People.cn:

Can you brief us on the arrangements of the handover, repatriation, and burial ceremonies of the ninth batch of remains of the CPV martyrs from the ROK and the latest progress on identifying family members of martyrs? Thank you.

Ma Feixiong:

Thanks to the reporter for their question. As you know, a total of eight batches of the remains of the CPV martyrs from the ROK have been returned and buried home over the past eight consecutive years. The repatriation and burial ceremonies were grand and solemn, attracting worldwide attention. We will have Mr. Li Jingxian from the Department of Commendation and Commemoration discuss the arrangements of the ninth batch.

Li Jingxian:

According to the consensus and the work plan reached by China and the ROK, the repatriation and burial ceremonies of the ninth batch of remains of the CPV martyrs from the ROK will be held from Sept. 14 to 17. The remains will be placed into coffins at a ceremony on Sept. 15 in Incheon, the ROK. The handover and repatriation ceremonies will be held on Sept. 16 at the Incheon International Airport in the ROK and the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, Liaoning province of China, respectively. The burial ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 17 at Shenyang's CPV martyrs' cemetery. To fully demonstrate respect for CPV martyrs and vigorously promote the spirit of the heroes and martyrs, the MVA, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant units, will continue to hold the handover and repatriation ceremonies of the ninth batch of remains of the CPV martyrs from the ROK. China's repatriation delegation is planned to be led by a comrade in charge of the MVA and consist of members of the Publicity Department and the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. They will go to the ROK to carry out the handover and escort the remains of the CPV martyrs back to China. The leading official of the MVA will go to Shenyang to preside over the repatriation ceremony, attend the burial ceremony and deliver a eulogy. This year will mark the 20th CPC National Congress and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the ROK. To fully demonstrate the country's respect and care, the arrangements for the handover, repatriation, and burial ceremonies of the ninth batch of the remains of the CPV martyrs from the ROK will be further optimized. The detailed arrangements are under discussion with the relevant units.

Regarding the progress of searching for relatives of martyrs, the MVA has fully implemented the decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, optimized the government service platform to help find relatives of martyrs, and actively promoted the work in this regard. As of now, we have found relatives for more than 2,700 martyrs. We have also completed the process of DNA extraction and identification of the remains of 825 CPV martyrs returned by the ROK. At the same time, combined with the relics of martyrs, military history, and information on the excavation of the remains of CPV martyrs, we sorted out the list of suspected relatives of some martyrs, identified 10 returned martyrs, and found their families, naming previously unknown martyrs, and returning them to their hometowns. Now, we have started the collection and identification of DNA from a new group of martyrs' families. For the next step, we will compare that DNA with the remains of martyrs and actively promote related work in a steady manner.