Border protection mission tasked to southwest localities

Firmly safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the southwest region is among key missions tasked to regional localities at a meeting on the Vietnam-Cambodia border security and defence on September 15.

At the event in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, Head of the Steering Committee for the Southwest Region’s security-defence department Nguyen Doan Ket said regional localities, especially those bordering Cambodia, must keep a close watch over the border situation and devise plans to respond to emerging incidents.

They also have to enhance protection of the national borderline, border demarcation and marker planting based on legal documents signed between Vietnam and Cambodia while ensuring security, order and friendship in border communities, he added.

Local authorities, sectors and armed forces were requested to continue strengthening external relations, particularly between the two countries’ military and border guard forces as well as people.

Communication activities should be stepped up to raise border community awareness of hostile forces or sabotage schemes towards encouraging support for border demarcation, marker planting and border-related matter settlements.

Vietnam and Cambodia share a 1,137-kilometre border with 10 Vietnamese provinces neighbouring nine Cambodian provinces. The Vietnamese side comprises Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang and Kien Giang.

Southwest provinces have been tasked to plant 135 out of 150 border markers. They have so far located 96 positions for 119 markers and erected 112 out of 150 markers. Dong Thap province is the first that has completed border demarcation and border marker planting.

Recently, Vietnamese border provinces successfully dealt with disturbances in boundary areas and have effectively implemented the Party and State policies on simultaneous socio-economic development and security-defence maintenance.-VNA