A 50-year Commemoration of Slaughter in Binh An

Binh Dinh leaders offering flowers and burning incense to remember slaughter victims at Go Dai Vestige.

50 years ago, within more than one month (03/01-26/02/1966) at Binh An Commune, Binh Khe District and now called three communes of Tay Vinh, Tay Binh and Tay An, Tay Son District, Binh Dinh Province; under the command of the US Empire, South Korea troops conducted a series of mopping-up operations, setting fire to houses, hulled rice, cattle and savagely murdering more than 1,000 people (mostly women, children and the elderly).

At Go Dai location, on the morning of February 26, 1966,  the enemy collected and murdered more than 380 local people in Binh An Commune, Binh Khe District and Nhon My, Nhon Hau and Nhon Phuc Communes, An Nhon District (now called An Nhon Town). The slaughter in Binh An shocked and outraged to Vietnamese people and people all over the world. This event has awoken humanity against the evil of war and is always considered distressing memories and great loss for the people of Binh Dinh Province.

At the commemoration, Mr. Nguyen Tan Lan, a survivor of Binh An slaughter pitifully told the story that he witnessed his mother and his younger sister were murdered by South Korea troops. “Although the war has become history, the pain and sadness still remain. The pain of losing beloved members in families and horrible scenes in the slaughter caused by South Korea troops always remain in the mind of slaughter victims and survivors during 50 years.”

Up to now, the event of slaughter in Binh An has also received both domestic public opinion and the world’s concern. Several young Korean intellectuals come to Vietnam to learn the crimes caused by South Korea troops during the war in Vietnam with its focus on the slaughter in Binh An in 1966. They called on the Government of South Korea, social organizations and even Korean veterans and families to take such practical actions with the aim of compensating for the wrongdoing of their forefathers in the past, which is considered an apology to Vietnam.  

Binh Dinh leaders burning incense to remember Binh An slaughter victims At Go Dai vestige.

At the commemoration, Prof. ROH HWAWOOK, Chairman of Promotion Committee for the establishment of Korea – Vietnam Peace Foundation shared his message, “Sorry! Very sorry! … Our responsibility is to remember, repent and look back ourselves from historical issues. No past means no future; no apology, no repentance, we cannot build peace.”  

In the past years, Binh Dinh authority as well as the local people of Tay Son District constructed, restored and upgraded Go Dai vestige to partly warm up the dead souls. In 1990, this was recognized as cultural & historical vestige for the location to mark the crimes of South Korea troops toward Binh An people (in Tay Son district).

Speaking at the commemoration, Chairman of Binh Dinh People’s Committee Ho Quoc Dung called for Tay Son army and people to promote the pride in the heroic past of the homeland, boost the solidarity and overcome all difficulties and fulfill the criteria of socio-economic development in 2016 and the following years, creating a firm premise for Tay Son District to continue developing on a new path, worth with the homeland of hero Quang Trung.

The commemoration is an activity to remember the sacrifices, loss, sufferings of our compatriots, caused by the US Empire and South Korea troops; at the same time, review unyielding and indomitable struggling tradition of our nation; thereby, educating patriotism and revolutionary tradition for younger generations.

It is informed that on the afternoon of February 25, 2016 a death anniversary for Binh An slaughter victims was organized at Go Dai vestige.

Binh Le