BBC (July 12, 1999) - A leading Vietnamese dissident, retired General Tran Do, has been refused an application to publish a newspaper.
General Do says he's been told by the Ministry of Culture and Information that the law only allows organisations to hold licences, and not individuals.
General Do told the BBC he'd wanted to publish a paper which would be the voice of the Vietnamese people, but correspondents say he must have realised he would not be given permission.
They say General Do's main aim was to annoy the Communist party, which expelled him in January after many years' membership, when he publicly urged it to reform.