Nghe An tightens control of border areas

Prevent illegal entry and border crossing

These days, many people in the Tien Tieu border village, Nam Can commune (Ky Son) talk a lot about the trial of Lau Ba Chu in Nam Can commune. Just for a profit of a few million dong, Chu ignored the time when the whole country was struggling to fight the epidemic to illegally bring people across the border from Laos to Vietnam, avoiding quarantine. Previously, on June 7, 2020, at the request of Dau Xuan Chung and a person named Phu, Lau Ba Chu organized to bring these two people to Laos for a salary of 3.5 million dong/person. The next day, Lau Ba Chu brought Chung from Laos to Vietnam for 1.1 million Lao kip. When entering the Vietnamese border, he was discovered and arrested by the authorities. The 12-month prison sentence has awakened Lau Ba Chu and many people in this border village, because up to now, they still thought that bringing people into Vietnam through trails and openings was a normal thing...

Lau Ba Chu was tried by the People's Court of Nghe An province on December 14, 2020 for "deliberately smuggling people into and out of the country illegally". Photo courtesy of Tran Vu

Lau Ba Chu is one of hundreds of cases that the Border Guard discovered and prevented when illegally crossing the border in 2020. In Ky Son district alone, in 2020, border guards and commune authorities arrested and handled 66 cases with 128 subjects illegally entering and exiting the country. Of these, 54 cases and 84 subjects were fined with a total of 253 million VND; 1 case of 1 subject illegally entering the country and 1 case of 2 subjects organizing others to illegally escape abroad.

Border Guard forces patrol and control to prevent citizens from entering the country illegally. Photo: Archive

Therefore, from the beginning of the year, the CommandBorder Guard(BĐBP) of the province has directed the deployment of forces to block all border gates, trails, and openings, both to prevent and combat crime and to prevent migration and emigration.illegal entry. Therefore, most cases of illegal entry through trails and openings are promptly detected by the Border Guard force, taken to centralized quarantine areas or handled according to regulations. For example, in Ky Son, on December 18, at Khe Linh village, Keng Du Border Guard Station discovered and arrested Chich Pho Chanh (born in 1982) and Chich Van Dai (born in 1995), both residing in Bao Nam commune, for illegal entry from Laos. Previously, these two subjects crossed the border from Keng Du commune to Co Dua village, Huoi Lom village cluster, Noong Het district, Xieng Khouang, Laos. In Keng Du commune alone, in 2020, Keng Du Border Guard Station discovered and handled 10 cases and 27 subjects violating the law on border protection and immigration.

Since the beginning of 2020, the Border Guard Command has directed units on the land border to coordinate with local forces to establish 67 teams.pinfixed and mobile with a force of more than 500 people; sent 50 soldiers to perform duties in quarantine areas with more than 5,000 citizens. At the same time, the Border Guard force also presided over and coordinated the detection and arrest of 80 cases and 161 subjects entering the country illegally. Of which, 3 cases and 4 subjects were prosecuted for organizing brokerage and illegally bringing people across the border; 71 cases and 121 subjects were administratively fined with a total amount of more than 400 million VND. For serious violations, when discovered, they will be prosecuted before the law, such as the case of Lau Ba Chu in Nam Can commune (Ky Son).

Campaign to prevent migration to Laos

For many years now, in border communes, especially for the Mong people, thefree migrationMigration to Laos still occurs. In Nam Can commune (Ky Son), from 2018 onwards, every year there are Mong families migrating to Laos. There were times when the number of people migrating to Laos was quite large, such as in 2012 - 2015, each year there were 12 - 16 households migrating. Therefore, Nam Can Border Guard Station has strengthened its grip on the base, coordinated with local authorities to propagate and mobilize people not to migrate freely. For example, the family of Mr. Xong Ba Nhenh in Huoi Nhao village, at the end of December 2019, the whole family of 7 people including 2 parents and 5 children, after a period of migrating to work in Laos, returned to their hometown. Upon receiving the information, officers and soldiers of Nam Can Border Guard Station went to meet the family and provided necessities to Mr. Nhenh's family.

Officers of Nam Can Border Guard Station persuaded Xong Ba Nhenh's family not to freely migrate to Laos. Photo: Hoai Thu

In 2020, the station coordinated with local authorities to help Xong Ba Nhenh's family rebuild their house, mobilized his children to return to school, and persuaded Xong Ba Nhenh's family to give up the idea of ​​migrating freely, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, since then, not only has Xong Ba Nhenh stayed in Huoi Nhao village to work hard and raise his children, but he has also participated in propaganda sessions to persuade people not to migrate freely. Thanks to "living witnesses" like Mr. Nhenh, since 2019, Nam Can commune has not had any cases of migration to Laos.

In the communeMuong Ai, thanks to the close coordination between the Muong Ai Border Guard Station and the Party Committee, the commune government and the villages, the people are increasingly self-aware in preventing and fighting the Covid-19 epidemic and preventing and fighting migration to Laos. For example, in Pha Noi village, Pha Noi village chief Lau No Xu said that two Mong families in Pha Noi have agreed to slaughter buffaloes for sacrifice and establish a village covenant to prevent and fight against illegal migration to fight the Covid-19 epidemic. "All villagers, from the elderly to the children, must commit to absolutely not returning from the epidemic area; not allowing people from the epidemic area to enter the area; not crossing the border to other countries and not accepting strangers into the village to ensure absolute safety. These contents will be added to the village covenant for unified implementation, anyone who violates will be punished according to the village's regulations" - Mr. Lau No Xu said.

Nghe An Border Guards coordinate with Lao authorities to patrol and control the border to maintain peace. Photo courtesy of Hai Thuong

Identifying the importance of protecting political security in border areas, at the conference to review experiences in implementing the coordination regulations between the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and border districts and towns held on December 18, Colonel Le Nhu Cuong - Political Commissar of the Provincial Border Guard affirmed that in the coming time, the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and the district and town Party Committees will continue to lead and direct border posts and Party committees and authorities of border and coastal communes and wards to strengthen closer coordination in all fields to contribute to building an increasingly strong people's border defense.

In 27 border communes of Nghe An, in 2020, the border guards, together with local authorities, discovered 9 households with 48 Mong ethnic people migrating to Laos; discovered 5 households with 25 people illegally exiting and residing in Laos; and received and returned to Vietnam 4 households with 17 people who had illegally migrated from Laos.

In particular, the focus is on implementing Resolution 33 of the Politburo on the National Border Protection Strategy; Directive 01 of the Prime Minister on the mass movement to participate in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation; Directive 05 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". Coordinate leadership and direction to promote propaganda and mobilize the masses; promote the role of village elders, village chiefs, and prestigious people; effectively carry out the mass movement to participate in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security, especially tightening control of border areas.