According to Nguyen Huu Loi from the Phu Huu district of Thu Duc city in HCMC, who is one of 30 people appearing in a clip of citizens who allegedly gathered in front of the neighborhood people’s committee to ask for financial support, the video was the result of the Viet Tan – a reactionary organization from abroad – to incite people.
He recalled that on the morning of August 28, a 30-year-old man approached a group of masons living in rented rooms on Bung Ong Thoan Street. He spoke of the financial assistance from the authorities to tenants who temporarily lose their jobs because of the Covid-19. He then asked the group to gather at the headquarters of the neighborhood people’s committee to ask, which Loi and his friends followed.
After going out, Loi also saw other people coming from Phu Huu market, but did not see the 30-year-old man anywhere. The group then decided to return home just to find out the next day that they had been recorded in a clip called “fighting for the right to live in the midst of the pandemic”.
In this clip, the man mentioned was speaking with the group of masons and deliberately exaggerating the situation, claiming that thousands of people participated in a protest against the government and violently seized rice stored in the neighborhood office because they had been starving for more than a week.
The clip also appeared on Radio Free Asia (RFA), listing Loi and Friends, with many images being detrimentally edited. It was quickly shared on the fanpages of Viet Tan members. The clip caused confusion and anxiety within the community.
Likewise, the Facebook account “Giup do nhau cung vuot qua mua dich Covid†published several official newspaper articles on activities aimed at supporting citizens in need in many areas of HCMC. Although the content is correct, following comments from users like Nguyen Ngoc, Binh Nguyen, Ngoc Nga aimed at provoking people.
Worse yet, the speech of the party committee secretary of Phu Huu Nguyen Thi Huong Hiep (in Thu Duc town) on social security packages for the poor in the area was distorted, so that the public was distorted. the feeling that the localities divided these packages among their relatives and returned to the formal receivers only when discovered, which is not true at all.
Binh Chanh District People’s Committee Chairman Dao Gia Vuong reported that lately there have been crowds of residents in his neighborhoods of Vinh Loc A, Vinh Loc B, Tan Kien because the security packages social were delivered too slowly. Receiving the news, the localities immediately verified its veracity and addressed the issue, ensuring that no vulnerable person went hungry as they say on social media.
Likewise, crowds formed in Binh Tan District and Thu Duc Town for the same reason, and the issues were dealt with satisfactorily. Secretary Huong Hiep informed that in addition to essential staples, her parish offered meat and fish to feed residents. More than 100 households in his neighborhood have already received financial assistance of 1.5 million VND (around 66 USD) each, which has made them feel comfortable and cooperate with the state in the fight against the Covid-19.
The security agency said that any case of spreading fake news on the internet will be identified and strictly punished to avoid community anxiety or instability at all costs. Some cases have been fined at least VND 2 million ($ 88), while cases showing criminal signs have been prosecuted, including members of the Viet Tan organization and other reactionary groups operating in the Vietnam.
