There will be stricter regulations on individual blogs in Vietnam following the establishment of a new watchdog on Wednesday under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC).
The newly-established Administration Agency for Radio, Television and Electronics Information
Xuan Linhwill regulate the content and technology of radio, television, and information on electronic platforms, including the Internet.
There are now 1.1 million blogs in Vietnam, according to new figures from the MIC. The Minister of MIC, Le Doan Hop, said there will not be any censors on blogs in Vietnam in the future. “Blogs make our society more open, informative and interactive,” the Minister added.
Regulations on blogs had been previously drafted by the Press Administration Agency of the Ministry of Information and Culture. The agency had since moved to the newly-established Ministry of Information and Communications. “[The] Administration Agency for Radio, Television and Electronics Information is going to develop this draft,” said Deputy Minister of MIC, Do Quy Doan.
“Blogs outside the country are beyond the blog regulations. We are facing a lot of incorrect information on Vietnam through such blogs. As a result, we need bloggers to provide correct information on our country,” he told on VietNamNet.
Xuan Linh
Showing posts with label watchdog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label watchdog. Show all posts
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Media watchdog urges Vietnam to release blogger
A media rights watchdog on Thursday urged Vietnamese authorities to free a blogger arrested before the Olympic torch relay who the group said was being targetted for his political views.
Nguyen Hoang Hai, who blogs under the pseudonym of Dieu Cay, was arrested April 19 for tax fraud. Authorities accuse him of not paying taxes for 10 years on a property that he owns, said the group, Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
"Tax fraud was just a pretext to prevent Dieu Cay from demonstrating when the Olympic torch went through Ho Chi Minh City and from criticising the communist party online," RSF said in a statement received Thursday.
The Beijing flame was dogged by protests against China's rule of Tibet and other human rights issues on several stops on its global journey.
Dieu Cay's arrest came 10 days before the torch passed through the former Saigon. The blogger is known for his opposition to Beijing's claim of sovereignty over the disputed Paracel and Spratleys archipelagos in the South China Sea -- island chains that Vietnam also claims.
"Dieu Cay had posted articles on his blog about protests worldwide during the Olympic torch's progress through various cities, along with articles critical of China's policy in Tibet and the Parcel and Spratly archipelagos," RSF said.
"He had called for demonstrations as the torch passed through Ho Chi Minh City," the group added.
In Vietnam, anti-Chinese sentiment had flared in rallies since late last year over the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos, and the issue was hotly debated on unofficial weblogs ahead of the torch relay.
Vietnam initially allowed peaceful demonstrations outside Chinese diplomatic missions last December but later deployed police to stop repeat rallies.
The Spratly and Paracel island chains have been flashpoints for years.
The Spratlys are claimed in full or part by China and Vietnam as well as the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, and the Paracels are claimed by China, which now occupies them, as well as by Vietnam and Taiwan.
Nguyen Hoang Hai, who blogs under the pseudonym of Dieu Cay, was arrested April 19 for tax fraud. Authorities accuse him of not paying taxes for 10 years on a property that he owns, said the group, Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
"Tax fraud was just a pretext to prevent Dieu Cay from demonstrating when the Olympic torch went through Ho Chi Minh City and from criticising the communist party online," RSF said in a statement received Thursday.
The Beijing flame was dogged by protests against China's rule of Tibet and other human rights issues on several stops on its global journey.
Dieu Cay's arrest came 10 days before the torch passed through the former Saigon. The blogger is known for his opposition to Beijing's claim of sovereignty over the disputed Paracel and Spratleys archipelagos in the South China Sea -- island chains that Vietnam also claims.
"Dieu Cay had posted articles on his blog about protests worldwide during the Olympic torch's progress through various cities, along with articles critical of China's policy in Tibet and the Parcel and Spratly archipelagos," RSF said.
"He had called for demonstrations as the torch passed through Ho Chi Minh City," the group added.
In Vietnam, anti-Chinese sentiment had flared in rallies since late last year over the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos, and the issue was hotly debated on unofficial weblogs ahead of the torch relay.
Vietnam initially allowed peaceful demonstrations outside Chinese diplomatic missions last December but later deployed police to stop repeat rallies.
The Spratly and Paracel island chains have been flashpoints for years.
The Spratlys are claimed in full or part by China and Vietnam as well as the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, and the Paracels are claimed by China, which now occupies them, as well as by Vietnam and Taiwan.
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