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Berlin requiem commemorates fallen soldiers in Gac Ma battle

A requiem was held at Tu An pagoda in Germany’s Berlin capital on March 18 to commemorate 64 soldiers who laid down their lives to defend Gac Ma Reef in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago 30 years ago.
Berlin requiem commemorates fallen soldiers in Gac Ma battle ảnh 1Overview of the requiem (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – A requiem was held at Tu An pagoda in Germany’s Berlincapital on March 18 to commemorate 64 soldiers who laid down their lives todefend Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago30 years ago.

The event was chaired by Venerable Thich Tu Nhon – head ofTu An pagoda, attracting the attention of Buddhist dignitaries and followers,representatives from the Vietnamese war veterans’ association inBerlin-Brandenburg, and nearly 100 Vietnamese people living in Berlin and itssurrounding areas.

Participants offered incense and prayed for the fallensoldiers.

Venerable Thich Tu Nhon said that the requiem is organisedannually to show the Vietnamese community’s deep gratitude to the fallencombatants.

The Gac Ma battle took place on March 14, 1988.

Last year, a memorial site dedicated to the 64 martyrs wasinaugurated in Cam Hai Dong commune, Cam Lam district of the central provinceof Khanh Hoa.

The highlight of the site is a monument featuring the navalsoldiers holding hands in an “eternal circle” to safeguard the national flagsymbolising the national sovereignty on Gac Ma reef.

The work was built with money contributed by workers andpublic servants nationwide through trade union organisations under a programmelaunched by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour.-VNA
VNA
#Requiem #Gac Ma #Johnson South #fallen soldiers #Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago #Berlin #Germany #Tu An pagoda #Vietnamplus #Vietnam News Agency Germany
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