Dissent has suffered a crackdown in Vietnam in recent years, with bloggers often being the main target. Geoffrey Cain asks what has prompted this backlash against free speech (more…)
Two Vietnamese reporters were beaten while covering a local eviction. Nguyen Ngoc Nam and Han Phi Long, from state-run Radio Voice of Vietnam, were kicked and beaten as they attempted to report on the eviction of approximately 1,000 villagers from their farmland. The journalists were attacked by uniformed police, who ignored repeated explanations that they were members of the press. Twenty people were arrested during the clashes between the farmers and the police.
Three established Vietnamese bloggers have been charged with spreading spreading anti-government propaganda. According to AP, Nguyen Van Hai, Phan Thanh Hai and Ta Phon Tan are accused of belong to the banned “Free Journalists Club” of Vietnam and contributing 421 articles which “distorted and opposed the State.” The three men have been detained awaiting trial, if convicted they face up to 20 years in prison. Vietnam has a poor record on press freedom, the Communist Party maintains a tight control of the media
Google, Facebook, and other internet companies may be required cooperate with Vietnamese authorities in removing content from their sites, based on draft regulations that have been released by the Ministry of Information. Foreign businesses that provide online social networking platforms in Vietnam must “make pledges in writing” to follow local censorship laws and remove information, including that which is against the Vietnamese government, damages “social and national security” or promotes violence, newspaper Thanh Hien News said. The new rules will be considered for approval in June.