The government proposes arming fisheries inspectors.
The government has just proposed arming the fisheries patrol force, a newly established force under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
This proposal was put forward in the submission "Supplementing the Draft Ordinance amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Ordinance on the management and use of weapons, explosives and supporting tools," at the 19th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee held from July 10-12.
According to Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang, this is an independent force tasked with directly patrolling, inspecting, controlling, detecting, and handling violations of fisheries laws in Vietnamese waters... It must constantly confront illegal activities, but currently it is only equipped with support tools as stipulated in Article 19 of Decree 25/2012/ND-CP.
Therefore, "to facilitate the Fisheries Surveillance Force in successfully fulfilling its assigned tasks, the Government proposes equipping the Fisheries Surveillance Force with military weapons when performing its duties," Minister Vu Huy Hoang said.
On behalf of the verification agency, Chairman of the National Defense and Security Committee Nguyen Kim Khoa stated that the majority of committee members agreed with this content and suggested that, given the complex developments in managing and protecting fishing grounds in Vietnam's waters today, equipping the Fisheries Surveillance Force with military weapons is necessary.
Fisheries patrol forces must truly become a shield for fishermen who depend on the sea for their livelihood.
Government Decree 102, which established the Fisheries Inspection Department and its inspection force, came into effect on January 25, 2013. This is considered a shield to prevent violations of Vietnam's sovereign waters and jurisdiction.
The decree states that the fisheries inspection force is a specialized state force, directly under the General Department of Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), performing the functions of patrolling, inspecting, controlling, detecting and handling violations of the law, and conducting specialized inspections of the fisheries sector in Vietnam's waters.
According to the General Department of Fisheries, fisheries inspectors will have the authority to impose administrative penalties and apply preventive measures against violations by domestic and foreign organizations and individuals operating in Vietnamese waters.
According to assessments from many agencies and experts, with the establishment of this force, Vietnamese fishermen will feel more secure going out to sea, having an additional "shield" at sea.
However, the workforce is lagging behind the demands of real life.
According to (Vietnam Fisheries) - LC
