According to Lao Dong Newspaper on August 28, in the cemetery area behind Thien Mu Pagoda (Kim Long Ward, Hue City), the wooden stakes with the serial number directly attached to the center of the tombs of many deceased people have been repaired after reflection from the press and public opinion.
The above wooden stakes have been changed in position. The stakes have been placed on the edge of the tomb, with some places next to the mausoleum stele (no longer standing directly, the main position in the middle of the tomb is as before).
Speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Chairman of Kim Long Ward People's Committee, Mr. Dong Sy Toan informed: "This deposit payment was made by the Management Board of Investment and Construction Projects of Area 1, the local government only participated in coordinating the counting work. The process is still not thorough, causing many disagreements, we have accepted and resolved it immediately and will have a document to apologize to the people".
Previously, Lao Dong reported that on August 27, Ms. Thai Kim Lan (residing in Kim Long ward, Hue city) said that when she visited the mausoleum of a relative, she was shocked to discover many tombstones in this area with wood stakes with consecutive numbers. The stakes were paid directly to the capital in a rough manner, causing offense.
According to the record on August 27, the number of wooden stakes in the center of the tomb and many graves were treated similarly.
"The tomb is a sacred place, according to the thousand-year-old tradition of ancestor worship of the Vietnamese people, requiring the demonstration of a respectful attitude towards the deceased. That attitude reflects the personality of the person living. Respectfully worshiping the deceased is a spiritual and cultural act of humanity - especially of the Vietnamese people from thousands of years ago, and is even more profound to the Hue people. Paying or placing stakes on the grave of a deceased person is a serious insult, regardless of the purpose," Ms. Lan was indignant.
According to Ms. Lan, at the time of discovering the incident, she had not received any official documents from the authorities regarding the relocation of the mausoleum in the above area.
Mr. Dong Sy Toan confirmed that a series of tombs were deposited to mark the site clearance for the project "Conservation, restoration and embellishment of the Hue Citadel system phase 2", the Van Mieu - Vo Mieu relic area, invested by the Management Board of Construction Investment Project Area 1 (Hue City).
To implement the project, on August 15, the People's Committee of the ward issued a notice of land reclamation with an area of over 29,230m2, of which nearly 7,990m2 is cemetery land. However, the counting of graves is still not complete, so the locality has not been able to specifically notify each household with graves subject to relocation.
The wooden stakes were placed directly on the mausoleum, causing discomfort. A representative of Kim Long Ward People's Committee said that this was done by the Management Board of the Investment and Construction Project of Area 1, the local government only participated in coordinating the counting work.
