Amid Rising Dissent, Vietnam Cracks Down on Bloggers

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HOANG DINH NAM / AFP / GETTY IMAGES
Motorcyclists wait for a green light next to a communist-propaganda poster in downtown Hanoi on Feb. 27, 2013

By TIME | 27 June 2013 |

On blogs and social media, agitated Vietnamese are bypassing their authoritarian government’s monopoly on mass communication, reporting on its failings and galvanizing discontent with its rule. Some have railed against personal injustices, others have challenged the system itself. Truong Duy Nhat, a disgruntled journalist who retired from his newspaper job to focus on creating his own blog, was particularly blunt in his condemnation. In a post written not long before his arrest, he blamed Vietnam’s two highest-ranking officials for the country’s “political chaos” and “uncontrolled corruption” and concluded: “If you cannot manage effectively, you should resign.” Continue reading =>

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