Incense Offering and Sampling of Unidentified Martyrs' Remains at Dong Thap Provincial Martyrs' Cemetery

(DTO) On the morning of August 11, at the Dong Thap Provincial Martyrs' Cemetery (located in My Tra Ward), the Provincial Steering Committee for the Search, Collection, and Identification of Martyrs' Remains solemnly held an incense and flower offering ceremony, while initiating the collection and handover of unidentified martyrs' remains samples for DNA analysis.

The ceremony was attended by Mr. Ngo Chi Cuong, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Dong Thap Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; members of the Provincial Party Committee's Standing Board; members of the provincial Steering Committee for the Search, Collection, and Identification of Martyrs' Remains; representatives of the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in the province; leaders of Cao Lanh and My Tra Wards; alongside officers and soldiers of the Martyrs’ Remains Sampling Team.

Dong Thap Provincial Martyrs’ Cemetery is currently the final resting place of 3,128 martyrs who heroically sacrificed their lives during the wars for national liberation and unification. Of these, 852 graves contain complete information, 1,745 have partial information, and more than 510 remain unidentified.

In a solemn atmosphere, delegates respectfully observed a minute of silence, offered flowers and incense at the Monument to the Fatherland’s Fallen Heroes, and lit incense at each grave to express their boundless gratitude for the immense sacrifices of the Heroic Martyrs for national independence and freedom.

Immediately after the commemoration ceremony, specialized forces commenced the collection of remains samples from unidentified graves. The sampling process was carried out under strict protocols and technical standards to ensure the highest quality for subsequent DNA analysis.

Visiting and encouraging the forces directly at the site, Provincial Party Secretary Ngo Chi Cuong, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Dong Thap Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, together with other delegates, presented gifts and praised the sense of responsibility demonstrated by the duty personnel.

Provincial Party Secretary Ngo Chi Cuong expressed his hope that the officers and soldiers would continue to overcome difficulties and carry out the sampling work with utmost care and precision, contributing to the early identification of the fallen heroes and restoring faith and hope to their families.

To date, Dong Thap has completed sampling at nine Martyrs’ Cemeteries province-wide, exhuming 2,488 graves, collecting 1,842 remains samples, and handing over 900 DNA samples to the Center for DNA Identification (under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) for analysis and profiling.

By DUONG UT

Translated by X.QUANG