Vietnam papers slam curfew on discos, dance halls
HANOI - Vietnam's usually pious state-run media
have
attacked as heavy-handed and damaging a
decision by the country's communist authorities to slap a midnight
curfew on discotheques and dance halls.
Reports in the official media say some night clubs and bars have
seen
revenues decline by 30 percent to 70 percent after
having their hours cut back from the previous 4 a.m close.
An editorial in Tuesday's Thanh Nien (Young People) said the
authorities
needed to be aware of the economic damage
caused by the order, introduced in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City three
weeks ago.
"It's too easy to end or close something we are not able to
control, but
it leads to unanticipated consequences," it said.
"Closing the doors or banning the activity of a business should be
in
line with the law. Economic losses of business people
cannot be ignored, otherwise investors, especially in restaurant
and
entertainment sector, will feel insecure."
The curfew was imposed by the Culture and Information Departments
in
each city as part of a crackdown on what the
government calls "social evils". These include prostitution and
illicit
drugs.
The Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper said one discotheque, among the
city's
"hottest" centres of drug abuse, had had to close.
Thanh Nien said fighting vice was a job that needed the cooperation
of
bar and night club owners, police and other state
officials.
Reuters - June 26, 2001.
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