On grasping and realising the Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW, dated 28 September 2018, of the Politburo (12^th tenure) on the National Border Protection Strategy, the Border Guard of Thanh Hoa Province has been bringing into play its core role and adopting measures to build a robust all-people border defence, creating overall strength for firmly safeguarding territorial sovereignty and national border security.

Thanh Hoa has a 213.6-km long land border with Laos and a coastline of about 102 km running through 60 communes of 12 districts and towns. On closely sticking to its functions, missions, and local features, over the past few years, the Border Guard of Thanh Hoa Province has tapped into its core role and collaborated with departments, sectors, and forces to advise the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to come up with many leadership solutions to economic, cultural, social, and diplomatic development in association with strengthening national defence and security in border areas; encourage entire people’s participation in protection of national boundaries and border landmarks and establishment of strong political bases in order to create overall power for managing, protecting, and building borders of peace, friendship, cooperation, and mutual development. In the 2015-2020 period, the Provincial Border Guard organised hundreds of propaganda sessions on the task of protecting national borders; mobilised thousands of people and vehicles in search and rescue and mitigation of consequences of natural disasters; built 220 houses of gratitude and tens of projects to support people’s welfare; gave nearly 3,000 breeding cows to poor households in the border areas; lobbied thousands of collectives, families, and individuals to voluntarily register to participate in protection of boundary lines and border landmarks. There are many families with the involvement of two or more generations. These activities have made important contribution to building of strong all-people border defence and firm maintenance of territorial sovereignty and national border security.

However, socio-economic development in the border areas of the province remains slow and people’s life still faces numerous difficulties due to various reasons. These are also the areas where hostile forces step up acts of sabotage and incite establishment of “the autonomous Kingdom of Mong”. Additionally, crimes, smuggling, commercial fraud, violation of foreign vessels, etc., are on the rise which potentially leads to political insecurity and breakdown of social order and safety. It is within this context that, apart from managing and protecting sovereignty, border security, the Border Guard of Thanh Hoa Province continue to leverage its core role and mobilise the involvement of the whole political system and people in the building of a robust all-people border defence by means of many synchronous measures as follows:

Proactively researching, evaluating, and timely forecasting situations; collaborating with other forces to advise the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to strengthen their leadership of the implementation of the Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW of the Politburo (12^th tenure) and Directive No. 01/CT-TTg, dated 9 January 2015 of the Prime Minister on organising the movement of all-people participation in safeguarding territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation. Accordingly, the Provincial Border Guard focuses on advising the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to promulgate resolutions, directives, and instructions on adjustment and implementation of Law on Border Guard, Action Programme of the Provincial Party Committee to realise the Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW, Plan No. 161/KH-UBND of 12 November 2015 to carry out the Directive No. 01/CT-TTg. It also takes initiative in proposing and participating in formulating new projects; supplements, extends, and improves implementation effectiveness of projects, including “Strengthening coordination and collaboration on managing and protecting sovereignty, security, and order and ensuring safety of people and vessels operating at sea,” “Strengthening security and order along the western borderline,” “Combating drug-related crimes and other crimes in border communes in the 2021-2025 period”, “Ensuring security and order in Nghi Son Economic Zone”, etc., laying a legal basis for mobilising resources for promoting rapid, sustainable socio-economic development in association with strengthening national defence and security in border areas. The Provincial Border Guard attaches importance to effectively doing border defence work through a system of plans and thematic resolutions; enhancing effectiveness of mass mobilisation; propagandising and mobilising the entire people to participate in border protection; successfully carrying out national, religious policies to consolidate the great national unity bloc; establishing coastal, border defence zones; proposing solutions to building of border defence force and settlement of violations of security, territorial sovereignty, and waters.

Troops of Tam Chung Border Post conduct joint patrol with local militia

Stepping up propagation, grasping and realising resolutions and directives of the Party and State on protection of sovereignty and national border security, most notably the project to enhance legal education among cadres and people in the border areas in the 2021-2025 period, Law on Border Defence, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and international agreements. During implementation process, agencies, units, and localities should adopt many propagation measures flexibly and creatively, thus raising awareness and responsibility of party committees, authorities, and people, especially those in the border areas, to national sovereignty and national boundaries, laying the foundation for building a firm posture of people’s hearts and minds in these areas.

Actively participating in building and strengthening the political system at grassroots level; well carrying out activities to create a pervasive force of the “all-people border defence day” in the province. On the basis of closely following leadership and direction of the Border Guard Command Party Committee, Provincial Party Committee, and Provincial People’s Committee, the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee concentrates on leading and instructing serious implementation of the Regulation of collaboration with 12 district, municipal party committees, collaboration between border post party committees and party committees in border communes and towns, and regulations and programmes of collaboration with local departments, agencies, and unions. It also speeds up implementation of Announcement No. 51 about “Dispatching Border Guard officers to border communes” and Conclusion No. 50 about “Developing party members and party cells in remote areas of the province”. It is necessary to leverage the role of village patriarchs, prestigious people, associations, unions, and households in border, coastal areas in informing border defence soldiers about situations in their areas, which facilitates timely settlement of matters right at the grassroots level without escalating into hotspots.

On the basis of reviewing 5 years’ implementation of Directive No. 01/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister, the Provincial Border Guard continues to improve the operational regulation, formulate plans, and instructs all cadres and party members how to propagandise and encourage people to realise the Directive in a regular, practical, effective manner. Departments and units of the Provincial Border Guard are requested to flexibly combine implementation of the Directive with campaigns and movements such as “All people unite to build cultural life”, “All people participate in protection of national security”, “All people unite to build new-style rural areas and civilised cities”, and so on. Furthermore, they are to promote collaboration with localities to check and encourage collectives, individuals, and households to apply for supplementary registration for self-control of national boundaries and border landmarks; step up movements such as “The youth are in the vanguard of mastering the national boundaries”, “Groups of safe vessels, boats, and habours”, “Village chiefs together with their families and descendants register to control and defend national boundaries and border landmarks,” etc., to mobilise a number of people to participate in building, controlling, and protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security.

Actively participating in projects on combining socio-economic development with ensuring national defence and security on two borderlines, laying foundation for well doing border defence work and building a strong all-people border defence. The Border Guard continues to advise the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to prioritise implementation of socio-economic development projects in five poor districts in the mountainous, border area and three extremely difficult communes in the coastal area; rearrange inhabitants to enable them to settle down on the borders. There is a need to collaborate with local party committees and authorities to speed up carrying out programmes and projects on building new-style rural areas; stabilising people’s life, production, and socio-economic development for Mong people in Muong Lat district; providing accommodation for the poor in border areas; offering support for border women; and creating favourable conditions for children to go to schools. In addition, the Provincial Border Guard actively participates in planning defence properties, appraising projects in association with building combat-ready infrastructure in defence zones, providing communication and healthcare, thus contributing to creation of favourable conditions for people living in the area, building of “robust posture of people’s hearts and minds” and “landmarks of people’s hearts and minds.”

The Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and Command attach importance to leading the building of comprehensively strong units and actively mobilising all-people force to participate in defending sovereignty and national border security in order to bring into play their core role in establishing a robust all-people border defence. On closely following resolutions, directives, and instructions of higher echelons, the Provincial Border Guard focuses on leading and directing the strengthening of organisations and staffing in an adept, compact, strong, highly efficient and effective direction; adjusting operational plans and documents; strictly maintaining combat readiness and patrols; regularly enhancing training quality and drilling soldiers according to scenarios; acquiring modern, advanced technical equipment for border defence operations. Furthermore, they are requested to work closely with district party committees, authorities, military, public security, and units of the 4^th Military Region deployed to the border areas to develop robust, widespread militia and self-defence force, reserve, and people’s security groups; improve coordination of actions as stipulated by Decree No. 03/2019/ND-CP of the Prime Minister to create the overall power for successfully completing the task of border control and defence and firmly safeguarding national territorial sovereignty.

In addition to the above-mentioned solutions, the Provincial Border Guard attaches importance to increased effectiveness of border defence diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy in support of protecting national borders. They work with the armed forces of Houaphanh Province to conduct periodical exercises to combat transnational crimes, prevent illegal migration, and be ready to tackle emerging issues, contributing to building of increasingly strong all-people border defence in the area.

Senior Colonel LE VAN HUNG,

Chief of the Provincial Border Guard Command