Ban on photographing traffic police shot down The newly-issued regulation which would require journalists to ask permission from traffic police was recently shot down due to public outrage.   The regulation on banning photographing traffic police has been cancelled following public outrage Even Major General Nguyen Van Tuyen, head of the Road and Railway Traffic Department, signed onto the removal of the regulation, calling it illogical. "Except for officially banned locations, journalists should not be banned from doing their jobs. If any violation is caught on film or video these violations should be dealt with in a fair and lawful manner," he said. He added that news agencies should cooperate with authorities to educate the public about the benefits of traffic safety. According to the regulation, "A great effort must be made to identify those who take photos or film traffic inspections or patrol forces without approval. If these people can prove that they are certified journalists, a report should be sent to the agency they work for. If They are not journalists then they should be punished." Ha said that the recent regulation was issued in order to mitigate incidences of individuals trying to use personal relations with police to evade sanction. Many members of the public did not see the logic of this move, seeing it as a violation of freedom of speech. By Quynh Anh | dtinews.vn