Vietnam praises Thai help on remains
Vietnam’s defence minister has thanked the government for helping find the remains of Vietnamese people who fled to Thailand and died here during the Vietnam War.
Vietnamese Defence Minister Gen Ngo Xuan Lich was speaking after meeting his Thai counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, at the Defence Ministry during an official visit yesterday.
Gen Ngo Xuan Lich said he would arrange for the remains to be repatriated to Vietnam, Defence Ministry spokesman Maj Gen Kongcheep Tantrawanit said.
It was unclear how many remains had been recovered. Gen Prawit told his Vietnamese counterpart that the long and cordial ties and the close cooperation between Thailand and Vietnam were greatly appreciated, Maj Gen Kongcheep said.
The government and military leadership of both countries have regularly exchanged visits, and there have also been regular exchanges and cooperation in the field of education, he said.
The Defence Ministry spokesman also said Gen Prawit was pleased the two countries had agreed to set up a joint security committee which will serve as an important mechanism in boosting security cooperation.
Cooperation in other fields such as research was also discussed during the meeting, Maj Gen Kongcheep said.
He said the two ministers also discussed ways of working together to solve a variety of problems, particularly illegal fishing.
Humanitarian principles and the friendship between the countries will be taken into account when addressing the issue, Maj Gen Kongcheep said. Thailand suggested the countries hold regular talks to tackle the problem.
Gen Prawit and his Vietnamese counterpart also discussed an initiative for strategic cooperation.