Vietnam, Cambodia pledge to maintain coordination in search for martyrs' remains

The Vietnamese and Cambodian governments on October 24 agreed to maintain their close coordination and increase efficiency of bilateral cooperation in the search for, gathering and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Cambodia during the wartime.
Sen. Lieut. Gen. Vo Minh Luong hands over Friendship Order of the State President to four Cambodian individuals at the meeting (Photo: VNA)
Sen. Lieut. Gen. Vo Minh Luong hands over Friendship Order of the State President to four Cambodian individuals at the meeting (Photo: VNA)

The agreement was reached at the 22nd meeting of the Specialised Committees of the two Governments co-chaired by Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Vo Minh Luong, Chairman of the Vietnamese Government’s Specialised Committee, and Senior Minister Gen. Pol Saroeun, Chairman of the Cambodian Government’s Specialised Committee.

Speaking at the meeting, Luong appreciated support by the Cambodian Government and its Specialised Committee for searching, gathering and repatriating remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts.

It was proposed that the Cambodian side screen a documentary about the process of coordination in searching, gathering and repatriating in the 2000-2022 period of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Cambodia during the wartime.

A book on this work will be published in both Vietnam and Cambodia in the Vietnamese and Khmer languages.

In the 2022-2023 dry season, Vietnamese teams found and gathered remains of 640 martyrs, of whom one was identified.

The two sides signed the minutes of the 22nd meeting as a foundation to carry out coordination activities in the coming time.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese Government’s Specialised Committee handed over the Friendship Order and Friendship Medal of the State President, and Certificates of Merit of the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defence to Cambodian collectives and individuals who have made important contributions to the work in the 2013-2020 period.

VNA