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Grieving Vietnamese families want bodies returned
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Tradition in Vietnam dictates that the dead should be buried within three days but Nguyen Dinh Gia is still waiting for his son鈥檚 body to come home.
鈥淲e are tired. We want our child back as soon as possible,鈥 said Gia whose son, Luong, was one of 39 Vietnamese who died in the back of a truck in Britain around three weeks ago.
British police have charged two people with manslaughter over the incident. The youngest of the victims, most of whom had left poorer rural villages in search of work, was 15.
In Vietnam, the families of the victims have been plagued by confusion and anguish over how to get the bodies home.
Rumours about high costs circulating on social media, conflicting information from local authorities and a partial blackout of news in Vietnam鈥檚 tightly controlled media have all contributed to the uncertainty.
Six families said that they had been expecting to receive the bodies of the dead but were later asked by Vietnamese police to agree that their children鈥檚 remains be cremated instead.
Last week, Gia signed a form granting permission for Luong鈥檚 body to be repatriated. The next day, police encouraged him to opt for his son鈥檚 ashes instead.
鈥淚 was told the original form, including the option to repatriate Luong鈥檚 body, was no longer valid,鈥 said Gia.
Exhausted and seeking closure, Gia agreed for his son鈥檚 body to be cremated.
The family of Pham Thi Tra My, who sent an emotional text message to her parents warning in her dying moments that she couldn鈥檛 breathe, has asked local authorities to nullify their agreement to have her cremated.
鈥淚 want to see my sister one more time before we bury her,鈥 said Pham Manh Cuong, Tra My鈥檚 brother.
Britain鈥檚 Embassy in Hanoi said the Vietnamese government was leading efforts to repatriate the remains.
An important event at Vietnamese funerals is the act of walking around the body of the deceased, so that family members can bid a final farewell.
And for most, including in the provinces of Ha Tinh and Nghe An from which most of the victims left on their fatal journey, the dead should be buried within three days.
鈥淲e had to persuade the families to accept that the remains be cremated, even though we know they鈥檇 rather have the bodies,鈥 said a senior official in Ha Tinh.
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