Directive No. 267/TTg on strengthening responsibility for implementing the Ordinance on Protecting State Secrets in the new situation

DIRECTIVE

On Strengthening Responsibility for Implementing the Ordinance on Safeguarding State Secrets in the New Situation
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Over more than five years since the implementation of the Ordinance on Safeguarding State Secrets issued on November 8, 1991, and the Regulation on Safeguarding State Secrets promulgated together with Decree No. 84/HĐBT dated March 9, 1992 of the Council of Ministers (now the Government), the work of safeguarding state secrets has been strengthened, contributing positively to the cause of building and defending the socialist fatherland.

However, the situation of leaking state secrets in some agencies and localities remains serious. In addition, there are cases where regulations on safeguarding state secrets have been abused, limiting information about many policies and regulations of the state that do not fall within the scope of confidentiality. The existence of these issues is due to the fact that some agencies, units, and localities have yet to determine the list of state secrets within their jurisdiction; Some places have completed the list of state secrets but have not established a regulation on safeguarding state secrets, nor have they organized specialized staff for confidentiality work.

To address the above situation, the Prime Minister instructs the Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, agencies under the Government, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities to implement the following tasks:

1. Organize a mid-term review of the five-year implementation of the Ordinance on Safeguarding State Secrets. The content of the review must be based on the provisions of the Ordinance, the Regulation on Safeguarding State Secrets, and the actual implementation to assess clearly what has been achieved, shortcomings, existing problems, and their causes. Based on this, develop plans and specific feasible measures to continue implementing the Ordinance more effectively in agencies and units.

2. Strengthen the work of safeguarding state secrets, regularly supplementing the list of state secrets and declassifying them in accordance with the requirements of economic and social development. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, agencies under the Government, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities that have not yet completed the list of state secrets to be protected must urgently build it and submit it to the Prime Minister for approval no later than the third quarter of 1997.

3. Allocate sufficient capable and professionally qualified leaders responsible for and specialized staff directly engaged in confidentiality work in agencies and units in accordance with the law. Equip with adequate means and create necessary conditions to serve the work of safeguarding state secrets; educate cadres and employees to be vigilant and maintain confidentiality. Any agency, unit, or individual that leaks state secrets or loses classified documents shall bear joint responsibility before superiors for all consequences arising; At the same time, coordinate with competent authorities to investigate and clarify the incident of leaking state secrets and handle violators strictly.

4. Take specific measures to strengthen education and management of cadres, especially those holding many state secrets, cadres frequently traveling abroad or working with foreigners. Rectify the protection of state secrets at each agency and unit from the stage of defining the level of secrecy to the stages of printing, copying, and distributing documents. Carrying documents abroad, the content of information used to participate in international conferences, negotiations, signing economic projects and contracts with foreign partners... Information and communication activities, especially through telecommunications networks (fax, mobile phone, email service, and Internet...) must be approved by authorized bodies and managed in accordance with the law.

5. The Ministry of Culture and Information rectifies news reporting on newspapers, radio stations, television stations, and other mass media. News agencies and publishing houses must strictly implement the Law on Press, the Law on Publishing, and Decrees No. 133-CP and No. 79-CP detailing the implementation of the Law on Press and the Law on Publishing, expanding information to the public while complying with the regulations on maintaining state secrets.

6. The Ministry of Home Affairs guides the organization of the mid-term review of the five-year implementation of the Ordinance on Safeguarding State Secrets, summarizes the results, and reports to the Prime Minister in the fourth quarter of 1997; Coordinates with Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, agencies under the Government to organize focused inspections and checks on the implementation of the Ordinance in some agencies, units, and localities; examines and proposes amendments and supplements to the Ordinance on Safeguarding State Secrets to suit the new situation.

Upon receipt of this Directive, the Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, agencies under the Government, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities are required to promptly develop plans for implementation, report to the Government Office, and simultaneously send to the Ministry of Home Affairs for consolidation and reporting to the Prime Minister./. 

PRIME MINISTER

Vo Van Kiet