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| President Vo Van Thuong (R) presents a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh to the Border Guard High Command at the ceremony in Hanoi on March 1. (Photo: VNA) |
Lt. Gen. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Political Commissar of the Border Guard, said that under the direction of the Party Central Committee and President Ho Chi Minh, on March 3, 1959, the Prime Minister issued Decree No. 100/TTg on the establishment of the people’s armed public security force, which is now the border guard force. Since then, the date March 3 became the traditional day of the Border Guard.
He added that at its third session, the 11th-tenure National Assembly adopted the Law on National Borders, which designated March 3 as the All People’s Border Defence Day, he noted.
At the ceremony, President Thuong presented the second-class Feat Order to the Border Guard in recognition of the force’s remarkable achievements in preventing and combating the illegal production, trading, trafficking, and storage of military weapons, helping guarantee political security and social order and safety.
In his speech, the State leader affirmed that under the Party’s leadership, over the last 65 years, the force has stayed absolutely loyal to the Party and devoted to the people; weathered every difficulty and hardship to excellently fulfill all assigned tasks; and actively engaged in the building and consolidation of the grassroots political system, the development of socio-economic aspects, and the formation of strong all-people border defence, thus helping to safeguard every inch of the country’s sacred land.
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| President Vo Van Thuong addresses the ceremony. (Photo: VNA) |
He applauded the force’s performance in giving advice to the Party and State; cracking down on a number of cases of drug and human trafficking, illegal trade of weapons and explosive materials, smuggling, and trade fraud, along with complex security and order incidents in border areas; promoting external relations; and assisting residents in border and maritime areas.
Meanwhile, President Thuong added, over the last 35 years, the All People’s Border Defence Day has become a true festival for enhancing all people’s sense of responsibility towards border safeguarding; the Border Guard’s solidarity with people and other forces; and friendship with border residents of neighbouring countries.
National borders hold a strategic position of special importance to the national defence, security, economy, and external relations, he affirmed, underlining the Party’s viewpoint that protecting national borders is a crucial and frequent task of the entire Party, the people, the army, the political system, and the whole country.
The President also assigned tasks to the Border Guard, administrations at all levels, sectors, and border localities to better protect the Fatherland, borders, seas, and islands in the new context./.