Tay Ninh (VNA) – The steering committee for the search, collection, identification of fallen soldiers’ remains (Steering Committee 515) of the southern province of Tay Ninh on November 6💛 signed an agreement to coordinate the search and repatriation of martyrs’ remains during the 2024–2025 dry season with the specialised committees of five provinces of Cambodia.

The five Cambodian provinces are Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, and Tboung Khmum. Addressing the signing ceremony in Tay Ninh, Deputy Governor of Banteay Meanchey Khlok Nouy affirmed his commitment to directing provincial agencies to work closely with Tay Ninh province’s teams to ensure the best results of the mission. Neak Nerun, Deputy Governor of Siem Reap, hailed the close coordination in the search, collection, and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who fell down in Cambodia during the wartime. He went on to say that the government, military, and people of Cambodia in general, and Siem Reap in particular, will continue this mission along with the Vietnamese Government and Tay Ninh province in the coming time. Nguyen Hong Thanh, Standing Vice Chairman of the Tay Ninh provincial People's Committee, who is also head of Steering Committee 515, noted that, over the years, under the direction of the Party, State, and the agreement between the Vietnamese and Cambodian governments, Tay Ninh’s Steering Committee 515 and the specialised committees of the five Cambodian provinces have worked proactively to search for, collect, and repatriate the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who lost their lives in Cambodia. Since 2001, Team K70 of Military Zone 7 and K71 of the Tay Ninh provincial Military Command have collected and repatriated 5,243 sets of remains, of which 85 sets of remains have been identified and 5,158 sets unidentified. The teams repatriated 297 sets of remains during the 2023–2024 dry season, he added. Thanh highlighted that the specialised committees of the five Cambodian provinces have consistently partnered and resolved challenges promptly, creating the best conditions for the K70 and K71 teams to successfully complete their missions. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the valuable and sincere support from Cambodian units, individuals, and citizens in providing information, assisting with identification, and helping locate burial sites. On this occasion, Steering Committee 515 of Tay Ninh province presented Certificates of merits from the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee to representatives of the specialised committees of the five Cambodian provinces for their outstanding achievements during the 2023–2024 dry season./.