Legislators discuss draft amended Law on People's Army Officers

Lawmakers gave comments on draft amendments and supplements to several articles of the Law on Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) Officers at the ongoing eighth session of the 13th National Assembly in Hanoi on November 6.

Son La province's NA deputy speaking at the working session.

Deputies agreed that the draft has removed the limitations of the current law towards building a full and strict legal base to meet the demand for improving officers’ capabilities and building a modern, formal and elite revolutionary people’s army.

Some suggested stipulating a certain number of second-in-commands holding the general rank ceilings as well as the number of officers with general rank ceilings as second-in-commands, in order to stabilise the number of general-ranked officers in the army.

Deputy Ngo Ngoc Binh (Ho Chi Minh City) proposed applying the rank ceiling of ‘major general’ to Commanders and Political Commissars of Hanoi capital High Command and HCM City High Command, instead of the ‘lieutenant general’ rank as that of Commander of Military Zones, aiming to ensure that the rank of upper levels’ commanders must be higher than that of the lower levels’ chiefs.

Hailing the crucial role of Head of the General Department of Politics under the VPA and Chief of the General Staff of the VPA as the VPA’s top leaders, the NA Standing Committee suggested maintaining their rank ceilings as ‘general’, equivalent to that of Minister of Defence.

Legislators spent the afternoon shift discussing the draft revised Law on People’s Public Security.

Regarding the organisation of the people’s public security, some deputies stressed the need to clarify the legal rights of communal-level police forces so as to favour them to fulfill their assigned tasks.

Many deputies agreed on the people’s police’s responsibilities and rights as stipulated in the draft law, while asking for clear stipulation that the people’s public security force work closely with border guards and marine police forces.

They also discussed the procedures for joining the Public Security authorities; principles for promoting and demoting Public Security officials; the different possible ranks and positions; and benefit packages for Public Security officials.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)