"People's heart milestone" at the Fatherland's border

Along the more than 80 km long border of Gia Lai province, each hamlet and village is a border protection base; there, many people - especially village elders, village chiefs, and prestigious people - are considered "living landmarks" to protect the border.

Village elder Ro Mah Duen happily introduces the changes in his hometown. **Photo: Vinh Hoang**

This year has passed 75 crop seasons, but village elder Ro Mah Duen (Dơk Ngol village, Ia Dơk commune) is still very clear-headed. Every early morning, he visits families to encourage them to collect rubber latex on time, ensuring enough output to deliver to the unit. In the evening, he and members of the Village Front Committee coordinate with functional forces to propagate, mobilize, and remind families to focus on educating their children to take care of their studies, and not get involved in social evils. "Previously, some young people in the village caused trouble, gathered to drink alcohol until late at night. Thanks to education, they know their mistakes and have reduced a lot," said village elder Ro Mah Duen.

The role of village elder Ro Mah Duen is not only shown through his being the spiritual support of the villagers, always taking the lead in propagating and mobilizing people to comply with the provisions of the law, but also through his exemplary character. He shared: "Just propagating and mobilizing is not enough, we must go first and set an example. When mobilizing people to plant small rubber plantations, I took the lead, planting more than 3 hectares. Seeing the effectiveness, people followed. Or like moving livestock barns far from the place of residence, I also had to do it first."

The people of Lang Ba (Ia Pnôn commune) have production land close to the border and landmarks. Therefore, in order for people to strictly comply with the border management and protection regulations, not to encroach on forest land; promptly notify the authorities and functional forces when strangers enter the area. As Party Cell Secretary and Village Chief, Mr. Ro Cham Blen has performed his role well. The people in the area are very familiar with the image of him always busy with the local working team of Ia Pnôn Border Guard Station or participating with the local authorities in handling situations arising at the grassroots level. Every time he handles work, he is the first to speak and also the last to leave, because he has to stay to analyze further so that everyone can understand what is wrong and what is right.

“In life, conflicts and disagreements are inevitable. As a mediator, I have to understand the root of the problem to persuade and resolve it. I always remind villagers to unite, love and help each other, and encourage their children to comply with the law,” Mr. Ro Cham Blen confided.

Village elder Ro Mah Duen discusses ways to propagate and mobilize the masses. **Photo: Vinh Hoang**

For nearly 10 years, female village elder Siu Phyin (Goong village, Ia Púch commune) has not only been a bridge between the functional forces, local government and the people, but has also always actively taken the lead in propagating and mobilizing people to comply with border regulations.

“I often tell people to comply with the law, actively participate with local authorities and functional forces to firmly protect the area. Only when the border is stable will people focus on labor and production to build their homeland more and more prosperous. My village has 300 households. Over the years, people have always been vigilant, not listening to or believing bad people, promptly reporting to local authorities when they see people with bad intentions entering the area. We must focus on building so that each person is an important source of information for the government and functional forces in border protection work,” Ms. Siu Phyin shared.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/cot-moc-long-dan-noi-bien-cuong-to-quoc-post562788.html