Need to soon resolve policies for 'returned martyrs' in Hoang Mai town

Continue waiting for instructions

According to previous martyr records, Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho in Quynh Xuan ward, Hoang Mai town joined the army in October 1978 and was certified to have died in the Southern Front in January 1981.

In February 2020, Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho was unexpectedly contacted by Ms. Chau Bich Hue from Chau Doc, An Giang, who took him back to his hometown in Quynh Xuan, Hoang Mai town after more than 40 years.

These days in July, Mr. Nguyen Duy Sinh - younger brother of "returned martyr" Nguyen Duy Pho said that since his return, his brother's health has not been good, he is often sick, and sometimes has to be hospitalized for treatment. However, although he is a person with revolutionary contributions, he has not had any preferential treatment in medical examination and treatment due to lack of policies.

Hoang Mai Town Military Command handed over the file to Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho to wait for implementation according to the newly issued Ordinance on preferential treatment for people with meritorious services. Photo: HT

“The local government and neighbors often ask and care, but the family has long been waiting for the State to quickly resolve the policy for my brother, so that he can be encouraged and supported in some way in health care,” Mr. Sinh expressed.

Previously, after Mr. Pho returned, according to the law, on February 23, 2020, the Military Command of Hoang Mai town and the local government revoked the Certificate of Merit and the Martyr Certificate of Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho. At that time, Mr. Pho's only identification document was his Cambodian citizen identification card. It was not until September 2020 that the procedure for granting an identity card to Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho was completed due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic.

From September 2020 to now, after more than 2 years, the implementation of policies for Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho has not yet had any results. The reason, according to Major Tran Anh Hung - Policy Department of the Provincial Military Command, is that the policies for Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho are still waiting for guidance documents from the Ministry of National Defense to be implemented.

Some documents in the application file for approval for Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho to enjoy the policy regime. Photo: HT

Thus, after waiting for the Ordinance on preferential treatment for people with revolutionary contributions to be issued, people as well as all levels, sectors and units must still wait for decrees and circulars guiding the implementation of the Ordinance before they can process applications for enjoying the policy regime.

On April 20, 2022, after the Ordinance on preferential treatment for people with revolutionary contributions took effect, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs organized training for policy officers at all levels. After the training, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs continued to resolve policies for people with revolutionary contributions according to the law. "As for military units, the Ministry of National Defense has not yet issued a document guiding implementation, so the files for resolving policies and regimes are still suspended, including the file of Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho" - Major Tran Anh Hung said.

On July 25, 2022, an officer of the Provincial Military Command's Policy Department also said that the unit has completed the application to enjoy the regime according to Decision 62/2011-QD-TTg stipulating the regime and policies for those who participated in the war to protect the Fatherland, performed international missions in Cambodia, and helped Laos after April 30, 1975 and were demobilized, discharged, or quit their jobs.

The Provincial Military Command submitted Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho's file to Military Region 4 on May 20, 2022, in the 57th batch, serial number 51. Because Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho is a special case and no longer has the documents, according to Decision 62, he is being considered by all levels to receive a one-time subsidy and enjoy health insurance from 80 - 100%.

Provincial Military Command Policy Board

The miracle of "returning martyrs"

After nearly 40 years of worshiping "martyr Nguyen Duy Pho", his 90-year-old mother, as well as his brothers and relatives, were suddenly overwhelmed with joy at the reunion in February 2020. Mr. Pho was helped by Mrs. Chau Bich Hue from An Giang, who brought him back to his hometown.

According to Ms. Hue, in 1979, Ms. Hue's aunt in Cambodia discovered Mr. Pho with a head injury, lying unconscious by the stream. Ms. Hue's aunt treated Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho, and later because Mr. Pho had lost his memory, his adoptive mother named him Hung, then he got married and had a child. About ten years later, Ms. Hue returned to Cambodia to visit her aunt, and began to persuade Mr. Pho to remember his hometown address to help him reunite with his family. After many times searching according to Mr. Pho's vague memory, Ms. Hue went to Ha Tinh and Nghe An several times to ask the authorities to look up information to find the address, and she was able to bring Mr. Pho back to Hoang Mai town.

The extended family happily welcomed Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho back after 40 years of his death. Photo: HT

Ms. Chau Bich Hue said that in 1979, when she was only fifteen or sixteen years old, from her hometown Chau Doc (An Giang), her mother let her visit her aunt's house in Kampong Cham province, Cambodia. One time, when she went to a stream near her aunt's house, little Chau Bich Hue saw a man dressed in Vietnamese military uniform lying unconscious on the stream bank, his hair and face covered in blood. She ran home to inform her aunt, then both aunt and niece took the injured person home. That man was Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho.

At that time, Ms. Chau Bich Hue said, her two aunts and nieces were trembling, somewhat scared when treating Mr. Pho's wound because of the excessive bleeding. "My aunt and I had to use a razor to shave Mr. Pho's hair, then wash the wound, the blood was all over it. When we shaved his hair, we saw that the bullet was still stuck in Mr. Pho's head, one part was stuck in the scalp, the other two parts were sticking out. I pulled the bullet out of his head. My aunt and niece took care of him and treated him for 7 months before he could recover and walk again," Ms. Hue recalled.

Ms. Hue also said that at that time, although he had recovered after 7 months of treatment and care, Mr. Nguyen Duy Pho had lost his memory, only knew that his name was Pho, his hometown was Ha Tinh, and he could not remember all information about his family and unit. Sympathizing with the situation of the Vietnamese soldier, Ms. Chau Bich Hue's aunt, Ms. Ba Cheet, adopted Mr. Pho, naturalized him as a Cambodian citizen and named him Hung. After many times of persuasion, then collecting money (Ms. Hue worked as a lottery ticket seller) to search for information about his family, Ms. Hue was able to bring Mr. Pho back to Hoang Mai town in February 2020.