Jul 2, 2009, 9:24 GMT
Hanoi - Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has signed a decision to punish the chief executive officer of the national air carrier, Vietnam Airlines, for having a third child, Vietnamese officials said Thursday.
Pham Ngoc Minh 'was chided by the prime minister but not fired from his position,' said Trinh Ngoc Thanh, a Vietnam Airlines spokesman.
Nguyen Ba Thuy, vice minister and general director of the General Office for Population and Family Planning, said Minh had violated a Communist Party regulation that bans party members from having more than two children.
The regulation says any member breaking the rule was subject to a warning or firing.
Minh's punishment was less stringent than the sackings meted out to several low and junior officials and reported by Vietnamese media.
'It is not fair that he only received a warning,' said Pham Thu Hang, an accountant in Hanoi. 'A warning does not do him any harm. While the party wants to limit the population growth rate, the prime minister's decision does not help.'
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