On returning trip of the veterans

After serving in the military, upon returning, the soldiers still enthusiastically take the lead in various movements, especially in the movement to maintain local security and order. There, the veterans have played a pioneering role with all their passion and the spirit of President Ho Chi Minh’s soldiers.

Members of the Veterans Association of Thu Dau Mot City coordinate to maintain the scene and regulate traffic in the event of a collision on the road.

Principle of "3 no’s"

As agreed, at 7 p.m., we went to meet Mr. Do Van Thanh, Chairman of the Veterans Association of Thu Dau Mot city. At the time, his schedule is to listen to the news and then go for a walk until 9:30 p.m. "I have to go for a walk every day to feel at ease," he said with a smile.

We did not fully understand the implications of the statement, so Mr. Thanh further explained: ‘walking around’ means that every evening we plan and go to assess the security situation of the neighborhoods especially at the end of the year, when the incidents of motorcycle theft and robbery increase, causing unease among the people that we must intensify these efforts.

According to the Chairman of the Association of Veterans in Thu Dau Mot city, every night many members of the association participate in the Crime Prevention Club in various wards, quickly grasping incidents and informing each other. If any abnormalities are detected, they will report to the monitoring forces, especially in house renting areas.

One of the achievements that Mr. Do Van Thanh and his colleagues cannot forget is the discovery of a drug den and reporting it to the police force for eradication. “During that time, we monitored a group of young people who showed signs of renting an apartment to use drugs in a residential building. To avoid suspicion, we disguised ourselves as motorcycle taxi drivers to keep track of them. Some members casually befriended the building security guards to gather information. One security guard, upon learning that we were former soldiers, voluntarily provided pointers with a request to keep our identities secret for fear of retaliation. We adhere to the principle of "3 no’s" when engaging in dangerous activities: not letting others discover what we are doing, no disclosing information about our collaborators, no revealing our actions to family members. As a result, we have successfully provided reliable information to the police force, leading to the successful eradication of this drug den," Mr. Thanh recalled.

To contribute to maintaining security and order in the area of Thủ Dầu Một City, the local Veterans Association has also established 50 teams to capture social public opinion and promptly reflect dozens of opinions to relevant authorities for consideration. In addition, members of the association actively participate in reconciliation efforts, having successfully mediated 32 out of 38 disputes and conflicts within the community throughout the year.

Concurrently, the organization, with a model of three former soldiers sensitizing a drug addict, has approached and sensitized 30 individuals away from vices, avoiding contact with their former addict friends. The organization has also provided 51 complex sources of security information to the police force, coordinating patrols and guarding 1,170 incidents with the participation of 3,510 members.

Pride, honor and responsibility

With their experience and reputation, the members of the Veterans Association always strive alongside the people to build a peaceful and prosperous living environment. These days, when coming to Tan Uyen city, we can clearly sense that spirit.

Mr. Thuong Van Nghia, Chairman of the Association of Veterans of Tan Uyen city, stated that ensuring security, order, and traffic safety contributes to the economic and social development of the locality. The Association of Veterans of Tan Uyen city has set the responsibility for each member to actively contribute to this work. Specifically, this involves participating with the police and military forces in organizing patrols to ensure security in the area.

Since the beginning of the year, members have participated in 614 patrols with nearly 2,500 members involved; providing local police with dozens of sources of information on security and order; participating in the rehabilitation of many slow-progressing youth; coordinating with authorities and organizations to mediate 49 conflicts among the people, preventing the emergence of security hotspots.

According to Mr. Thuong Van Nghia, in order for citizens to comply well with the regulations when participating in traffic, members and their families must set a good example by complying with the law. Therefore, the members sign a commitment not to violate the Road Traffic Law, and then coordinate with the city's Traffic Safety Committee and the ward or commune to implement the movement of "Former soldiers of Tan Uyen city participate in disseminating and mobilizing people to maintain traffic order and safety" aiming to enhance public awareness of compliance with the Road Traffic Law and safety regulations when participating in traffic activities. At the same time, it encourages people not to encroach on sidewalks and roadways, and to collaborate in the construction and upgrading of transportation routes in the area.

According to Mr. Pham Tuong Liem, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Veterans Association, in order to promote the role of veterans in maintaining security and order at the grassroots level, the Provincial Veterans Association has implemented concentrated propaganda, education, and mobilization activities to raise awareness among members and the people about crime prevention and social evils. They actively contribute to building safe families and residential areas in terms of security and order.

Recently, the various levels of the organization have implemented the implementation of Directive No. 23-CT/TW "Enhancing the CPV's leadership in ensuring road traffic safety in the new situation," in conjunction with the movement "Vietnamese veterans participate in and promote people's participation in ensuring road traffic safety and building a traffic culture" in various forms. Specifically, such as developing the Self-Management Model for Traffic Safety in urban areas; promoting the message of "No drinking alcohol" when participating in traffic, not encroaching on sidewalks, not using sidewalks for business purposes, wearing helmets correctly when participating in traffic. Currently, the provincial Veterans Association maintains 8 "Traffic Accident Rescue" teams and evaluates 140 self-managed roads of the Veterans Association as "Safe, Clean, Beautiful".

Reported by Quynh Anh – Translated by Vi Bao