Socialist Republic of Vietnam

An Agent Orange/dioxin researcher considers the lawsuit filed by Vietnamese victims against U.S. chemical companies an important historic event which will let the world know more about the victims in Vietnam.
Dr. Nguyen Van Tuan said that the lawsuit was the first time that Vietnamese people could raise their voices to let the world gain deeper insights into the situation of Agent Orange victims in Vietnam.

So far, when people in European countries and the U.S. hear about Agent Orange, they only think of the U.S. veterans who were exposed to the toxic chemical during the Vietnam war, he said.

Meanwhile, a recent survey shows that up to 4.8 million Vietnamese people suffered from the chemical during war time, Mr. Tuan added.

According to him, the U.S. government, which compensated U.S. veterans who had been exposed to the chemical, has no reason to neglect Vietnamese victims who are suffering from the pains caused by the toxic chemical that American companies produced.

In related news, the Solidarity newspaper of the Workers Party of Belgium on August 25 published the petition for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims, issued by the France - Vietnam Friendship Organization, calling upon all people around the world to give their signatures in support of Vietnam for the lawsuit.

The petition stressed, “We call upon the U.S. President, government and the chemical companies…to accept their responsibilities for the damage caused by their actions and products, and to pay full compensation to the victims.”

Reported by Vu Minh - Translated by T.H.
Thanh Nien News, August 27, 2004