Published 2006-10-23 by OHMYNEWS
The Vietnamese government suspended two newspapers on Friday and another on Sunday, supposedly in an effort to stop the spread of rumor and misinformation.
On Friday, Thoi Dai (Time) and Cong Ly (Justice) were targeted by the Ministry of Culture and Information "for violating press law and not complying with the government's instruction."
According to the deputy minister for culture and information, Do Quy Doan, who signed the decision, the newspapers were ordered to suspend publication for one month beginning Wednesday.
Doan said the newspapers had published inaccurate information about the country's new polymer bank notes, which violates article 6 and 10 of the press law, and defied the government's order to stop publishing the inaccurate information.
However, Doan declined to specify exactly what was inaccurate.
Thoi Dai is a weekly publication of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, which helps foreign groups work in the country. Cong Ly is a biweekly newspaper of the People's Supreme Court.
Six other newspapers are under investigation for a series of reports on mistakes in the size and printing of the new bank notes, including the two most popular newspapers Tuoi Tre (Youth) and Thanh Nien (Young People).
Over the last few weeks, newspapers have repeatedly published stories about the variations in size and other mistakes on new 10,000-dong bank notes. Polymer bank notes were introduced in late 2003 in an effort to fight rampant counterfeiting.
However, some newspapers went further by questioning whether it was actually harder to counterfeit the new notes, and whether relatives of senior officials had profited from printing them, Thoi Dai and Cong Ly among them.
Responding to the accusations, state bank governor Le Duc Thuy publicly defended the bank's decision to use the polymer notes. According to Thuy, polymer bank notes have certain advantages over cotton bank notes. He said Vietnam was the fourth country in the world to use the material and noted that the number of counterfeit dong notes being confiscated had decreased since 2004.
On Sunday, Doan signed another decision suspending and withdrawing the work permit of the Kinh Doanh and San Pham (Businesses and Products) magazine for violating "the principles and purposes" of the work permit and "causing bad impacts on the society."
The Ministry of Culture and Information may also revoke the press cards for all the magazine's reporters and editors.
Newspapers in Vietnam have been increasingly aggressive in criticizing government agencies and officials and reporting government corruption. They played an important role in exposing a multi-million dollar corruption scandal that led to the resignation of the minister of transport in April.
However, a new press law introduced in July has increased penalties for journalists who "twist historical reality, deny revolutionary achievements, attack the nation, its great men and national heroes, [and] slander and attack the prestige of services and organizations."
The Vietnamese government suspended two newspapers on Friday and another on Sunday, supposedly in an effort to stop the spread of rumor and misinformation.
On Friday, Thoi Dai (Time) and Cong Ly (Justice) were targeted by the Ministry of Culture and Information "for violating press law and not complying with the government's instruction."
According to the deputy minister for culture and information, Do Quy Doan, who signed the decision, the newspapers were ordered to suspend publication for one month beginning Wednesday.
Doan said the newspapers had published inaccurate information about the country's new polymer bank notes, which violates article 6 and 10 of the press law, and defied the government's order to stop publishing the inaccurate information.
However, Doan declined to specify exactly what was inaccurate.
Thoi Dai is a weekly publication of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, which helps foreign groups work in the country. Cong Ly is a biweekly newspaper of the People's Supreme Court.
Six other newspapers are under investigation for a series of reports on mistakes in the size and printing of the new bank notes, including the two most popular newspapers Tuoi Tre (Youth) and Thanh Nien (Young People).
Over the last few weeks, newspapers have repeatedly published stories about the variations in size and other mistakes on new 10,000-dong bank notes. Polymer bank notes were introduced in late 2003 in an effort to fight rampant counterfeiting.
However, some newspapers went further by questioning whether it was actually harder to counterfeit the new notes, and whether relatives of senior officials had profited from printing them, Thoi Dai and Cong Ly among them.
Responding to the accusations, state bank governor Le Duc Thuy publicly defended the bank's decision to use the polymer notes. According to Thuy, polymer bank notes have certain advantages over cotton bank notes. He said Vietnam was the fourth country in the world to use the material and noted that the number of counterfeit dong notes being confiscated had decreased since 2004.
On Sunday, Doan signed another decision suspending and withdrawing the work permit of the Kinh Doanh and San Pham (Businesses and Products) magazine for violating "the principles and purposes" of the work permit and "causing bad impacts on the society."
The Ministry of Culture and Information may also revoke the press cards for all the magazine's reporters and editors.
Newspapers in Vietnam have been increasingly aggressive in criticizing government agencies and officials and reporting government corruption. They played an important role in exposing a multi-million dollar corruption scandal that led to the resignation of the minister of transport in April.
However, a new press law introduced in July has increased penalties for journalists who "twist historical reality, deny revolutionary achievements, attack the nation, its great men and national heroes, [and] slander and attack the prestige of services and organizations."
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