U.S., Asia nations meet on recovery of remains
By William Cole - Advertiser Military Writer
Representatives of five Asian nations met in Hawai'i this week to discuss increased cooperation in the search and recovery of American service members missing from World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War.
Co-sponsored by the U.S. Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, the conference follows successful meetings late last month in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where nations involved in the Vietnam War agreed to intensify cooperation on losses in border areas.
The Hawai'i conference represented the first time Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Russia and the United States met jointly over remains recovery, and the first time Myanmar participated in an Asia-Pacific center event.
Vietnam last month agreed to allow search teams to return to the country's Central Highlands, where the remains of about 110 Americans are believed to be located. The area was off limits for three years because of political unrest.
In June, Vietnam also granted U.S. access to its national archives as part of the search effort. A meeting last year in Bangkok, Thailand, of nations involved in the war represented the first time the countries had come together to discuss the recoveries.
The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command based at Hickam Air Force Base is the nation's sole agency for the recovery of service members missing in action.
Since the end of the Vietnam War, the United States has accounted for more than 700 Americans missing from the war. More than 1,800 remain unaccounted for from the war, and more than 88,000 Americans are still missing from all conflicts.
"We in Hawai'i have also seen our share of family and friends who are unaccounted for ‹ including 12 from the Vietnam War and 73 from the Korean War," said Congressman Ed Case, D-Hawai'i, who spoke at the conference dinner Wednesday night at Hickam Air Force Bases.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.
©2004 The Honolulu Advertiser, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.