The Police Department of Criminal Investigation in Social Order in Hanoi August 22 issued a fine of VND20 million (US$ 944.600) to a couple in Hanoi’s Dong Da District who spread rumor of Ebola infection in Vietnam.
Couple Do Thuy LInh, 29, and Vuong Ba Huy, 31 in 11A/152 Xa Dan 2 Commune in Nam Dong Ward was fined VND20 million for spreading an incorrect on Facebook that a Vietnamese person had contracted the deadly Ebola virus, which has been squashed by local health authorities.
Earlier, police has convened the couple to the police station to question about the spreading incorrect information of Ebola infection which caused concern among the Vietnamese Facebook community. Police verified that the couple is the first persons who spread the incorrect Ebola information.
Linh posted two statuses on two accounts, M.G. and G.Y., on August 11 with content that Ebola has penetrated into Vietnam. Everybody should be careful. A Vietnamese person had been infected with the deadly Ebola virus and was being treated at Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi.
She also wrote: “ It is an internal information as my relative who works at Bach Mai revealed it.”
Next day, on August 12, Huy continued to post information of Ebola infection on his personal facebook.
At the police station, the couple admitted that the information of Ebola infection on their personal facebook is not correct; however, the couple said that they posted the information because they wanted to warn the community about the epidemic.
