Spratly lighthouse inaugurated

Spratly lighthouse inaugurated

HANOI (DPA): Vietnam has inaugurated a lighthouse on a reef in
a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea in a bid to develop
the region's economy, a naval commander said on Monday.

The 20-meter-tall lighthouse is located on Tien Nu (Fairy)
reef, 463 nautical miles (857 kilometers) east of Vietnam's
mainland and in the heart of the disputed territory.

"It is used mainly for navigation purposes, but it is also one
of the indications that confirms Vietnamese sovereignty over the
Spratly Islands," said Pham Duc Linh, commander of Naval Region
Number 4, which includes the archipelago.

The lighthouse, which casts a beam of light more than 27
kilometers, is about three kilometers from a Vietnamese military
base located on another reef.

The Spratlys are claimed in whole or in part by China, the
Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and Vietnam.