Hanoi  - Authorities were investigating a case in which four reporters were assaulted by police while researching corruption in the distribution of government New Year's subsidies for the poor, a government official said Friday.

The Vietnamese newspaper Nhan Dan (The People) reported the four journalists were interviewing residents Wednesday in the commune of Hoang Thanh in the northern province of Thanh Hoa when a village policeman and a woman asked for their press cards. When they produced their cards, the two reportedly assaulted them and tried to grab their camera.

Residents of the village had reportedly denounced the chairman of the commune People's Committee, the local governing body, for reducing the subsidies they were entitled to receive from the government.

Nguyen Huu Thuong, deputy chairman of the higher-level District People's Committee, said authorities were still deciding how to respond to the case.

"Give us some more time to get more information to find a solution," Thuong said.

Vietnam's government in January announced it would give a New Year's bonus of 200,000 dong (12 dollars) to any citizen living below the official poverty line of 15 dollars per month. In many localities, the payments were reportedly taxed or embezzled by local authorities.

The newspaper Tuoi Tre (Youth) reported that the policeman and the woman who assaulted the reporters in Thanh Hoa were relatives of the commune People's Committee chairman.

No details were available on what injuries the reporters might have sustained. dpa