Incendiary Beijing restaurant sign triggers online fury

A sign at a Beijing restaurant barring citizens of nations involved in maritime disputes with China — along with dogs — has triggered a wave of online outrage among Vietnamese and Filipinos.

A sign at a Beijing restaurant barring citizens of nations involved in maritime disputes with China — along with dogs — has triggered a wave of online outrage among Vietnamese and Filipinos.

Vietnam issued jail sentences ranging from four to 12 years on Monday to three bloggers who wrote about human rights abuses, corruption and foreign policy, intensifying a crackdown on its citizens’ use of Internet to criticize the government.

A Vietnamese blogger who posted online calls for democracy has been jailed for five years, official media said Saturday, the second web dissident imprisoned this week in an ongoing crackdown on activists.
The United States on Tuesday urged Vietnam to free three bloggers facing charges over political articles, voicing alarm over what it said were growing restrictions on the Internet.
Three well-known Vietnamese bloggers face prosecution for “propaganda against the state” after being accused of posting political articles on a banned website, state media said Sunday.