[Vnbiz] Vietnam's PM bans civil servants from talking to media

[Shane Wall]

Dear CACC,
  Before anybody calls this action 'undemocratic', 'stamping on free 
speach', 'cutting the throat' of the human right to voice an opinion, or 
anything else that people living in "Western Democracies" might allege, 
I would add my own life experience.

   There are very, very severe administrative punishments handed out to 
Australian military personnel who speak to the media without approval 
from "the Command". As a well-intentioned young Sailor, I made the 
mistake of answering a journalists questions without approval. My 
promotions were frozen for 3 years.

   The  reason for this close check on the free flow of information from 
Military people is very clear: there is a very real risk of secret 
information being made public by people who may not understand the total 
consequences or results that might come from their 'innocent' words.

   My biggest problem with this issue is the "we will tell you what you 
want to know" attitude that is all pervasive in, ahem, " " Press 
Conferences " " here in VN. Sis. Huong very correctly touches on this 
related point: regardless of what people say, "information" here inside 
VN overwhelmingly flows only one way at the moment: "Emporer to subject"!

   Of course, there have been token attempts at opening up the "Avenues 
of Communication", with some online "discussions" recently. However, a 
close analysis will show that: All questions were required to be 
submitted, and consequently vetted, in advance, and there was no "right 
of rebuttal" or additional questioning from the original asker.

Just some things to keep in mind!

Shane
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Shane Wall
Principal,

Trans Lingual Express
120/14 Mai Thi Luu St,
P. Dakao, Q.1, HCMC,
Vietnam

Mail: shane.wall at translingualexpress.com
Web: www.translingualexpress.com

Mbl: +84 (090) 9484 753 (Anh) - Tel: +84 (8) 820 9143 (Viet)






Phan, Tai wrote:
> [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
>
> Wednesday June 6, 2007
>
>
> Vietnam's PM bans civil servants from talking to media
>
> HANOI, Vietnam (AP): Vietnam's prime minister has issued a decree further limiting the flow of information within the communist country, prompting concerns among journalists who already operated under tight restrictions. 
>
> Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued the decision May 28 banning everyone within government ministries from speaking to the media, except ministers, provincial governors or officially appointed spokespeople. 
>
> Reporters working in the Vietnamese media, which is entirely state-controlled, said the new rules will make it more difficult to obtain information. They declined to give their names for fear they might be punished. 
>
> "Many government officials will use the regulations as a tool to refuse to talk to the press,'' said one Ho Chi Minh City journalist. "This will make it harder for us to do our jobs.'' 
>
> A Hanoi journalist said the decree seemed to conflict with the government's commitment to implementing administrative reforms and opening government procedures. 
>
> "We will have to go through thick layers of bureaucracy before we can get someone from a government agency to talk to us,'' she said. 
>
> The decree states that government spokespeople will have a monthly media briefing, and each ministry will hold a briefing at least once every six months. It also instructs the ministries to publish monthly or quarterly information for the media on their Web sites. 
>
> Until now, Vietnamese journalists routinely sought information from mid- and lower-level government bureaucrats. The new decree does not specify what will happen to officials who provide information to reporters without permission. 
>
> Vietnamese officials could not immediately be reached for comment about the new measure, which was decried by international media watchdogs. 
>
> "I think it will affect Vietnam's credibility and transparency,'' said Vincent Brossel of Reporters Without Borders. "It's exactly what the Vietnamese government said it would not do.'' 
>
> Swedish Ambassador Rolf Bergman said appointing official spokespeople is a positive development because it will give journalists a point of contact within each ministry. But he objected to restricting reporters from talking to other sources. 
>
> "It will be equally important for reporters and journalists to be able to carry out investigative journalism and to analyze, scrutinize and report relevant and accurate information from other sources as well,'' he said in a written response. 
>
> Bergman said the new regulations run counter to the work Sweden has promoted through training members of Vietnam's press over the past seven years. 
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