Peaceful border strip

(Baonghean) - On the remote westernmost point of Nghe An, every day soldiers are determined to stay in their villages, maintaining peace and prosperity for the border region of the Fatherland. In the chilly weather of the last days of the year, the flame of love between the army and the people becomes even warmer and more united...

To keep Nam Can free of drugs

From Muong Xen Town (Ky Son), we set out to find the border commune of Nam Can on a cold, foggy morning. After a few hours of driving through steep slopes and heart-stopping curves, Nam Can Border Post stood tall and proud amidst the clouds and mist. As a remote commune of Ky Son district, where the Mong, Kho Mu, and Thai ethnic groups live, in previous years, the people's lives faced countless difficulties. Along with bandits and robbers, the toxic smoke from opium "lulled" Nam Can to sleep for decades in poverty and backwardness. With the attention of the Party, the State, all levels of agencies, especially those wearing green uniforms, Nam Can has been changing and developing day by day. Now Nam Can has bright lights, wide asphalt roads, shops and grocery stores next to each other, and children are bustling to school.

Production Team 1 - Economic Group - Military Region 4 guides people in Ka Duoi village, Na Ngoi commune to grow clean vegetables.

Nam Can Border Guard Station is assigned to manage and protect 25 km of the Vietnam - Laos border. This is an area with rugged mountainous terrain, many trails and shortcuts, so the fight against and prevention of all kinds of crimes is extremely difficult. Lieutenant Colonel Pham Huu Ha - Head of Nam Can Border Guard Station said: "The Party Committee and the station commander always attach importance to the education of officers and soldiers, considering this a combat mission of border guards in peacetime. With that spirit, the station commander thoroughly instructs each officer and soldier to stay close to the people and villages, combine reconnaissance, investigation, construction, and bring peace and prosperity to the border areas of the Fatherland."

In the mountainous areas during the rainy and stormy season, drug traffickers are very active, so the officers and soldiers of the station always raise their vigilance, maintain strict patrols and control of the border. In particular, these subjects often carry "hot goods", weapons such as guns, grenades, knives, swords, etc., so they are very aggressive, reckless, and ready to fight back when being pursued by the authorities. When identifying subjects, especially drug criminals, the teams and teams must develop specific and effective plans to arrest criminals, ensuring absolute safety for people and weapons.

Upholding the spirit of resolute struggle, proactiveness, and bravery in attacking crime, from 2010 to present, Nam Can Border Guard Station has solved cases, prosecuted 13 cases with 13 subjects illegally possessing drugs, seized 17.02 grams of heroin, 1 motorbike, 1 grenade; coordinated with local forces to handle 34 cases with 34 subjects violating administrative regulations such as theft, fighting, illegal trading and transportation of forest products, wildlife, etc., collecting tens of millions of VND to the state budget. In addition, implementing Directive 13 of the Provincial People's Committee on the recovery of explosives and supporting tools, the station has coordinated with local authorities to recover 68 homemade flintlock guns and more than 50 gun barrels of various types.

In the conversation with us, Lieutenant Colonel Pham Huu Ha told us about the memories and hardships in the pursuit of ringleaders in the drug trafficking ring, including Chang Van Pin - a notorious "leader". Chang Van Pin in Ang village, Xa Luong commune, Tuong Duong led a very large drug ring, operating sophisticatedly and recklessly. Pin had dozens of close followers under his command, ready to shoot at the authorities when arrested or to free his accomplices. To capture Pin and his subordinates, the station commander sent dozens of elite soldiers, bravely lying in wait day and night.

But with the experience of a drug lord, the subject changed locations and organized strict protection, many times Pin escaped the siege of the functional forces. After many nights of thinking, the commander decided to change the combat plan, continuing to use secret bases to closely follow the subjects related to Pin's activities. One day at the end of April 2013, receiving the report, the investigation team traveled 20 km of forest road to Ang village to ambush the subject. When Pin and his followers were dividing drugs at home, preparing to sell them, the investigation team secretly approached, arrested the subject, seized 9.3 grams of heroin and 1 duck-billed grenade.

Secretary of the Party Committee of Nam Can Commune Va Lia Nhenh could not hide his joy: “Thanks to you soldiers, in recent years, Nam Can has no more opium smoke, every family is busy making a living to have food and clothes, granaries are full of rice, security and national defense are maintained. On behalf of the people of our village, I would like to thank you very much, Nam Can Border Guard Station!”

Help the villagers to be warm and well-off

Na Ngoi Commune lies at the foot of Puxailaileng Mountain - the highest mountain in the province, covered in clouds all year round. For generations, the Mong, Kho Mu, and Thai communities, with their backward farming practices, have always been short of food and faced many difficulties in their lives. Implementing the policies and instructions of their superiors, Uncle Ho's soldiers and youth volunteers have crossed forests and streams into remote areas to maintain security, help the villagers build their economy, and gradually escape poverty.

Shan snow tea becomes the mainstay of economic development in border areas.

The road to Na Ngoi is still bumpy and difficult, but one thing that is easy to see is that the lives of the people here are changing every day. On both sides of the road, there are grocery stores and shops with full range of goods to serve the people's lives. Newly built stilt houses are close together on both sides of the road. In the eyes and smiles of the people, joy and excitement shine. Mr. Xong Xai Xo - Vice Chairman of Na Ngoi commune happily boasted: "Our commune no longer has opium plants, they have all been uprooted and burned. The swidden land is now used to grow rice and corn, to raise pigs, chickens, buffaloes and cows. People have food and clothing so they no longer migrate to Laos or go elsewhere, so security and order in the border area are maintained. All these changes are thanks to the efforts of the Na Ngoi border guards, Economic-Defense Group 4, and the 10 Youth Volunteers for Economic Development (TNXP-XDKT) of the Provincial Youth Union".

Just a few years ago, the poverty rate in Na Ngoi was over 90%, the food produced by the people was only enough for 5-6 months a year, the rest had to go into the forest to find bamboo shoots, cassava, and yam to get by. Faced with that situation, Na Ngoi Border Guard Station coordinated with the 10th Corps to research and build a model of putting two-crop rice into production. However, because the practice of slash-and-burn cultivation had been deeply ingrained in the people's subconscious for a long time, the officers and soldiers had to spend a lot of time convincing and encouraging the people to follow. The soldiers and youth union members coordinated with the local government to invite the people, village elders, and village chiefs to the fields to see how the soldiers did it. From plowing, sowing new rice seeds, weeding, fertilizing, to harvesting, the officers gave detailed instructions. In the first bumper crop, the people were happy to receive each golden, shiny grain of rice. Season after season, the rice growing area was expanded, granaries were full, and there was no longer the famine like in previous years.

Mr. Phan Van Khoa, Head of the Technical Planning Department of the Provincial Youth Union Construction Team 10, said: “The consequences of poverty are the cause of social evils in border areas such as drug trafficking, theft, robbery, illegal immigration and border crossing. When we take care of people's stomachs and develop the economy, social evils will gradually decrease, national defense and security will be maintained”. Not only providing technical guidance, in recent years, Team 10 has planted and provided millions of seedlings and livestock for people in villages in Na Ngoi commune. Therefore, people not only have enough food and clothing but also strive to become rich, with houses with dozens of hectares of rice fields, herds of up to dozens of buffaloes, and pigs and chickens filling their pens. Mr. Xong Nhia Chong in Ka Duoi village happily boasted: “Seeing what the soldiers and young people can do, I also do the same. Now my family has enough to eat, no longer hungry and having to burn fields or migrate to Laos like before. Thanks to the cadres, the people in the village have become rich on the land of their ancestors.”

In addition to rice as the main food crop, snow shan tea, arrowroot, ginger... are also being grown on a large scale in border communes. Thanks to the support, techniques and product consumption of Economic-Defense Group 4, especially difficult communes such as Nam Can, Na Ngoi, Muong Ai, Muong Tip are gradually changing. When the harvest season comes, people flock to bring products to the barracks, take money home to buy things, and take care of their children's education, and everyone is happy. "Every year, my family earns about 50-60 million VND from growing arrowroot and ginger. This year, with a good harvest, the income will surely be better. The army not only helps people have food and clothing, but also helps the villagers get rich. Now every family can buy a motorbike, build a spacious house, and buy many expensive amenities. The villagers always remember the merits and admire the soldiers of Uncle Ho's army very much!" - Ms. Lau Y Hoa in Na Ngoi commune happily boasted.

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