On Nov. 4, during a National Assembly discussion of the draft amended Law on Handling Administrative Violations, Minister Luong Tam Quang explained the proposal to apply the measure to organizations and individuals that commit administrative violations.
The drafting agency proposes changing the rule so that suspending electricity, water, internet, telecommunications services and digital infrastructure would be a preventive measure, not an enforcement measure.
The proposed change would also cover the temporary suspension of vehicle inspection, registration and driving permits.
The draft would add detailed rules on the conditions, authority, principles, procedures and scope of the measures to protect human and civil rights.
Luong Tam Quang said the government would set specific rules based on practical conditions, the relevant field and the nature and severity of each violation.
Earlier, several lawmakers warned that suspending essential services could affect people who had not committed violations.
Duong Khac Mai, a lawmaker from Lam Dong province, said the draft could allow the measure when an organization or individual failed to comply with a written order to stop a violation, even before a penalty decision was issued.
Cutting electricity, water or telecommunications services could affect workers, customers and other people using the same infrastructure, he said. He called for clearer grounds, time limits and scope, as well as a mechanism to protect third parties.
Le Huu Tri, a lawmaker from Khanh Hoa province, made a similar proposal, saying the measure should apply only to specific violations listed in the law that are serious or create a clear risk or consequence.
He also called for safeguards for special cases such as hospitals and health care facilities, rules to restore services when the grounds for the measure no longer exist, and compensation when an unlawful suspension causes damage.
The measure should prevent or stop violations, Le Huu Tri said, rather than become a tool for pressure or create consequences greater than the violation itself.
Sources: Thanh Niên
