Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Đỗ Bá Tỵ at the session on Tuesday morning. — Photo vov.vn

HÀ NỘI — The promulgation of the Việt Nam Border Guard Law is very necessary and would recognise the legal status of the border guard force in the country, a National Assembly (NA) deputy has said.

Deputy Dương Minh Tuấn made the statement at the NA morning session to discuss the draft law on Tuesday.

Tuấn said border soldiers had contributed greatly to maintaining security and social order as well as protecting the nation’s land and sea borders for years.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, the border soldiers also helped fight the pandemic, he said.

Tuấn added that the lawmaking process was carefully consulted with relevant parties and it was necessary to promulgate the law now.

Contributing his comments on the draft law, NA deputy Lưu Thành Công said he applauded the compilation of the law, which looks set to replace the Border Guard Ordinance issued in 1997.

Công added that the draft law needed to supplement regulations on protecting national border markers and the borderline.

NA deputy Nguyễn Thị Xuân said the draft law should supplement regulations on prohibited acts of destroying border makers, as the border was very important and the national border markers showed national sovereignty.

Deputy Vũ Xuân Cường said he wanted the law to be adopted soon and to later set up a specialised force to better protect the border.

Also at the session, NA deputy Phạm Tất Thắng recommended reviewing the name of the law, as the current name would mandate adding contents regarding "building national borders" and "functions and tasks of law-enforcement forces at the border”.

Thắng said the name of the law should be reconsidered in line with other current laws, including the Law on People’s Public Security and the Law on Việt Nam Coast Guard, to avoid overlaps between legal documents.

Concluding the discussion, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Đỗ Bá Tỵ said the name was suitable and consistent with Resolution No 33 of the Politburo on the National Border Protection Strategy and the Programme on Law and Ordinance Compilation, decided by the NA. — VNS