VietNamNet Bridge – The execution ground of Long Binh, in Tan Phu Ward, District 9, HCM City, has been cleared for an urban construction project, but thousands of prisoners’ remains have yet to be claimed by their families.

When execution grounds go silent

Abandoned remains

Several thousands of sets of remains of prisoners, most of them anonymous, are still at the Long Binh execution ground.

Several thousands of sets of remains of prisoners, most of them anonymous, are still at the execution ground. Most of the prisoners were buried a long time ago.

Among these cases, Mr. Ba Son, a former worker at the Long Binh execution ground, visited the homes of some dead prisoners to inform their families about the locations of their tombs, but not all of these families have collected the remains yet.

"Even after more than a year since I informed them of the tombs, many families remain indifferent. They did not even pick up the phone when I called or send a reply message," says Ba Son.

According to Ba Son, many families don’t want to collect the remains of their relatives, out of fears that they will face troubles or lose face. Therefore, some sets of prisoner remains were cremated and kept at a nearby temple in District 9 – these will forever remain anonymous.

"This makes me and other former workers at the execution ground feel unsettled," Ba Son says.

The biggest worry of Ba Son is that he is old now and once he dies, nobody can help the families of dead prisoners to find the right tombs. "Now I just wish that all dead prisoners in the Long Binh execution ground are taken home by their families so their souls may rest forever," Ba Son says.

For the convenience of the relatives of prisoners, Ba Son has made a list of full names, date of execution and the tomb locations of executed prisoners. If the relatives call the right names and birthday of the prisoners, he will help them to find the tombs.

Ba Son and some former workers at the execution ground gave the remains of such infamous prisoners as Nam Cam and Tang Minh Phung to their families for burial.

The execution ground today

Previously, the Long Binh execution ground was a secluded valley, where no one dared to visit, except for burial workers like Ba Son. After the state decided to implement the death penalty by lethal injection, this ground was closed and fenced.

Currently, the Long Binh execution ground has been leveled. All prisoner tombs from 1976 have been removed to another site.

Ba Son took reporters to the execution ground. He pointed to a piece of land that had been leveled and said: "In the past, the area around the execution ground was full of earth mounds. At night, people could only hear the ravens cry. A few months ago, burial workers were summoned to remove the tombs of prisoners to another place."

Currently Long Binh is being leveled by a construction firm. It is expected that in the next few years, this area will become a vibrant urban area. Around the execution ground, some homes have already been built. The road along the grounds has now been expanded and asphalted.

According to Ba Son, before the execution ground was leveled, there were several thousand graves of prisoners. Ba Son and his co-workers exhumed the remains, cleaned them and placed them in earthen containers. Some remains were noted with names and hometowns.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Vice Chair of District 9, says all the remains of prisoners at Long Binh execution ground will be buried at the Phuc An Vien cemetery in Long Thanh My Ward, District 9, and relatives of prisoners can contact the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of District 9 to claim the remains.

NLD