Vietnam yesterday canceled a long-arranged commemoration ceremony for Australian war veterans in a move Canberra described as “a kick in the guts” that it is seeking to overturn.
More than 1,000 veterans and their families have traveled to Vietnam to mark today’s 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan.
“We have been working with the Vietnamese government for over 18 months for this, towards making sure that this commemoration took place in a low-key, dignified and respectful way,” Australian Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan said.
“For us to be given such short notice of the cancelation is, to put it in very frank terms, a kick in the guts,” he said from Canberra.
The Battle of Long Tan took place on Aug. 18, 1966, and was the most costly single battle fought by Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War.
Seventeen Australians were killed in action and 25 wounded, one of whom later died from his injuries.
Tehan said he was bitterly disappointed at the decision, which he said “should not have occurred.”
“My hope is that the Vietnamese government will overturn it,” he said, adding that Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was hoping to speak to his Vietnamese counterpart on the issue.
As commemorations marking Long Tan began in Australia, Tehan said Canberra had gone out of its way to ensure the Vietnam event was low-key.
“We understand that there are sensitivities still in Vietnam,” he said.
Tehan said it appeared the decision was based simply on the sensitivities relating to Long Tan, and did not relate to any other aspect of the relationship between Canberra and Hanoi.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs said that while the Vietnamese authorities had canceled the commemoration ceremony for Vietnam Veteran’s Day at the Long Tan Cross site, private access to the site might still be permitted.
Australian veteran Peter Taylor, who served in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970 after the Battle of Long Tan and who organizes battlefield tours in the region, said the decision came as a shock.
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