VIETNAM: Attacks On Journalists A Wake-Up Call

BANGKOK, 14 Jan 2010

This month’s assaults on Vietnamese journalists on investigative assignment has stirred the local media, leading them to examine how vulnerable they are to threats and attacks.

On Jan. 6, 'Nguoi Lao Dong' (‘The Labourer’) newspaper correspondent Tran The Dung, who was investigating smuggling in Dong Dang town in the northern province of Lang Son, was beaten up by a gang of suspected chicken smugglers.

The Lang Son and Mon Cai border gates between Vietnam and China are busy ports where motorbikes, carts and other vehicles cross to carry goods to and from China. Cheap products from China are often found to be smuggled and sold in Vietnam.

Also attacked in separate incidents on the same day were two reporters from 'Tien Phong' newspaper. Witnesses say that Vo Minh Chai was beaten up while colleague Minh Thuy was chased by two knife-wielding men while they were investigating illegal land encroachment issues in the central province of Ha Tinh.

According to witnesses, Dung was attacked by eight men on the road while bystanders ignored his plea for help. For fear of retaliation and threats, local residents keep silent when they witness such violence.

 'Nguoi Lao Dong' managing editor Duong Quang said that the Lang Son police department is currently investigating the case.

Media organisations and publications such as the Vietnam Journalists Association and the local press association in Ho Chi Minh have condemned the incident and have extended assistance to Dung.

Source: IPS