Deputies urge NA to draft protest laws Many NA deputies have recently pointed out the need for protest laws in Vietnam which both recognise the rights of citizens and maintain civil order.    A recent anti-China protest in Hanoi The problem was discussed on May 26 during a meeting on the revision of existing laws. According to many deputies, Vietnam has shown itself to be lacking in its capacity for dealing with large patriotic gatherings. Deputy Le Nam urged the National Assembly to create laws to deal with such gatherings as soon as possible. Nam said the right to protest has already been solidified in the constitution of 1946 Constitution. "It is a basic right of the people to hold civil demonstrations; one which our citizens have enjoyed for many years," he said. The suggestion came up in the wake of anti-Chinese recent protests that turned violent in some provinces. Nam said that some of these gatherings were legal and just, but were coopted by a small criminal minority who used them to incite disorder. He added that the current law leaves the possibility open for constructive demonstrations of patriotism to be derailed and even used against the government. Even though the Prime Minister has asked agencies to create laws on protesting, nothing has been done so far. Meanwhile, Deputy Truong Trong Nghia from HCM City, said statistics from the latest NA session show at least 19 opinions pointing out the need for new protest laws. "The laws will also strengthen Vietnam's commitments to UN's Human Rights Council. We currently only have a resolution addressing large gatherings. We need to build more comprehensive laws on this issue, making sure they are in line with the constitution," Nghia said. He added that he was touched upon hearing about Vietnamese people living in countries around the world showing unity in their expression of patriotism. However, because Vietnam does not have a comprehensive set of laws on protesting, agencies became were overwhelmed with the outpouring. "We have no intention of creating laws that would allow fights and disorder, as is the case in some countries. I believe we have enough knowledge to create a set of laws suitable to our own circumstances," Nghia said. His recommendation was that the proposition be taken up in the 8th session so the National Assembly has a chance review and approve it for 2015.  By Quang Phong, dtinews.vn