Long An discovers 35,500 sets of martyrs’ remains so far hinh anh 1Remains of martyers are reburied at Vinh Hung-Tan Hung martyr cemetery in Vinh Hung district, the Mekong Delta province of Long An. (Photo: VNA)

Long An (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Long An has so far found and collected more than 35,500 sets of martyrs’ remains, nearly 17,000 of whom were identified, according to the provincial steering committee on search, repatriation and identification of remains of fallen soldiers.

The information was unveiled during a meeting chaired by Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the steering committee Tran Van Can on July 1.

Among the martyrs’ remains discovered, close to 25,660 were reburied at martyrs’ cemeteries, nearly 9,170 returned home, and 689 were handed over to other localities.

It was estimated that about 13,390 martyrs who died on duty during the past wars in the province have yet to be found.

The meeting discussed challenges in searching, repatriating and identifying martyrs’ remains. One of the challenges is that the province’s process of making records of martyrs whose remains were found has not been standardised, leading to a lack of many required information.

In addition, most military units have not kept clear records of the number of soldiers killed in each battle and where they had been buried while the areas where the fightings took place have changed a lot since then and fellow soldiers who survived battles are getting old or passed away.

Speaking at the event, Can asked local authorities to raise sense of responsibility and take more drastic actions to search for remains of martyrs in Long An./.
VNA