Searching, gathering, identifying martyrs’ remains need enhancing: deputy PM

Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà chairs a meeting with the Việt Nam Martyrs’ Family Support Association on the work of searching for, gathering and identifying martyrs’ remains in Hà Nội on Friday, December 8. — Photo baochinhphu.vn

HÀ NỘI — The work of searching for, gathering and identifying martyrs remains, and taking care of people with meritorious services, war invalids, and families of martyrs is a very important political task of the Party and State, said Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà.

In the meeting with the Việt Nam Martyrs’ Family Support Association (VMFSA) in Hà Nội on Friday, Hà emphasised: “It is necessary to have close co-ordination, assign specific tasks to avoid overlap for each body and socio-political group, and together with the Party and State, to form synergy and concentrate resources for the work of searching for, gathering and identifying the remains of martyrs who lack information.”

“Along with that, activities to honour, express gratitude and care for people with meritorious services, war invalids and families of martyrs also need more attention,” said Hà.

“In addition, the participation of associations, unions and socio-political organisations, including Việt Nam Martyrs’ Family Support Association, has brought many emotions and profound humane meanings that are highly appreciated by people with meritorious services, war invalids, families of martyrs and society,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

In the meeting, Lieutenant General Hoàng Khánh Hưng, VMFSA’s president, said that over the past 13 years, the association’s organisational network has continuously grown with more than 10,000 members of 16 provincial-, 24 central- and 96 district-level branches nationwide.

In recent years, VMFSA has proactively collected and announced information on nearly 200,000 martyrs on its websites, newspapers and other websites, as well as received and processed over 40,000 martyrs’ dossiers and given advice and support to more than 33,000 families of martyrs in searching for the remains of their loved ones, and sent 1,079 cases for DNA testing, Hưng said.

As a result, over 200 families of martyrs have identified the remains of their loved ones using empirical methods, 494 martyrs’ identity information have been corrected, and 1,200 martyrs’ remains have been returned to their homeland, the Lieutenant General said.

The association has actively carried out several activities to express gratitude to martyrs and martyrs’ families, campaigned and called on units, agencies, businesses and benefactors to support and sponsor the activities, and recommend policies to support relatives and families of martyrs, he said.

In addition, the association has co-operated with many ministries, and relevant branches and agencies, socio-political organisations, international organisations in searching for, gathering and identifying martyrs remains and taking care of people with meritorious services, war invalids and families of martyrs.

In the meeting, representatives of the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported on the situation of searching for, gathering, and identifying the remains of martyrs, the application of empirical methods and DNA testing to determine the identity of martyrs’ remains, and co-operation with foreign agencies and organisations to serve the search for and collection of martyrs’ remains.

In conclusion, the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that the work of searching, gathering and identifying the martyrs’ remains that remain unidentified is more and more urgent, while information about martyrs and martyrs’ graves is becoming less and less, witnesses are getting older and older, the terrain changes more, and many relatives of martyrs are elderly.

Emphasising the role of associations and socio-political organisations in honouring and paying tribute to heroic martyrs, taking care of people with meritorious service, war invalids, and families of martyrs, the Deputy Prime Minister requested VMFSA to have plans and roadmaps for implementing immediate and long-term tasks.

The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of National Defence to issue documents regulating and guiding the process and conditions for accessing martyrs’ remains samples that lack information to carry out identification assessments.

The Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Finance were asked to urgently complete technical norms and prices for the stages of searching for, gathering and DNA testing to determine the identity of martyrs’ remains that are still unidentified.

The Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have to continue to co-ordinate with foreign agencies and archival organisations to access information to serve the search for, collection and identification of martyrs’ remains.

The Deputy Prime Minister believed that VMFSA will continue to reform its operating methods and co-ordinate effectively with ministries, branches, agencies and organisations in accordance with the set principles and goals.

At the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister also gave specific opinions on VMFSA’s proposal on establishing a fund to support the search for, collection and identification of martyrs’ remains, families of martyrs who are still facing difficulties, and further developing the association’s network meeting the aspirations of teammates, participating individuals and organisations to avoid overlapping or duplicating with other organisations and ensure publicity and transparency. — VNS