On 05 March 2004, the 3^rd Coast Guard Region (predecessor of the 2^nd Coast Guard Region Command) was established. This is an important milestone, marking the development of the law enforcement force at the strategic water in the Central Region, contributing together with other forces to firmly safeguarding the sacred sovereignty and security of seas, islands and continental shelf of the Fatherland.

Over the past 20 years of building and development, the Region’s Party Committee and Command have sertiously grasped and implemented the Party’s military and defence guidelines, and the State’s policies and laws; well executed the tasks of patrolling, inspecting and controlling with the cruise of hundreds of thousands of sea miles in safety; proactively discovered and solved effectively any violations and crimes at sea, and encroachment on the sovereignty over seas and islands of our country. Since its establishment, the Region Command has inspected over 2,200 vessels at all types; arrested and solved 33 cases of trading frauds; seized and paid to the State budget over 200 billion dong; propagandised and driven away over 3,500 foreign fishing boats, monitored more than 15 drilling rigs and 20 research vessels by foreign countries encroaching the sovereignty and sovereignty rights of Vietnamese waters, at the same time, been on the combat readiness duty in the Central waters, Spratly Islands and DK1 platform; actively joined the search and rescue, environmental protection and dealing with any problems at sea. For the above achievements, the 2^nd Coast Guard Region was awarded by the State with the 3^rd-class Fatherland Defence Order in 2014, the 3^rd-class Feat Order in 2018, and many collectives and individuals of the Regions have been awarded with noble awards.

From the reality of law enforcement on the assigned waters, the Region’s Party Committee and Command have drawn precious experience. Of which, combining the propaganda with the law enforcement at sea is a cross-cutting lesson which has been led and directed synchronously and effectively by the Region’s Party Committee and Command.

Conducting legal propaganda at sea

To bring into play the overall power in the law enforcement at sea, the Region has paid attention to promoting the propaganda, improving the awareness for cadres, party members and the people in the locality of the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines, the State’s policies and laws, international laws and rules on seas and islands. Accordingly, the Region’s Party Committee and Command have proactively signed the regulations to coordinate with the local party committees, governments, departments, agencies and industries, and create the legal frame and resources for the propaganda. On that basis, the Region annually concretises them into the leading guidelines and solutions; builds the plans of implementation for each time, stage and level. To increase the propaganda contents and avoid the overlapping, the Region has closely coordinated with the 3^rd Naval Region, Border Guard of provinces in the locality to build the appropriate propaganda contents and plans. In its implementation, the Region has attentively selected the suitable propaganda contents for each subject; actively reformed the forms and methods in the way of being various, diversified, creative and connected with the tasks of the Region and each unit. Understanding the need for law comprehension of each group of people, and the specific features of each locality, the Region has directed offices and units to regularly propagandise and disseminate the basic knowledge, update the new contents of the international and Vietnamese laws on seas and islands including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Vietnam Marine Law 2012, Law on Fisheries, Law on Drug Prevention and Control, Vietnam Coast Guard Law, etc., at the same time, enhanced the propaganda on preventing the illegal fishing on foreign waters and any fishing activities that completely eradicate and destroy the marine eco-environment, etc. In each content, the Region has required units to both provide knowledge and relate to the reality, orient the ideology, define the responsibility for each resident in complying with the law connected to his/her daily life, especially for fishermen in the locality.

Regarding the forms and methods, the Region has focused on increasing the diversity, visualisation, understandability, interestingness and relevance to the subjects to improve the propaganda effectiveness; well incorporated the propaganda contents into the regular activities of the local governments and unions; combined the oral propaganda with other forms in order to “soften” the contents and increase the attractiveness. It is the patience and effort of cadres and soldiers of the Region and other forces that raise the awareness and responsibility of the local party committees, governments and the people for protecting the sovereignty, security and safety of seas and islands, actively cooperating and providing for the Region’s Party Committee with hundreds of valuable reports on criminals and violations at sea.

Rescuing two fishing boats in distress

The propaganda of special subjects combined with the tasks of law enforcement, struggling against violations and criminals at sea has been focused and implemented effectively. On implementing the tasks on larger seas with many potential factors of unstable political security and order, cadres and soldiers of the Region have been raised the vigilance to clearly identify the plots and tricks of the hostile forces and criminals; proactively discovered, ingeniously struggled and solved any situations at sea; regularly organised the patrol, inspection, control and maintenance of law enforcement and protection of security, safety and sovereignty over seas and islands; actively held and exchanged information with related functional offices and forces (Border Guard, Navy, Fisheries Surveillance, Police, Custom Control, Market Managers, Taxes, etc.), ministries and departments in the State and 06 provinces and cities from Quang Tri to Binh Dinh to proactively effectively discover and legally solve the violations and criminals at sea. In the spirit of being proactive and creative in working, keen and flexible in struggling, fast and timely in solving situations, avoiding the passiveness and suddenness, cadres and soldiers of the Region have determined to effectively struggle against criminals at sea, especially the smuggling, trading frauds, drug trafficking, etc.

In parallel with discovering and solving the violations and criminals, the forces in charge of patrolling, inspecting and controlling at sea have well carried out the propaganda to improve the awareness of law observance for the working people doing activities at sea. Offices and units have paid attention to the propaganda combined with the law enforcement at sea, which appears to be the stable fulcrum for fishermen to go offshore fishing and carry out the “civil sovereignty” on the traditional fishing grounds of the country. Cadres and soldiers of the Region have come to each boat to give direct propaganda on preventing smuggling, trading frauds, drug trafficking, eradication fishing, etc.; propagandise and guide fishermen not to do the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; emphasise the legal sanction methods and punishment forms in Vietnam and other countries in the region on the illegal fishing, through which, to make fishermen better comply with the regulations on prohibiting fishing on the foreign waters, make the registration of vehicles, fully prepare the life-saving and fire equipment on the boats, declare and register the entrance and exit of the ports in accordance with the regulations, remarkably decrease the cases of crewmembers lacking degrees and professional certificates, and actively denounce crimes. On the fishing grounds, the Region has regularly organised vessels patrolling, watching and being on duty on overlapping waters; closely coordinated with other law enforcement forces at sea to enhance the inspection of vessels and boats, discover, verify, investigate and seriously punish any cases of organising or mediating to bring fishing boats and fishermen overseas, etc. Hence, recently, the number of boats doing the illegal fishing on the foreign waters has been significantly decreased.

Together, the Region Command has enhanced their activities of patrol, inspection, control, special propaganda, and asking foreign vessels violating the Vietnamese sovereignty to leave our waters, maintaining the peaceful and stable environment on the assigned seas and creating the favourable conditions for the socio-economic development. The Region has regularly maintained the on-duty forces on the main waters; closely coordinated with other forces within the Coast Guard and other forces, directly Navy and Border Guard in order to timely discover and effectively solve the situations at sea, ensuring the Vietnamese and international laws, at the same time, effectively implemented the search and rescue at sea, especially on the high seas to create conditions for fishermen to do their offshore fishing and safeguard the fishing grounds. On thoroughly understanding and correctly and creatively utilising guidelines and policies, the Region Command has coordinated with other forces to discover, and make brave and patient struggles and special propaganda to ask the violated foreign vessels to leave our sovereign seas, creating the peaceful and stable environment on the managed seas, and contributing to firmly safeguarding the sacred sovereignty over seas, islands and continental shelf of the Fatherland, and beautifying the glorious 20-year tradition of generations of cadres and soldiers of the 2^nd Coast Guard Region.

Senior Colonel LE HUY SINH, Political Commissar of the Coast Guard Region