Reporter writes: Behind the "hot" issue!
Working on complex issues arising in society, it is not uncommon for journalists to encounter ironic truths, causing many difficulties when sitting in front of the page to write.
Nhat Lan• January 27, 2025
Working on complex issues arising in society, it is not uncommon for journalists to encounter ironic truths, causing many difficulties when sitting in front of the page to write.
The news that fisheries inspectors lost their jobs came to us in early April 2024. It was too surprising. Because at this time, the Government is strongly directing to step up activities against illegal fishing to remove the EU yellow card. The person who delivered the news, a former fisheries inspector, is now a reporter for Nghe An Newspaper. He reported the news because he felt sorry for his former colleagues, who were captains, mechanics, and skilled sailors with many years of experience; and because of the impatience that "without them, fisheries inspection ships are on shore, fisheries inspection work at sea is completely paralyzed...".
Meeting the fisheries inspectors, it seems that they - people who have experienced the wind and sun of the sea, are brave and courageous - will not be influenced by emotions. However, through conversation, we feel that they have a strong love for their job. Even though the management unit has announced to stop working and not be paid, they are still by the two fisheries inspection boats on the banks of the Lam River, holding on to the hope of re-signing the contract to continue going out to sea. We also see in them the belief that "people need work, but work needs people".
The belief of the fisheries control workers is well-founded. Because the responsible people of the management unit have repeatedly affirmed that in order to combat illegal fishing, it is necessary to strengthen fisheries control at sea. But to carry out the task of fisheries control at sea, there must be these workers to not only operate ships and canoes but also support the inspection of fishing vessels. Because in illegal fishing activities at sea, there are many subjects who are very reckless, daring, and ready to resist when inspected. In short, fisheries control workers are indispensable. Even a leader of the fisheries sector, when asked, exclaimed, "Because of this, I have lost my hair and my appetite."
Regarding the reason, the answer was that due to new regulations, the managing unit could not re-sign the contract. Some questions were raised: Why not request the superiors to consider? Why not temporarily advance the salary so that the fisheries inspectors could continue working while waiting for the superiors to find a solution?... Ironically, when "reports came back from offshore, illegal fishing activities at sea were still happening again", the person in charge said, and at the same time affirmed that temporary solutions had been implemented as asked, but in vain!
Upon investigation, it is true that there are regulations that have prevented relevant agencies from finding a way to re-arrange jobs for fisheries inspectors. Therefore, if there are regulations, they must be implemented! Information flow about the current situation of “fishery inspectors losing their jobs, fisheries inspector ships staying ashore, and fisheries inspection work paralyzed”was transmitted by Nghe An Newspaper. Many press agencies then also paid attention and continued to investigate and reflect. Authorities at all levels and sectors also took action, paying attention and focusing on finding solutions to help the fisheries inspectors return to their ships and resume fisheries inspection activities.
On May 13, 2024, right after the fisheries control workers' contracts were renewed, Nghe An Newspaper reporters were able to join the first fisheries control ship after many days of "temporary suspension" of operations. That was the KN-668-NA ship, departing from Cua Lo port to bring the Inter-sectoral Working Group to inspect the sea area of Mat Island. After only a few hours of patrolling, a number of fishing boats illegally fishing for seafood were discovered. And, what remained in us was the sparkling joy on the sun-tanned faces of the fisheries control workers...
In mid-October 2024, Nghe An Newspaper received a complaint from a citizen, related to Ngoc Linh Ginseng Pharmaceutical Group Joint Stock Company - a business that is implementing a project to grow medicinal herbs under the forest canopy in Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son border district. The complaint includes many contents: disputes over personal interests in the business, the situation of workers being deprived of legitimate rights, etc. But it is worth noting that the content of the complaintthe act of destroying protective forests to grow Ngoc Linh ginseng.
Nghe An is a province with many border forest areas associated with a large number of ethnic minorities, whose economic life is still very difficult. Therefore, in recent years, the province has researched the multi-purpose nature of natural forests, from which it has a policy of testing models of growing medicinal plants under the forest canopy. Hopefully, this will be an economic development direction, contributing to positive changes in the lives of people in mountainous areas.
The cooperation between Ngoc Linh Ginseng Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company and Ky Son Protective Forest Management Board to plant Ngoc Linh ginseng in Na Ngoi commune, in the Puxailaileng protective forest area, is understood to be a pilot model of planting medicinal plants under the forest canopy. At the time Nghe An Newspaper received the application, the planting of Ngoc Linh ginseng had been implemented for more than a year. Due to the experimental nature of a new economic model for the highlands, a number of working groups spent time in the Puxailaileng mountain area to visit the Ngoc Linh ginseng planting site. Therefore, the consideration and resolution of the complaint is something that the Editorial Board of Nghe An Newspaper must consider.
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With the information and documents collected, the content related to Puxailaileng protective forest is really worth paying attention to. Considering that Puxailaileng protective forest is rich in biodiversity, the Government has considered including it in the planning to become a "nature reserve" to preserve and protect it; according to the provisions of the law, it is strictly forbidden to act to change the status of protective forests; furthermore, considering that if there is no timely warning, the cooperation in planting Ngoc Linh ginseng will continue to have more negative impacts, becoming a "model" spreading similar consequences to the forest areas rich in biodiversity in the highlands of the province. For these reasons, Nghe An Newspaper has decided to take action.
From October 29 to 31, 2024, Nghe An Newspaper published a series of articles "Clarifying the negative impacts of Ngoc Linh ginseng planting on Puxailaileng protective forest". In response to the information reported by the Newspaper, the Forest Protection Department and the People's Committee of Ky Son district directed the functional units to inspect and clarify. Thereby, it was determined that Ngoc Linh ginseng planting was not in accordance with the approved design and had a negative impact on the protective forest. On November 18, 2024, Nghe An Newspaper continued to clarify this issue through the article "Through inspection of Ngoc Linh ginseng cultivation in Puxailaileng protective forest: It is necessary to promptly and seriously correct violations.!”.
It should be said that when the existence of Ngoc Linh ginseng cultivation in Puxailaileng protective forest was reported, Nghe An Newspaper received some mixed opinions.
However, the inspection results along with the request to temporarily stop growing Ngoc Linh ginseng to wait for the opinions of the superior agencies are the correct answer. In addition, on December 13, 2024, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Official Dispatch No. 5581/SNN-KHTC requesting Ngoc Linh Ginseng Pharmaceutical Group Joint Stock Company to strictly implement Decision No. 512/QD-SNN-QLKTKHCN dated August 10, 2023 approving the cooperation and association plan to grow medicinal plants under the forest canopy at the Ky Son Protective Forest Management Board; requesting strict compliance with legal regulations, ensuring that protective forests are managed, protected and developed. At the same time, directing relevant units to continue to clarify and overcome the contents reflected by Nghe An Newspaper.
Notably, also in Official Dispatch No. 5581/SNN-KHTC, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development requested the People's Committee of Ky Son district: "It is necessary to consider organizing a workshop to evaluate the models of growing medicinal herbs under the forest canopy being implemented in the area, especially precious medicinal herbs, to clarify the scientific basis, practical basis as well as legal regulations so that the locality can organize and implement them in a unified and synchronous manner"...
Information about violations in land acquisition and resettlement in Cua Lo town that Nghe An Newspaper has conveyed spans the two years 2023 - 2024. However, the feedback from the grassroots, and the collection of related documents, were basically gathered by Nghe An Newspaper reporters from 2022.
Going back in time, in mid-2022, Nghe An Newspaper hotline received information from a number of voters reflecting on the lack of transparency in land acquisition and resettlement in Nghi Huong and Nghi Hoa wards (Cua Lo Town) and signs of law violations. The content of the reflection has addresses, including related organizations and individuals, so verification has been carried out. After a long time of verification, Nghe An Newspaper reporters determined that the citizens' reflection was correct. Not only that, there is evidence showing that the violations in land acquisition and resettlement in Cua Lo town are serious, systematic, and have lasted for a long time, and there are signs that some key officials of the People's Committee of Cua Lo town have been "involved".
Although the case is very complicated, the leaders of Nghe An Newspaper determined that they must take responsibility to get involved, instruct their staff and reporters, using the records, documents and practical facts obtained through verification and investigation, to choose the form of information transmission.
That is the reason why in many land acquisition and resettlement records in Cua Lo town, Nghe An Newspaper reporters chose the case with the most obvious signs of violations to form the article. The articles "Signs of violations in the planning scope of Road 21, Cua Lo Town", "The "trickiness" in land acquisition within the planning scope of Road 21, Cua Lo Town?" were published by Nghe An Newspaper on October 26 and November 2, 2023. The content of the public case of land acquisition and resettlement land allocation in Nghi Hoa ward showed signs of violations by the People's Committee of Cua Lo town and a number of related units.
Because the information of the Newspaper is highly authentic, the Standing Committee of the Cua Lo Town Party Committee determined that a number of officials and party members holding state management positions have taken advantage of their positions and powers to commit illegal acts for personal gain, causing loss of public assets, and reducing people's trust in the Party Committee and the government. Therefore, it is urgent to direct the establishment of a Working Group to inspect and review land acquisition and resettlement work throughout the town from 2020 to June 2023.
By December 20, 2023, through inspection and review, many violations in land recovery and resettlement land allocation, related to key cadres and party members, were pointed out. However, because all violations have not been clarified and conclusions have not been drawn on organizations and individuals with violations, the Standing Committee of Cua Lo Town Party Committee had to establish a new Working Group to re-inspecte and review. Due to its complexity, the inspection lasted for more than 3 months, ending in April 2024. Thereby, it was determined that there were violations in the recovery of 55 plots of land, resettlement of 85 plots of land; initially recovered to the State budget 8.7 billion VND and 4 resettlement plots. At the same time, it was concluded that a number of Party organizations and party members had violations, including the Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Lo town.
From here, the Cua Lo Town Party Committee has made a detailed report to the Provincial Party Standing Committee. Faced with serious violations in the land sector in Cua Lo town, the Provincial Party Standing Committee has directed provincial agencies to take action. By June 2024, the Provincial Party Standing Committee decidedParty disciplineby expelling from the Party the Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Lo town and a number of Party members, for seriously violating Party regulations, violating the law causing very serious consequences that upset public opinion, affecting the reputation of the Party organization and the government. The Provincial Police Investigation Agency has also prosecuted 9 related subjects...
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As mentioned at the beginning of the article, when participating in complex issues arising in society, it is not uncommon for journalists to face ironic truths and "struggle" to convey information. The 3 incidents mentioned above are just a very small part of the many complex issues arising in the province that Nghe An Newspaper has contributed to solving in 2024...
