Vietnam
tightens state censorship
Hanoi (dpa - June 18, 2006) - Vietnam's communist government has issued strict
new press regulations that punish "denying revolutionary achievements" and
require journalists to have articles reviewed before publication, officials and
state media said Friday.
The new Decree on Cultural and Information Activities follows aggressive
reporting in Vietnam's state-controlled press of a massive corruption scandal
that forced the resignation of the transport minister and the arrest of his
deputy over embezzlement of some 7 million dollars in state funds.
The press regulations came even as Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, in a speech to
the National Assembly before his retirement, called for measures to "ensure
transparency and openness of state agencies."
"Holding press conferences, I think, must become a regular activity of
administrative agencies," Khai said, but added that the "people's right to be
informed must be clearly regulated."
Such regulations will be strengthened with the new degree that Khai signed in
June and set to take effect July 1. A copy of the decree was seen by Deutsche
Presse-Agentur dpa on Friday.
Under the new rules, Vietnamese journalists can be fined 3 million dong (190
dollars) for publishing stories with anonymous sources and up to 7 million dong
(450 dollars) for refusing to allow an interviewee to read an article before
publication.
"Disseminating reactionary ideology" is banned, along with any articles that
reveal "Party secrets, state secrets, military secrets and economic secrets,"
which carry fines of up to 30 million dong ( 2,000 dollars).
Vietnam already has criminal laws on the books that punish "revealing state
secrets" with up to 15 years in prison.
Vietnamese journalists can also be fined for "defaming national heroes,"
although the decree does not spell out who is a national hero.
Vu Xuan Thanh, head of the Ministry of Culture and Information Inspection
Department, said the ministry would decide which national figures are considered
heroes and said that the law would not be used to shield government officials
from legitimate criticism.
"Ho Chi Minh, for instance, is a national hero," Thanh said, referring to the
late Vietnamese independence leader. "However, we would not say that our current
state president, Tran Duc Luong, is a national hero or a great person under this
decree."
Still, a spokesman in Paris for the press freedom advocacy group Reporters
Without Borders condemned the new press regulations as a step backward for
Vietnam.
"In a period where we felt that something may be changing in this country,
because a few journalists started investigating on corruption scandals, this is
a very bad news," said RWB's Julien Pain.