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Bloggers go to jail Posted: 24 Sep 2012 09:33 AM PDT Three prominent bloggers in Vietnam were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 4 to 12 years for 'spreading anti-government propaganda'. I believe this is the first case bloggers are heavily-penalised for writing what they feel, see and hear, and coming from Vietnam, I think the decision will meet protest from other bloggers and the diplomatic corp, especially the liberalised West. HANOI (Vietnam) - Three Vietnamese citizen journalists who have criticised the government in online postings were convicted today for spreading anti-government propaganda. They were given jail sentences ranging from four to 12 years. The cases against the two men and one woman are some of the most high-profile currently being undertaken by the country's Communist rulers as they step up their campaign against bloggers and other pro-democracy activists. One of the defendants' lawyers, Mr Ha Huy Son, says the three were found guilty of writing online articles "opposing the government" by a court in Ho Chi Minh City today. President Barack Obama mentioned the case of one of them - Nguyen Van Hai, who wrote under the pen name Dieu Cay - in a speech that called for greater freedom for media around the world. In Malaysia, there were cases when a minister and opposition MPs took few bloggers to court over their 'mis-reporting' and slander. Rais Yatim and Husam Musa are so keen of it. On the contrary, Penang CM Lim Guan Eng has the habit of suing mainstream newspapers like Utusan Malaysia for 'making derogatory remark's about him. Also, I don't think Malaysian bloggers - be it pro-govt or pro-opposition - will go to jail for criticising BN or Pakatan unless they break the basic rule of the country, which is not to incite racial and religious hatred among Malaysians. In fact, there are bloggers who sued a corporate leader for defamation. Georgetown: Two men, believed to be bloggers, who sued a telecommunications businessman for defamation, will have their cases head at the High Court here on Oct 4. Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, 29, and Mohamad Salim Iskandar, 39, had separately sued Abdul Razak Mohd Noor, 58, over two notices published in an English daily on Jan 14 and 15 which they deemed defamatory. Judge Datuk G.V. Varghese, in fixing the date, said the trial could not proceed yesterday as a bundle of documents needed to be re-filed. He also said one of the issues to be determined was who was the registered owner of the blogs of "Papagomo" and "Parpukari". We are not Vietnam, maybe not just yet but bloggers must be responsible for what they write. To me, to criticise is okay but to defame is not wise!

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