PETITION:
“The time for donations, the time for just gifts, is over. We have to be very innovative, we have to be very collaborative in our approach.”
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan
Change the name “South China Sea” to “Southeast Asia Sea”
93,600
supporters from 130 countries have signed the petition
“Hopefully, we won’t have to call it the South China Sea because it is not just their sea.”
President Aquino III – The Philippines
Regarding the Paracel Islands and other reefs and islands in the Spratly Islands, which the People’s Republic of China invaded and occupied in 1956, 1974, 1988, and 1992, the Vietnamese people will never accept any compromise on the fact that they are the integral parts of Vietnam; and that the Chinese government must be held accountable for all inhumane damages caused to Vietnamese fishermen and their relatives. Any compromise made by parties, including the goverment of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, either explicitly or implicitly to give up part or all of this territory will be considered to violate the sovereingty of the country and the people of Vietnam and such compromise is totally illegitimate.
NGUYEN THAI HOC FOUNDATION started this petition to Presidents and Prime Ministers of 11 Countries of Southeast Asia and 16 others
In the sixteenth century, the world had little knowledge about Southeast Asia. Western merchants and sailors of that time called the sea, which is encompassed by the present-day Southeast Asian countries, the “South China Sea” to refer to the enclosed sea basin and its location in relation to the surrounding countries lying to the north of Australia, east of India, and south of China.
Notably, ancient Chinese historical documents called the sea 交阯洋 (Giao Chỉ Dương), which means the Sea of Jiaozhi or Jiaozhi Sea and that, Jiaozhi is an ancient name of Vietnam. Other lesser known names include Champa Sea or Sea of Cham, after the maritime kingdom that flourished between the seventh and sixteenth centuries.
In this modern era, as human civilization evolved towards a multi-faceted global collaboration, the international community, since the 20th century, has geographically formed a sub-region in Asia to address mankind’s need. This region was officially named Southeast Asia and consists of Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Southeast Asia represents approximately 600 million people who have, in a joint effort, made unique and original contributions to modern civilization in many aspects, including culture, science, education, economics, politics, etc. In addition to the above, these are facts:
1. The United Nations has officially recognized the region and named it “Southeast Asia”.
2. The countries of Southeast Asia encompass almost the entire South China Sea with a total coastline measuring approximately 130,000 kilometers (81,250 miles) long; whereas the Southern China’s coastline measured about 2,800 kilometers (1,750 miles) in length.
3. Freedom of navigation on the sea is not restricted to a specific country. It is a common heritage of mankind and has actually been used by the international community for centuries as the second most important water channel in the world.
Join the campaign to ask the Presidents and Prime Ministers of 11 countries of Southeast Asia, the President of United Nations Atlas of the Oceans, and the CEOs and Presidents of 12 geographic organizations around the world to change the name “South China Sea” to “Southeast Asia Sea”.
Sign the petition and your action will forever be remembered in the modern history of Southeast Asia.
NTHF, June 26, 2011
Click Here to sign the PETITION
Click Here to watch “Change the name of South China Sea to Southeast Asia Sea” video
Click Here to read “Letter to ICJ_071416”
NOTIFICATION: Continuing the campaign to change the name of the sea, August 26, 2023