In the hostile forces’ strategy of "peaceful evolution", the country’s Northwest region¹ is a key area where they utilize complex and cunning plots and maneuvers to cause disorder. Therefore, finding solutions to defeat those plots and maneuvers, maintaining political stability, social order and safety in the region is a task of great importance.

In the past years, with priorities given by the Party and the State, the Northwest region has positively changed in all aspects; the socio-economic development has been boosted; defense and security potentials have been strengthened; political situation and social order and safety have been maintained; people's living conditions improved; the belief of ethnic minorities in the Party, the Government and the local Party committees and authorities has been strengthened as a solid foundation for building the Northwest region into a "stronghold" in the western border area of the country. However, there remain a number of difficulties that need to be addressed. Remarkably, the hostile and reactionary forces have abused ethnic, religious, "freedom", "democratic", and "human rights" issues to foster their activities aiming at destroying the great national unity block, separating the ethnic minority groups and the people from the local authorities and the Armed Forces, destabilizing political security and social order and safety.

The following are their major activities. (1) They focus on conducting propaganda on the establishment of the so-called "Hmong State", provoking free migration. They claim that: the international community has recognized the Hmong people as an orthodox people with its own territory, so the Hmong people should unite and honor new emerging figures who are there to establish their own state; currently, Hmong people have their own country in Laos, the Lao government does not prohibit Vietnamese Hmong people in border districts from residing in Laos; the land is vast while it is underpopulated in Laos. If they go there, their lives will be prosperous, so they should go there in response to the call of their community and the free Hmong state, etc. (2). Some foreign elements direct the reactionaries in the region to take advantage of social networks and create video clips to distort information, to condemn the local authorities for suppressing the people and violating "democracy", "human rights", and "religious freedom", to incite people to use force against the authorities at all levels, and to issue denunciations and call for international organizations’ intervention, etc. (3) They use the religious activities as a pretext for promoting illegal activities, conducting propaganda, enticing believers, strengthening organizations, inciting freedom of migration, etc. They tell the people that the God will come to receive them - his sons and daughters, and the God will give them money and better lives. Therefore, over the past two decades, the number of people practicing religions has increased rapidly while many churches and religious sites have been built; about 96% of the Hmong people follow Protestantism. More seriously, the number of new heresies with illegal activities and collective complaints has been on the rise while thousands of Hmong people have emigrated from their neighborhoods.

These maneuvers of the hostile forces both at home and abroad have significantly impacted on the political security and social order and safety in the Northwest region. In order to fight against, prevent, and step by step neutralize their plots and maneuvers, it is necessary to synchronously implement guidelines and solutions, with a focus on the following.

Firstly, strengthening propaganda and education work to raise the public awareness in the Northwest region towards plots and maneuvers of "peaceful evolution" by the hostile forces. The reality shows that the awareness of the ethnic minorities in the Northwest region towards the plots and maneuvers of the hostile forces in general, the "peaceful evolution" in particular is limited. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen propaganda and education work to raise their awareness of these issues.

To that end, first of all, it is important to enhance the awareness of the local committees, authorities, and organizations and armed forces towards the "peaceful evolution" activities, especially the new maneuvers of the hostile forces. Then, they could uphold their responsibilities, actively study to raise their knowledge in all aspects, especially their understanding of the customs, practices, and languages of ethnic minorities.

In addition, importance should be attached to accelerating propaganda to help the local people understand and follow the Party's guidelines and policies in general, the policies on ethnicity, religion, national great unity, the economic development, social security, and preferential treatment for the ethnic minorities in remote areas in particular, etc. In the process, it is necessary to have appropriate and close relations with the local people, "live, work, and speak the same languages with them”, match words with action to make the people understand, believe and support these policies; to absolutely respect the customs and practices of each ethnic group and avoid wrong actions and misbehaviors so that the enemy forces could exploit. At the same time, attention should be paid to promoting the synergy of different organizations and forces and building the core force, including the propaganda agencies and mass mobilization agencies, the Youth Union, Women's Union, Veterans Association, news agencies, radio stations, cultural activities, arts performances, etc.

Secondly, promoting socio-economic development, improving the material and spiritual life of the ethnic minorities in the Northwest region, focusing on the remote, isolated, ethnic minority inhabited areas. This is the key element in the struggle to defeat the hostile forces’ plots and maneuvers "peaceful evolution" and their acts of sabotage in the area. Therefore, the committees and authorities at all levels should focus on leading and directing the implementation of synchronous solutions to boost the regional economy.

In particular, due regard should be paid to building socio-economic infrastructure, adjusting mechanisms and policies, attracting investments, bringing into play the potentials and strengths of each locality, creating favorable conditions to encourage domestic and foreign enterprises developing industry, some agricultural products of high quality, and tourism. At the same time, it is essential to successfully implement the policies for social welfare, hunger eradication and poverty alleviation as well as the preferential treatment policies for the people with meritorious services to the revolutionary cause; to provide vocational training for ethnic minority groups; to implement the policies on religion and belief so as to ensure the freedom of belief and the freedom of non-belief for the people; to promote propaganda on building cultural life in villages and hamlets, and fight against manifestations of superstition and illegal religious activities. Furthermore, emphasis should be placed on promoting the role of economic-defense units stationed in the area in joining the civil projects, conducting researches and transferring technologies of animal and crop husbandry to the ethnic minorities so as to gradually improve the people’s living condition and prevent the forces hostiles’ sabotage plan.

Thirdly, maintaining the close coordination between the steering boards on the Party ideological foundation protection of the Military Region 2, the Border Guard Force High Command, and the regional provinces to effectively fight against the wrong viewpoints and distorted information. The regular, close and effective coordination among these steering boards in counseling, directing, and inspecting the task of fighting against "peaceful evolution" and defending the Party's ideological foundation provides an important basis for helping the local Party committees and authorities to lead and direct the struggle against the plots and maneuvers of hostile forces in the Northwest region. Therefore, the Party Committee and Command of the Military Region 2, the Party Committee of the High Command of the Border Guard Force, and Provincial Party Committees should develop a Regulation on close and effective coordination. In this regard, it is important to clearly identify the subject of leadership and direction over the coordination work, the force, contents, and methods of coordination, and regulations on news briefings, consultations, and situation reports and review, etc. The steering boards of the provinces and the armed forces should work out monthly, quarterly and annual plans for coordination specifically, regularly adhere to the leadership and direction of the Central Steering Board and the Central Military Commission’s Steering Board, cooperate with one another in grasping the hostile forces’ plots and acts of sabotage in the area, especially on the "hot spots", and anticipate the possible situations and the measures handle them.

Fourthly, promoting the role of armed forces units and ethnic minority officials in the region. Military and Police units in the Northwest region, with their functions, available equipment and facilities are important forces in fighting against "peaceful evolution" and maintaining political security and social order and safety in the region. Therefore, Military and Police units should keep abreast of the situation, develop the plans on fighting against "peaceful evolution", and attach importance to investing in material and technical foundations and bringing into play the role of specialized forces. At the same time, it is necessary to coordinate mass mobilization, hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, search and rescue; to raise the people’s awareness of the Party's guidelines and policies, etc. In addition, emphasis should be placed on promoting the role of working teams, deploying Border Guard officers to the local party committees and authorities, and taking part in enhancing the quality of socio-political organizations at grass-roots level. Great value should be attached to building and promoting a contingent of officials who are ethnic minority people, training and equipping them with appropriate working style and deep knowledge of the locals’ customs and practices so as to "understand what the people say and use the people’s language to persuade them".

Struggling to defeat the plots and maneuvers of "peaceful evolution" of hostile forces in the Northwest region is an important, difficult and long-term task that requires the participation of all-level authorities, branches, and units in order to maintain political security and social order and safety and build the Northwest into an increasingly prosperous and sustainable region.

Sr. Col. Le Thanh Long, PhD

Deputy Chief of the Political Department of the Military Region 2

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1 - Including the provinces of Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho, and Vinh Phuc.