Vietnam Government Continues Delaying Draft Law on Demonstration

Security forces in Hanoi suppressed peaceful anti-China protest in Hanoi in 2014

by KTT & VQN

Vietnam’s Ministry of Justice has once again asked the National Assembly (NA), the country’s highest legislature, to delay the submit of a draft law on demonstration to the second plenary of the NA’s 14th session in October 2016 instead of the 13th slated in May.

There remains a mixed opinion about the draft law that needs time to complete, Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong said at a meeting of the NA’s Standing Committee on Feb 16.

At the NA’s meeting in May 2015, the NA agreed to delay the draft law which is being built by the Ministry of Public Security but required the government to submit the draft in a year for “the necessity of the draft law”.

However, the government broke the promise and attributed the delay for “lack of consistent ideas”.

The draft law was initiated by incumbent Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in 2011.

Responding to the delay, the NA’s Chief Nguyen Sinh Hung said that delaying a democratic draft law harms Vietnam’s prestige.

Vietnam’s pro-democracy activists have criticized the government for long delay of the draft law which is necessary to activate human rights, especially rights to hold peaceful demonstrations and express their discontent.

But, Vietnam has violently suppressed all kinds of demonstrations, even those protesting China’s tough moves in the East Sea.

Meanwhile, the government continues to use decrees to criminalize people participating in peaceful demonstrations.