Survey of the area suspected of mass burials of martyrs at Le Thi Rieng Park

From 7:00 a.m., a group of experts from the Department of Geophysics, University of Natural Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City National University, coordinated with nearly 10 engineering officers and soldiers from the Ho Chi Minh City Command and the Institute of Design, General Department of Logistics and Technology (Ministry of National Defense), surveyed three areas in the 7.5-hectare park.

The first location is 800 m2, next to traditional houses and The Huc bridge. The second location is about 500 m2, near the ornamental bird cafe. The remaining area is 1,200 m2, near the petanque court.

At each location, engineering forces wired the area and checked for bombs and mines before experts used electric photometers and ground-penetrating radar to survey at a maximum depth of 10 m.

Associate Professor. Dr. Le Van Anh Cuong, Head of the Department of Geophysics, said the devices record the reflection and scattering of electromagnetic waves and measure resistivity in the ground. The data obtained helps identify stratigraphic changes, distinguishing the original soil layer from areas that have been excavated.

"We will analyze the slices to determine traces of trenches or collapse holes, if any," Mr. Cuong said.

This is the first field survey after researching aerial photos, documents and collecting eyewitness accounts about the mass graves of martyrs who died during the 1968 Tet Offensive and Uprising.

Previously, the research team determined that Le Thi Rieng Park, formerly Chi Hoa Cemetery, could have three mass graves with about 900 martyrs and compatriots.

The assessment is based on the 8-year research work of a group of experts led by architect Nguyen Xuan Thang, through comparison of historical documentary photos from AP and satellite images from the period 1968-1972.

Colonel Nguyen Dinh Chuan, Deputy Political Commissar of the Ho Chi Minh City Command, said the survey will take place over many days. The data is then analyzed, synthesized and reported to the Steering Committee 515 Military Region 7 before June 30, as a basis for developing an excavation, search and collection plan.