People become "border guard soldiers" at the forefront
An Giang has a border adjacent to Cambodia. This is an area that is both favorable for trade and vibrant cultural exchange, and potentially contains many complex elements of security and order, such as smuggling, illegal entry and exit, and cross-border crimes. In that context, border protection is no longer a separate task of the Border Guard or police forces, but has become a common responsibility of the entire political system and the entire people.
As a resident with agricultural land cultivated near the border, Mr. Ho Van Ngon (resident in Phu Huu commune, An Giang province) shared: "It has become a habit for people to report news to the border guards. Seeing strangers traveling abnormally, or suspicious trucks carrying goods, people immediately call the border guards. Not because of fear, but because I understand that keeping the border is also keeping the lives of my children and grandchildren later.
We have lived here for decades, familiar with every road. If we see anything unusual, we immediately report it to the border guards. Keeping the border peaceful is also keeping our family's life," Mr. Ngon said.
Lieutenant Colonel Tran Anh Son - Deputy Head of Long Binh Border Guard Station (An Giang Provincial Border Guard Command) said that in Khanh Binh border commune (An Giang province), when detecting strangers showing signs of irregular movement or subjects finding ways across the border, or boats carrying suspicious goods, people immediately call to report to Long Binh Border Guard Station. From receiving reports from people, many cases related to illegal entry and exit, small-scale smuggling have been promptly detected from people's phone calls and text messages. This proactiveness and self-awareness has created a solid people's heart formation, a key factor in protecting national borders in peacetime.
Lieutenant Colonel Tran Anh Son emphasized: "To maintain the border for a long time, it is necessary to maintain the people's hearts. When the people trust, understand, and accompany, each citizen is a border guard soldier.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Son, in recent years, the unit has promoted mass mobilization, sticking to the area, sticking to the people. Officers and soldiers not only patrol and control but also participate in helping people build houses, repair roads,...
Linking border protection with caring for people's lives
Lieutenant Colonel Ha Thai Ngoc Chau - Political Commissar of Phu Huu Border Guard Station (Command of An Giang Provincial Border Guard Command) - shared: "Reality shows that wherever people's lives are stable, border security is maintained. Therefore, along with national defense and security tasks, Phu Huu Border Guard Station also actively participates in economic development models, programs, and movements, ensuring social security, building new rural areas, and sustainable poverty reduction.
Lieutenant Colonel Ha Thai Ngoc Chau also informed that from the programs "Raising Steps for Children to School", "Adoption Children of Border Guard Stations", to livelihood models, support,... have contributed to helping people feel secure in sticking to the land and border.
When life is stable, people will not be dragged or seduced into illegal acts. That is also a way to protect the border from the root," Lieutenant Colonel Ha Thai Ngoc Chau emphasized.
Lieutenant Colonel Ha Thai Ngoc Chau also said that maintaining territorial sovereignty in peacetime is a long-term task, requiring persistence and consensus. Today's border is held not only by fences and guard posts, but by the belief, responsibility and love for the country of each citizen. When each citizen is aware that they are a "soldier", the Fatherland's border will always be firm, from the simplest things.
