January 13, 2015

Vietnam Strives to Tighten Control Over Press, Yet to Allow Independent Press

by • [Human Rights]

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Recently, the chandungquyenluc.blogspot.com revealed that Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh have numerous assets, including villas and houses along with banking accounts with large deposits. Observers said the information may leak from the insiders of the party’s apparatuses.
By Vu Quoc Ngu | Jan 13, 2015
The ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has vowed to tighten control over press in a bid to prevent independent journalism although the freedom of expression is enshrined in the country’s Constitution.
In his closing speech of the plenum of the party’s Central Committee on Jan 12, CPV’s General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong asked the country to soon establish and implement development planning and management of press by 2025.
He ordered the party and state agencies to closely monitor press which should provide party and state information and halt “bad information” to ensure social order for development.
Mr. Trong’s request was made after a number of unsanctioned websites have posted a number of articles accusing several senior officials of corruption while online bloggers formed independent journalist association along with private blogs to promote freedom of expression.
Recently, the chandungquyenluc.blogspot.com revealed that Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh have numerous assets, including villas and houses along with banking accounts with large deposits. Observers said the information may leak from the insiders of the party’s apparatuses.
Vietnam has around 17,000 journalists working for hundreds of newspapers, radios and television channels which are under close inspection of the party’s Commission on Propaganda and Education and the Ministry of Culture and Information.
All of editors of these news agencies are CPV’s members and every week, they gather to receive instruction from Dinh The Huynh, who is member of the party’s Politburo and head of the Commission on Propaganda and Education, observers noted.
The government has spent huge investment to build propaganda network in grassroots level, as it is launching radio speakers in every street corner and village to deliver authorities’ instruction as well as promote the party’s policies.
In mid-2014, dozens of online bloggers formed the unsanctioned Independent Journalist Association of Vietnam to promote freedom of expression. Along with private blogs, their online Vietnam Times website will play important role in promoting free press in the communist nation.
In order to silence local dissent to protect the communist party’s leadership, the government has intensified political crackdown against peaceful dissidents and online bloggers, Hanoi-based observers said.
In May, Vietnam arrested Nguyen Huu Vinh, co-founder of news website AnhBaSam, and in late November and early December, it detained Nguyen Quang Lap, Le Hong Tho and Nguyen Ngoc Gia for posting articles promoting multi-party democracy as well as protesting China’s violations of Vietnamese sovereignty in the East Sea. Lap and Tho are owners of blogs Que Choa and Nguoi Lot Gach, respectively, with thousands of readers each.
All of them were charged with conducting anti-state activities under Article 79 in Mr. Lap’s case or Article 258 of the Criminal Code in other cases.
Along with using controversial laws and articles to silence political dissent, the government has also fabricated allegation of tax evasion and bogus traffic violations to imprison human rights defenders. In addition, police have hired mobs to attack local activists, according to international human rights bodies.

Currently, Vietnam is holding between 150 and 200 activists and bloggers who are exercising their basic rights, according to New York-based Human Rights Watch.

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