Cases of high-ranking military officers passing away are not allowed to organize state funerals

The Ministry of National Defense is seeking opinions to amend the Draft Circular 86/2016/TT-BQP on funerals of military personnel, workers, and national defense officials; people working in cryptography managed by the Ministry of National Defense.

The draft amending and supplementing a number of articles of Circular No. 86/2016/TT-BQP dated June 20, 2016 of the Minister of National Defense stipulating and guiding the organization of funerals for military personnel, workers, and civil servants of the national defense; people working in cryptography under the management of the Ministry of National Defense has proposed amending and supplementing Article 7 of Circular No. 86/2016/TT-BQP.

Article 7 of Circular No. 86/2016/TT-BQP currently stipulates:

Military officers in office or resigning from one of the following positions and military ranks who sacrifice or pass away are entitled to state funerals, including:

1. Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Party Central Committee;

2. Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly;

3. General of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA);

4. Senior Lieutenant General of the Vietnam People's Army is a revolutionary cadre before August 1945.

The draft adds other cases that are allowed to organize state-level funerals in the direction of regulations:

Article 7. Titles and military ranks for which state funerals are organized.

1. Military officers in office or resigning from one of the following positions and military ranks who sacrifice or pass away are entitled to state funerals, including:

a) Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Party Central Committee;

b) Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly;

c) General of the Vietnam People's Army;

d) Senior Lieutenant General of the Vietnam People's Army who was a revolutionary cadre before the August Revolution of 1945".

2. For cases where officials who have passed away holding one of the positions specified in Clause 1 of this Article are dismissed from their positions, retired from work, retired early, retired according to regulations due to violations and shortcomings, the funeral is organized according to the High-Level Funeral Ritual;

Being disciplined in the form of dismissal or removal of position or title, the funeral is organized according to the Funeral rites for military personnel with military ranks from Colonel and below or national defense workers, civil servants, and public employees who are working or retired as prescribed in Chapter IV or Chapter V of this Circular".

With the above amendment proposal, in the case of military officers holding one of the positions specified in Clause 1 (such as Politburo Member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee; Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, General of the Army...) who are dismissed from their positions, retired from work, retired early, retired according to regulations due to violations or shortcomings, when they pass away, the funeral is organized according to the High-Level Funeral Ritual instead of the State-level Funeral as specified in Clause 1.

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