Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Thanh Cung (R) hands over a list of Vietnamese martyrs buried in China to the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs (Photo: qdnd.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – Representatives of the national steering committee for searching for and repatriating Vietnamese martyrs’ remains have paid a working visit to China to discuss cooperation in the field, the Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s Army) daily reported.
During talks with officials from the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs in Beijing on January 4, Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Thanh Cung suggested matters that should be submitted to the Chinese Government, including asking relevant localities, organisations and individuals to report any information regarding the burial sites of Vietnamese officers and soldiers and notifying the Vietnamese side via diplomatic channels.
The Senior Lieutenant General, who is also the deputy head of the national steering committee’s standing board, asked the Chinese Government to support the repatriation of the remains of 19 Vietnamese officers and soldiers who received training in China during the wars against France and the US.
Cung also asked the Chinese side to instruct relevant agencies and localities to coordinate with Vietnam in establishing the number, names and burial places of Vietnamese military personnel who fell while collaborating with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in a campaign from 1949 to 1950.
He also briefed the host officials about the graves of Chinese servicemen in Vietnam.
Chinese Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs Dou Yupei asked the Vietnamese steering committee to work with authorised agencies and localities to continue the management and care of cemeteries that house the graves of Chinese servicemen.
He also asked for assistance and favourable conditions for Chinese people on official duty or relatives of the dead to have access to information or visit martyrs’ graves.
The two sides agreed to report to their respective Governments and hold annual meetings on a rotational basis to conduct reviews and devise measures to solve martyr-related issues.-VNA
