The Border Guard Force of An Giang Province are tasked with monitoring a nearly 100km-long border line adjacent to Cambodia’s Kandal and Takeo provinces. The provincial border area consists of 05 districts, towns, and cities, inhabited by various ethnic groups, and features 02 international border gates, 02 main border gates, 01 secondary border gate, and numerous civilian pathways. Therefore, it holds a crucial position in the province’s defence, security, and foreign relations. In recent years, despite national sovereignty, the security of the national border, political security, social order, and public safety in the provincial border area have generally been stable, and people’s lives have gradually improved, there are still potential factors that may lead to instability. Issues such as smuggling, trade fraud, various crimes, social vices, and violations of Border Regulations remain complex. This is also the area where hostile forces are intensifying their “peaceful evolution” strategy with increasingly sophisticated tactics, aiming to divide the unity among ethnic groups and disrupt the traditional friendly relations between the two countries. In the face of this situation, as the core force, specialised in monitoring and protecting national sovereignty and border security, the Party Committee and the Command of An Giang Border Guard provide counsel to the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council, and People’s Committee to strengthen leadership and direction in building the all-people border defence posture, closely linked to the people’s national defence and people’s security posture, creating a solid and strong position to protect national sovereignty and border security.

An Giang Border Guard's Party Committee's meeting to deploy tasks for the second half of 2023

First and foremost, the Party Committee and the Command of the An Giang Border Guard actively advise and coordinate with the local party committees and authorities and collaborate with various organisations and forces to enhance propaganda and education efforts. This ensures that the political system and the entire population, especially those living in border areas, have a firm grasp of the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policies, and laws. It also helps them understand hostile forces’ schemes and tactics and recognise their significance, importance, role, and responsibilities in building a strong all-people border defence posture. Alongside a focus on effectively carrying out the work of defence and security education and training closely linked with the implementation of the “Strengthening Propaganda, Dissemination, and Legal Education for Officials and People in Border Areas” Project, An Giang Border Guard works closely with local party committees, authorities, and military units stationed in the area to thoroughly implement and execute the directives and resolutions of the Party and the State. The key focus includes the 8^th Central Party Committee Resolution (9^th Tenure) on Strategy to Defend the Motherland in New Situations, Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW of the Politburo (12^th Tenure) on the National Border Protection Strategy, the National Border Law, Government Decree No. 34/2014/NĐ-CP on the Land Border Area Regulations, as well as various agreements, legal documents on border demarcation signed between the two countries, and directives and resolutions of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, the Border Guard Command, the Provincial Party Committee, and the Provincial People’s Committee concerning the mission of building the all-people border defence system, the border defence posture, safeguarding national sovereignty, border security, etc. Through these efforts, all organisations, forces, and the people can clearly understand that the border and territory are sacred and inviolable, and protecting the border is a vital and continuous mission of the entire Party, people, and military, as well as the entire political system, and the Border Guard serves as the core specialised force in this regard. To effectively implement these objectives, An Giang Border Guard Command directs its subordinate units, starting with the Political Division, to coordinate with the Provincial Party Committee’s Propaganda and Education Board, the An Giang Radio and Television and An Giang News to enhance propaganda efforts. They regularly update the content, programmes, and forms of propaganda regarding the construction of the all-people border defence posture, and the protection of national sovereignty and border security, delivering these messages to the people in a comprehensive and timely manner. Simultaneously, they provide guidance to agencies and units to collaborate with local party committees and authorities in mobilising the masses. They actively leverage the roles of village elders, hamlet chiefs, and respected individuals within various clans and social and religious groups. With diverse approaches and practical, context-specific methods suitable for the local population and border area conditions, the awareness and responsibility of the people are increasingly elevated, laying a solid foundation for the successful development and execution of the critical border defence posture.

An Giang Provincial Border Guard provides free healthcheck for ethnic groups

Recognising that establishing a strong grassroots political system in border areas is the foundation for building the all-people border defence posture, An Giang Border Guard actively provides counsel to local party committees and authorities to consolidate political bases while combining economic and social development with national defence and security enhancement. In line with this direction, the Provincial Border Guard Command and Party Committee strictly implement Decision No. 814-QD/TU, dated December 19, 2014, of the An Giang Provincial Party Committee on “Temporary Regulations on the Responsibilities, Tasks, and Working Relationships of Party Members in Border Guard Posts Participating in Activities at the Commune and Ward Party Cells in Border Areas”, as well as Directive No. 681-CT/ĐU, dated October 8, 2018, of the Border Guard Forces Party Committee on “Assigning Party Members in Border Guard Posts to Be Responsible for Households in Border Areas”. The assignment of Border Guard personnel in various regions is carried out under close guidance, with comprehensive and in-depth deployment, with a particular focus on prioritising the development of key defence and security-focused communes. Personnel assigned to these areas are carefully selected and meet all requirements regarding political integrity, ethics, lifestyles, working methods and conduct. They also possess an understanding of the customs and habits of the local residents, and the ability to provide counsel and credibility with local party committees and authorities. In addition to the additional assignment of personnel at the grassroots level, the An Giang Border Guard also organises local outreach teams that “live, eat, and work” alongside the people. They assist the local population in developing their production activities to stabilise their lives and provide counsel to authorities at all levels in caring for the overall well-being of the people. This contributes to the establishment of a “people’s heart and mind posture” and a strong “borderline of the people”. From the beginning of 2022 until now, An Giang Border Guard has collaborated with local authorities to open 56 literacy classes and 71 primary education classes, with border guard officers and soldiers directly teaching over 4,200 students. Responding to the “Help the Kids Go to School” movement and addressing the aftermath of natural disasters, An Giang Border Guard has collaborated with the Fatherland Front at all levels to build 640 “Great Unity” and “Border Warmth” houses for the needy along the border. They have also organised medical examinations, treatment, and free medication distribution for tens of thousands of people in the region. These practical and effective initiatives by An Giang Border Guard have fostered trust among ethnic communities in the Party, the State, and the Military, contributing to the strengthening of national unity, civilian-military unity, and the construction of a robust “people’s heart and mind posture” in the border area.

Holding classes for Cham children

The practical experience in the border region of the province demonstrates that the all-people border defence posture can only be robust when it harnesses the collective strength of the entire population in managing and protecting national sovereignty and border security under the principle: “Every border resident is a vigilant border soldier.” Therefore, An Giang Border Guard actively advises and collaborates with local departments, agencies, and organisations to establish and expand community-based models participating in the development, management and defence of the border area. Some examples include “Self-management of border roads and border markers” teams, “Women’s groups participating in border road and border marker protection”, “Self-management of security and order in border hamlets and villages” teams, etc.

Particular emphasis is placed on advising and promoting the development of the all-people’s border defence posture in conjunction with the all-people’s defence and security posture. The Party Committee and the Command of An Giang Border Guard identify the need to focus on studying, monitoring, and forecasting the situation on both sides of the border. They timely provide counsel to the province authority and the higher command to effectively address issues related to border demarcation, border marker placement, and measures to effectively prevent unauthorised border crossings and cross-border crimes. Additionally, they strengthen operational measures to ensure political security, order, and social safety. The Provincial Border Guard Command also directs its units to actively engage with local authorities and on-site forces in building a robust defence area, closely coordinating with other agencies in border management and protection. They regularly review, develop, supplement, and improve the system of combat documents. Furthermore, they intensify training and discipline-building, ensuring combat readiness and safety for its units and areas of operation, preventing any surprises or disruptions. In addition, they actively participate in regional defence exercises at the provincial and district levels, as well as in border defence group exercises to enhance coordination and cooperation capabilities in handling situations related to unit protection and local defence. At the same time, they closely collaborate with other military units, the police, customs, and border guard forces of neighbouring provinces to implement coordination regulations for activities in the work of protecting sovereignty and border security, as well as the management of border crossings and immigration.

Furthermore, An Giang Border Guard Party Committee and Command have focused their leadership and guidance on effectively conducting foreign affairs work in border areas. They have mobilised the population to carry out people’s diplomacy effectively to strengthen and leverage the friendly traditional ties with the Cambodian government and armed forces. Various agencies and border posts, and stations actively coordinate with provincial and district authorities and departments to implement the directive of the Border Guard Command on establishing sisterhood between communities on both sides of the border. This contributes to the building of a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development. Regular and ad-hoc diplomatic meetings are maintained, and joint patrols are conducted with Cambodian units. Simultaneously, they focus on providing counsel and proposing solutions to effectively organise, deploy, and utilise armed forces in border areas to establish a strong military presence in border areas. Thanks to successful foreign affairs efforts, over the years, An Giang Border Guard has collaborated with the Cambodian border units to conduct border patrols and effectively combat various types of crimes. Both sides have identified and established 35 out of 46 main border markers and demarcated 75,828 out of 96 kilometres of the border. And all border-related incidents have been cooperatively resolved and conclusively handled by both parties.

In the upcoming period, in response to the new requirements of the cause of national defence and development and considering the potential security risks in the border area of An Giang Province, there is a growing demand for the management and protection of territorial sovereignty and national border security. Based on the achievements and experience gained, An Giang Border Guard Party Committee and Command will continue to provide comprehensive and coordinated leadership and direction across all aspects of their work. This includes a focused effort on building a strong all-people border defence and a resilient “people’s heart and mind posture”. This will establish the foundation needed to effectively fulfil the mission of managing and protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security, while also contributing to the building of a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development, which allow us to effectively protect the Motherland early and from afar.

Senior Colonel TRAN QUOC KHANH, Commander of An Giang Border Guard