Ninh Binh continues to step up search, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains

As of August 11, the Steering Committee had completed sample collection at all 250 out of 250 designated cemeteries, covering all 7,804 graves and achieving 100% of the plan.

Of the total, 6,868 samples of martyrs’ remains have been handed over to the Military Forensic Institute for DNA testing to help identify the fallen combatants. Samples could not be collected from 936 graves, including 43 graves without burial remains and 893 graves whose remains had deteriorated to the extent that sampling was not possible.

Alongside the sampling effort, the search and collection of martyrs’ remains have been carried out in accordance with regulations.

The provincial Military Command - the standing body of the Provincial Steering Committee 515 - is coordinating with the Ly Thuong Kiet Ward People’s Committee to collect and verify information on 16 martyrs who laid down their lives during the resistance war against French colonials and were initially buried in Do Le village, Lien Son commune, Kim Bang district, now part of Lien Son residential quarter in Ly Thuong Kiet ward.

Relevant agencies have met with witnesses who directly participated in the original collection and burial of the remains, distributed information forms to local households and reviewed relevant documents and records.

In the coming period, the Provincial Steering Committee 515 will hold a conference to reach a unified conclusion on the 16 cases. It will also continue coordinating with local Party committees and authorities, veterans’ associations, senior citizens and witnesses to gather information on locations where the remains of other martyrs may still be found.

Once sufficient legal and practical grounds have been established, the province will report the cases to the National Steering Committee and Military Region 3’s Steering Committee 515 for consideration and a decision on search and collection efforts in accordance with regulations.

The results achieved in collecting samples, together with the continued verification of individual cases at the grassroots level, are providing an important basis for the next phase of searching for and recovering martyrs’ remains, helping fulfill the aspirations of the fallen soldiers’ relatives and families./.