(AFP) Google News 24 Feb 10;
HANOI — Thousands of people in southern Vietnam have turned out to say goodbye to a whale whose corpse fishermen found floating off the country's coast, an official said Tuesday.
The whale, estimated to weigh about 15 tonnes was buried during a ceremony lasting about three hours beside the sea in southern Bac Lieu province.
"A burial ceremony for the whale took place this morning and local fishermen believe that the animal will bring them luck at sea," Le Dong Duong, director of the provincial department of maritime resource exploitation, told AFP.
Up to 12,000 people, many of them fishermen and some from neighbouring provinces, had come to see the corpse and participate in religious rites since Monday, he added.
Fishermen discovered the dead whale late Sunday and spent about 15 hours towing it back to the coast, Duong added.
"We don't yet know what caused its death, or its age, because we didn't see any injuries on its body," he said, recalling that a similar case occurred four or five years ago in the province.
15-ton whale found dead off southern Vietnam coast
Thanhniennews.com 24 Feb 10;
Hundreds of fishermen in the southern province of Bac Lieu on Monday moved a 15-ton whale inshore after it was found dead the day before.
Nguyen Van Dang, head of the Coast Guard Post No.666, said a local fisherman found the giant ocean mammal dead some 26 sea miles off Vinh Thinh Commune in Hoa Binh District at around 7 a.m. on Sunday.
The fisherman then contacted the agency, which later cooperated with local authorities and fishermen to bring the 16-meter long whale to the coast.
“A burial ceremony for the whale took place this morning and local fishermen believe that the animal will bring them luck at sea,” the Agence France Presse quoted Le Dong Duong, director of the provincial department of maritime resource exploitation, as saying Monday.
Local fishermen said the animal was rotting and must have died two to three days earlier.
Concerned agencies in Bac Lieu have launched an investigation to determine the whale’s species and the cause of its death.
“We don’t yet know what caused its death, or its age, because we didn’t see any injuries on its body,” Duong said, adding that a similar case occurred four or five years ago in the province.
Vietnamese fishermen, especially those from the central coast, worship whales as the God of the Sea.
Reported by Tran Thanh Phong
Thousands attend whale's funeral
(UKPA) Google News 24 Feb 10;
Thousands of Vietnamese fishermen have given a royal send-off to a 15-ton dead whale, gathering at a southern Vietnamese village to pay homage to the creature they called "Your Excellency".
Nearly 10,000 people converged in Bac Lieu province to bid farewell to the 52-foot whale, said coast guard official Do Tien Ha.
They burned incense in his honour and are planning to build a temple at the site of his burial.
Whales are considered sacred among Vietnamese fishers. They are referred to by the title "ngai," the same honorific used for kings, emperors and other esteemed leaders.
"Whenever whales arrive, dead or alive, local fishermen believe they bring luck and safety," Mr Ha said by phone from Bac Lieu.
The dead whale was spotted 26 miles off the coast on Sunday. Several dozen fishermen on 10 boats spent a day hauling it ashore.
