DHAKA: Vietnam has intensified a crackdown on online dissent with a new decree that threatens fines of several thousand dollars for anybody criticising the government on Facebook.

The legislation, which will come into force in January, looks set to further narrow the space for online expression in a country already branded an ‘enemy of the Internet’ by Reporters Without Borders.

‘A fine of up to US$4,760 will be applied to anyone producing propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’, according to a copy of ‘decree 174’ posted on a government website, reports The Straits Times.

Undermining national unity, ‘distorting historical facts’ and writing comments on Facebook that ‘hurt the nation’ have all also become administrative offences punishable by a sliding scale of fines.

BDST: 1641 HRS, NOV 28, 2013