~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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Vietnamese journalist placed under house arrest

Police in Vietnam have placed a local journalist under house arrest as they investigate charges she obtained government secrets, her newspaper reported Saturday. The case against Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth newspaper's Hanoi office, concerns her report on May 20 about a letter by the health minister to the prime minister seeking a government inspection of Swiss drug company Zuellig Pharma's Vietnam unit, the paper said.

The letter was classified as a state secret. But the Youth newspaper said health ministry officials had discussed the letter with local reporters during a press conference and that two other newspapers also reported on it. "The media will stand behind this nice female journalist on her way to seek and defend justice," the newspaper said. Anh was put under house arrest Wednesday on instructions from the Ministry of Public Security, the paper said. The "appropriating state secret" offense carries a jail sentence of two to 15 years.

Neither the reporter nor police were not available for comment Saturday. There are an estimated 500 media organizations in Vietnam. All of them are state-run.

The Associated Press - January 08, 2005.