Vietnam, Cambodia boost ties in marine security

Tuoitrenews

Updated : 04/30/2013

An agreement on cooperation in marine security, including joint patrols at sea, between Vietnam and Cambodia will be signed this year, said Colonel Ngo Ngoc Thu, deputy head of the Vietnam Marine Police Department.

The agreement will be based on the result of discussions about bilateral cooperation between the Vietnam Marine Police Department and the Cambodian National Committee for Security and Maritime at a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City Monday, Thu said.

At the conference, the two sides focused on cooperation and exchange in the fields of information, search, rescue and salvage.

They also agreed that they would conduct joint patrols at sea to ensure marine safety and security.

Such patrols, involving one or two boats from each side, will firstly be organized once a year, before the number of such patrols is increased to two or four per year later.

Discussions also covered four potential risks to marine security and safety in the Gulf of Thailand, including smuggling, illegal fishing, environmental pollution, and piracy.

The two sides will continue to study these issues so that a cooperation agreement on such issues can be signed in September 2013, said Colonel Thu.

The Vietnam Marine Police Department, which is the coast guard of Vietnam, is a branch of the Vietnam People’s Army, and is under the management of the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense.

Since its establishment in 1998, the Department has played an important role in maintaining sea security and protecting the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf boundary.