Summary of the implementation of the Prime Minister's decisions on searching for and collecting martyrs' remains

On the morning of April 16, 2024, Steering Committee 515 of Military Region 7 held a conference to review the implementation of Decision 75/2013/QD-TTg and Decision No. 35/2017/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on regimes, policies and assurance work for organizations and individuals performing the task of searching for and collecting martyrs' remains.

Conference delegates

Major General Tran Vinh Ngoc, Deputy Political Commissar of Military Region 7, Head of Steering Committee 515 of Military Region 7 chaired the Conference. Attending the Conference, on behalf of Binh Thuan province, there were Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh, Head of Steering Committee 515 of Binh Thuan province, along with leaders of the Provincial Military Command and a number of relevant departments and branches.

Over the years, the work of international search and rescue of martyrs' remains has always received the attention and leadership of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense , the National Steering Committee 515, the central ministries and branches, the Party committees and local authorities at all levels. The regimes, policies and guarantees for organizations and individuals performing the task of international search and rescue of martyrs' remains have been ensured promptly and fully according to Decisions No. 75 and 35 of the Prime Minister. Thereby, it has contributed to encouraging and motivating the forces directly performing the task; strengthening the trust of the people and families of martyrs' relatives in the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's laws and policies.

However, over a long period of implementing Decisions 75 and 35 of the Prime Minister, some difficulties have arisen from practice. According to the report at the Conference, the situation of inflation and global economic recession has caused market prices to increase and the Vietnamese currency to depreciate. This factor has significantly affected the quality and effectiveness of the work of international accounting for the remains of martyrs who died in the country and in Cambodia.

The level of support for working days for those who do not receive salaries from the state budget and are invited to participate in information conclusion conferences or mobilized to perform tasks of guiding the way, determining the location of martyrs' graves... does not meet the current actual situation of working day income in the locality.

Vehicles and equipment for the Specialized Teams must operate in mountainous and forest conditions, with difficult traffic conditions, and must be operated regularly and continuously, so they break down and deteriorate faster than normal conditions. Therefore, the need and funding for repair and replacement are greater. Some vehicles and equipment are not suitable for the terrain of the area where the mission is carried out.

Due to the rapid urbanization and socio-economic development in many localities, there is a high demand for moving martyrs' remains managed by families to martyrs' cemeteries, but there are no specific documents regulating the responsibilities of organizations, individuals and the regime and policies of the forces mobilized to support the movement of martyrs' remains to martyrs' cemeteries.

Major General Tran Vinh Ngoc speaks at the Conference

Speaking at the opening of the Conference, Major General Tran Vinh Ngoc, Deputy Political Commissar of Military Region 7, Head of Steering Committee 515 of Military Region 7, asked the delegates to analyze, contribute opinions, and clarify further the arising problems and difficulties in the implementation of Decisions No. 75 and 35 of the Prime Minister. From there, he made specific recommendations and proposals to further improve the quality of the work of international registration of martyrs' remains, reducing the pain and loss for the relatives of martyrs' families.

At the Conference, delegates who are members of the National Steering Committee 515, the Steering Committee 515 of Military Region 7, and the Steering Committees 515 of provinces and cities discussed and gave their opinions. They clarified the limitations in implementing Decisions No. 35 and 75 of the Prime Minister, thereby proposing specific solutions and approaches.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh spoke at the Conference

Speaking at the Conference, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh emphasized that over the past years, with all responsibility, sentiment and political determination, the work of international search and identification of martyrs' remains has been actively and effectively led, directed and focused on by the Steering Committee 515 of Military Region 7 with modern facilities, a team of qualified, dedicated and highly responsible officers and employees; in which, the focus is on the regimes and policies stipulated in Decision 75 and Decision No. 35 of the Prime Minister which have been seriously and properly implemented.

In addition, the forces searching for and collecting martyrs' remains of Military Region 7 always promote the spirit of initiative, responsibility, and overcoming difficulties; while performing tasks, they also do mass mobilization, propaganda, and mobilize information on martyrs and martyrs' graves; balance funding sources to give foreign gifts, support poor families in former resistance zones; combine participation in social work to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, prevent and combat natural disasters in the country as well as abroad. Thereby, further enhancing tradition, shining the image of "Uncle Ho's soldiers".

For Binh Thuan province, the Provincial Steering Committee 515 has clearly identified that Decision No. 75/2013/QD-TTg and Decision No. 35/2017/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister are one of the important solutions to contribute to motivating forces and people to actively participate in the work of collecting martyrs' remains in the area, especially the compensation regime for those who provide accurate information to help the authorities carry out the collection task more conveniently.

Informing the Conference, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh said that with the total budget allocated by Military Region 7 from 2014 to present being over 8.5 billion VND, the Provincial Steering Committee 515 has proactively made annual estimates, allocated, and used it effectively and for the right purposes such as: Compensation for working days, support for meals to participate in surveying, searching, excavating, and collecting martyrs' remains; expenses for renting vehicles for digging and searching; expenses for compensation for people providing accurate information, collecting with results; expenses for ensuring gasoline, compensating for crop damage for the people; purchasing items to perform rituals according to customs, embalming remains; organizing memorial services, burying martyrs at martyrs' cemeteries in the province; ensuring the Conference to conclude information about martyrs' graves; printing propaganda leaflets; writing open letters; handing over martyrs' remains to relatives... with the total amount spent from 2014 to present being over 6.3 billion VND; Supported travel and meal expenses for 63 relatives and martyr worshippers who came to the province to search for martyrs' graves, with an amount of over 842 million VND. Implemented payment, settlement, and settlement of regimes and policies for subjects strictly, publicly, transparently, and in accordance with regulations.

Conference scene

In addition to the equipment and means provided, the Provincial Steering Committee 515 has also proactively purchased some essential materials and equipment to serve the search, collection and storage work with the amount spent from 2014 to present being over 147 million VND; the equipment and means are managed and used to ensure proper purposes, efficiency, safety and economy. With the regime, policies and assurance work of Decision No. 75/2013/QD-TTg and Decision No. 35/2017/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister, extremely favorable conditions have been created for Binh Thuan province in the past 10 years to exhume and collect 150 martyrs; including 03 mass graves, 12 martyrs.

In addition to the achieved results, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh also pointed out a number of difficulties and obstacles in this work such as: The need to identify martyrs is very large while the ability to meet it is very low; information, documents and witnesses about martyrs are scattered and increasingly scarce; the quality of remains samples gradually decreases over time; many relatives of martyrs have passed away; human resources are still inadequate, the application of information technology and connection to provide information to families is still limited...

Based on these difficulties, the Steering Committee 515 of Binh Thuan province recommends and proposes that the competent authorities consider raising the level of support for working days for those who do not receive salaries from the state budget and are mobilized in connection with domestic search and collection tasks; Supplementing regulations on the level of support for working days for officers who directly verify and collect information on martyrs' graves to the same level as the level of support for working days participating in the search and collection of martyrs' remains; Supplementing regulations on support for working days for those who do not receive salaries from the state budget and reside far away and are invited to participate in witness conferences and conclusions on information on martyrs' graves; Supplementing regulations on the level of support for officers who directly collect and embalm martyrs' remains.

The Provincial People's Committee leader also recommended that the Steering Committee 515 of Military Region 7 synthesize all opinions at the Conference and send them to the National Steering Committee 515, as a basis for advising the Prime Minister to issue a new Decision to replace Decisions 75 and 35.

On this occasion, individuals and organizations with achievements in implementing Decisions 75 and 35 of the Prime Minister were honored to receive Certificates of Merit from the Military Region 7 Command.

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