These activities have actively contributed to building a borderline of peace, stability, friendship and win-win cooperation. The achievements of the border guard force have been highly applauded by the Party, State, people of Vietnam and especially the Party Committees, authorities and people in border areas.

After 20 years of implementation, the Ordinance on the Border Guard has shown drawbacks that need to be amended. Therefore, it is necessary to build a Law on Border Guard to address these shortcomings, institutionalize all goals and standpoints of the Party in line with the Politburo’s Resolution No 33 on the national border safeguarding strategy, and fully and comprehensively demonstrate the principles on implementing border protection missions and related State policies in the current period.

leftcenterrightdel
Photo for illustration

At the ongoing ninth plenary session of the 14th National Assembly, Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich presented a draft Law on Border Guard consisting of seven chapters with 33 articles and emphasized the need to promulgate such a law.

The draft law defines that border guard comprises all measures to protect the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and border security of the nation, and the social order and safety in border areas.

This draft law also specifically stipulates the responsibilities of entities in implementing border missions as well as legalizes border management and protection forms and measures and specifies contents on the building of whole people’s border disposition.

The draft law also contains the contents of international law and conventions on border in line with the Party and State’s principles and policies on border and border protection, which can serve as guidelines for the border guard force and other forces to enhance defense diplomacy, border affairs, people-to-people exchange, relations with neighboring countries, and build a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

The Articles 5 and 7 of the draft law confirm that to protect national border is the common mission of the political system, ministries, departments, local authorities, people’s armed forces, functional bodies and the authorities and people in border areas.

But it clarifies that the border guard force, part of the military, plays the core role in implementing the border guard duties and protecting border sovereignty and security.

The draft law also details the border protection missions and responsibilities of the Ministries of National Defense, Public Security, Foreign Affairs, and related ministries, departments, and authorities in border areas and border gates. 

The border guard force, according to the draft law, has the right to check all means of transport with signs of law violations and handle cases of violating the laws, public order and security in border areas. The force is now responsible for checking the entry and exit of people and vehicles at 117 border gates and ports while the customs force is in charge of checking goods. Therefore, the draft law’s stipulation on the border guard force’s right to check vehicles and handle vehicles’ violations suites the current practices while distinguishing its functions, missions, power, and operation from the customs force’s.

The early promulgation of the Law on Border Guard is an urgent requirement, suggested Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich at the NA’s recent meeting. He emphasized the national border is sacred and inviolable, and that all ministries, agencies, organizations, authorities at all levels should hold the responsibility for building, managing, and protecting the national border. Thus, to firmly defend national territorial sovereignty and border security, it is necessary to have a comprehensive legal document system and the draft law meets the requirement of building, managing, defending the national border and border areas in the current period, the Defense Minister affirmed.

Source: bienphong

Translated by Mai Huong