Each citizen is a 'living milestone' protecting the border

"Eyes and ears" of the Border Guard at the border and landmarks

Nghe An province has a 468.281 km long land border adjacent to 3 provinces (Hua Phan, Xieng Khouang, Bolikhamxay) of Laos and 82 km of coastline. The border area includes 61 communes (wards) in 11 districts (towns) with 05 ethnic groups living there (Kinh, Thai, Mong, Kho Mu, Tho).

On the border roads, we met many people with "hot" hearts, high awareness and responsibility for the sovereignty of the border markers of their homeland. For example, Mr. Quang Van Thu - a prestigious person of Muong Phu village, Thong Thu commune (Que Phong), is 62 years old this year but still regularly participates in patrolling the border and border markers with officers and soldiers of Thong Thu Border Guard Station.

Besides, he also actively propagates and mobilizes people to be aware of protecting national sovereignty and borders.

“Muong Phu is a village close to the Vietnam-Laos border with 228 households. Every day, during the process of farming and production, if I encounter any unusual changes affecting the border signs, I promptly notify the Border Guard Station officers and local authorities for timely handling.

I also propagate to make people aware: protecting the border and landmarks means protecting the village and homeland. Only when the border is stable can people feel secure in working, producing, and developing the economy...

In Tam Hop commune (Tuong Duong), Mr. Vu Tong Long, born in 1960, in Huoi Son village, is also mentioned as a "big tree" with many contributions in implementing Directive No. 01/CT-TTG of the Prime Minister, on "the movement of all people participating in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation" and the work of building a national border defense.

As a village elder, Vu Tong Long regularly coordinates with the Border Guard to propagate and mobilize local people to strictly comply with the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws; especially those related to national defense - security and border work.

He also proactively kept abreast of the situation, promptly notified Tam Hop Border Guard Station to handle incidents occurring in the area; regularly participated in patrolling the border and border markers with officers and soldiers of Tam Hop Border Guard Station.

“From 2019 to now, village elder Vu Tong Long has provided Tam Hop Border Guard Station with over 50 pieces of information, including 5 valuable pieces of information related to violations of border regulations and illegal transportation of forest products.

In particular, he has promoted the role of a prestigious person in participating in propaganda and mobilizing villagers to relocate, ensuring the construction site for the new headquarters of Tam Hop Border Guard Station in Huoi Son village and the site for defense area drills.

With his contributions, village elder Vu Tong Long is one of six individuals awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Border Guard Command for their outstanding achievements in the 5 years of implementing the People's Border Guard Day, period 2019 - 2024" - Major Ha Huy Thien - Deputy Political Commissar of Tam Hop Border Guard Station said.

Not only the land border but also the sea border has many effective self-management models with many outstanding individuals. A typical example is Mr. Phan Van Hai - Party Cell Secretary, Chairman of the Fisheries Association of Quynh Lap Commune (Hoang Mai Town), who is also the captain of a fishing boat exploiting offshore seafood, has advised and coordinated with the Quynh Phuong Border Guard Station and the local People's Committee to establish, consolidate and maintain the operation of the Safe Boat Team.

During the process of exploiting seafood at sea, the safety boat team regularly exchanges information, grasps the situation, and reports to the Border Guard Station when detecting foreign vessels violating Vietnam's waters... contributing to protecting the sovereignty, border security and national waters.

As Chairman of the Fisheries Association, Mr. Phan Van Hai also propagated and mobilized other captains and ship owners to promptly inform the Border Guard when detecting strange ships and foreign ships violating Vietnam's waters. At the same time, strictly comply with the provisions of the law on seafood exploitation; do not violate the regulations on illegal seafood exploitation, unreported and not in accordance with the regulations of the European Commission EC. In addition, he participated and coordinated with the Border Guard force to do a good job of rescue and search and rescue at sea when requested.

With many outstanding contributions, Mr. Phan Van Hai is also one of 6 individuals awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Border Guard Command for outstanding achievements in 5 years of implementing the People's Border Guard Day, period 2019 - 2024.

In practice, with a long border, a border area with complex terrain, large with many trails and openings like in Nghe An, no one else but the people living, working and producing in the land and sea border areas have become the trusted "eyes and ears" of the Border Guard force in protecting the homeland's borders.

Building a strong national border defense

As a core, specialized force, over the past time, Nghe An Border Guard has coordinated with Party committees and authorities at all levels to resolutely and synchronously deploy solutions to build a strong people's border defense, in order to create a combined strength, firmly protect the territorial sovereignty and national border security.

Quynh Phuong Border Guard Station is responsible for managing and protecting the 15.5km length of the maritime border, 01 Con creek mouth and 03 communes and wards located in the maritime border area, including Quynh Lap commune, Quynh Lien commune and Quynh Phuong ward (Hoang Mai town) with a total population of 9,177 households/39,147 people, 1,082 large and small boats/6,353 seafood fishing workers.

Along with organizing patrols and controls on estuaries, on rivers and at sea; checking and controlling at registration stations and verifying to ensure compliance with regulations.

The station has regularly coordinated with local Party committees and authorities to promote the dissemination of laws; signed commitments for 4,343 vehicle owners on not illegally exploiting foreign waters, violating IUU regulations and regulations on fishing and seafood.

At the same time, maintain the effective operation of 24 teams/153 individuals self-managing security and order in villages and residential groups; 05 teams/31 ships and boats/231 members of safe ship and boat teams; 02 wharves/31 members of safe wharves and 02 models of "fishing safety for peaceful seas and islands".

Thereby, promoting the role and responsibility of collectives, households and each citizen in the task of protecting sovereignty, maintaining political security and order and safety in maritime border areas.

Meanwhile, Nam Can border commune is located in the West of Ky Son district, where there is a 23,099 km border line adjacent to Noong Het district (Laos). The whole commune has 6 villages with 984 households, 5,061 people with 4 ethnic groups living together, of which Mong ethnic group accounts for 70.5%.

According to Mr. Lang Van Luong - Secretary of the Party Committee of Nam Can commune: In recent years, the local Party Committee and government have coordinated with the Border Guard force to effectively propagate the protection of border lines and landmarks, so ethnic people have a high sense of vigilance.

Currently, in the commune, there are 4 collectives and 30 households participating in the implementation of the model of self-management of border lines and national border markers and 6 self-management groups for security and order in 6 villages. When going to the forest or farming across the border line or border markers and detecting unusual signs, collectives, households and individuals doing business and production in the border area promptly report to the commune and border guard station for handling.

Thanks to good self-management of border lines and landmarks, people in villages and hamlets along the border can work and produce with peace of mind to stabilize their lives long-term, limiting migration and violations of border regulations.

According to the general assessment: Implementing Directive No. 01/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister "On organizing the movement of the entire people to participate in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation" and Directive 05-CT/TU, dated April 27, 2016 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on "Strengthening the protection of sovereignty and border security and sea areas of Nghe An province in the new situation", local Party committees and authorities in border areas have regularly coordinated with the Border Guard force, reviewed and supplemented border self-management teams, landmarks, boat teams, safe wharves...

Thereby, promoting the role of the masses in participating in managing and protecting the national border. Currently, the whole province has 88 collectives, 916 households, 2,102 individuals self-managing 468.281km of border line; 116 national border markers; 944 teams/17,810 individuals self-managing security and order in hamlets and villages; 137 teams/1,464 ships and boats/5,495 members of safe ship and boat teams; 21 wharves/262 members of safe wharves. Of which, there are 27 vehicles/270 people ready to mobilize human resources of ships and boats to participate in protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands.

In addition, to contribute to building a strong border area, the forces stationed in the border areas have actively implemented models and programs to help people develop socio-economy, eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, contributing to improving the material and spiritual life of ethnic people.

Agencies, departments and branches effectively implemented the content of helping 22 border communes according to Decision No. 2209/QD-UBND, dated July 29, 2022 of the Provincial People's Committee on assigning agencies and units to receive help for especially difficult communes in Nghe An province.

Party committees and authorities of localities in border areas have also effectively promoted the role and activities of 328 village elders, hamlet (hamlet) chiefs, and prestigious people in propaganda, mobilization, and gathering the masses to participate in managing and protecting border security and sovereignty.

At the same time, proactively and creatively deploy many new models and good practices in organizing and implementing the National Border Defense Day (March 3 every year) to contribute to building great solidarity and creating positive changes in awareness and responsibility of the masses towards the task of building and protecting the border.

At the conference to review 5 years of implementing the People's Border Defense Day (2019 - 2024 period), comrade Le Hong Vinh - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province requested branches, levels, agencies, units, localities and functional forces (the core of which is the Border Guard) to pay attention to improving the quality and effectiveness of the movement of all people participating in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation associated with implementing the People's Border Defense Day and local revolutionary movements and campaigns.

From there, make each person in the land border and sea border areas become "living landmarks", woven into a "fence" to firmly protect the territorial sovereignty, national border security, and the sea and islands of the Fatherland.