Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Border Guard Law is of strategic significance tonational construction and defence, Commander of the Vietnam Border Guard, Lieut.Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, told the press on June 9.
Whiledrafting the law, the Ministry of National Defence has collected opinions ofagencies, organisations and individuals, as well as assessments of the Ministryof Justice, he said.
Thebill was presented to the Government’s regular meeting in January, and receivedapproval of Government members. At the ongoing ninth sitting of the 14th National Assembly, it is scheduled to be tabled for discussion in groups onJune 16 and in a plenary session on June 19.
TheCommander said Vietnam has over 5,000 km of land border and 3,260 km of coastlinerunning through 44 cities and provinces.
Henoted that while peace, friendship, cooperation and development have been thecommon trend pursued by countries worldwide, the regional and global situation hasalways faced complex and unforeseeable developments.
Accordingto Chien, over the past 61 years, the Vietnamese border guard force haseffectively implemented measures to manage and protect territorial sovereigntyand national border, and safeguard border security and order.
However,such contents have yet to be prescribed in the national border law, the BorderGuard Ordinance and relevant legal documents, he went on. Therefore, there isnot sufficient legal foundation for competent agencies, forces and the borderguard force to implement the tasks of building, managing and protectingnational border and border areas.
Inaddition, the ordinance only handles issues regarding the border guard force, leavingout other subjects concerned in the building, management and protection of thenational border and border areas. Some regulations relating to the limitationof human rights and citizens’ right have not matched the 2013 Constitution.
Besides,many duties and authority of the border guard force are prescribed in variouslaws and sub-law documents, causing difficulties and inconsistency.
Therefore,it is urgent to promulgate the Vietnam Border Guard Law that stipulates theresponsibility, rights, obligations and tasks of agencies and forces in theborder guard work, Chien said./.
VNA
