U.S. House Hearing on Agent Orange/Dioxin

On May 15, the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, Committee on Foreign Affairs of US House of Representatives held a hearing on the impacts of Agent Orange/Dioxin on Vietnamese people and environment. dacam5.jpgCongressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-AS), Chairman of the Subcommittee presided the hearing.

Entitled: “Our Forgotten Responsibility: What Can We Do To Help Victims Of Agent Orange?”, the hearing included testimonies from Scott Marciel, Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian & Pacific Affairs of U.S. State Department; Professor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, Director General, Ngoc Tam Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, member of The U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin; Catharin Dalpino, Associate Professor of Southeast Asian Studies Asian Studies Program Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Affairs Georgetown University, Director of the Aspen Institute Project on Agent Orange; Vaughan C. Turekian, Ph.D. Chief International Officer American Association for the Advancement of Science, member of The U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin; Rick Weidman, Executive Director for Policy & Government Affairs Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA); Jeanne Mirer, Secretary General International Association of Democratic Lawyers.

Congressman Faleomavaega and other witnesses called for the U.S. moral responsibility and humanitarian efforts to help fix the damage caused by the use of toxic Agent Orange/dioxin to human and environment in Vietnam.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel said the US Government will continue pursuing constructive measures to coordinate with the Government of Vietnam and other partners in dealing with AO related issues.

Link to full text of the testimonies by Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, The Honorable Scot Marciel, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, M.D., Ms. Catharin Dalpino, Vaughan C. Turekian, Ph.D., Jeanne Mirer, J.D.,Richard Weidman.

Statement by The Vietnam Association For Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, Walter Issaacson, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute.