Looking at this peaceful space, no one would think that fifteen years ago, this place was once a complex hotspot for security and order. At that time, many residents with limited understanding were exploited and incited by hostile forces, leading thousands of people to gather in an attempt to establish a separate kingdom. The miraculous turnaround in Huổi Khon today serves as clear proof of the guidelines and policies of the Party and the State in the remote borderlands of Điện Biên province, affirming the truth that the strength of the people’s heart posture smashes all plots of incitement and division aimed at the national great solidarity bloc by hostile forces.

Part 1: Quelling the “undercurrent storm”

Điện Biên is a strategic border area in the Northwest, inhabited by nearly 40% of the Mông ethnic group. Although the villagers share a closely-knit community connection, the lives and incomes of many households remain difficult and deprived, and their legal knowledge is limited. Exploiting these vulnerabilities, during the dry season of 2011, hostile forces plotted to incite political riots in Huổi Khon. Amidst immense pressure, under the direct and brave guidance of Deputy Minister of Public Security Tô Lâm, who is now the Party General Secretary and State President, a methodical, meticulous, synchronous, and humane plan to resolve the hotspot was executed, promptly guiding Huổi Khon out of its mistaken path and maintaining peace on the nation’s frontier.

The mistaken path and a costly lesson

Turning back the clock to the turbulent days in the dry season of 2011, Huổi Khon once left public opinion in shock. Early that year, a group of bad actors sowed absurd promises into the hearts of the people about a so-called autonomous “Mông state” featuring land, money, and a king. Taking advantage of the rugged border terrain and the gullibility of the villagers, hostile forces chose the difficult and treacherous land of Huổi Khon as a gathering point. In late April 2011, groups of Mông people left the places where they had been attached for generations in the Central Highlands and various northern provinces, rushing in droves to the westernmost region of the Fatherland in the former Mường Nhé district, causing a scene of political security instability.

Mùa A Páo, Head of the Nậm Kè commune Police, who was then the Deputy Head of the Security Team of the Mường Nhé district Police, recalled that many people traveled by motorcycle, and when encountering checkpoints of the police forces, they abandoned their vehicles to walk through the forest. Not only people within the province but also residents from many other localities flocked to the site, with the peak number reaching approximately 7,000 individuals.

The peak period from April 30 to May 6, 2011, saw Huổi Khon immersed in a suffocating atmosphere. Rows of canvas shacks were hastily erected close together halfway up the hills. Thousands of gullible and trusting people brought their entire families with blankets, mosquito nets, and clothes, enduring miserable conditions to await the appearance of an absurd king. The elderly lay exhausted on temporary canvas floors while children were disheveled, crying and fainting from hunger and thirst.

Directly witnessing the event, Sùng A Kỷ, Head of Huổi Khon 1 village, recalled that very few villagers participated, as it was mainly outsiders who gathered. They claimed to be demanding land, but in his view, that was false dissemination. Recognizing this as an illegal activity, he resolutely forbade the people in his village from taking part.

However, no king was to be found anywhere. The essence of the rhetoric regarding establishing a nation and proclaiming a king was quickly exposed as a treacherous political scam. Thousands of gullible citizens suddenly found themselves stranded with the sky as their tent and the earth as their mat, surrounded by hunger, thirst, and disease in the deep forest. At the boundary of ultimate desperation, they bitterly realized that they had been turned into tools and pawns exploited by hostile forces to serve dark plots.

Enlightening through compassion

Faced with an urgent situation involving the lives of the people and national security, the entire political system at all levels immediately stepped in. Persistently following the motto of being close to the people, understanding the people, and respecting the people, functional forces not only unmasked the true faces of the ringleaders but also helped the citizens clearly understand the reactionary nature of the distorted arguments.

On May 6, 2011, the Huổi Khon hotspot was thoroughly resolved under the direct guidance of Deputy Minister of Public Security Tô Lâm. Through strategic vision and a deep understanding of the ethnic community, a methodical plan was established to synchronously connect the police, the military, and the local government. Eschewing harsh measures that could harm the people, the forces utilized affection and sincerity to persuade and protect the citizens.

The timely provision of food, drinking water, and medicine for the elderly and young children by functional forces and local authorities awakened mistaken thoughts. Recognizing their errors, the villagers voluntarily dispersed and returned to their old hometowns to earn a living, bringing Huổi Khon back to its inherent rhythm of life.

After the storm, peaceful life returned, and the people of Huổi Khon looked back at the past to cherish the present even more. Through the persistent dissemination and mobilization of officers and soldiers from the armed forces, the residents completely woke up, realizing their own vagueness and blindness before deceptive words. For instance, the family of Vàng A Sính in Huổi Khon 2 village once wavered, bringing his wife and children up the hill to set up a shack and wait for the king. After being counseled by officials who also directly provided rice and salt and gave medical checkups to his young child, Vàng A Sính woke up. He bitterly recognized his misdirection and determined to abandon the mindset of waiting for something non-existent and illusory. Once the incident passed, his family became one of the pioneering households participating in reclaiming terraced fields and resolving to build a sustainable new life on their homeland.

The traces of a mistaken era are gradually fading deep into memory, making way for progressive production mindsets and a shared aspiration to safeguard border security.

(to be continued)