(ECNS) -- A group of Chinese volunteers have failed to bring back the remains of Chinese WWII soldiers who fought and were buried in Myanmar as scheduled, according to a statement by Shenzhen Longyue Charity Foundation, initiator of the project.
Six coaches with 347 coffins set out from southwest China's Yunnan Province this Tuesday. They are expected to return with the remains on Thursday.
The volunteers say a Myitkyina-based organization they've been working with has turned its back on them and refused to hand over the remains. Made up of descendants of early Chinese immigrants, the organization was invited by the Longyue Charity Foundation to join the program in April. It now insists on burying the deceased soldiers in Myitkyina and building a memorial hall for them there.
Volunteers are still negotiating with the organization to secure a delayed but successful return.
Beginning in 1942, China sent hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers to fight Japanese invaders in Myanmar, with approximately 100,000 bodies remaining in the country. However, most of the burial sites have been left unattended or destroyed, prompting efforts from home to bring back the remains of these heroes.
Volunteers also plan to undergo DNA tests on the remains and establish a database to help families of the deceased account for their loved ones lost.
