DECEMBER 29, 2005
Posted: January 17, 2006
Tieng Noi Dan Chu CENSORED, HARASSED
Hackers shut down the Tieng Noi Dan Chu (Democratic Voices) Web site 19 days after it launched on International Human Rights Day, the U.S.-funded broadcaster Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported. Tieng Noi Dan Chu was founded by dissident writer Tran Khue and U.S.-based Nguyen Xuan Ngai, and presented articles and opinion pieces on democratization and reform in Vietnam.
At around 2 p.m., the Web site became unavailable, and visitors were led to a notice in Vietnamese reading “Entry Forbidden! You are not allowed to download this Web page.” The notice was similar to the one used by government filters.
A few hours later, the site reopened but articles were unavailable, and a banner at the top called the page “the Web site of liars.”
The site’s founders believed that government hackers had disrupted the Web site, according to RFA.
Khue was released from prison in July 2004 after serving a 19-month sentence on charges of “taking advantage of democratic rights to infringe upon the interests of the state.”