Bridge to promote people-to-people exchange in the Central Highlands border area

With a total length of nearly 600km of border, located in 243 villages, hamlets, and hamlets of 31 communes and 13 districts, it can be said that the Central Highlands border area (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Dak Nong) is one of the most sparsely populated areas in the country. Meanwhile, on the opposite side, although the border passes through 2 provinces in Southern Laos and 2 provinces in Northeastern Cambodia, the number of residential areas can be counted on the fingers. Even many areas such as the border section between Dak Lak and Mondulkiri provinces, within a radius of hundreds of kilometers, are completely uninhabited. In such conditions, Border Guard foreign affairs play a very important role in promoting people-to-people exchanges and fostering solidarity from the most ordinary stories.

Soldiers of Ia R've Border Guard Station (737), Dak Lak patrol the border belt area. Photo: VNA.

Border diplomacy work in the Central Highlands provinces is the "bridge" for residential areas on both sides of the border to come together, meeting the needs of visiting relatives, learning, exchanging experiences in economic development and cultural exchange.

Along with promoting border diplomacy, twinning, and supporting border protection units of neighboring countries, the Border Guards of the Central Highlands provinces have proactively advised local Party committees and authorities to implement the model of "twinning villages" (twinning residential areas on both sides of the border) to promote people-to-people exchanges, build solidarity, friendship, and mutual love between the owners of the two sides of the border. However, the story of "making friends" in a place far from the people has never been simple.

While in the Northern Central Highlands (Kon Tum and Gia Lai), local authorities and the Border Guard coordinated with the competent authorities of the neighboring country to conduct surveys and assess the current situation, and organized 9 pairs of villages on both sides of the border to sign a village-village twinning program, attracting thousands of households to participate, in the Southern Central Highlands (Dak Lak and Dak Nong ), this activity mainly took place at the two levels of district and commune authorities because the border residential areas were too far apart.

Village chiefs of two residential areas, Son village, Ia Nan commune (Duc Co district, Gia Lai province) and Lam Moi village, Po Nhay commune (Ozadao district, Rattanakiri province, Cambodia) signed the twinning agreement in 2023. Photo: Thai Kim Nga

However, people-to-people exchanges are still maintained through meetings, visits, gift-giving, and medical care by authorities at all levels and the Border Guard. Along with that, the border guards in charge of the area always create favorable conditions for people on both sides of the border to visit relatives in accordance with the laws of the two countries.

Colonel Do Quang Tham, Political Commissar of Dak Lak Border Guard, shared: In addition to advising the local authorities of the two communes of Krong Na, Buon Don district and Ia Rve, Ea Sup district is twinned with Sorehui and Noongkhơlức communes, Conhet district, Mondulkiri province, the provincial Border Guard regularly organizes activities to help and support people and armed forces on the other side of the border, especially when they need medical assistance. Combined military-civilian medical stations and military medical forces at border posts are ready to receive, provide emergency aid and treatment for all patients on the other side of the border when people need it. Promote border diplomacy to connect people-to-people exchanges on both sides of the border.

Strengthening border diplomacy to promote people-to-people exchanges while ensuring flexible response to both traditional and non-traditional security threats. In the recent "decisive battle" against the Covid-19 pandemic, along the international border gate corridor of Le Thanh (Gia Lai, Vietnam) and Ozadao (Rattanakiri, Cambodia) - one of the most densely populated areas along the entire border of the Central Highlands provinces, the relationship between the people on both sides of the border is still connected despite having to strictly apply disease prevention and control measures.

In Ia Nan commune, Duc Co district, Gia Lai province, the locality has Son village which is twinned with Lam Moi village, Po Nhay commune, Ozadao district (Cambodia), maintaining foreign affairs activities in general during the pandemic is a huge challenge. In addition to kinship relationships, Ia Nan commune also has about 200 households farming along the border, which is very easy to violate the principles of disease prevention and control. However, the disease prevention and control work here is still maintained very closely and strictly with Ia Nan Border Guard Station being both a stronghold and a "bridge" between the owners on both sides of the border.

Lieutenant Colonel Phan Trong Binh, Head of the Bo Y International Border Post, shared: In addition to visiting relatives and circulating goods, Po Y commune also has Lec village, which is twinned with Phu Cua village, belonging to the Xom Bun village cluster, Phu Vong district, Attapeu province, Laos. In such an environment, criminals in general, and drug criminals in particular, can easily take advantage of the situation to infiltrate and operate. However, through border diplomacy and the eyes and ears of the people, we proactively grasp the situation early and from afar to have the most effective measures to fight. Many drug trafficking and transportation lines across the border have been dismantled by us from this tight and interconnected battle. It can be affirmed that border diplomacy and promoting people-to-people exchanges not only foster solidarity and friendship between the two countries, but also contribute to effectively fighting and preventing all kinds of crimes, maintaining peace on the border./.

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