MR9 is assigned by the Ministry of National Defense to undertake the task in ten provinces of Cambodia and, since 2011, the military region’s units and agencies have been actively implementing the task and have accumulated many experiences.

leftcenterrightdel
MR9's troops repatriating martyrs' remains

However, the in-charge troops are facing difficulties, especially the lack of martyr database and detailed search area maps and the change of terrains, said Senior Colonel Nguyen Van Nghia, Deputy Chief of the MR9’s Department of Politics.

Furthermore, in spite of their presence in Cambodia for a number of years, several units could not gather precise information on Vietnamese units’ operations and bases in the past from local people because of the language gap, he added.

At present, MR9 are attempting to verify nearly 300 files on search maps and graves of Vietnamese fallen soldiers in Cambodia.

In the last dry season, search teams of MR9 collected and repatriated 267 sets of remains of Vietnamese fallen soldiers.

The military region targets to locate at least 200 martyrs’ remains more in the 2017-2018 dry season, and finish the search and repatriation of martyrs' remains by 2020. This demonstrates their responsibility and deep tribute to fallen troops and their families.

Translated by Van Hieu