Minister of Public Security General To Lam suggested the Government apply measures to prevent people illegally returning to Vietnam given the complex development of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Public Security General To Lam speaks at the conference.

At an online conference between the Government and localities on December 29, Lam stressed that the desire among Vietnamese expatriates to return to the homeland is particularly high as the Lunar New Year (Tet) approaches.

Though the Government has brought home some 70,000 Vietnamese nationals from abroad, a large number who work in neighbouring countries such as China, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, also want to return.

Thousands of illegal border crossings have been documented since the start of the year, putting pressure on authorities at the local level.

“We are trying hard to handle unlawful returns,” Lam said. “A lack of effective measures would have a critical impact on pandemic prevention, social security, and economic development, especially during the Tet holiday.”

Lam also told the participants that the number of criminal offences in 2020 fell 6.8% year-on-year to around 50,000 cases, adding that his ministry will work to reduce case numbers by at least 5% in 2021.

At the online conference between the Government and localities

Recommending the Government, ministries, and sectors mobilise people to prevent crimes, Lam said the Ministry of Public Security will continue efforts to fight criminal enterprises, gangs, and syndicates, and exert full management over weapons and explosive materials.

The police force will be developed at the communal level to ensure security and order.

He proposed further attention be given to improving the livelihoods of people in remote and mountainous areas, especially in northwestern localities, the Central Highlands, and the Mekong Delta.

Lam described the move as important for border security in strategic regions.

Since uneven regional development will put pressure on security and order, the Government should step up efforts to alleviate poverty in disadvantaged areas, he added.

Touching on economic security, Lam underscored that further activities should be put in place to handle such challenges as transfer pricing, management of finance, monetary, securities, and money flows, business development, evaluation of enterprises’ health, trade fraud prevention, and land management.