A bright spot to note in Xuan Son.

(Baonghean) - Xuan Son commune (Do Luong district) now clearly has a new face, with people of both Catholic and non-Catholic faiths united in building their homeland. This is partly due to the commune's Party Committee and people actively implementing Directive 11 of the Ministry of Public Security on "Continuing to promote the mass movement to protect national security among Catholic followers in the new situation".

Hamlet 1, Xuan Son commune, has 230 households, of which over 50% are Catholic. Before 1995, Hamlet 1 was known as a hotspot for security and order issues. In implementing Directive 11 of the Ministry of Public Security on "Continuing to promote the mass movement to protect national security among Catholic communities in the new situation," the Party branch and the hamlet's leadership committee organized a thorough dissemination of the Directive's content to the people and Catholic parishioners, implementing the resolution into practice.

The hamlet established self-governing security teams linked to residential areas. To encourage active participation of all residents in the national security protection movement, the hamlet focuses on propaganda and mobilization efforts to combat and report crimes. Hamlet organizations regularly visit and encourage families with drug addicts to undergo rehabilitation. Simultaneously, they intensify efforts to educate, persuade, and encourage drug dealers to surrender. Through the complaint box, residents have provided hundreds of valuable pieces of information, helping the police to screen and classify suspects, create management files, and establish a basis for combating criminal activity. As a result, the police force dismantled 5 drug trafficking hotspots, sent 4 individuals to centralized rehabilitation, and arrested and prosecuted 15 individuals involved in drug-related activities within the hamlet. Comrade Vo Van Huong, Secretary of the Party Branch and Head of Hamlet 1, Xuan Son Commune, said: “Through the implementation of the nationwide movement to protect national security, favorable conditions and environment have been created for people to focus on economic development. Besides developing agriculture, the people of Hamlet 1 are also promoting service and trade activities, developing civil carpentry… In particular, the people of both Catholic and non-Catholic faiths are united and highly cooperative in implementing the movements launched by the local authorities and higher levels…”

Residents of Hamlet 1, Xuan Son Commune (Do Luong District) spoke with reporters.

Along with focusing on socio-economic development, the Party Committee and government of Xuan Son commune directed mass organizations to effectively carry out propaganda and mobilization work, raising people's awareness of the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws in various fields. Through various forms of propaganda, the commune mobilized people to sign commitments to effectively implement the content of the "All People Protect National Security" movement, participate in self-governing security and order groups, and prevent and combat social crimes, in conjunction with the implementation of the local political tasks. The commune Party Committee issued a specialized resolution on "Improving the quality of the 'All People Protect National Security' movement among Catholic followers," and concretized directives and resolutions from higher levels. During the implementation process, the Party Committee and government coordinated closely with the Fatherland Front and mass organizations of the commune, working closely with religious leaders and officials; and promptly commended patriotic Catholics. The concern of the Party committee and the government for the people, the strengthening of solidarity between Catholics and non-Catholics, and the transformation of people's perceptions have contributed to defeating the distorted and slanderous allegations of hostile forces in the area.

A highlight of security protection work in Xuan Son commune is the police force's pivotal role in implementing the movement. The police coordinate with 24 self-governing security teams in residential areas to closely monitor the situation, listen to opinions, and understand the aspirations of the people in order to promptly handle issues and ensure order in each hamlet and residential area. Comrade Nguyen Dinh Tam, Head of the Xuan Son Commune Police, stated: “The commune police have done a good job advising the Party Committee and the government. Based on this, the Party Committee directs local departments and agencies to implement Directive 11 of the Ministry of Public Security. Through effective propaganda and mobilization, the movement for all citizens to protect national security in the area and in areas with religious communities has gained the people's consensus. Religious followers in the area actively participate in self-governing security teams, patrols, and report various types of crimes.” In addition, the police force, in coordination with the Fatherland Front and other departments, agencies, and organizations, has mobilized Catholic parishioners to participate in the movement to protect national security, and to encourage and rehabilitate those who have gone astray to reintegrate into the community. Furthermore, organizations and associations have developed effective models such as the "Shield" Club of the Women's Union and the "Helping Each Other" Club of the Youth Union.

This success is also due to the fact that the Party Committee and the government of Xuan Son commune have consistently cared for and strengthened the political system and core cadres at the grassroots level, making the political system in the Catholic area strong in all aspects. A prime example is Party Branch 1, which has consistently achieved the title of "Strong and Excellent" for many years. Within the Party Committee, there are four Catholic Party members assigned to positions such as Chairman of the Fatherland Front, Deputy Commander of the commune's militia, Deputy Secretary of the commune's Youth Union, and religious affairs officer. The Party Committee has paid attention to the recruitment of new Party members from the Catholic community; from 2004 to the present, Xuan Son has admitted two more Catholic Party members. Many Catholics have done well in both secular and religious affairs, serving as representatives in the district and commune People's Councils, participating in the Senior Citizens' Association, the Farmers' Association, etc.

In a conversation with us, Comrade Nguyen Viet The - Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune - shared: "Thanks to the joint efforts of the entire community, especially the role played by religious leaders and officials in the Catholic community, the security and order situation in the area has undergone a strong transformation. This result is achieved because the Party committee and government always rely on the people, listen to their opinions, and create a close relationship to mobilize both Catholic and non-Catholic communities to participate effectively in the nationwide movement to protect national security. As a result, the people boldly participate in the fight against crime and maintain peaceful lives in the locality." A source of joy for Xuan Son is that in 2014, the commune was honored by the Ministry of Public Security as a model nationwide in the summary of 20 years of implementing Directive 11 on the nationwide movement to protect national security in Catholic communities. This serves as motivation for Xuan Son to perform its duties of maintaining security and order even better, laying an important foundation for the socio-economic development of the locality.

Text and photos:Thanh Le