Central Highland communes see positive changes in public order and security situation

Ea Lam is among the 3 communes with complicated security situations in Song Hinh district, Phu Yen province.

10 years ago, members of a reactionary organization called FULRO in the Central Highlands expanded their network to Ea Lam and lured local people to join the so-called "Dega Protestantism" opposing the government.

The reactionaries cause social disturbances and induced local ethnic people to flee abroad to find an illusory “paradise”.

In recent years, they also enticed some people to join the “United Montagnard Christian Church” (UMCC), which is not a legally recognized religious organization in Vietnam.

The police of Ea Lam coordinated with the police of Song Hinh district and Phu Yen province to implement various approaches to raise the local people’s awareness of the laws and advised local authorities to expand the national security protection movement in the locality.

Thanks to the deployment of active-duty police officers to the commune in November 2019, the security and order situation in the commune have seen positive changes, especially in economic and cultural, social aspects, while backward customs and superstitions have been eradicated.

The police also proactively prevented members of reactionary organizations from carrying out acts of sabotage during holidays or celebrations in the locality.

Over the past 2 years, the communal police of Ea Lam have investigated and handled 11 cases of administrative violation and submitted 5 criminal cases to the district police to handle.

During the pandemic, police officers in Ea Lam were on duty for 3 months and supported the isolation of 87 people returning from Southern localities.

It is surprising that Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Nhu Quynh, a female police officer and Vice Head of the Communal Police Post of the neighboring commune of Ea Trol,, is an elder sister of Captain Nguyen Hung Anh.

The sister and brother together volunteered themselves to work in the two security hotbeds despite difficulties and dangers facing them.

Lieutenant Colonel Quynh said, Ea Trol is home to over 4,500 residents, 80% of whom are of ethnic minority groups living in 8 villages.

The first SARS-CoV-2 case in the district was found in Ea Trol commune, and it also had the largest number of COVID cases (22). 

The police force in the commune, including 5 active-duty police officers and 2 part-time policemen, worked around the clock, tracing infection cases, protecting the quarantine area, guiding local people to testing areas and calling on people to observe anti-COVID rules.

Thanks to their efforts, the commune has controlled the pandemic.

In addition to fighting the pandemic, the police of Ea Trol also took measures to prevent and fight crimes. Over the past 5 years, the commune has recorded no criminal case while some administrative cases have been quickly settled.

Notably, the local police have successfully converted a UMCC follower and encouraged him to return to normal life.

Major Le Quyet Tien, Head of the Ea Ba Communal Police Post, said the commune is home to over 2,500 residents, with a large majority of ethnic minorities.

The communal police have successfully maintained security and order in the large area while advising the local Party organization and authority to implement 2 security movements, namely “Mobilizing local people to detect and prevent illegally recognized chapters of Protestantism among the ethnic minority communities” and “Arms-free villages.” They also coordinated with social organizations to settle civil disputes.

Over the past time, the commune has had no criminal case, while10 minor offences have been settled by local police.

The communal police officers also actively participated in the fight against the pandemic in their assigned areas.