On implementing the Program of “Vietnam Navy being the fulcrum for fishermen to do their offshore fishing”, the 2^nd Naval Region’s Party Committee and Command have synchronously implemented policies and solutions to accompany fishermen in their offshore fishing, contributing to the struggle and firm protection of the sovereignty and sovereignty rights over our seas, islands and continental shelves.               

Over the past years, together with attentively improving the overall quality, combat strength, successfully accomplishing the missions on firmly protecting the sovereignty over our seas, islands and continental shelves, the 2^nd Naval Region has also focused on well implementing the Program of “Vietnamese Navy being the fulcrum for fishermen to do their offshore fishing”; assisted and protected fishermen in their legal offshore fishing, especially in bordering areas with other countries; been patient, dedicated, timely and effective in their search and rescue when having incidents. This is a complex and hard mission which has been considered the combat order in peacetime, the reliable and firm support for fishermen on their cruises at sea. Simultaneously, the Region has promoted continuously the responsibility of levels, agencies, forces, localities and local people for implementing the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policies and laws on protecting the sovereignty over the seas and islands; developing the marine economy connected with the defence and security reinforcement and vice versa; at the same time, strengthening the flesh-and-blood relationship between the army and people; reinforcing and building the potentials for the cause of protecting the sovereignty over the seas and islands according to the 4^th Central Party Committee’s Resolution (10^th tenure) on “Vietnam Sea Strategy to 2020” and the 8^th Central Party Committee’s Resolution (12^th tenure) on “Strategy to sustainably develop Vietnam marine economy to 2030, view to 2045”.

With the demands and missions on protecting our sovereignty over the seas and islands of the Homeland in the new situation, and in order to accompany fishermen in their fishing and cruising activities, the Region’s Party Committee and Command have enhanced their leadership, direction, close and specific implementation of the Program of “Vietnamese Navy being the fulcrum for fishermen to do their offshore fishing”. Thoroughly grasping resolutions, directions, plans and guidelines from the superiors on doing this important program, the Region’s Party Committee and Command and all-level ones, in their regular resolutions and implementation plans, have frequently concretised these instructions into solutions to make them suitable with their tasks and working areas. On this basis, the political offices and cadres at all levels have advised the party committees and commands with suitable methods; directly led and helped specialised units to assist fishermen in their close and effective implementation. Periodically, the Region has conducted the partial summaries to solve the weaknesses and problems, timely detect, build and widen the good methods and effective models.

Enhancing the propaganda on the task of protecting the seas and islands sovereignty; the awareness of complying with the law on fishing is one of the important, regular and long-lasting missions helping to improve the awareness, create the agreement among classes of people, fishermen, students and pupils on the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines, the State’s policies and laws on managing and struggling for the sovereignty over the seas and islands of the Homeland. Accordingly, the Region has continuously coordinated with localities and units to build and sign the Plan on implementing the propaganda of seas and islands and attract more people to carry out the Program; especially coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Border Guards, 3^rd Coast Guard zone and the Department of Propaganda in provinces and cities to propagandise and improve the awareness for all people classes of seas and islands of Vietnam; the Party’s viewpoints, policies and guidelines on managing and struggling for the sovereignty over the seas, islands and continental shelves of the Homeland, solving the divergences and conflicts in the East Sea; the Declaration on Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC); other Agreements on marine delimitation signed by Vietnam and regional countries; the historical, legal and real evidence proving our sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands. On making contribution to the removal of EC’s yellow card on Vietnam’s fishing industry, the Region has enhanced the propaganda for fishermen on the 2012 Law of the Sea; the 2017 Fishery Law; the Direction No. 45/CT-TTg, dated 13^th December 2017 by the Prime Minister on “Some urgent tasks and solutions for the EC’s warnings on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing”, etc. Through which, the Region could help the fishermen exploit aquatic products and seafoods safely, sustainably and legally within our country’s waters, and not violate the regulations of the ones in foreign countries, at the same time, inform the positions of ships, fishing villages and the Navy’s Centres of marine logistic-technical services; give the communication guidance using Vietnam Navy’s watch stations so that fishermen could contact when needed; guide the ways to solve certain problems of first aid and emergency when having accidents or seeing foreign aircrafts, submarines and warships.

In implementing the Program, the Region has requested offices and units to flexibly make use of different propaganda forms and methods to suit each target and locality. Based on the plans by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in provinces and cities, the specialised offices and units need to directly prepare their contents, train their speakers; establish and send teams and groups according to their functions and tasks to different localities to directly propagandise cadres, people, fishermen, etc. in the fishing villages and ports. For fishermen at sea and ships on their duties, it is necessary, basing on the reality, to make direct contacts or use the radios, give leaflets on the law, etc. in order to propagandise and encourage them not to break the State’s law. At the same time, it needs to actively coordinate and invite the news agencies of the State and Army, provinces and cities in the locality, etc. to write articles on activities of propaganda, support and accompaniment which have been done by the Region’s cadres and soldiers.

Presently, as the Region has been managing the whole DK1 rigs, the contiguous seas to Indonesia and Malaysia, where lots of drastic activities of fishing are taken place by both our fishing boats and foreign ones, there are potential threats to security, order and safety at sea, and the risk of illegal fishing as well. As a result, the Region’s Party Committee and Command have made the leadership and directions on enhancing the coordination in patrolling, controlling, managing and protecting the sovereignty over the seas and islands connected with protecting the security and safety for fishermen to legally fish and exploit aquatic products. At first, in order to solve the problems of some fishing boats lacking necessary documents, not installing or breaking the rules of installing the positioning systems, freely fishing, breaking foreign waters, etc., the Region has continuously coordinated with the Border Guard, Coast Guard, Fisheries Surveillance, Sub-department of Fisheries in provinces, cities, etc. to exchange ideas on the law compliance by fishing boats at the waters under its management; encouraged the boats owners to install the positioning systems, check the safety on all boats; timely detect the boats which are strange or not managed by the locality, at the same time, organise forces and ships on duties, patrol and surveillance at the assigned waters; closely combine the activities on managing and protecting the sovereignty over the seas and islands with attentively protecting the fishing grounds in the contiguous seas to foreign countries, be ready to strengthen forces and ships when facing situations. It is necessary to check and discover boats fishing on their sovereign waters but near the delimiting lines, approach to make propaganda or prevention, firmly handle the violations, making sure that there is not any of our fishing boats trespassing foreign waters.

Together, the Region has well carried out activities of search and rescue, supporting fishermen to do their offshore fishing and cruising activities. Considering the task of search and rescue as the vital one, “order from the heart”, all cadres and soldiers on ships, regardless of any difficulties and hardships, have regularly built their high determination to directly search and rescue fishermen being in danger at sea, offered to protect the humans’ lives and the possessions of the State, organisations and people. To gain practical effectiveness, offices and units have continued to actively and closely coordinate with friendly units and local areas to build plans; check and complete their coordination plans, do the search and rescue being suitable with their capability, assigned facilities and features of the seas and islands, at the same time, enhance the coordination in training, practicing and exercising the prevention and relief of natural disasters, diseases, search and rescue according to the defined plans in order to effectively handle any situations. Additionally, all ships need to prepare the search and rescue materials in ports; strictly maintain the shifts on duty, be ready to move immediately; closely coordinate all activities of search and rescue with the support of foods, fresh water, medicines, petrol and gas, ship repairs, etc. for needed fishermen; become their companions so that fishermen could feel safe to do their offshore fishing and cruising activities, effectively exploit aquatic products, together with other forces to protect the traditional fishing grounds. Besides, they have regularly received and timely processed all information provided by the fishermen, contributing to the solid protection of the sovereignty and national security on the waters under their assigned management.

Protecting the sovereignty over the seas and islands is the vital task in the cause of protecting the Homeland, which demands the promotion of the synergy from all levels, agencies, forces, local areas and the whole people; among them, fishermen play an important role. With the awareness, responsibility and love for the seas and islands, together with the continuous improvement of the training quality, skills and the ability of combat readiness in all situations, the 2^nd Naval Region’s cadres and soldiers will continue to promote activities of accompanying fishermen in their offshore fishing and the legal, safe and sustainable exploitation of aquatic products and seafoods; closely coordinate with forces, together with all levels, agencies and local areas to stably protect the sovereignty, sovereignty rights over the seas and islands and the continental shelves of the Homeland.

Senior Colonel VU ANH TUAN, the Region’s Commissar