Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons marks 45th anniversary

The Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) held a ceremony in Hanoi on April 10 celebrating its 45th founding anniversary.
Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons marks 45th anniversary ảnh 1VNOSMP Director Le Thanh Tung speaks at the event (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) held a ceremony in Hanoi on April 10 celebrating its 45th founding anniversary.

Speaking at the event, VNOSMP Director Le Thanh Tung said the office is an inter-sectoral group under the management of the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of National Defence and Ministry of Public Security.

Over the past 45 years, thousands of VNOSMP staff together with tens of thousands of personnel from local authorities and walks of life nationwide have sought remains of US servicemen missing in action.

Both Vietnam and the US have conducted 130 joint activities, with 972 sets of remains being handed over to the US, nearly 720 of which have been identified.

Vietnam’s goodwill and full cooperation has been welcomed by the US administration and Congress, the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia and the US war veterans’ organisations, which also stepped up the US’s efforts to address war consequences in Vietnam, especially post-war bomb and mine clearance and dioxin clean-up in Da Nang and Phu Cat airports, and then Bien Hoa airport in the near future.

In particular, the US war veterans’ organisations have provided information regarding more than 11,000 Vietnamese martyrs, thus helping Vietnam seek over 1,000 remains, Tung said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc said the VNOSMP needs to continue staying united and working closely with ministries, agencies and localities in the effort.

He suggested stepping up policy consultation with attention given to the US’s new proposals.

As Vietnam and the US will mark the 30th anniversary of the joint search for remains of US servicemen this year, Ngoc asked the office to outline a report reviewing its activities, considering it an important milestone to popularise Vietnam’s humanitarian cooperation.

Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh urged the VNOSMP to improve capacity and raise public awareness of the search.

Deputy Director of the General Department of Security under the Ministry of Public Security Duong Minh Hung applauded VNOSMP for properly dealing with contingencies during the process.-VNA
VNA

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