Camp Holloway Discussion Forum - Research Archive - 11/11/00 to 01/21/10

JPAC - Talks Held in Vietnam on POW/MIA Missions

TALKS HELD IN VIETNAM ON POW/MIA MISSIONS

HICKAM AFB, HAWAII – U.S. and Vietnamese officials met in Hanoi, Vietnam recently for the second round of Technical Talks this year.

The talks were led by Brig. Gen. Michael Flowers, Commander of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command. The U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, the Honorable Michael Marine, also participated in the talks along with DoD officials from Washington D.C.

Vietnamese officials included the newly appointed director of the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons, Nguyen Ba Hung, along with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense.

The meeting focused on U.S. investigation and excavation operations associated with unaccounted-for Americans from the Vietnam War.

During these talks, U.S. and Vietnamese officials mutually agreed to conduct the next mission to Vietnam, designated the 85th Joint Field Activity. The mission is slated to take place April 17 to May 19 and will include three recovery teams, an investigation team and a combined research and investigation team (RIT).

The teams will excavate cases in the central region of Vietnam and conduct investigations in the Western Highlands. The RIT will conduct research and investigate Last Known Alive (LKA) cases in 10 provinces throughout Vietnam. Additional agreements reached during the talks included a continued emphasis by both countries on LKA cases and a refocused archival research initiative.

JPAC routinely hosts technical and consultative talks with senior officials in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to address topics specific to JPAC operations in those countries. JPAC negotiations ensure positive in-country conditions are maintained or established for investigative and recovery operations in Southeast Asia.

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