Building the strong all people’s border defence is the strategic viewpoint of the Party, one of the important goals in the Strategy for National Border Protection. Fully aware of this, Quang Binh Border Guard have proactively implemented a number of measures for building the strong all people’s border defence, meeting the requirements of protecting and controlling the sovereignty and security of the national border in the new situation.

Quang Binh Border Guard is tasked with controlling and protecting two border lines of over 300 km, including over 222 km of land border and 116.4 km of sea border. The province’s border area consists of 8 districts, towns, and cities with 29 border communes and wards. To successfully accomplish its assigned tasks, for the past years, the Provincial Border Guard has actively coordinated with the provincial departments, sectors to give recommendations and proposals to the provincial leaders and direct and instruct the building of the all people’s border defence with good results, creating a solid foundation for implementing all aspects of border works.

Instructing ethnic local people on rice cultivation

Despites the achievements gained, the awareness of some  local people of the all people’s border defence and the task of controlling and protecting the land and sea border is still inadequate. The political systems in religious and minority ethnic areas haven’t been established strong enough. The border situation still remains factors of instability. The living standards of minority ethnic groups, especially those living along the land border line are low. The problems of natural disasters, diseases, smuggling, illegal trafficking of drug, explosive ordnances, minerals, etc. add further complications to the situation. Hostile and reactionary forces continue to take advantage of racial, religious, human rights matters to incite people and undermine the national unity bloc and destabilize the political security and society, etc. Facing the situation, the Provincial Border Guard has agreed on implementing all aspects of border work to build a strong all people’s border defence, meeting the requirements of controlling and firmly protecting the national border line with focuses on the followings:

First, promoting its core role to propose to the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Committee measures for strengthening the leadership and direction over the task of building the all people’s border defence. Thoroughly grasp the viewpoints and guidelines of the Party, the policies and laws of the State, and the resolutions, directives, plans of upper levels on military and defence work, especially the mission of building, controlling and protecting the national border line, the Party Committee and Command of the Provincial Border Guard will coordinate with other departments and sectors to make recommendations to the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee on issuing resolutions, directives, legal documents for strengthening leadership and direction over the border work and the task of building the strong all people’s border defence. Thereby, it aims to create unanimity in the implementation and mobilise the overall strength of the entire political system and people in building the all people’s border defence, controlling and protecting the border sovereignty and security.

Billeteral talk on border protection with its Laos counterpart

Promoting the achievements gained, the Provincial Border Guard Command has been actively proposing measures for realizing the “Strategy for National Border Protection” suitable with each border area of the province. At the same time, it has also proactively given advice to the province’s leaders about strengthening socio-economic development in combination with defence and security consolidation on border areas. Focus is placed on the implementation of the province’s master plan for socio-economic development until 2020, especially the focal socio-economic development plans and programs, the crucial aspects of strengthening potentials and posture for defending the border line. Besides, it has also proposed to the localities plans for coordinating with functional bodies of the neighbouring countries in controlling and protecting the border lines, combating and preventing crimes; strengthening international cooperation in settling problems relating to the sovereignty over the border, seas and islands.

Second, renewing and improving the quality and effectiveness of education and communication  to enhance the awareness of cadres, party members and all people of the task of building strong all people’s border defence and the “people’s heart and mind” posture. Organs and units of the Provincial Border Guard actively coordinates with the local functional agencies to foster propagation and education to nurture defence and security knowledge for people and effectively implement the Project of “Strengthening the legal dissemination and education for cadres and people in the border and island areas in the 2017 – 2021 period”, “Programs for legal dissemination and education for minority ethnic communities in the border areas of Quang Binh province”. Thereby, further enhance the awareness and responsibility of all people, first and foremost of the party committees, authorities, cadres, party members and local armed forces for the task of building the all people’s border defence, meeting the new requirements during the building, controlling and protecting the border.

The Provincial Border Guard is to continue to collaborate with other departments, sectors and unions to effectively implement economic development programs, the national medical and education programs, etc. to help local people in hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, building new-style rural areas and urban areas in the border areas, thereby strengthening the unity between the border guards with the  minority ethnic communities, and consolidating the “people’s heart and mind” posture in the frontier of the country.

Third, building an efficient border protection force, including specialized, core and extensive forces. The provincial Border Guard Command continues to grasp and seriously implement the Project of “Organizing the Border Guard in the 2017 – 2021 period and beyond”. In particular, attention should be paid to building the Provincial Border Guard strong in politics, ideology; highly skilled and qualified; fluent in ethnic languages so that they can permanently live and work with the ethnic people. Thoroughly implement regulations for coordination among forces, especially the Regulations for coordination among the Military, Public Security and the Border Guard in the protection of national security, social safety and order and defence tasks. Well conduct exercises and participate in the provincial and district defensive area exercises, among others, to unceasingly enhance the coordination and collaboration in the combat and prevention of crimes and successfully settle defence and security situations to firmly protect the sovereignty and security of the national border.

Senior Colonel Trinh Thanh Binh, Commander of the Provincial Border Guard