The Siem Reap provincial military headquarters on June 25 returned the remains of 23 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who lost their lives during war in Cambodia back to Vietnam, according to the provincial administration.

The provincial administration said in a statement that these cremated remains were the second group under Phase XXI of the repatriation programme.

It said search operations conducted by a working group from Vietnam’s Tay Ninh province, in collaboration with Siem Reap officials, have found the remains of 940 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers since 2003.

The working group found the latest group of 23 sets of remains in five Siem Reap districts: Kralanh, Puok, Angkor Chum, Sotr Nikum and Angkor Thom.

Siem Reap deputy governor Pin Prakod stressed that the repatriation programme is part of a cooperation agreement made between the two countries, as well as between Tay Ninh and Siem Reap.