Efforts for peace in the remote border areas

Pay attention to propaganda and dissemination of law

Muong Tip is a border commune of Ky Son district, with complex and rugged terrain, mainly inhabited by Mong, Kho Mu and Thai ethnic groups, with low educational level; infrastructure, facilities, transportation as well as people's lives are still very difficult. This is the area most easily exploited by criminals to transport drugs from Laos to Vietnam.

Despite difficulties in transportation and some villages are frequently affected by landslides, and many households are poor, the security and order situation in 9 villages of Muong Tip has been stable for many years, without any "hot" situation of law violations. Mr. Ha Ba Thai - Chairman of Muong Tip Commune People's Committee said: The commune government as well as the armed forces stationed in the area determined that promoting legal propaganda in many forms according to the motto "slow and steady wins the race" is the most effective measure to prevent law violations. When people have a clear understanding of the provisions of the law, they will be self-aware and remind those around them to "say no" to law violations.

Muong Tip Commune People's Committee and other forces coordinate to disseminate the law to the people. Photo: PV

Faced with the fact that people still have the habit of using guns to hunt wild animals and protect crops, which leads to many consequences arising from the storage and use of weapons and explosives, the local Party Committee and government have proactively coordinated with the Muong Ai Border Guard Station to strengthen propaganda and mobilization work so that people understand the harmful effects of storing and using illegal weapons and explosives, thereby voluntarily handing them over. In addition to going to homes and huts, the locality also integrates propaganda through village meetings, meetings of mass organizations, and propaganda through the voices of village elders and prestigious people in the area.

According to the Commander of Muong Ai Border Guard Station, since the beginning of 2022, the station has coordinated with the two localities of Muong Tip, Muong Ai and other forces to mobilize people to voluntarily hand over a total of 40 homemade guns; organized 450 households to sign a commitment "Not to store or use weapons, explosives, support tools, especially using homemade guns to hunt animals".

To learn more about the law violation prevention solutions of the border commune of Muong Tip, we went to Pha Noi village, one of the farthest villages, more than 20 km from the commune center and had to go around Muong Ai to get there. Pha Noi village is located on both sides of the newly built Muong Tip - Muong Ai - Na Ngoi - Nam Can road, with a strong smell of asphalt. Pha Noi village Party Secretary Lau Chia Xong said: With this new road, the villagers have much more convenience in traveling, especially during the rainy season. The new road also helps commune and village cadres to reach the people to disseminate work and propagate the law more easily.

Speaking more about this, Pha Noi Village Chief Lau Ba Gio shared that, thanks to the propaganda and dissemination of legal regulations, Pha Noi villagers have always raised their awareness in crime prevention and control for many years, advising each other not to violate the law or violate border regulations. For example, in 2021, when the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, although no one in Pha Noi village was infected, the village committee proactively proposed to the People's Committee of the commune and the Muong Ai Border Guard Station to increase visits to each house to encourage each person to take measures to prevent and control the epidemic. After that, the village committee also organized a ceremony to sign a commitment not to cross the border, not to migrate freely, and not to contact strangers for all families in the village. Thanks to that, during the lockdown period to fight the epidemic, there were no cases of violations of regulations.

Muong Tip Commune launched the model "Political system joins hands to help and educate people to reintegrate into the community" in 2022. Photo: PV

“Now in mid-2022, the Covid-19 epidemic has been almost pushed back, the visiting and exchanging activities between the people of Pha Noi and neighboring villages as well as with the Xam Che village cluster of Laos have resumed, happier and more friendly than before. Recently, the Pha Noi village management board has just met with the management board of the neighboring village cluster to resolve the issue of some buffaloes and cows of the village straying to the neighboring village, damaging some food crops in the fields. After meeting and sharing, both sides learned from experience and agreed to increase propaganda so that people on both sides do not violate the law and border regulations,” said Mr. Lau Chia Xong, Secretary of the Pha Noi village Party Cell.

Coordinate to protect and maintain border peace

In 9 villages of Muong Tip commune, thanks to the participation of village management boards, close coordination of the commune People's Committee and the Border Guard and regular police forces in the area, the security and order situation has been basically maintained stable. Violations of the law such as illegal border crossing, drug crimes, illegal exploitation, transportation, purchase and sale of forest products, fishing with electric shocks on rivers and streams; illegal use of homemade weapons, military weapons, explosives, land disputes, etc. have been gradually controlled.

The Commander of Muong Ai Border Guard Station said: The station is responsible for managing and protecting 52 km of the Vietnam - Laos border, the management area includes 2 communes Muong Ai and Muong Tip with 1,044 households/5,737 people. Every year, the unit always agrees on coordination measures to ensure security and order with the People's Committees of the communes. Accordingly, the station sends officers and soldiers to strengthen their grasp of the area, closely follow the people to widely propagate the Party's policies and the State's laws. The propaganda content focuses on regulations on administrative sanctions in the field of management and protection of national borders; Border Law, Law on Drug Prevention and Control and Crime; Law on Marriage and Family, prevention and control of human trafficking, incestuous marriage, etc.

Muong Ai Border Guard Station coordinated with the Police and Youth Union to propagate crime prevention to people in Muong Tip and Muong Ai communes. Photo: PV

Muong Ai Border Guard Station also coordinates with local schools to organize border education classes; the "March Border Month" program aims to introduce to union members, youth and students in the area the significance of the border, national border markers and the responsibility of the young generation in protecting the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland. In addition, Muong Ai Border Guard Station also coordinates with the People's Committee of the commune and the management boards of the villages to organize propaganda and mobilize households to sign commitments to implement border regulations, not to slash and burn, cultivate illegally.

The leader of Muong Tip commune also said: With the support of the local armed forces, the people of Muong Tip villages were widely informed of the content of the Project "Strengthening the dissemination and education of law for officials and people in border and island areas in the period of 2017 - 2021"; Directive 05-CT/TU, dated April 27, 2016 of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee on "Strengthening the protection of sovereignty, border security, and sea areas of Nghe An province in the new situation"... In addition, Muong Tip commune effectively maintained the operation of 9 self-management teams for border lines and landmarks and 9 self-management teams for security and order in villages and hamlets. In 2022, in addition to implementing the Project "Building a clean commune against drugs", the Party Committee and the government of Muong Tip commune also coordinated with the commune police force to launch the model "The political system joins hands, contributes to helping and educating people who have made mistakes to reintegrate into the community".

“Thanks to synchronous solutions, the security and order situation in Muong Tip commune has always been stable, people live in peace and actively and voluntarily coordinate with border forces to firmly protect border security and sovereignty,” affirmed Mr. Ha Ba Thai, Chairman of Muong Tip Commune People's Committee.