Vietnam arrests publishers of book on Communist Party founder

Police in Vietnam said on July 15 they had arrested three executives of a publishing house that released a book on Ho Chi Minh, the revered founder of the country’s Communist Party.

The author of Stories With Thanh – A New Account Of Light, former telecom executive Nguyen Thanh Nam, was arrested on anti-state charges in early July, along with an influencer who promoted the book on his social media channels.

The book, which has been recalled by its publisher under pressure from the authorities, recounts Ho Chi Minh’s years abroad seeking ways to spark national liberation back home.

Hanoi police said on July 15 they had arrested the director, editor-in-chief and head of the editorial board of the Vietnam Writers’ Association Publishing House, which published the book in May.

Like author Nam, they face charges of “producing, possessing, distributing or disseminating information, documents or items aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”, according to a police statement.

“All three were involved in editing, revising, publishing and promoting the book... which distorts the history of the revolutions, the policies and guidelines of the party and state,” the statement said.

Also on July 15, the culture ministry announced it had sanctioned 23 news outlets that published articles praising the book.

“These press agencies acknowledged their errors and gained a profound understanding of the lessons of source verification,” the ministry said.

The media outlets have paid almost US$2,500 (S$3,200) in fines while more than a dozen staff members involved in publishing the articles have been reassigned, suspended or dismissed.

In a nationally televised speech last week, author Nam apologised for the book, saying: “I acknowledge the presence of factual errors and false assertions that run counter to the guidelines and policies of the party and state, tarnishing the image of President Ho Chi Minh, causing confusion among the public.”

Vietnam’s communist leaders brook little dissent and regularly jail their critics, more than 160 of whom are currently behind bars, according to Human Rights Watch.


-AFP