Fighting crime and violations at sea was crucial to the security andsovereignty of the country, security officials said at a seminar in HCMCity on April 19.
Speaking at the seminar on marine safety, officials from the Ministryof Public Security, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of ForeignAffairs said cooperation between countries was critical in crimeprevention.
Major Gen Pham Huy Tap, national borderguard deputy commander, said: "Matters sometimes can be dealt with byone country or one single force, but they should involve bilateral andmultilateral cooperation."
Tap said disputes on sovereignty and jurisdiction were one of the most vulnerable matters in the security of the nation.
Piracy was an important issue, which also led to disputes on marinesovereignty at a time when several countries had drawn up closurepolicies on sea territories and islands.
Issuesaffecting natural resources were also critical, including mattersrelated to pollution, unplanned fishing, vessel capture, and conflictsamong fishermen about fishing areas.
Marine smuggling and trade fraud were also a problem.
"It is a huge waste of national resources when hundreds of boats andship continue to smuggle from Vietnam to other countries," Tap said.
"Matters on sea are complex and might lead to an imbalance in securityor even armed conflicts or war, unless we have proper and smartsolutions."
Lt Gen Prof Tran Dai Quang, DeputyMinister of Public Security, said crime and violations on sovereignty,drugs and trafficking on sea were on the rise.
Thus,the police, customs, border guards, navy and diplomatic personnelshould work more closely in dealing with the problems, he added.
"The work between these groups and Interpol or ASEANPOL to haveeffective management on sea security is also necessary," he said.
Dr Nguyen Thi Lan Anh of the Institute for Foreign Affairs saidcountries that share sea areas can benefit from shared fighting againstcrime at sea.
She suggested that countries develop bilateral work and commitments in the area of sea security.
Vietnam has 3,200km of coastline stretching from northern Quang Ninhprovince to southern Ha Tien, territorial waters and continental shelvesof some 1 million square kilometres, 112 estuaries, 47 bays and about3,000 islands and islets./.
Speaking at the seminar on marine safety, officials from the Ministryof Public Security, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of ForeignAffairs said cooperation between countries was critical in crimeprevention.
Major Gen Pham Huy Tap, national borderguard deputy commander, said: "Matters sometimes can be dealt with byone country or one single force, but they should involve bilateral andmultilateral cooperation."
Tap said disputes on sovereignty and jurisdiction were one of the most vulnerable matters in the security of the nation.
Piracy was an important issue, which also led to disputes on marinesovereignty at a time when several countries had drawn up closurepolicies on sea territories and islands.
Issuesaffecting natural resources were also critical, including mattersrelated to pollution, unplanned fishing, vessel capture, and conflictsamong fishermen about fishing areas.
Marine smuggling and trade fraud were also a problem.
"It is a huge waste of national resources when hundreds of boats andship continue to smuggle from Vietnam to other countries," Tap said.
"Matters on sea are complex and might lead to an imbalance in securityor even armed conflicts or war, unless we have proper and smartsolutions."
Lt Gen Prof Tran Dai Quang, DeputyMinister of Public Security, said crime and violations on sovereignty,drugs and trafficking on sea were on the rise.
Thus,the police, customs, border guards, navy and diplomatic personnelshould work more closely in dealing with the problems, he added.
"The work between these groups and Interpol or ASEANPOL to haveeffective management on sea security is also necessary," he said.
Dr Nguyen Thi Lan Anh of the Institute for Foreign Affairs saidcountries that share sea areas can benefit from shared fighting againstcrime at sea.
She suggested that countries develop bilateral work and commitments in the area of sea security.
Vietnam has 3,200km of coastline stretching from northern Quang Ninhprovince to southern Ha Tien, territorial waters and continental shelvesof some 1 million square kilometres, 112 estuaries, 47 bays and about3,000 islands and islets./.
