The requiem at Nisshikutsu pagoda in Tokyo on March 4 prays for the soldiers who died to defend Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef of Vietnam (Photo: VNA)Tokyo (VNA) – The Vietnamese Buddhist Association inJapan held a requiem at Nisshikutsu pagoda in Tokyo on March 4 to pray for thesoldiers who died to defend Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef in Vietnam’s Truong Sa(Spratly) archipelago three decades ago.
The event was attended by Buddhist monks andfollowers, Japanese historians, representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy inJapan and Vietnamese people and foreigners in the country.
In her speech, nun Thich Tam Tri, head of theVietnamese Buddhist followers’ association in Japan, highlighted the heroicsacrifice of the 64 Vietnamese soldiers in the battle on March 14, 1988.
She underlined Vietnamese people’s gratitude tothe soldiers, whose sacrifice was a heavy loss but also encourages today’ssoldiers to be more determined in protecting the country’s sovereignty.
After the eulogy, participants lit candles andprayed for the martyrs.
Chairman of the Vietnamese People Association inJapan Tran Ngoc Phuc said the Gac Ma incident 30 years ago is a driving forcefor generations of Vietnamese people to develop and protect the country.
Expressing her gratitude, deputy head of theVietnamese Youth and Students Association in Japan Tran Thi Thuy said thesoldiers’ sacrifice helped give a peaceful life to young generations.
As part of the requiem, an exhibition was held,displaying copies of old documents testifying to Vietnam’s sovereignty overHoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa archipelagoes, along with photos of China’srecent violations of Vietnam’s sea and island sovereignty.-VNA
VNA
