Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. AFP FILE PHOTO
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam’s prime minister has ordered a fresh crackdown on bloggers who post articles critical of the government.
The country’s communist rulers do not allow freedom of expression or the media, but have been struggling against dissent being propagated over the Internet.
A government statement late Wednesday named three blog sites it accused of “publishing distorted and fabricated articles” against the leadership.
It said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung had ordered police and to investigate the sites and bring offenders to justice.
International watchdog Reporters Without Borders says there are currently at least five journalists and 19 bloggers being held on various charges in Vietnam, part of a gathering government effort to stifle criticism of the regime.