Vietnam’s communist government has issued strict new press regulations that punish “denying revolutionary achievements” and require journalists to have articles reviewed before publication.

The new Decree on Cultural and Information Activities follows aggressive reporting in Vietnam’s state-controlled press of a massive corruption scandal that forced the resignation of the transport minister and the arrest of his deputy over embezzlement of some 7 million dollars in state funds.

The press regulations came even as Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, in a speech to the National Assembly before his retirement, called for measures to “ensure transparency and openness of state agencies.”

“Holding press conferences, I think, must become a regular activity of administrative agencies,” Khai said, but added that the “people’s right to be informed must be clearly regulated.”

Under the new rules, Vietnamese journalists face fines of up to 3 million dong ($190) for publishing stories with anonymous sources and up to 7 million dong ($450) for refusing to allow an interviewee to read an article before publication.

“Disseminating reactionary ideology” is banned, along with any articles that reveal “Party secrets, state secrets, military secrets and economic secrets,” which carry fines of up to 30 million dong ( 2,000 dollars).

Vietnam already has criminal laws on the books that punish “revealing state secrets” with up to 15 years in prison.

Vietnamese journalists can also be fined for “defaming national heroes,” although the decree does not spell out who is a national hero.

Inevitably, the Vietnames government - in the form of the Ministry of Culture and Information Inspection Department - has assigned itself the role of deciding who is or isn’t a national hero.

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