Village chief Ksor Hyao. (Photo: Ngoc Anh)

Ksor Hyao was born in 1956. He used to be Chairman of Ia Der commune and Party Chief of Breng 3 village. Now at the retirement age, Ksor is still active in social work.

Breng 3 village is home to 210 households of Kinh and Jrai people. In 2000, the social situation in the village was complicated as half of the village population followed De Ga Protestantism, an illegal religion set up by the reactionary organization Fulro, which aimed to establish an autonomous state in the Central Highlands.

At that time, as Chairman of Ia Der commune’s People’s Committee, Ksor Hyao brought to light Fulro’s scheme to destroy national unity and persuaded the local people to abandon De Ga Protestantism.

“We informed local people about the illegal activities of De Ga Protestantism. At that time, communication was difficult, requiring us to be patient and close to the people,”  said Ksor Hyao.

In 2005, as the Secretary of Breng 3 village’s Party Committee, Ksor Hyao did his best to develop the local economy, reduce poverty and ensure local security.  He met local people to find out what they wanted and supported them. Ksor Hyao set up rural security groups and local business support groups. 

“After retiring, Mr. Ksor Hyao is still very active in social work. He works closely with the public security force to communicate Party guidelines and State policies. He also makes local people aware of the schemes of reactionary groups,” said Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Thanh Tuan of Gia Lai province’s Public Security Force.

Ksor Hyao is also a role model in agricultural production. He has helped many other local farmers improve their farming and husbandry and boost their income.

“With 1,500 square meters of rice and 500 square meters of coffee, I earn a profit of about 4,300 USD per year. I have given loans to other farmers to help them increase their agricultural production. I also mobilize resources for roads, and schools and persuade local people to abandon backward practices,” he said.

Ksor Hyao has received certificates of merit from local authorities for his contributions to Party building, new rural development, and patriotic emulation movements.