As a core and specialised force, Ca Mau Provincial Border Guards have been synchronously implementing solutions, successfully fulfilling the responsibility of managing and protecting the sovereignty and security of the sea and island borders in the southernmost part of the country, contributing to firmly protecting the socialist Fatherland of Vietnam.

Ca Mau Provincial Border Guards are responsible for managing and protecting the sovereignty and security of the sea and island border areas over 258.62 km of coastline, and 16,817km2 of sea area, including 23 communes and towns in 06 coastal districts and 03 island clusters (Hon Khoai of Ngoc Hien district; Hon Da Bac and Hon Chuoi of Tran Van Thoi district). In recent years, potential factors of instability have emerged in the East Sea in general and the Southwest sea, in particular. These include violations of foreign vessels in the sovereignty of our country's sea areas; illegal exploitation of seafood of Vietnamese fishing boats in foreign waters; the rising trend of drug crimes, smuggling, and trade fraud, etc., which are challenging the province's border work. To firmly protect the sovereignty and security of the sea and island borders, the Party Committee and Command of the Provincial Border Guard have been leading and directing the comprehensive and synchronous implementation of solutions.

Doc River Border Post arrests fishing boat trafficking oil illegally

First of all, they focus on improving the leadership and direction capacity of Party committees and commanders at all levels in the task of protecting border sovereignty and security. The Party Committee and Command of the Provincial Border Guards regularly disseminate and effectively carry out the work of Party building and rectification in conjunction with the implementation of Resolution No. 847-NQ/QUTW dated 28 December 2021 of the Central Military Commission on promoting the qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers", resolutely fighting against individualism in the new situation; strengthen and consolidate Party committees at all levels in accordance with the organisational structure; attach importance to training and improving the qualifications and capacity to disseminate, concretise, and implement resolutions for Party committees, Party organisations, and Party members. In particular, the Provincial Border Guards pays attention to improving the leadership capacity and combat strength of grassroots Party organisations and the quality of cadres and Party members of border posts and stations on islands, ports, and sea border gates. Over the past years, the Provincial Border Guards have promoted the implementation of breakthrough "2 qualities, 2 enhancements", and the building of Party cells according to the "4 good" criteria, achieving positive results. Its Party organisations uphold the principles of democratic centralism, collective leadership, and individual accountability; strengthen inspection and supervision; the leadership capacity and fighting strength of Party committees and Party organisations at all levels have been significantly improved. Faced with the negative impacts of the market economy, social evils, and difficulties in the lives of cadres and soldiers, the Party Committee of the Provincial Border Guards require its subordinate Party committees and Party cells to pay attention to managing, educating, and training their Party members through daily activities and work; combine the training of Party members with the building of cadres with sufficient qualities and capacities to meet the requirements of tasks. As a result, in the 2020 - 2025 term, the annual rate of Party members completing their tasks well and excellently reached nearly 92% (20% or more completed their tasks excellently); over 93% of Party cells and grassroots Party organisations completed their tasks well and excellently; no Party cells or Party organisations failed to complete their tasks. For many consecutive years, the Provincial Border Guards’ Party Committee has been rated as excellently fulfilling tasks.

Fully aware that training is a regular task, a direct factor in improving the overall quality and combat strength, the Party Committee and Command of the Provincial Border Guards thoroughly grasp the resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence and the orders and instructions of the Border Guard High Command on training work; direct its agencies and units to concretise, develop targets, measures for leadership and implementation close to the actual situation. During the process of implementation, the Provincial Border Guards directed units to prepare training grounds, lesson plans, lectures, models, and teaching aids thoroughly; conduct training according to the motto of "Basic, practical, thorough", in line with the viewpoints, principles, and combinations in training. The units are also required to focus on closely combining military training with political education, building courage and determination for officers and soldiers; associate training with performing tasks in the field; focus on professional training, regulations, martial arts, and physical training, aiming to improve the comprehensive capacity of officers and soldiers.

Conducting patroll on sea

Along with training, the Provincial Border Guard Command strengthened combat readiness measures, not to be made passive or surprised in any situation in the sea and island border areas. Its units proactively study and grasp the situation; focus on building, supplementing and adjusting operational documents, regulations, coordination plans with forces and practicing the plans thoroughly. They maintain the regimes of command, duty, combat duty, patrol and control plans at sea and on land in a serious manner. At the same time, they proactively build and consolidate combat works, prepare enough weapons, means, equipment, communications, etc.; prepare, hold drills and participate in defence area exercises, competitions and sports events at all levels, for officers and soldiers to practice and improve their capacity of staff and command, and the level of task performance.

To firmly protect the sovereignty and security of the sea and island borders amid the complex and potentially unstable situation in the sea border area of ​​the Province, the Party Committee and Command of the Provincial Border Guards require units to strengthen and improve the effectiveness of coordination among forces; focus on implementing Decision No. 1677/QD-BQP dated 27 April 2023 of the Minister of National Defence on promulgating regulations on professional work of the Border Guards. In particular, it has coordinated with the Provincial Military Command, the Department of Agriculture and Environment, and the authorities of coastal districts to grasp, register, and strictly manage human resources, boats, and civilian vehicles which can be ready for mobilisation for the protection of sovereignty and sovereign rights over the sea and islands. Synchronously deploy measures to prevent, detect and combat activities against violations of national security; promptly and effectively handle incidents related to religious issues; closely monitor temporary delegations, foreigners and overseas Vietnamese coming to the sea border area. In addition, they proactively coordinate with the Border Guards of Kien Giang and Bac Lieu provinces, and Border Guard Squadron 28 to develop professional plans to manage and protect the border sea areas; conduct investigations, verifications, and make plans to combat and prevent all types of crimes and legal violations; handle incidents in a prompt, serious, and legal manner. Since 2020 to date, the Provincial Border Guard has resolved 03 cases with 11 illegal missionaries; 04 cases of illegal construction of religious works; inspected and supervised 124 temporary tourist groups with 1,022 people, 2,870 foreigners; detected and handled 76 cases without permits to maritime border area; successfully established and fought 06 special projects and 48 ​​professional plans: arrested and prosecuted 36 cases with 48 people; arrested and handled 592 cases with 989 administrative violations, and confiscated many types of smuggled goods, liquidated, and paid to the budget billions of VND.

Along with the above solutions, the Provincial Border Guards actively participate in building increasingly strong grassroots political systems in the area, creating a solid foundation for good implementation of border work. The Provincial Border Guards have advised the Provincial Party Committee to effectively implement the policy of sending cadres to border communes and districts, party members of border guard stations participating in local party committees, and participating in activities of party cells of coastal hamlets and residential areas; implementing the motto "staying close with the people, standing side by side with the people" with increased quality and effectiveness, harnessing the strength of the people for socio-economic development, and national defence and security consolidation. They have also coordinated to effectively resolve complex issues in security and order from the beginning and at the grassroots level, not allowing them to develop into "hot spots". At the same time, they accompany all levels, sectors and forces to effectively implement the programmes of: "Border shelter", "Joining hands for the poor, leaving no one behind"; the models of: "Helping children’s schooling", "Adoptees of Border Guard Posts", "Charity class" on Hon Chuoi island, "Safe boating groups", "Crime and social evils-free hamlets", "Security and order control teams",... contributing to building a strong people's border defence in the coastal and island border areas.

The above-mentioned achievements not only contribute to enriching the tradition of the Ca Mau Provincial Border Guards over 50 years of building, fighting and development, but also motivate the Provincial Border Guard to continue to successfully complete the task of protecting the sovereignty and security of the southernmost sea and island border of the Fatherland.

Senior Colonel PHAM MINH GIANG, Political Commissar of the Provincial Border Guards