Properly implementing policies for Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts on an international mission in Cambodia
With pure spirit of the international proletariat, Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts helped save Cambodian people from the genocide by the Pol Pot – Ieng Sary regime; however, they also suffered severe human losses and physical damage. In order to pay tribute to those great sacrifices, the Party, the State, and the Army have always paid due attention to well implementing policies for those who got involved in this noble international mission.
Over the course of years of standing shoulder to shoulder with Cambodian soldiers and people in a fight against the common enemy, dozens of thousands of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts had made the supreme sacrifice for the two nations’ revolutionary cause as well as peace, stability, and prosperity. Upholding the tradition of “Repaying gratitude” and “remembering the source when drinking water”, and meeting aspirations of the people, policy beneficiaries, and martyrs’ next of kin, the two Governments signed an Agreement on searching and collecting remains of fallen Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts in Cambodia. During the implementation process, the two Governments’ competent agencies have received and handled information sources from the people, and made a concerted effort to search, collect, preserve, and solemnly hold repatriation ceremonies for remains of fallen Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts in Cambodia. Those results carry profound socio-political meaning, and bear out our Party, State, and people’s sense of responsibility and sentiments towards revolutionary contributors and deep gratitude towards martyrs, contributing to consolidating friendly and neighbourly relationships between the two peoples.
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A memorial and funeral service for Vietnamese volunteer soldiers fallen
on Cambodia battlefield at the Martyrs’ Cemetery of Tan Bien district,
Tay Ninh province |
Under direct leadership and directions by the Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defence, and the General Department of Politics, the Military Department of Policies (hereinafter MDP) has always proactively stayed close to realities of national socio-economic development and the Military’s missions; closely collaborated with military and non-military competent agencies in giving advice and recommendations on effectively executing policy work for the Army and the Army rear in general and for Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts on international missions in Cambodia in particular. Notably, under the Politburo’s guidelines, the MDP has proactively cooperated with relevant ministries and sectors’ competent agencies in giving recommendations to Heads of the General Department of Politics and Ministry of National Defence on issuing Decision No. 62/2011/QĐ-TTg, dated 09-11-2011 approved by the Prime Minister on policies concerning discharged soldiers involved in the Homeland protection war and international missions in Cambodia and Laos; collaborated with Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Agency in giving suggestions to the Prime Minister on promulgating Decision No. 57/2013/QĐ-TTg, dated 14-10-2013 on providing one-off allowance for the experts on international missions in Laos and Cambodia. Following the directions of the Politburo and the Government’s Party Committee, the MDP has advised the Ministry of National Defence to collaborate with relevant ministries, sectors, and local administrations in giving recommendations to the Politburo on formulating a Project on setting up policies and entitlements for conscripted labourers involved in the anti-French and anti-American resistance wars, the Homeland protection war, and international missions. Grounded in contents of Projects and Conclusions by the Politburo, the MDP has submitted recommendations to the Prime Minister on issuing Decision No. 49/2015/QĐ-TTg, dated 14-10-2015 on implementing policies for related beneficiaries. In addition, the MDP actively cooperates with military and non-military competent agencies in presenting suggestions to the General Department of Politics, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence on promulgating a wide variety of preferential policies for martyrs’ next of kin, war invalids, revolutionary contributors and Vietnamese heroic Mothers whilst instructing Army-wide offices and units to seriously and opportunely certify, manage, and make payments for beneficiaries in conformity with the Ordinance on Preferential policies for revolutionary contributors. Since 2016, 275 martyrs have been archived and certified; 2,556 war invalids and 240 wounded soldiers have been issued relevant certificates; 2,207,250 beneficiaries of one-off allowance and 1,570 beneficiaries of monthly allowance have been handled with a sum of over 7,146 billion VND in value. Thanks to concerted and tremendous efforts in the work of searching and collecting remains of fallen Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts in Cambodia, 2,362 remains of martyrs have been sent back home via friendly and solemn repatriation and burial ceremonies by the two governments and peoples.
In addition, the MDP has also effectively and extensively implemented the movement of “Repaying gratitude” on an Army-wide scale through diverse forms and methods. In the 2016-2018 period alone, the Military mobilized cadres and soldiers and other resources to raise a fund of over 222 billion VND in value for the movement; examined, treated, and supplied medicines to above 533,000 people free of charge; patronized and created employment for 877 martyrs, war invalids and policy beneficiaries’ children; built 3,171 gratitude-repaying houses, etc., thereby contributing to improving living standards of policy beneficiaries and revolutionary contributors, and Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts on the international mission in Cambodia and upholding political responsibility and profound comradeship.
The attained results of policy work by the Military’s offices and units and nationwide local administrations have contributed greatly to national development; ensured social securities; enhanced national great unity block; the people’s consolidated confidence in the Party’s leadership and giving added political and spiritual impetus to implementing the mission of building and safeguarding the Homeland in the new situation by the people and the Military cadres and soldiers.
Despite the fact that the war came to an end, it still has had certain severe consequences for the country, as evidenced by a tremendous backlog of post-war policy work; inadequate and lost documentation in slimmed-downed, dissolved, and merged military units. Some units have paid scant attention to executing policies for revolutionary contributors and still undergone sluggish progress in handling policy work, etc. Against this backdrop, for the sake of better effectiveness in policy work for the Army and the Army rear as well as war invalids, wounded soldiers, martyrs’ families, and revolutionary contributors in general, and Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts on international missions in Cambodia in particular, in the time to come, offices and units’ party committees and commandants will need to focus on the following key measures.
First, concentrating on fostering the work of propagation and education to raise cadres, soldiers, people, and young generations’ awareness of great contributions and services by martyrs and revolutionary contributors. It is indicative of every cadre and soldier’s sense of responsibility and heart-felt gratitude towards the sacrifices made by our forefathers’ generations. Simultaneously, it acts as momentum for not only effectively implementing preferential policies for revolutionary contributors, but also for the cause of constructing and protecting the Homeland of socialist Vietnam for the goal of “prosperous people and strong, democratic, equitable, and civilized nation”.
Second, further accelerating the implementation of the movement of “Repaying gratitude” on an Army-wide scale. Accordingly, the whole people care for revolutionary contributors via socializing health care system under the motto “the State, the people, and beneficiaries of preferential policies make coordinated efforts”, thereby improving war invalids, wounded soldiers, and revolutionary contributors’ physical and spiritual lives and enabling them to further contribute to the cause of building and defending the Homeland.
Third, tightly cooperating with local party committees and administrations in stationed areas in taking better care of war invalids, martyrs’ families, revolutionary contributors, and Vietnamese heroic Mothers; focusing leadership and directions on seriously carrying out preferential policies. Simultaneously, it is necessary to continuously mobilize people at home and abroad to provide Vietnamese specialized teams with relevant information sources and assistance in searching, collecting, and repatriating remains of fallen Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts in Laos and Cambodia.
Fourth, paying regular attention to the work of education and vocational training for revolutionary contributors and offspring of policy beneficiaries; exploiting and mobilizing all the military and non-military resources, including social policies such as hunger eradication and poverty alleviation in a bid to enhance physical and spiritual lives for policy beneficiaries, especially war invalids, wounded soldiers, martyrs’ families, revolutionary contributors, and Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts on the international missions, who are still living in want.
Fifth, tightly gripping the reality of the country and the Military’s situations to responsibly and proactively give recommendations to the Party and the State on resolutely handling a great backlog of post-war policies. At the same time, it is essential to properly conduct the work of inspection and preliminary and overall assessment of policy work, and thus opportunely spread the best practices and correct shortcomings whilst upholding people’s inspection and supervision over the implementation of policy work at grassroots level in a democratic, equitable, and transparent manner.
Thoroughly grasping and efficiently implementing the Party, State, and Military’s policies for war invalids, martyrs’ families, revolutionary contributors, especially Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts on the international missions in Cambodia bear out the fine nature and glorious traditions of Vietnamese People’s Army, contributing to building the “revolutionary, regular, elite, and gradually modernized” Army, successfully accomplishing every assigned task, and being worthy of the Army of the people and for the people.
Major General Tran Quoc Dung, Head of the Military Department of Policies, the General Department of Politics