Politburo

In 2021, the city police set the goal to plant and care for 3,000 trees, in an effort to respond to the Government’s programme on planting one billion trees by 2025.

On the morning of the same day, General To Lam, Politburo member and Minister of Public Security attended a tree planting festival held by the People’s Public Security Political Academy.

Also on February 22, the Quang Binh Provincial Women’s Union in coordination with the Dong Hoi City Women’s Union launched the Lunar New Year 2021 tree planting campaign, as part of the nation’s efforts to plant one billion trees within the five years from 2021-2025 at the call of the Prime Minister.

With the spirit of ‘each woman – one green tree’, over 700 women in Quang Phu Commune, Dong Hoi City, participated in the festival and planted over 1,000 casuarina trees along the coast of the locality.

Major General Nguyễn Văn Viện, director of the Drug-related Crime Investigation Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security. — VNA/ VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

Major General Nguyễn Văn Viện, director of the Drug-related Crime Investigation Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security, talks to the Việt Nam Government Portal chinhphu.vn about the drug-related crime situation and measures to mobilise resources to combat drug crimes.

In 2020, the drug-related crime investigation police force directly conducted or co-ordinated with other authorities to investigate 24,548 drug-related criminal cases, arrested 36,404 drug offenders and seized more than 738kg of heroin, 3.4 tonnes and more than 2 million synthetic drug tablets, and about 255kg of marijuana. It saw year-on-year increases of 12.85 per cent in the number of cases and 9.15 per cent in the number of criminals.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected economic, political-diplomatic, cultural and social aspects of countries all over the world, including Việt Nam, drug crimes have increased.

The authorities have cracked down on maritime drug trafficking cases, notably one led by a former South Korean police officer in July 2020. Could you elaborate on this?

There have been complex developments in maritime drug trafficking crimes. This is a route that has been used by international drug criminals to transport a very large amount of drugs.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has suspended some international air routes and road routes are also under tighter controls against COVID-19, drug trafficking at sea is becoming more complex.

Drug traffickers have constantly changed the way they work. They are led by Chinese Taiwanese or African citizens under the management of international drug crime organisations, which work with those from the drug hotspots like the Golden Triangle to establish the drug trafficking rings and transport drugs to Việt Nam and other parts of Southeast Asia.

The ringleaders are not involved directly in transporting the drugs. They manage and assign jobs into different steps to avoid being detected by the authorities. They establish import and export companies and rent warehouses in provinces in the central and southern regions of Việt Nam to gather drugs, which are hidden in normal goods like electronic equipment. They then consign the goods for other logistics companies to conduct procedures to ship drugs to other countries. Therefore, it is difficult to expand the investigation and arrest the ringleaders who are foreigners.

To prevent maritime drug crimes, we are promoting communications so businesses and local people are better aware of how drug-related crimes work are more cautious and report criminals to the authorities.

We work with other forces like customs, border and coast guard to investigate and handle the crimes. We also work with the authorities of other countries in the region to share information and together handle criminal cases when needed.

The illicit use of drugs in bars, karaoke parlours and hotels seems to be on the rise. Is there any fundamental solution to prevent this?

In recent years, the illicit use of drugs, especially synthetic drugs, in bars, hostels and hotels has been complicated.

We have difficulties in preventing this, especially when the Penal Code removed Article 199, recognising narcotic users as patients, not criminals, making it challenging to manage, prevent and deter drug users.

In addition, drug users often rent luxury apartments or resort with good sound insulation. Landlords don’t seem to care what tenants use their properties for and the tenants often use drugs in these rooms with layers of locked doors, making it difficult to detect and catch them red-handed.

Meanwhile, there are still overlaps in some legal documents related to this issue, which are also inconsistent with reality. The sanctions imposed on property owners where the violation occurs are still too lax to deter violations.

To prevent the illicit use of drugs, the Drug-related Investigation Police Department is working on a report to the Ministry of Public Security to propose the approval of the amended Drug Prevention and Control Law, which suggests additional charges for the illegal use of drugs. At the same time, it also works with competent authorities to handle difficulties in managing and treating drug addicts.

Communication work on the impacts of drugs needs also to be promoted. It is also essential to get a grip on the situation and promptly detect and handle drug hotspots.

It is crucial to assess the responsibilities of organisations or individuals, especially leaders in places where crime and drug evils take place in a complex, rampant and prolonged way that causes insecurity for local people.

We have witnessed the great sacrifices of police forces in combating drug crimes yet there are also some police officers who have been arrested and prosecuted for involvement in drug crimes or having their People’s Police titles stripped due to their illegal use of drugs. What are the implications of these incidents?

The drug-related crime investigation police force works in a tough and challenging environment, their battlefield is often the dangerous mountainous areas. Drug criminals are becoming more audacious and fight fiercely when they are detected. Therefore, bloodshed and the sacrifice offered during peacetime by this force is heavier than any other forces. As many as 26 officials, officers and people have died in this combat.

Recently, however, there are some police officers who have tolerated, protected, covered up crimes and colluded with drug offenders. This not only enables the crimes but also erodes the trust of the people and adversely impacts the reputation and prestige of the people’s police force as a whole. These individuals will be punished strictly in accordance with the law.

To build a transparent and valiant drug investigation police force who are willing to face challenges, accept to sacrifice, have a strong will and do not fall into the bribery and manipulation of criminals, I think political and ideological education is crucial. The officers need to follow the six teachings that late President Hồ Chí Minh has given the police force, considering this as the most important element in the process of building the police force.

In addition, it is also necessary to keep tabs on the cadres and officers to promptly detect and handle violations while giving praise to groups or individuals who have made excellent achievements in drug crime prevention and control.

What should we do to mobilise the resources and the strength of the whole political system and people to prevent drug-related crimes?

Promoting the strength of the whole political system and entire people in drug crime prevention and combat is one of the goals and tasks specified by the Politburo in Directive No 36-CT/TW on August 16, 2019, on enhancing the effectiveness of drug control work.

Especially amid the complex developments of drug crimes, we consider this the foundation to help to prevent and harness the development of drug crimes and evils in Việt Nam.

To achieve this, firstly, the authorities need to closely implement Directive No 36, direct and inspect the implementation of drug crime prevention and control in organisations and agencies. This shouldn’t be considered as the task of the public security sector alone.

In addition, it is essential to enhance communication work, disseminate information on the law, and raise the awareness and responsibility of people in drug-related crime prevention and control. We need to diversify content and forms of communication in accordance with localities, regions and subjects, especially pupils, students, workers and people from ethnic minority groups.

Sharing experience and successful models and praising those with excellent achievements in drug prevention and control are also important.

We also need to continue to enhance the capacities and virtues of public security forces, gain trust from the people and receive support from them in ensuring public security in general and controlling drug crimes in specific. VNS

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (standing) gives a speech at the meeting. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc called for the COVID-19 vaccination programme to be organised quickly when he chaired the Government’s meeting with the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Wednesday.

A Ministry of Health (MoH) report said that after eight days of social distancing in the northern province of Hải Dương, which is the epicentre of the current third infection wave in the country, logging over 600 patients since January 27, the number of new cases per day has shown signs of decreasing with an average of nine cases per day. Most of the patients had been quarantined previously.

Speaking at the meeting, PM Phúc highly appreciated provinces’ and cities’ efforts to control the pandemic and said vaccines were key to reducing the number of COVID-19 cases across the world.

The PM also noted that even though there were vaccines, it was still necessary to pay attention to disease prevention and treatment.

PM Phúc also praised Hải Dương, Hải Phòng, HCM City, Hà Nội and Quảng Ninh as the localities that have strictly dealt with intentional violations of anti-pandemic regulations.

The MoH has also seriously implemented the request of the Politburo and the PM to have vaccines ready in the shortest time possible. More than 100,000 doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Việt Nam Wednesday morning .

The PM asked the National Steering Committee and authorities at all levels to focus on providing the vaccines with strong, timely and drastic measures.

“Our strategy is that 100 million people are vaccinated,” said Phúc.

He stated that without enough vaccines for 100 million people at once, there must be a priority order, which should be medical staff at treatment and testing facilities, border guards, the army and the police in quarantine zones, voluntary pandemic prevention and control forces and other groups based on the Government’s resolutions.

“A very important principle is that those with high risk first, low risk later, areas with outbreaks first, and then areas without the pandemic,” the PM said.

PM Phúc also mentioned the task of rescuing goods that may spoil like farm produce in Hải Phòng City, Quảng Ninh and Hải Dương provinces, adding that it was necessary to continue goods circulation and to support product consumption.

He assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the MoH to ensure agricultural products in pandemic zones are consumed.

The PM also asked to continue to strictly handle violations and make more efforts in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic so that no more localities face pandemic outbreaks. — VNS