Hanoi to regulate complaints against officials

HANOI, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Vietnam has issued a directive ordering people to stop lodging complaints against officials and government decisions at the homes of senior leaders, state media reported on Monday. The Vietnam News quoted the directive as saying the unwillingness of residents to hand complaints and petitions to lower-level government agencies responsible for the matters had affected the prestige of the ruling Communist Party. This had also caused difficulties for public order in the capital Hanoi, the newspaper said without elaborating. In the past month witnesses have reported seeing police trying to move people away from the home of Prime Minister Phan Van Khai as they waited for a reply to their complaints. Complaints against officials in Vietnam over corrupt practices, land allocation and local abuse of power have become a major source of concern to the ruling Communist Party, political analysts have said.

Widespread rural unrest over local-level corruption and land disputes has hit several provinces in the past 18 months.

Vietnam's state-controlled media has alluded to problems with ``hot spots'' across the country, but in most cases has fallen short of detailing specifics.

Earlier this year the elite politburo issued a directive aimed at improving accountability at grassroots levels.

The fresh directive said all complaints and petitions must be settled legally, fairly and timely at the appropriate level.

It said a prime ministerial working group would be set up and supervised by a senior official from the State Inspectorate to try to settle any long-standing complaints and petitions.

People who lodged complaints or petitions had to wait for the result at home, it added.