Safeguarding national sovereignty and border security is a sacred task of strategic importance to the Homeland protection. Being fully aware of this task, the Party Committee and Command of the Provincial Border Guard (PBG) of Gia Lai have been adopting various synchronous, drastic measures to build a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

Grasping and strictly following higher echelons’ directions, the PBG’s Party Committee and Command have focused their leadership and direction on synchronously taking measures for the border defence work. In this regard, great value has been attached to raising the effectiveness of reconnaissance and drug and crime combat, proactively grasping the situation along the border, particularly the hostile forces’ sabotage schemes and crime activities, opportunely preventing, fighting against, and flexibly, completely handling complex incidents right at grass-roots level as the basis for maintaining national sovereignty and border security. The PBG has launched the movement titled “all people take part in combating and denouncing illegal immigration” in 7 border communes with the participation of over 12,000 households. In 2020, it developed 5 regular plans, 7 specialised plans, and 4 high-peak plans for border crime prevention and combat, while designing and implementing 8 other plans to fight against drug crime, smuggling, illegal immigration, and illegal exploitation and transport of forest products.

Giving materials for COVID-19 prevention and control to Cambodia’s armed forces

Amidst the complex developments of COVID-19, the PBG has enhanced the work of inspection and patrol to prevent illegal immigration via border and stringently carried out the work of epidemic prevention and control to ensure the safety of its cadres and soldiers, particularly the force at checkpoints. It has frequently maintained 27 checkpoints and 10 patrol teams to closely control trails along the border to prevent the epidemic from penetrating into the province. Due attention has been paid to combating wrong viewpoints and evil information relating to the work of epidemic prevention and control, printing and distributing nearly 10,000 leaflets, using mottos, panels, and speakers to render local citizens fully aware of the 5-K measures of epidemic prevention and control set by the Ministry of Health as well as the hostile forces’ sabotage strategy.

In addition, the work of border diplomacy has been frequently conducted via meetings and exchange programmes in accordance with COVID-19 prevention and control. It should be noted that the PBG and its border guard posts have provided food and medical materials worth billions of VND for the Cambodian border guard force to help them overcome difficulties. The PBG has maintained close cooperation with Cambodia’s border guard posts in ensuring security and order along the border, preventing and fighting against illegal immigration and COVID-19, and handling incidents along the border on the basis of respect for national independence, sovereignty, and territory in order to build a border of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.

In the upcoming years, the economic, political, social, defence, and security situation of the province in general, the border areas in particular will be stable; however, it will possibly have complex, unpredictable developments. Therefore, the PBG shall focus on well implementing several tasks as follows.

First, grasp the Party’s guidelines and the State’s law and policy to give advice on the border defence work. To fulfil their mission, the PBG’s Party Committee and Command shall focus their leadership and direction on grasping the Party’s guidelines on the military-defence task and the border defence work, while proactively studying and correctly anticipating the situation to give advice to the Border Guard Force’s Party Committee and High Command and the Province’s Party Committee and People’s Committee on strategies for dealing with issues along the border so as to firmly protect national sovereignty and border security and prevent and fight against COVID-19 at the same time. It is necessary to execute the Action Plan for the Politburo’s Resolution 33-NQ/TW on “the Strategy to Defend National Border” and the Vietnam Border Guard Law together with specific measures to avoid passivity and safeguard national sovereignty and border security.

Second, organise forces to protect national sovereignty and border security as the basis for maintaining stability in the border areas. According to the National Border Law, “Construction, management and defence of national border and border areas are responsibilities of the Government and the people, most importantly, the authorities and inhabitants at the border areas and the people’s armed forces.” Therefore, the PBG shall continue stepping up the Prime Minister’s Directive 01/CT-TTg, dated January 9^th, 2015 on “organising the movement of all people’s participation in defending national sovereignty and border security in the new situation,” while conducting the work of propagation and education to encourage citizens, particularly the ethnic minority people to adhere to regulations and laws on border lines and border markers. It shall proactively develop plans on preventing and fighting against violations of national sovereignty and border security to avoid confrontation along the border and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, resources, environment, and benefits in any situation. Moreover, it shall comprehensively, synchronously renew the border defence work  and advise localities on consolidating border self-management teams and firmly protecting national sovereignty, border security, border lines, and border markers.

As the core force in protecting national border in the province, the PBG shall actively give advice to local party committees and authorities on building and consolidating political bases in the border areas. At the same time, it shall proactively prepare personnel, means, and projects to opportunely, effectively prevent and combat natural disasters and epidemics as well as conduct search and rescue operations.

Third, enhance the effectiveness of managing and controlling immigration via border gates, prevent and combat crime, and maintain security and order in the border areas. To that end, it is important to proactively study and correctly, comprehensively anticipate the situation, organise the fight against crime of various types effectively, and develop plans on ensuring security in the key areas and preventing and responding to sabotage activities in the border areas. Due regard should be paid to improving the quality of the border defence work and the method of combating crimes in the border areas flexibly, creatively, effectively to ensure the absolute safety of personnel, weapons, and equipment. The PBG shall maintain close cooperation with competent forces and Cambodia’s border guard force in crime and COVID-19 prevention and combat to ensure security and order in the border areas. Emphasis should be placed on building a modern reconnaissance and anti-crime special task force. Besides, it is vital to make more investments in technical equipment, keep implementing the administrative reform, and apply information technology to raising the quality and effectiveness of immigration control at the international border gate of Le Thanh.

Cadres and soldiers of the international border gate of Le Thanh conducting a patrol

Fourth, actively build and consolidate the “posture of people’s hearts and minds” within the posture of all-people border defence. To that end, significance should be attached to stepping up the work of propagation and education to raise the people’s awareness of the Party’s guidelines, the State’s law and policy, and international treaties relating to national border. Additionally, the PBG shall actively take part in building and consolidating political bases in the border areas, and  seriously, effectively implementing the Conclusion 68-KL/TW, dated February 5^th, 2020 by the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat on assigning cadres at district and commune levels and party members from border guard posts to attend village-level party cell meetings and give assistance to border households in order to build the politico-spiritual potential for border management and protection in the new situation. Via working groups and mass media, the PBG shall promote the role of village patriarchs and persons with great prestige in disseminating the Party’s guidelines and the State’s law and policy. Besides, the PBG shall continue effectively executing models and programmes, such as “supporting children’s schooling,” “accompanying frontier women,” and “border guard force’s adopted children.”

Moreover, the PBG shall focus on improving the quality of training and combat readiness within its offices and units. Greater importance should be attached to organising intensive training, practising projects to protect posts and stations, taking part in provincial and district-level defensive zone exercises, handling complex issues relating to security and order in the border areas, and completely settling hot spots. Besides, the PBG shall continue designing and supplementing combat and training plans and projects in a procedural, close manner. In the training process, great weight should be added to improving troops’ manoeuvrability, combat coordination, and capability in using weapons, supporting tools, and technical means as the basis for raising the PBG’s synergy and fighting power, fulfilling the border defence work, and maintaining political security and social order and safety within the border areas.

Fifth, well maintain the relationship with the authority and border guard force of the Cambodian province of Ratanakiri. To that end, due attention should be paid to enhancing external information service, closely combining border defence diplomacy with the people’s diplomacy, and promoting the relationship between authorities and border guard units from the two sides of the border. Last but not least, consideration should be given to maintaining the twinning programme for villages along the border in order to cement the solidarity and friendship between the two countries, protect political security and national sovereignty, and build a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

Sr. Col. TRAN TIEN HAI, Commander of the PBG