Hanoi (AsiaNews/Agencies) Pham Nga, director of the Hai Phong publishing company, was forced to quit after it became know that he was going to publish a book highly critical of the Vietnamese Communist Party.
The book, entitled To be a man is difficult. To be a socialist man is even harder, is a memoir by former Communist leader Doan Duy Thanh.
Egotistical and self-indulgent to some, the memoir of the former Deputy Prime Minister levels fresh accusations against prominent figures in the Vietnamese Communist elite, both past and present, whom he accuses of betraying Communist ideals repeatedly and by any means.
Some sources claim that pressures on Thanh went on throughout June despite no media coverage.
So far he has not made any comments, but has admitted to asking the author to edit the work.
Others speculate that the book has been deliberately allowed to circulateeven if the author and publisher were punishedin order to put pressure on Communist party leaders ahead of next year National Congress.