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Hanoi chairman queried over recording ban at public liaison offices
  • | dtinews.vn, Saigon Times | January 09, 2019 07:42 PM
Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee, Nguyen Duc Chung has just signed a controversial decision which bans people from recording at citizen reception offices.



A citizen reception office in Hanoi. Photo by Tien Phong


The decision which took effect from January 3 stipulates that local residents who visit the city's two citizen reception offices at 34 Ly Thai To Street in Hoan Kiem District and 20 Hoang Dieu Street in Ha Dong District are not allowed to film, take pictures or record conversations unless the staff agree.


Speaking with the Thanh Nien Newspaper on January 7, National Assembly (NA) deputy Bui Van Xuyen, a standing member of the NA’s Legal Committee, said that the new regulation from Hanoi municipal government was inappropriate.

"Locals can film and photograph traffic police while they are on duty, so they should be able to do the same at citizen reception centres," he said.

However, filming and recording and the use of these recordings must be in line with prevailing regulations, Xuyen added.

According to the NA deputy, the public can save the videos, recording files or captured photos to ensure their rights are protected through documentary evidence. If they post these videos and photos on social media to discredit citizen reception staff intentionally or cause other damage, they will be subject to penalties.

Nguyen Minh Duc, working at the Legal Division at the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the prohibition of filming and capturing photos at citizen reception centres goes against the Law on Access to Information, pointing out that the restriction of the right to access information must be stipulated and relate to essential situations regarding defence, national security, public order and safety reasons.

Only the NA can limit the right to access information, Duc concluded.

Meanwhile, head of the Central Citizen Reception Board, Nguyen Hong Diep, on January 7 claimed the ban was intended to prevent individuals from sharing or livestreaming videos or photos on social media for ‘inappropriate reasons’.

"The staff can't focus on their work if people are filming them, it'll affect their concentration," Diep claimed.

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