HCMC organizes anti-terrorism drill with 5,000 participants

On the side of HCMC leaders, there were Mr. Nguyen Van Nen, Politburo Member, Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee; Mr. Phan Van Mai, Member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, cum Chairman of the People's Committee of HCMC, Head of the HCMC Steering Committee for Anti-Terrorism, Head of the Steering Committee for Drills; Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee; Mr. Nguyen Ho Hai, Deputy Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee; Mr. Ngo Minh Chau, Vice Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee; Major General Le Hong Nam, Director of the HCMC Police; Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Nam, Commander of the HCMC Military Command.

Speaking at the drill, Mr. Phan Van Mai said that in Vietnam, enemy forces, reactionaries, opportunists, and political opposition had increased activities to sabotage and take advantage of wrongdoings in the field of economy, such as cases related to FLC Group, Tan Hoang Minh Group, Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, and the Viet A test kit scandal to spread malicious information, distorting the Party and State's guidelines and policies, inciting and enticing the masses to engage in activities that cause political insecurity and security and public order disturbances.

In HCMC, in general, the political security and social order, and safety are basically stable, but there are still potential risks. Enemy forces are still actively engaged in sabotage activities, focusing on attracting opportunists and political opposition to commit acts against the Party and the State, mainly promoting propaganda and distorting and sabotaging activities in cyberspace. The Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee emphasized that the drill to handle complex situations in security and order, anti-terrorism, and a defensive zone and civil defense drill is regular work. This is also an activity to enforce the provisions of the law on the prevention and combating of terrorism and the law on national defense.

Mr. Phan Van Mai stressed that the drill is aimed at raising awareness about leadership, command, and control in handling the drill situations of the HCMC Steering Committee for Anti-Terrorism and the Unified Command of localities, thereby effectively applying it in practice to handle cases of large gatherings of people, security and public order disturbances, riots, and terrorism occurring in the city. At the same time, it helps to consolidate and improve the efficiency of coordination and combat synergies between the police and military forces and departments and agencies, as well as ensure the maintenance and upholding of political security and social order and safety, contributing to the successful implementation of the task of socio-economic development.

The drill also had the attendance of Major General Le Ngoc Chau, Commander of Mobile Police Command; Major General Luu Quang Vu, Deputy Director of the Operational Directorate of the General Staff under the Ministry of National Defense; Major General Nguyen Hoai Phuong, Deputy Commander of the Border Guard.

The drill took place from 8 a.m. to nearly 11 a.m. on October 30, with the participation of forces and vehicles belonging to the HCMC Police, the Mobile Police Command under the Ministry of Public Security, and the Air Force Division No.370 under the Ministry of National Defense, the HCMC Military Command, and the HCMC Border Guard.

Previously, the Steering Committee of Drills chose eight key districts, including 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, Binh Tan, and Tan Phu, to organize security and public order drills combined with defensive zone and civil defense drills in the area and completed drills before October 16. At the commune level, about 30% of the total number of wards, communes, and townships in the city that were selected for the drills finished them before September 30.