Minister of National Defence Tea Banh has instructed the Kingdom’s navy to enhance their efforts to maintain peace and order along the country’s waterways.

Speaking at a workshop on Monday for the navy’s 2020 plan, Banh said it must coordinate with local police forces while carrying out its duties to protect the nation.

“Enhance observation stations along islands. Pay attention, maintain security and public order and cooperate with relevant police at all levels to enforce laws, and prevent and crack down on offences in a timely manner,” he said.

Banh said the navy must be vigilant and prepared for traditional and non-traditional security issues, such as sovereignty at sea, terrorism, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, illegal fishing and environmental pollution.

He said this requires the navy to enhance cooperation with neighbouring countries to ensure long-term security at sea for the Kingdom.

The Deputy Navy Commander and Commander of the Front Line Command of the General Secretariat of the National Committee for Maritime Security (NCMS), Tea Vinh, said the navy succeeded in protecting territorial integrity throughout last year.

“We assigned forces and means to do activities, prevented and cracked down on offences, maintained security, participated in natural disaster rescues, and jointly patrolled historical marine areas with neighbouring countries’ as well,” he said.

However, Banh said the navy must do better. He said it played crucial roles and had to work hard to strengthen cooperation with the navies of neighbouring countries as well as those in the region in terms of marine security.

“The navy has to enhance capacities in all sectors to ensure morality, virtue, discipline and willingness through training, equipping materials, tools, military equipment, and soft and hard infrastructure development in line with modern technology and the nation’s growth in all fields in the future,” he said.