Vietnamese engineer fined for spreading false dam breach rumor

By Hai Binh   September 1, 2018 | 09:50 pm PT
Vietnamese engineer fined for spreading false dam breach rumor
A worker stands near a hydroelectric dam in Vietnam. Photo by Reuters
An engineer has been fined for spreading panic by saying a dam breach could flood a central Vietnam town.

The People’s Committee of Nghe An Province’s Ky Son District said Saturday that the man, an employee of a hydroelectric power plant in the province, has been fined VND12 million ($513) for a Facebook post saying the local Muong Moc Dam was out to break, flooding nearby Muong Xen Town at night.

The July 22 post by Luong Ngoc Tuan, 38, a Nghe An local, was widely shared on social media, causing panic among the public. Some families even moved their belongings in fear of the impending floods.

Tuan admitted to spreading the fake news when he was summoned by the police last Friday, saying he did it “just for fun,” police said.

Half of Vietnam’s population are choosing to get their news on social media, a survey by the Pew Research Center has found.

Facebook is the country's most popular social network, with around 64 million active accounts, accounting for 3 percent of global Facebookers, according to a report released in July last year by social media marketing agency We Are Social.

 
 
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