According to Nguyen Huu Loi from Phu Huu Ward of Thu Duc City in HCMC, who is one of the 30 people appearing in a clip about citizens supposedly banding together in front of the Ward People’s Committee to ask for supporting finance, the video was the result of Viet Tan – a reactionary organization from abroad – to incitie people.
He recalled that in the morning of August 28, a 30-year-old man approached a mason group living in rented rooms on Bung Ong Thoan Street. He discussed the authorities’ financial aid for tenants temporarily losing their job due to Covid-19. He then instructed that the group should crowd together at the headquarter of ward People’s Committee to ask for it, which Loi and his friends followed.
After going out, Loi saw other people coming from Phu Huu Market as well, but did not see the 30-year-old man anywhere. The group then decided to return home just to discover on the next day that they had been recorded into a clip with the name ‘fight for right to live in the midst of the pandemic’.
In that clip, the mentioned man were talking with the mason group and purposely exaggerating the situation, saying that thousands of people participated in a demonstration against the government and violently grabbed rice stored at the ward’s office because of being left hungry for over a week.
The clip also appeared on Radio Free Asia (RFA), listing Loi and his friends, with many harmfully edited images. It was rapidly shared on fanpages of Viet Tan members. The clip caused confusion and anxiety among the community.
Similarly, Facebook account ‘Giup do nhau cung vuot qua mua dich Covid’ has posted several news pieces from formal newspapers about activities to support citizens in need in many areas of HCMC. Although the content is proper, following comments by users like Nguyen Ngoc, Binh Nguyen, Ngoc Nga aimed at provoking people.
Even worse, the speech of Secretary of Phu Huu Ward Party Committee Nguyen Thi Huong Hiep (in Thu Duc City) about social security packages for the poor in the area was misrepresented so that the public feel the localities had divided these packages among their relatives and only returned to the formal receivers when being discovered, which is not true at all.
Chairman of Binh Chanh District People’s Committee Dao Gia Vuong reported that lately, there have been crowds of residents in its wards of Vinh Loc A, Vinh Loc B, Tan Kien because social security packages were too slowly delivered. Receiving the news, the localities immediately verified its truthfulness and addressed the issue, ensuring that no vulnerable people are left in hunger like being rumored on social networks.
Similarly crowds did form in Binh Tan District and Thu Duc City with the same reason, and the matters were satisfactorily handled. Secretary Huong Hiep informed that besides essential commodies, her ward offered meat and fish to nourish residents. Over 100 households in her ward have already received the financial aid of VND1.5 million (approx. U$66) each, making their mind at ease and cooperative with the state in the Covid-19 fight.
The security agency stated that any case of spreading fake news on the Internet will be pinpointed and strictly punished to avoid anxiety or instability in the community at all cost. Some cases were fined at least VND2 million ($88), while cases with criminal signs were prosecuted, including members of Viet Tan organization and other reactionary groups operating in Vietnam.
