| Arrested in September 2008 for peacefully protesting Chinas claims over the Spratly and Paracel Islands, several of the group have been declared victims of arbitrary detention by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. |
| Most had also criticized the policy on the bauxite mines, or had advocated stronger opposition to China concerning the Spratly and Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. |
| It has just announced that it is to open the Paracel islands, from which it expelled Vietnam in 1974, to tourists. |
| Many were arrested on the eve of a demonstration planned for 14 September to protest China's claims to the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands, over which Vietnam claims sovereignty. |
| Olympic organizers modified the torch relay map, which had visibly portrayed the Spratly and Paracel Islands as part of China. |
| The Spratly and Paracel archipelagos in the South China Sea consist of tiny islands and reefs with rich fishing and, possibly, petroleum reserves, and are strategically located in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. |
