tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083592332331184648.post85207381010446679..comments2024-03-23T02:47:06.479-07:00Comments on Kerry B. Collison Asia News: Vietnam and Russia Boost Defence TiesKerry B. Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02939821793284561307noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083592332331184648.post-15821462667314680562013-08-10T14:38:30.852-07:002013-08-10T14:38:30.852-07:00Vietnam Attempts Mission Impossible [China Post Co...Vietnam Attempts Mission Impossible [China Post Commentary]<br /><br />August 10, 2013<br /><br />China Post<br /><br /> The Vietnamese government seems to be trying to stamp its<br />authority over electronic communications; this is a ridiculous move<br />that will inflame anger and ultimately fail.<br /><br />The Vietnamese government will cover the whole sky with its small<br />hands by issuing a new law to control and clean up public information<br />disseminated via the Internet. Hanoi is set to enact new legislation,<br />known as Decree 72, to criminalize the use of social media for<br />anything other than to “provide or exchange personal information.”<br /><br />The law, if it comes into force by next month as foreseen, would ban<br />individuals from quoting or sharing information from press or<br />government agencies. Internet service providers, under this law, would<br />be prohibited from handling information that could be deemed as<br />“against Vietnam.”<br /><br />The law also demands that all foreign websites have at least one<br />server in Vietnam, which will give the Vietnamese authorities greater<br />control of content.<br /><br />If the law is effective, communication via the Internet will consist<br />only of chat, messages, blogs and Facebook and Twitter postings about<br />personal and family matters. Anything deemed “public affairs” will<br />be off-limits.<br /><br />This is ridiculous. It is highly controversial for any government to<br />issue a law that bans people from sharing information, especially<br />information that is being publicized by government agencies in the<br />first place.<br /><br />Vietnam has a poor record when it comes to freedom of expression, both<br />online and offline. Reporters Without Borders ranks the country 172nd<br />out of 179th in its press-freedom index, ahead of only China, Iran,<br />Somalia, Syria, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea when it comes to<br />respecting media liberty.<br /><br />Although Vietnam has no solid reputation for the protection of human<br />rights or democratic principles, it is still expected to at least<br />allow space for people to have a certain degree of freedom of<br />expression and a right to know about current events.<br /><br />It is no secret that the authorities screen all information<br />disseminated to the public media in Vietnam. Therefore what is the<br />point of barring people from sharing such information?<br /><br />The government in Hanoi will find it difficult to achieve anything<br />with this move, but if its intent is to further curtail the rights of<br />its people and hinder its chance of fully integrating with global<br />development, then it is doing a good job.<br /><br />Vietnam, although it still calls itself a communist state, has been<br />open to the world for decade ever since the “doi moi” policy was<br />initiated. The spirit of doi moi is openness, but openness means<br />allowing people to know what they want to know and what is necessary<br />for them to know.<br /><br />Freedom of communication and the right to information is a basic<br />requirement of any country in the modern world. Vietnam is now working<br />toward integration into the Asean Economic Community. How can<br />Vietnamese citizens learn about and understand the situation in the<br />region and the wider world if they're not allowed to share<br />information? How can they understand the maritime disputes in the<br />South China See if their government allows them to share only pictures<br />of dinner or stories about their love affairs?<br /><br />Control of Internet communication is an impossible mission for any<br />government. The U.S. is leaning this at enormous cost. Any government<br />that wants total control over the Internet needs a huge budget,<br />resources and manpower to monitor every information transaction - and,<br />more sinisterly, a deep and willful distrust of its own citizens. It<br />will realize eventually that such an effort is useless.<br />Kerry B. Collisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02939821793284561307noreply@blogger.com