Vietnamese journalist arrested in blackmail case

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Tuesday September 19, 2006

Hanoi- A Vietnamese reporter for a business newspaper has been arrested on accusations he blackmailed a company for 10,000 dollars, police said Tuesday. Nguyen Hung Son, 37, has been a reporter for Dien Dan Doanh Nghiep (Business Forum) newspaper for 10 years.

He was accused of blackmailing officials from Hai Van Transport, a company that operates buses, saying he had evidence of unspecified company wrongdoing and demanding 10,000 dollars to keep the story out of his newspaper, police said.

He was arrested Sunday night after police searched his home and seized documents, according to Tran Cong Quy, an official with the Ministry of Public Security's Economic Security Department.

"It is not uncommon that reporters ask for money from businesses, but this is the first time we have arrested a reporter for blackmail," Quy said.

The chief editor of Business Forum, Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, said he was shocked at the arrest and that Son would be "seriously punished."

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur