far-off islands and took all the
necessary measures to ensure an orderly administration, an adequate defense and
a better knowledge of what a French author called in 1933 "the infinitely
small Paracels of our colonial domain" (27). The Vietnamese title to
sovereignty was not only preserved, it was reinforced. On the other hand,
numerous scientific studies about the islands were produced which could only be
conducted if the Paracels were firmly under French-Vietnamese control.
The
international responsibility that the Nguyen emperors had already accepted in
regard to navigation of foreign vessels was not neglected by the French, who
completed in 1899 a feasibility study for the construction of a lighthouse on
one of the Hoang Sa Islands. Unfortunately, this project, which was supported
by Indochina Governor General Paul Doumer, could not be realized for lack of
funds. However, French patrol vessels assured the security of sea traffic and
conducted many rescue operations for wrecked foreign ships in the Paracel.
Beginning in 1920, apparently worried by the suspect presence of various kinds
of vessels in the Hoang Sa area, the Indochinese customs authorities started
making regular inspections to the islands for the purpose of checking illegal
traffic. As early as the end of World War I, the French control was so evident
that Japanese nationals called on French Indochina's authorities for the
exploitation of phosphate. This was the case of the Mitsui Bussan Kaisha
Company, which extracted phosphates for many years from two islands, Ile Boisee
(Phu Lam) and Ile Roberts (Cam Tuyen). The Japanese Government, on its part,
implicitly recognized French jurisdiction in 1927. In a report to the Minister
of Colonies in Paris dated March 20, 1930, the French Governor of Indochina
wrote that in 1927, the Japanese consul in Hanoi, Mr. Kurosawa, was instructed
by his government to inquire with the French authorities about the status of
some groups of islands in the South China Sea. But the Consul declared that,
according to instructions from the Japanese Government, the Paracels
were expressly left outside of the discussions, the question of ownership of
these islands not being a matter of dispute with France (Japan was then
involved in controversies over the Truong Sa or Spratly Islands).
The French
jurisdiction was sufficiently firm and peaceful to permit such actions as the
conduct of scientific surveys on the islands. An impressive list of
superior-level scientific studies in all- fields was made available by colonial
institutions or private authors. Starting in 1925, with the first recorded
scientific mission on the vessel De Lanessan by scientists from the famed
Oceanographic Institute of Nha Trang, knowledge about this part of Vietnamese
territory increased. The trip by the De Lanessan confirmed the existence of
rich beds of phosphate, which became the object of many detailed studies. For
example:
-
Maurice
Clerget, Contribution a l'etude des iles Paracels; les phosphates.
Nhatrang,
Vietnam 1932.
-
A. Lacroix,
Les ressources minerales de la France d'Outre-Mer, tome IV (Paracels'
phosphate: p. 165), Paris 1935.
- United
Nations, ECAFE, Phosphate Resources of Mekong Basin Countries; 4. Vietnam, (1)
: Paracel Islands; Bangkok 1972.
The De
Lanessan survey mission also proved the existence of a continental shelf which
reaches out in platforms from the Vietnamese coast into the sea: the Paracels
rest on one of these platforms, and thus are joined to the coast of Vietnam by
a submarine plinth. In the following years, the names of many French ships have
entered the history of both the Paracel and Spratly archipelagoes: the Alerte,
Astrobale, Ingenieur-en-Chef Girod made other survey trips to the Hoang Sa
Islands. The result was an increasing number of other scientific publications
about these islands in all fields of human concern and activities. Some of
these are:
■
A. Krempf,
La forme des recifs coralliens et le regime des vents alternants, Saigon 1927.
■
J. Delacour
and P. Jabouille, Oiseaux des iles Paracels, Nha-trang, 1928.
■ Numerous
reports called Notes of the Oceanographic Institute of Indochina in Nhatrang
containing valuable scientific data about the Paracels, for instance the
"5th Note" (1925-26) and the "22nd Note" (1934).
French
scientists continued to work for Vietnam-in its early years of independence and
continued to contribute to our knowledge of these Vietnamese islands. Among
them was Mr. E. Saurin, the author of numerous studies of great scientific
value:
-
Notes sur
les iles Paracels (Geologic archives of Vietnam No. 3), Saigon 1955.
- A propos des
galets exotiques des iles Paracels (Geologic archives of Vietnam No. 4), Saigon
1957.
-
Faune
Malacologique terrestre des iles Paracels (Journal de Conchiliologie, Vol.
XCVIII), Paris 1958.
- Gasteropodes
marins des iles Paracels, Faculty of Sciences, Saigon, Vol. I: 1960; Vol. II:
1961.
Another
French scientist, H. Fontaine, produced, 'm cooperation with a Vietnamese
colleague a remarkable study of the islands' flora called "Contribution de
la connaissance de la flore des iles Paracels" (Faculty of Sciences,
Saigon 1957). These scientific achievements, accomplished over a long period of
time, could only have been achieved by a country exercising sovereignty over
these islands to the fullest extent. As a matter of fact, Vietnam would not run
any risk by challenging other countries having a pretense to sovereignty over
the Hoang Sa Islands to show the list of scientific publications they had made
available in the past.
In their
acts mentioned above, the French, who merely took over rights and
responsibilities temporarily transferred to them by the people under their "protection",
simply assured a normal continuation of jurisdiction on behalf of the
Vietnamese. However, in the face of unfounded Chinese claims over and illegal
actions connected with, the Hoang Sa Islands in 1932, the French felt that it
was necessary to take defensive measures. Since 1909, China has made sporadic
claims over the islands. On one occasion during that year, the provincial
authorities of Kuang Tung sent gun-boats to conduct a reconnaissance mission
there. On March 20, 1921 the Governor of Kuang Tung, signed a peculiar decree
annexing the Hoang Sa Islands to the Chinese Island of Hainan. However, his
action went unnoticed because it is recorded only in the provincial records
therefore, nobody could know about it in order to make comments or to protest.
Although not followed by occupation of any sort, actions such as these were
enough to cause some preemptive
actions by the French. For instance. in 1930 crew-members of La Malicieuse
landed on many of the Hoang Sa Islands to plant flags and set up
"sovereignty columns ".
More serious
was the Chinese intention to invite bids for the exploitation of the islands'
phosphate. When the Chinese intent became known, the French Government
protested to the Chinese Embassy in Paris by a note dated December 4, 1931. A
few months later, when the Chinese effectively called for bids, the Paris
Government renewed the protests by a Note dated April 24, 1932. This time the
French strongly reaffirmed their rights with substantive supporting arguments,
e.g. the former rights exercised by the emperors of Vietnam, the official
taking of possession by Emperor Gia Long in 1816, and the sending of
Indochinese troops to guard the islands, etc... On September 29, 1932, the
Chinese Government rejected the French protest on the ground that at the time
Gia Long took possession of the islands, Vietnam was a vassal state of China.
It may be true that, as in other periods of its history, Vietnam was then a
nominal vassal of China (although it was never quite clear when this situation
started or ended),. but it is certain that by this reply China implicitly
recognized that Vietnam had asserted its claim to the Hoang Sa Islands. The
Chinese Government also appeared confused about the legal distinction between
suzerainty and sovereignty : even if Vietnam was a vassal state of China in
1816, the formal relationship of suzerainty could not preclude such Vietnamese
acts of sovereignty as the incorporation of new territories.
Convinced of
her legitimate rights in the dispute, France by a diplomatic note to China
dated February 28, 1937, proposed that a settlement of the conflicting claims
be reached through international arbitration. But China knew the risks involved
in such a challenge and declined the offer. Thus, the Chinese government simply
responded by reaffirming its claim to the islands. That negative attitude
caused the French to send military units, composed of Vietnamese soldiers and
called Garde Indochinoise, to many of the Hoang Sa Islands (28). These units
built many - sovereignty colums -, of which there exists photographic records.
The column on Pattle Island contained the following inscription in French:
Republique
Francaise
Empire
d'Annam Archipel des Paracels 1816 - Ile de Pattle 1938
These dates
marked the taking of possession -by Emperor Gia Long and the year the column
was erected (29).
These
troops, commanded by French officers, were to stay on the islands until 1956
with a brief interruption after 1941. Men the Japanese seized the Paracels (and
the Spratlys) by force in -that year, France was the only power to officially
protest against it. ' In 1946, shortly after their return to Indochina at the
end of World War II, the French sent troops on. the vessel Savorgnan de Brazza
to re-occupy the archipelago. However, events in the French-Vietminh war
compelled these troops to withdraw from the Paracels in September, 1946.
Informed that Chinese troops (who had supposedly arrived to disarm defeated
Japanese troops pursuant to agreements between the Allied powers) continued to
stay on the islands, the French issued a formal protest on January 13, 1947.
Then they dispatched the warship Le Tonkinois to the area. Crewmembers found
Boisee Island (Phu Lam) still occupied (January 17, 1947). The Chinese troops
refused to leave and, being outnumbered, the French-Vietnamese soldiers left
for Pattle Island where they established their headquarters. They also rebuilt
the Weather Station which had operated for 6 years in the past, between 1938
and 1944. The new station became operative in late 1947 and, under
international station code 48860, provided the world with meteorological data
for 26 more years, until the day when Communist Chinese troops seized the Hoang
Sa archipelago by force (January 20, 1974).
Beginning in
the 1930's, these disputes, with China had already motivated the French
authorities in Indochina to take stronger measures in administrative
organization. By Decree No. 156-SC dated June 15, 1932 the Governor General of
Indochina gave the Hoang Sa Islands the name of "Delegation des
Paracels" - and the status of an administrative unit of Thua Thien
Province. This decree was later confirmed by a Vietnamese imperial ordinance
signed by Emperor Bao Dai on March 30, 1938 (the confirmation was necessary
because, as the ordinance recalled, the Hoang Sa Islands had traditionally been
part of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai
provinces, from whence communications with the islands had originated). A
subsequent Decree of May 5, 1939 by the French Governor General divided the
archipelago into two Delegations: Crescent et Dependences, and Amphitrite et
Dependences.
These
administrative measures were adequately completed by the organization of
services on the islands. For instance, health checks were regularly made on the
workers, called coolies by the French, during their stay there. Consequently,
civil service officers were appointed on a regular basis. These officers had to
stay permanently on either Pattle Island (for the Crescent and Dependences
Group) or Boisee Island (for the Amphitrite and Dependences Group). However,
because of the islands' bad climate, they were allowed long vacations on the
mainland and were relieved after short periods. One of these former civil
servants is Mr. Mahamedbhay Mohsine. a French citizen of Indian origin who..
outraged by the Chinese invasion of 1974, has offered to testify anywhere on
the legitimacy of Vietnamese rights. Between May 5, 1939 and March 13, 1942,
Mr. Mohsine served as Administrative Officer or De1egue administratif for the
Paracels. He was first posted on Pattle, then on July 16, 1941 was ordered to
relieve a colleague, Deputy- Inspector Willaume, on Boisee. Later Mr. Mohsine
was officially recommended for an award of distinction in consideration of his
contribution to French colonial expansion in the remotest parts of Indochina
(30).
Mr.
Mahamedbhay was only one of the many civil servants and military personnel who,
by serving the French colonial cause on the Hoang Sa Islands, directly
contributed to the preservation of Vietnamese rights which had only temporarily
been exercised by the French. At an early stage,, French action had been only
intermittent - intermittence which is not at all incompatible with the
maintenance of the rights but in the last 30 years of their presence, the
French did fulfill all the obligations of a holder of title. Thus the French
accomplished a valuable conservator act in the safeguarding of legitimacy for
the Vietnamese sovereignty over the Hoang Sa Islands.
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